Two Campuses, One Direction
The Walworth Barbour American International School in Israel (WBAIS) began as the idea of several foreign service wives in 1957 and was established in 1958 with the aid of the US Embassy and the US Department of State to meet the educational needs of Embassy and other English speaking children in Israel. It began its existence with a handful of American elementary-aged children in a small Kfar Shmaryahu post office. The school itself was later built on property that was purchase with the help of the US ambassador Walworth Barbour in 1963. The school grew rapidly from 22 students and offered a full K-12 program by 1967.
Since then, the Walworth Barbour American International School in Israel has developed into a cutting edge educational institution with two campuses: AIS in Even Yehuda (20 km north of Tel Aviv) and JAIS in Jerusalem.
AIS
AIS opened their 19-acre (77 dunam) campus in 2007 in the town of Even Yehuda, a residential community approximately 20 kilometers north of Tel Aviv.
The purpose-built campus includes four separate divisions, a performing arts building with a 400-seat auditorium, full gym, cafeteria, library and media center, athletic fields, tennis and basketball courts, and an Olympic-sized pool.
JAIS
In 1999, the US State Department, in conjunction with the US Embassy in Tel Aviv, approached the Walworth Barber American International School in Israel and requested they open a branch in Jerusalem. In August of 2001, JAIS opened its doors with eight elementary students. The JAIS high school began with a small cohort in August of 2011 and ended in June 2019 with its last three graduating seniors.
On May 14, 2018, the American Embassy officially moved to Jerusalem, and the Tel Aviv Embassy became the branch office. JAIS serves the diplomatic community and other groups as it continues to grow and develop.