History

It may seem curious that we speak of the “history” of King’s Academy when we only opened our doors in 2007, but the school does have a history – in the 200-year-old idea of the New England boarding school – and in the lives of the people who have been part of its founding and who are among its first faculty.

Of course, the fact that His Majesty King Abdullah II graduated from Deerfield Academy is critical to our story. The formative experience that he had there, and the memory of it that he took away, allowed him to imagine what a Jordanian boarding school might do for boys and girls across the Middle East.

Read more

King's in the News

King’s Academy has been the subject of many articles and reports in the international, regional and local media since its establishment.

Read more

Letter from the Head of School

Welcome to King’s Academy.

When the first stones were laid in the foundations of King’s Academy, His Majesty King Abdullah II envisioned a school with academic rigor, a focus on personal development, and a diverse student body committed to building bridges across difference. He envisioned a school that is “utterly progressive, utterly idealistic, utterly optimistic and utterly necessary,” a school accessible to the best students, regardless of their backgrounds, and a school that would help put Jordan at the forefront of education both in the region and the world. As you explore this website and visit campus, I trust you will find such a school.

I am happy to welcome you here, and I encourage you to explore:

  • the stories of our students and alumni whose lives have been transformed and expanded by their time here, which instilled the habits of mind necessary to excel, which opened them to new fields of interest, and which granted them access to universities around the world.
  • the world-class and cutting-edge curriculum grounded in the liberal arts and sciences, which includes over 25 Advanced Placement courses, a diversity of online offerings that connect our students to other students around the world, and a collection of interdisciplinary capstone courses that prepare students for life and the world;
  • the boarding school setting in which students from all corners of Jordan and the world live, eat, work and play together;
  • the extraordinary resources on campus, including the largest school library in the region, an observatory, two dining halls, an interfaith spiritual center, Harkness-style discussion classrooms, an organic farm, and much, much more.

There is no school quite like King’s Academy. The only coeducational boarding school in the Middle East, it blends an American style of education with Middle Eastern history, traditions, language and cultural values. It welcomes students from all socio-economic backgrounds, providing financial aid to approximately 49 percent of the student body. And it is home to students from some 43 countries around the world and 12 cities and towns across Jordan.

Most importantly, however, King’s is a school that believes in the transformative power of education to change students’ lives. We graduate students with the character and skills to live and thrive in a modern, interconnected world: students who have a love of learning, who have a deep respect for diversity and can communicate across difference, and who live integrated lives full of work, play, and appreciation for the world around us.

We look forward to meeting you in person, and invite you to visit our campus – one of the most beautiful in the world, and an ideal setting for learning and growth.

Penny Townsend
Head of School