Our History
Celebrating a Decade of Excellence in Education and Exploration
GEMS American Academy Qatar (GAAQ) first opened its doors in 2014 as GEMS Education’s flagship American school in the country. Backed by GEMS Education’s reputation and status as the largest operator of K – 12 schools in the world, GAAQ has been relentlessly committed to improving and delivering academic excellence within a global school community. As a fully NEASC-accredited school with one of the highest parent satisfaction ratings in the entire GEMS network, we extend our gratitude to all parents, students, teachers, staff and stakeholders who have supported and believed in our efforts which contributed to the development of GEMS American Academy. As a premier school, we are firmly at a decade of education with the continued promise and vision of delivering high-quality education at a more affordable cost.
School Timeline
GEMS American Academy opened its doors for the 2014 – 2015 academic year
First graduating class at GAAQ started as Grade 9 students during the 2015 – 2016 academic year
- Mascot Selection: “We Are the Raptors!”
- Introduction of Writing Workshop across Elementary School
- Introduction of the curriculum alignment process
- Officially admitted into first competitive sports league through Qatar Private Primary Schools Sports Association (QPPSSA) league
- Officially admitted into second competitive sports league through Qatar United English Speaking Schools (QUESS) league
- Introduction of first Advanced Placement (AP) classes
- Named “Top Ten Best International Schools in Qatar” by The Knowledge Review magazine
- Officially admitted into Qatar School Olympic Program (QSOP)
- Received full New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC) accreditation
- The first GAAQ graduating class, the Class of 2019
- Recipient of the Qatar Green Building Council (QGBC) “School Sustainability Award”
- Recipient of the prestigious, international Eco-Schools Green Flag Award (only 3rd school in Qatar to receive this award)
- Named “Most Valuable Schools to Watch – Middle East” by The Knowledge Review magazine
- Recognized as having one of the “Ten Most Empowering Women in Education – Middle East”
- Received the Qatar Culture & Identity Accreditation by the Ministry of Education Higher Education (MOEHE)
- Approved as a Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS) center for processing applications for British universities
- Selected as a National Honor Society (NHS) school
- One of only three schools outside of the United States designated as a Creative Curriculum Ambassador School
