Every individual who has experienced life at ASM will appreciate the school and the unforgettable memories it has helped them create. Mr. McPhillips, late Headmaster of the American School of Tangier (AST) and founder of the American School of Marrakesh (ASM), made his dream a reality by opening an American school in Marrakesh – a city that he loved.

Mr. McPhillips and his team came to Marrakesh in July 1995, ready to open his dream school. As the new school was to be AST’s sister school, AST funded the cost of renting a furnished villa to house the school in the Gueliz neighborhood. The school year began with 40 students, and after three years, the number of students and classes had grown, necessitating the rental of a second nearby villa in the Semlalia neighborhood.  After two years of running the school in two separate villas, the board decided that it was time to search for a proper site that could house a purpose-built school for students in nursery school through high school.  After searching for a few months, they found a perfect property with views toward the Atlas Mountains. It took two years to build the school that stands today. For many years, the school was surrounded by bare, flat land, but over the past ten years, many people have built homes neighboring the school.

Although the school was initially conceived as a school for local Moroccan students, Marrakesh’s attractiveness to foreigners and Moroccans living abroad has made ASM the obvious place for them to enroll their children in recent years. Its American-style curriculum delivered in English appeals to both Moroccans and expats, which has created a more diverse student population in all grades.  Although the majority of the school population is Moroccan or dual-national Moroccan, there are now students from many other countries around the world attending ASM. As they grow, students learn to understand, respect, and accept different beliefs and cultures. A strong community and many lasting friendships have been created in this multicultural environment.

Thanks to many hours of hard work and dedication on the part of the entire ASM community, ASM received accreditation by the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools in 2015.  This accreditation is a testament to the quality of our staff and facilities and the academic rigor and programs offered to our students.  Current course offerings include the possibility for high school students to take college level AP courses, which may allow them to bypass general education requirements and receive credit at the universities where they enroll.

It has been 21 years since the birth of ASM, and it is amazing to know that some of its first employees are still with the school and that ASM’s first alumni  – who were three years old when they first enrolled at the school back in 1995 – have now finished university, started careers and families, and continue to return to the school for visits. One of the beautiful things about the school is that the ASM community is one large family.

For more information about The American School of Marrakesh, please visit our website: http://asm.ac.ma/ .