Baghdad College High School

About

Baghdad College is an elite high school for boys aged 13 to 18 in Baghdad, Iraq. It was initially a Catholic school founded by and operated by American Jesuits from Boston.

The 1969 Iraqi government nationalization act turned it into a public school operated by the Iraqi state.

Today, it is one of the leading high schools and educational institutions in the country, producing some of Iraq's brightest minds in areas of medicine, politics, business, and beyond.

Our Story

Baghdad College was founded in 1932 by William A. Rice, S.J. at the request of Pope Pius XI to establish a Catholic school in Baghdad. The school originally had four Jesuit teachers and 107 students with the motto "An Iraqi School for Iraqi Boys".

The school was initially located in ten buildings, located at 11/45 Murabba'ah Street in Baghdad, on the east bank of the Tigris River, on 4 acres of land in the northern part of the city. Father Leo Guay designed the campus buildings, using Iraqi architecture as an influence. Courses were conducted in English. National Public Radio stated that at the time it was Baghdad's "premier high school."

Soon after its founding, the teaching staff included 33 Jesuits and 31 Iraqi teachers. Some of the Jesuits were fluent in the Arabic language, and others had established Arabic classes to try to teach themselves the language. The student body became over 1,100. Most of the students were children of the Iraqi elite.

Historically, about 20% of the students received scholarships. About half of the students were Muslims and half were Christians. Jews were also students. Baghdad College's pupils included Iraqis, Armenians, Egyptians, Iranians, Palestinians, and Syrians.

Curriculum

At Baghdad College, the Iraqi Baccalarueate curriculum is taught in English from grades 7 to 12.

Our academically rigorous curriculum promotes the development of critical thinking, problem-solving, and debate abilities for students. We offer every student an intellectually challenging, yet enriching experience through thoughtfully-designed exams, constant tests and assignments, and a quarter system.

This is why by the end of each year, our students enjoy a very smooth experience when taking the nationwide state-administered Baccalaureate exam.

In addition to this, we pride ourselves on attracting and developing some of the country's most renowned teachers in a variety of fields.

Our subjects include:

Sciences
- Mathematics
- Physics
- Chemistry
- Biology (grades 9, 10 for all | grades 11, 12 exclusive to Biological branch)
- Computer Science
- Geology
Social Sciences and Humanities
- Social Science (grades 9, 10)
- Geography (grades 9, 10)
- History (grades 9, 10)
- Islamic Religion
- Economics (grades 11, 12 | exclusive to Applied branch)
Languages
- English
- French
- Kurdish (grades 10, 11)
Arts (Visual and Performing)
Physical Education

Locations

Al-Adhamyia campus, the first and original campus.
Zayona campus, the second campus, founded in 2007.
Bab Al-Sharqi Campus, the third campus, and the first to be Girls-only, founded in 2008.
Haai Al-Jihad campus, the fourth campus.