ASW History

In August of 1953, ASW opened its doors to the first nine students and began its operations in an apartment building across the street from the US Embassy.These early students mirrored today's ASW community, representing a wide variety of cultures and speaking different languages - a defining hallmark of an ASW education. At that time, Betty Armstrong Dennis served as the sole ASW teacher.

In 1972, our commitment to service learning began with the establishment of a partnership with the Educational Center in Laski. By 1975, due to rapidly growing enrollment, ASW moved from its original facilities at Piękna 3 to a larger campus at ul. Konstancińska 13 in Sadyba. Just one year later, ASW educated 160 students, a number that nearly doubled over the subsequent 12 years.

In the fall of 1988, the ASW community proudly represented 25 countries, celebrating its international character through the newly established tradition of United Nations Day.

ASW operated as a Kindergarten through Grade 8 elementary school until 1989. That year marked the start of the high school program, with a new grade level being added each year. By 1991, the campus was again too small to meet the community's needs, leading to the temporary relocation of Grades 7 and 8 to rented space from a Church in Wilanów. This arrangement ultimately led to the construction of a dedicated Middle School campus in 1997.

In 1993, another lasting tradition was born: a delegation of 10 juniors, led by Mrs. Putowski, traveled to The Hague to participate in the International Model United Nations, marking a first in ASW history.

At the start of the 2001-2002 school year, we relocated to our beautiful current 25-acre campus situated just south of the Warsaw city limits. As enrollment exceeded 900 students by 2007, a decision was made to build a new wing extension to incorporate a new gym and additional music, language, and art classrooms. This project was completed in 2012.

In 2018, ASW achieved IB Continuum School status, successfully completing the work that began in 1992 when the International Baccalaureate program was first introduced to the curriculum.

In 2021, ASW earned the distinction of being the only school in Poland to remain open during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. A year later, following the Russian invasion of Ukraine, our friends from Pechersk School International in Kyiv found shelter on the ASW campus.

In 2022, ASW reached a milestone of over 1000 students, necessitating further campus expansion. An extensive two-year construction project began in 2023, adding a new Design Center, two courtyards, modern science labs, and expanded library and cafeteria facilities.

The ASWfor Foundation was established in 2023 to commemorate the school's 70th anniversary. The #ASWforUkraine initiative, which first sparked the idea in 2022 (50 years after our first service learning partnership), successfully raised over $424,000, providing support to thousands of people in need and inspiring helpers globally.