To meet the challenges and opportunities of our interdependent, fast-changing world as responsible citizens, young people require flexible intellectual competence, self-discipline, and a global outlook. To achieve these goals, they need rigorous academic preparation and a passion to become the best they can be. To thrive in and contribute to this world, they must have a solid sense of self and respect for others—as individuals, as members of a group, as citizens of their nations, and as members of the global community. Extraordinary individuals will be called upon to shape the 21st century. The mission of Atlanta International School (AIS) is to develop such individuals.

To fulfill this mission, AIS commits itself to the following goals:

• to sustain and grow the exemplary level of teaching and learning that has earned it a worldwide reputation for excellent standards in international and multilingual education within the framework of the International Baccalaureate;
• to develop each child fully by helping each one to live our core values: the joy of learning and purposeful effort as well as mutual respect and understanding in a diverse setting;
• to maintain an optimal size and composition of faculty and students to maximize the opportunities for learning and shared understanding that are necessary for a healthy community;
• to help shape and improve local and global communities through the committed participation of its multilingual students, alumni, parents, faculty, and staff.

We believe that encouraging each student to discover the intrinsic joy of learning and purposeful effort will help each one to set and achieve high academic standards. Furthermore, we believe it is vital to nurture mutual respect and understanding among all members of our community. Together we cultivate a spirited sense of hope in human potential. We believe the diversity of our community provides an extraordinary opportunity to enable our students to communicate, create, and collaborate in order to build a peaceful future.

• The joy of learning and purposeful effort: We want our students to experience joy in their intellectual, physical, social, and emotional development. At AIS we will create a safe, stimulating educational environment, promoting the wonder and curiosity that motivate a student to explore learning in and beyond the classroom throughout life. We believe that achievement derives from sustained, purposeful effort and that our potential is best developed by learning to think critically, debate confidently, and push our limits. Ours is a community that nurtures and celebrates disciplined and myriad intelligences, and we approach teaching with the expectation that every student will be successful.
• Mutual respect and understanding in a diverse community: We believe that every human being is valuable and deserves respect. We further believe that respect springs from understanding and that the best way to understand others is by learning to see the world from other points of view. Since each language reflects the values, history, and way of thinking of those who use it, learning another language is a particularly effective means of understanding and respecting others. We believe that a cohesive community of students, faculty, staff, and parents from many backgrounds—socio-economic, ethnic, racial, linguistic, national, and religious—provides an ideal setting for the development of respect and understanding and helps prepare students to thrive in a diverse, interdependent world.