School Profile: Information for Universities

School & Community

Luanda International School (LIS) was founded in 1998 with funding from six oil companies as an international, non-profit, independent day school serving the expatriate and local community in Luanda, Angola. Enrollment from Early Years to Year 13 (grade 12) is approximately 572 students from 50 countries. The LIS Class of 2024 is comprised of 25 students.

Students

There are 132 students in the high school (Years 10-13) from 27 countries with the largest numbers from Angola and the United States. Most LIS students are bilingual and many hold two passports. Additional nationalities within the high school: Argentina, Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Chad, France, Ghana, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, Netherlands, Nigeria, Norway, Philippines, Portugal, Romania, Singapore, South Africa, South Korea, United Kingdom, Venezuela.

Faculty

LIS is fortunate to recruit and retain an experienced and committed international faculty. There are 43 members of the high school faculty, 30 of whom hold a graduate degree or postgraduate diploma. A number of teachers serve as IB workshop leaders and/or examiners. Nationalities represented by secondary faculty: Australia, Canada, Indonesia, Ireland, Kenya, New Zealand, Poland, Portugal, South Africa, United Kingdom, and United States.

Curriculum

LIS is an International Baccalaureate (IB) World School offering the Primary Years Programme (PYP), Middle Years Programme (MYP) and the Diploma Programme (DP). English is the language of instruction across all grade levels. A robust wellbeing curriculum is incorporated into the school day through which students explore topics such as time management, relationships, mental health, career pathways, and transition to university. 

All students must complete Creativity, activity, service (CAS) and Theory of Knowledge (TOK) to fulfill LIS Diploma requirements. Students can choose one of two pathways to graduation: 

• LIS Diploma & IB Diploma
• LIS Diploma & IB Course Certificates

Academic Calendar and Grade Scale

The school year is divided into two semesters beginning August and January respectively. LIS reports academic achievement on a 1–7 scale, with 7 being the highest level. TOK is graded Pass/Fail. Grades are progressive over the course of the year and thus, grades on mid-year reports are to be considered “interim” with June marks reflecting a student’s overall (“final”) level of achievement. Achievement levels on June reports for Year 13 students reflect predicted grades submitted to the IB in April.

Policy on Class Rank and GPA

Due to small class size and the academic, linguistic, and educational diversity of our transient and international student body, LIS does not rank students or calculate GPA.

IB Diploma Results - Class of 2023

Luanda International School has an inclusive, open enrollment policy with regard to the IB Diploma Programme. Of the sixteen May 2023 graduates, 12 were candidates for the IB Diploma and all passed - with 9 earning Bilingual Diplomas. The average score - with most students earning 2 bonus points - was 34; the highest score in the cohort was 41.