International School of Florence

ISF is an IB World Continuum School. Children aged 3 to 11 follow the Primary Years Programme, students aged 11 to 16 follow the Middle Years Programme, which ends with the Grade 10 Personal Project, and Grades 11 and 12 study for the IB Diploma, with three Higher Level and three Standard Level subjects plus Theory of Knowledge, the Extended Essay and CAS. All upper secondary students share the same classes, but they may graduate either with the full IB Diploma or with an American High School Diploma accredited by MSA-CESS, based on internal assessment. An Italian equivalency track prepares students for the Italian state examinations at the end of primary and middle school.

ISF is organised in two schools. The Junior School at Villa le Tavernule covers two mixed-age Early Years classes for ages 3 to 5, a Foundation year for ages 5 to 6 and Elementary Grades 1 to 5. The Upper School at Villa Torri di Gattaia covers Middle School (Grades 6 to 8) and High School (Grades 9 to 12). Grades 9 and 10 serve as preparation years, after which students choose between the IB Diploma and the American High School Diploma for Grades 11 and 12.

ISF describes its mission as learning for a shared future: education is seen as a collective effort in which students, teachers, staff and families learn with and from each other. Its vision is to engage with ideas, with one another, with Florence and with the wider world in order to explore and grow. Daily life is guided by four values, namely respect, responsibility, relationships and resilience, within a small community where teachers know every student by name.

The school is spread over two historic properties. The Junior School occupies Villa le Tavernule, a fifteenth-century villa in Bagno a Ripoli with formal gardens, olive groves and an artificial-turf sports field, plus bright classrooms, an art studio, a multilingual library and a dedicated lunchroom for the youngest children. The Upper School is based at Villa Torri di Gattaia, a villa with thirteenth-century origins just outside the historic centre, which houses science laboratories, a library with collaborative study areas and the ISF Café. Both libraries offer digital devices, Wi-Fi and printing.

A private bus partner provides door-to-school transport across Florence and surrounding areas. The Junior School offers a hot lunch service from an external caterer, with menus designed by a dietician and alternatives for dietary needs, and families may also send a packed lunch; Upper School students use the ISF Café. Pupils are supported by class teachers, a school counsellor and learning support specialists, and college counselling starts in Grade 9. Uniform is required up to Grade 10, an active Parent Association organises community events, and a summer camp runs on campus.

Learning beyond the classroom includes a competitive sports programme for students of different ages, an after-school activities programme at the Junior School with options such as drama, visual arts and martial arts, and a range of arts opportunities, including the Cantabile Choir, which tours abroad each year, and theatre productions. Older students take part in Model United Nations conferences and the school's own FloMUN, produce the student newspaper The Tuskan Times, work towards the Duke of Edinburgh's Award and complete CAS service projects with local organisations. Field trips and residential journeys take place in Florence and across Europe.