Malaysia – Raffles American School (RAS) has grown from a start-up school with an enrollment of four students in August 2012 to aWestern Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC) accredited school with an enrollment of 120 students within 2.5 years!
The entire faculty and staff at RAS takes great pride in the learning environment which has been created through dedication and partnership between parents, students, faculty and staff.
“During our school visit, you could see the process of Problem Solving and Thinking Skills, Communication Skills, Research and Organisation Skills, and Interpersonal Skills unfolding, no matter what class we observed. Every classroom exuded the expertise of the teaching staff, from the carefully planned layout, to the engaging display boards, to the varied and exciting lessons we saw in progress.” published by ITS Education Asia on Malaysia’s News and Views–Inside Schools.
Raffles Education Corporation Limited (“RafflesEducationCorp”) has developed the RAS Brand through collaboration with International School Services (ISS). ISS has been instrumental in providing both human and curricular resources which have culminated in a truly American school, in Malaysia. RafflesEducationCorp planted the seeds for the birth of RAS in 2011 with the hiring of a New York Architectural Firm, Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM). SOM developed an inspirational educational plan which won second prize at the Architectural Festival in 2012 for Best New Educational Design.
The 46-acre campus plan incorporates the slope of the land from hill to wetland through the construction of 19 terraced levels and flowing roof lines which channel water towards the wetlands. Students will enter the top of the campus from four year old and graduate from the Performing Arts Center at the south end of the campus. Secondly, the classrooms are nestled in the middle of the 46-acre surrounded by indoor sporting facilities and outdoor supporting facilities to form the outer ring. An undeveloped 6-acre wooded hill will serve as the outdoor education space.
Construction has begun and the first phase of the campus will be ready for occupancy in January 2016, followed by a full completion to be scheduled on August 2016. RAS will boast a 30-seat planetarium, 700 seat theater, Gymnasium Complex, 25m and 50m swimming pools, tennis courts, baseball diamond, soccer pitches, stadium track, boarding facility and state-of-the-art science laboratories and classroom spaces.