The Alliance Academy International is a private Christian elementary and secondary school in Quito

Quito

San Francisco de Quito, most often called Quito , is the capital city of Ecuador in northwestern South America. It is located in north-central Ecuador in the Guayllabamba river basin, on the eastern slopes of Pichincha, an active stratovolcano in the Andes mountains...

, Ecuador

Ecuador

Ecuador , officially the Republic of Ecuador is a representative democratic republic in South America, bordered by Colombia on the north, Peru on the east and south, and by the Pacific Ocean to the west. It is one of only two countries in South America, along with Chile, that do not have a border...

, with a curriculum based on the United States program of education. AAI was founded in 1929 as the Alliance Academy, to provide an English-language American education for the children of missionaries of the Christian and Missionary Alliance

Christian and Missionary Alliance

The Christian and Missionary Alliance is an evangelical Protestant denomination within Christianity.Founded by Rev. Albert Benjamin Simpson in 1887, the Christian & Missionary Alliance did not start off as a denomination, but rather began as two distinct parachurch organizations: The Christian...

 (C&MA). The academy is located in a section of north Quito known as Iñaquito or downtown Quito.

History

Since 1966, AAI has been fully accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools

Southern Association of Colleges and Schools

The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools is one of the six regional accreditation organizations recognized by the United States Department of Education and the Council for Higher Education Accreditation...

 (SACS) and the Association of Christian Schools International

Association of Christian Schools International

The Association of Christian Schools International is an association of evangelical Protestant Christian schools.-Purposes:ACSI, a protestant association for Christian schools, impacts nearly 23,000 schools and transforms the lives of more than 3.9 million students worldwide...

 (ACSI). The academy is a member of the Association of American Schools in South America

Association of American Schools in South America

The Association of American Schools in South America is a non-profit association established in 1961, serving 41 American schools in South America...

 and the Southern Association of Independent Schools

Southern Association of Independent Schools

The Southern Association of Independent Schools is a U.S.-based voluntary organization of more than 340 independent elementary and secondary schools through the South, representing more than 180,000 students...

. In 2006 AAI became independent of the C&MA.

Description

The academy's primary mission is to "provide an extensive American curriculum for the children of evangelical missionaries." However, currently about half of its students are now from families of the diplomatic corps

Diplomatic corps

The diplomatic corps or corps diplomatique is the collective body of foreign diplomats accredited to a particular country or body.The diplomatic corps may, in certain contexts, refer to the collection of accredited heads of mission who represent their countries in another state or country...

or Ecuadorian and international businessmen.

AAI enrolls approximately 440 students in pre-kindergarten through 12th grade (2006-2007 school year), coming from about two dozen nations in Asia, Europe and the Americas. 46 percent are American, 31 percent Ecuadorian and 23 percent are other nationalities. The school has a wide variety of activities available for both students and adults, ranging from an annual football tournament to community service projects around Ecuador. There are 41 professionally certified full-time teachers and 9 part-time teachers working at the Alliance Academy International.

Honor Code

The school has a set of regulations called the Honor Code. Each student receives a student handbook and has to agree to comply with the rules. A student that does not turn in their signatures on time will receive detentions.

Construction

Currently some parts of the campus is under construction for improvement and expansion of the high school area.

STUCO

The Academy runs a Student Government based on democracy, with its top members petitioning to meet the student body's needs and improve the school campus. Students are able to participate in the Government from seventh grade and up, with seniors taking the most important roles.
STUCO's goal is not only to be leaders, but to be servant leaders that show Christian attributes. Ranking STUCO members are required to participate in meetings every Monday during lunch and have to be available to do extra work.