Information for New Families

About SAS

To meet the educational needs of expatriate children, a handful of parents established the Singapore American School in 1956 in a private home with just 105 students. Today, Singapore American School enrolls around 3700 students from 54 nations (59% from the U.S.). SAS is recognized by the Office of Overseas Schools, U.S. State Department, is fully accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC) and ranks among the largest overseas American Schools in the world.

Singapore American School is located on a 36-acre campus approximately 35 minutes drive from downtown Singapore. New state-of-the-art facilities house 4 divisions including primary, intermediate, middle and high schools. Each division has purpose-built facilities including its own classrooms, library and support facilities. Support facilities include 5 air-conditioned gymnasiums, 2 outdoor covered play areas, 3 swimming pools, 2 cafeterias, 5 tennis courts, 1000-seat stadium, track and field, baseball, softball, soccer and rugby fields and an air-conditioned climbing wall. Middle and high school facilities include modern science laboratories, computer facilities, a language lab, drafting, home economics, business and applied technology classrooms. The campus also includes a variety of performing arts facilities including an 840-seat auditorium, 320-seat studio theater, 650-seat elementary theater, black box theater and support classroom spaces for music, art and drama. All facilities are fully air-conditioned.

The professional staff numbers 301 with nearly 60% holding a master's degree or above. Another 195 employees serve in clerical and administrative support service roles. SAS's educational program enjoys a reputation for being one of the world's finest international schools. SAS students consistently rank higher on academic achievement tests than their peers in stateside school systems. Class sizes emphasize educationally sound student-teacher ratios.
An Interim Semester program is offered at the high school, where "in the field" educational programs provide students and teacher chaperones an opportunity to travel and experience the Asia-Pacific region (Trekking in New Zealand, Diving in Thailand, and Camping in the Australian outback are examples of Interim Semester programs).

About Singapore

Singapore is located in Southeast Asia, at the southern tip of the Malaysian peninsula, and is approximately 136.8 km north of the equator.  Singapore, with a population of about 4.1 million, is a safe, modern, cosmopolitan city.  It consists of an island approximately 25 miles in length and 14 miles in breadth with another 58 islets within its territorial waters.  The neighboring country of Malaysia lies just across a causeway to the north while the outer islands of Indonesia are just a 20-minute boat ride to the south.  The climate of Singapore is tropical with relatively uniform temperatures ranging from 72-90 degrees Fahrenheit, high humidity, and abundant rainfall due to the maritime exposure of the island and its close proximity to the equator.

Written accounts on ancient Singapore are scarce.  In 1365, Singapore was referred to as Temasek or Sea Town, while a third-century Chinese account refers to the small island as pu-luo-chung or island at the end of a peninsula.  Legend has it that Singapore was given its Sanskrit name, Singapura (Lion City), when a native prince saw a creature with a red mane on the island.

In 1819, Sir Stamford Raffles founded Singapore and colonized the island for England.  Following the dramatic changes after the Second World War, Singapore gained self-government in 1959.  In 1963, Singapore merged with Malaya to form Malaysia but shortly after, separated from the rest of Malaysia to become a sovereign social-democratic and independent nation.
Today, Singapore enjoys the second highest standard of living in Asia after Japan.  It is a modern, city-state with a highly structured, disciplined, social-democratic society.  Singapore is also a multi-racial and multi-religious society with Chinese (77.7%) representing the predominant culture, followed by the Malays (14.1%), the Indians (7%), and the Eurasians (1.1%).  All four major ethnic groups live in harmony and are sensitive to one another's backgrounds and religious beliefs.  Although the four major languages of Mandarin, Malay, Tamil, and English are found throughout Singapore, English is most widely spoken. Most major religious denominations are present in Singapore and individuals have the right to worship freely.