American International School of Lagos

What the school is

Ownership, governance and staffing

AISL describes itself as a non-profit, independent day school for students aged 3 to 19. It was founded in 1964 with 30 students. A Board of Directors hires and evaluates the superintendent, sets strategy and approves policy, and the school publishes its board policy manual. The State Department’s 2026 fact sheet records a voting board seat for the US Principal Officer’s representative. A 2025 Legit.ng report describes a nine-member board that also includes AISL Association representatives and seats linked to Shell, ExxonMobil and Chevron.

The 2026 fact sheet lists 479 students: 28 in PreK, 219 in elementary, 116 in middle school and 116 in high school. The largest student nationalities are American, Indian, British, Nigerian and Canadian, and the admissions office describes a community of more than 75 nationalities. There are 110 faculty, 30 of them US-trained. School materials describe science and technology laboratories, a pool, a library, an Innovation and Design Center, and an Arts, Literature and Creativity building.

Academics in practice

Programmes, accreditation and support

AISL runs an inquiry-based early childhood programme, then an American/international standards-based curriculum in elementary (Grades 1–5), middle (Grades 6–8) and high school (Grades 9–12). Students follow the IB Middle Years Programme and can take the IB Diploma in Grades 11–12. They can earn the American High School Diploma with or without the IB Diploma. The school is accredited by the Council of International Schools and the Middle States Association. French, Spanish and Arabic are the languages listed for 2026. The year runs from August to June in two semesters, August–December and January–June.

The fact sheet lists support for mild and moderate learning needs. The admissions policy states that AISL has no special classes for students identified as gifted or with diagnosed learning or behavioural disabilities. Admission depends on a child’s ability to succeed in the standard curriculum in a mainstream classroom, so evaluations, IEPs and psycho-educational reports belong with the application. Entrance assessments may cover basic skills, vocabulary, reading comprehension, spelling, mathematics and writing, and applicants are expected to score at or above grade level.

Admissions and cost

Tuition, priorities and the application

AISL does not publish a fee schedule on its website. The annual tuition it reported to the State Department for 2026 is shown below. A May 2025 Legit.ng report, attributing its figures to the State Department, also listed a one-time US$10,000 registration fee, a US$3,000 annual capital fee and a US$10,486 special assessment. The school has not published current one-time charges.

Applications go through the Veracross portal with a non-refundable US$150 application fee, payable in naira. The required documents are the child’s and parents’ passport data pages, AISL’s confidential school report, immunisation records, all school reports for the past two years (with transcripts for Grades 9–11 where relevant), standardised test results and any IEPs or evaluations. Placement follows age on August 31, and children joining Early Childhood must be toilet-trained. Complete applications are normally decided in 5–10 working days during term, and in up to three weeks in June and July.

When a grade is full, places follow seven priority categories. First come dependents of US State Department and consular employees, AISL staff and the “Special Assessment” companies: Chevron, ExxonMobil, Schlumberger and Shell. Next are Guaranteed Enrollment Plan companies, then US citizens on expatriate assignment and then other expatriates. Siblings and former students follow, then US and non-US citizens who are permanent residents of Nigeria. Children of alumni move up one category, to a maximum of category 4. Waitlisted families must update their file at least every six months to stay on the list.

Scroll sideways to see all columns.

Source: US State Department, AISL 2026 fact sheet (data as of April 2026)

The family experience

Victoria Island and daily arrangements

The campus is behind 1004 Estates on Victoria Island, a site the school has occupied since 1981 on government-leased land. The admissions office runs campus tours by appointment during semesters and answers inquiries remotely during holidays. Families weighing homes in Victoria Island, Ikoyi or Lekki should compare the school run with the commute to work.

Questions to ask the school