Taipei American School
Taipei American School (TAS, 台北美國學校) is a non-profit, private English language school located in Tianmu, Shilin District, Taipei. Founded in 1949, the school served as a U.S. Department of Defense contract school during the U.S. military presence in Taiwan from the 1950s to 1970s. Upon the termination of diplomatic relations between the United States and the Republic of China in 1979, TAS reorganized into a college preparatory school. From then on, the school population changed from the children of American servicemen into children of expatriate businesspeople and children who are American-born Chinese.
Organization
Headed by a parent-elected Board of Trustees and a superintendent, TAS is divided into the Upper, Middle, and Lower Schools. The Lower School is equivalent to an elementary school. The Middle School is equivalent to a junior high school. The Upper School is equivalent to a high school.
Mascot and Colors
The school mascot is the tiger. The school colors are blue and gold.
Curriculum
The high school offers Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate courses.
Facilities
The current 62,192 square meter campus, completed in 1989, consists of a four story complex with a total floor space of 44,000 square meters. The campus contains the following facilities:
- A main auditorium and a little theater
- A cafeteria with a snack bar, salad bar, and a pizza bar
- A gym with two indoor basketball courts and an indoor Olympic-sized swimming pool
- A softball court
- Tennis and racquetball courts
- Track and field facilities
- A library that rivals that of a small liberal arts college
- A pond for ecological studies (Blank's Pond)
Enrollment
The combined school enrollment is around 2000. Originally, any US citizen in the greater Taipei was guaranteed space at TAS. Because the current facilities cannot meet demand, priority admission is given to US citizens whose parents are also US citizens.
Noted Faculty
Affiliations
TAS is accredited with the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC). The college acceptance rate for the graduating class has always been above ninety percent.
As a member of Singapore American School
