Sharjah American International School (SAIS) is a K

Kindergarten

A kindergarten is a preschool educational institution for children. The term was created by Friedrich Fröbel for the play and activity institute that he created in 1837 in Bad Blankenburg as a social experience for children for their transition from home to school...

-12 educational institution located in Sharjah

Sharjah (city)

Sharjah is the third largest and most populous city in the United Arab Emirates. It is located along the southern coast of the Persian Gulf on the Arabian Peninsula.Sharjah is the seat of government of the emirate of Sharjah...

, United Arab Emirates

United Arab Emirates

The United Arab Emirates, abbreviated as the UAE, or shortened to "the Emirates", is a state situated in the southeast of the Arabian Peninsula in Western Asia on the Persian Gulf, bordering Oman, and Saudi Arabia, and sharing sea borders with Iraq, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, and Iran.The UAE is a...

. SAIS awards an American

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 high school

High school

High school is a term used in parts of the English speaking world to describe institutions which provide all or part of secondary education. The term is often incorporated into the name of such institutions....

 diploma upon completion of the required coursework by the end of grade 12.

SAIS was founded in 1997 by Aisha Al Sayar, former assistant undersecretary of the Ministry of Education, and Nawaf Fawaz. It is acredited by the Commission on International and Trans-Regional Accreditation

Commission on International and Trans-Regional Accreditation

The Commission on International and Trans-Regional Accreditation was an international educational accreditation agency.CITA was formed in 1994 by regional accrediting organizations in the United States following a long history of collaboration under other auspices...

 in 2000.

In addition to the middle eastern students, the student body represents nations from Pacific and South Asia, Africa, Australia, and North America. The school has 3000 students at the Sharjah campus.

Although there is an entrance examination

Entrance examination

An entrance examination is an examination that many educational institutions use to select students for admission. These exams may be administered at any level of education, from primary to higher education, although they are more common at higher levels....

 for which applicants are charged a fee, all students are accepted into the school. For students that struggle with English

English language

English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...

, alternative English as a Second Language classes are offered for those who can afford to pay a fee.

Most elementary students wear uniforms

School uniform

A school uniform is an outfit—a set of standardized clothes—worn primarily for an educational institution. They are common in primary and secondary schools in various countries . When used, they form the basis of a school's dress code.Traditionally school uniforms have been largely subdued and...

. Compliance decreases with the older grades.