Dilijan, Yerevan Report of what it's like to live there - 04/19/26
Personal Experiences from Dilijan, Yerevan
School Name:
UWCD
Background Information:
1. Are you the parent of a child(ren) attending this school? A teacher at the school? Or both?
Parent
2. What grade or grades do/did your children attend at the school? During what year(s) did they attend the school?
11th and 12th from 2024 to 2026
3. What years did you live here?
2024-2026
4. What was your reason for living in the city where the school is located (e.g., government, military, corporate, NGO, retired)?
We lived in Yerevan for government work. We sent our child to the boarding school in Dilijan, since it is fewer than two hours away from Yerevan, and that way we could see them regularly.
5. Are other schools available to expatriates in this city? Why did you choose this particular school?
The only other option for English speakers if you're posted in Yerevan, is QSI, which we had not heard good things about. QSI is also SIGNIFICANTLY smaller per class.
Admissions & Welcome:
1. Are the admissions and placement procedures clearly stated to prospective families, either on the school website or through other means of communication?
The admissions and placement procedures were clear and organized.
2. How would you rate the school's support and welcome/integration of new students and their families, and why?
This is decent, as the Parent Council starts a good WhatsApp group for each new class coming in.
Administration & School Procedures:
1. How is the overall communication between teachers and parents, and the administration and parents? How is communication facilitated?
I feel that the current head of school as well as the board are terrified of good communication. They do a good act but if you want to communicate about anything real or serious forget about it.
2. Aside from school fees, are there required expenses such as uniforms, laptops/tablets, musical instruments, or field trips that parents are expected to cover? What are the approximate costs?
Your student will need a laptop. A few are available for scholarship students.
Academics & Resources:
1. What personal or academic counseling resources are available at this school? Is there a dedicated college counselor at the school? Is he/she familiar with universities worldwide?
Personal counseling is possible with a well-meaning teacher, but he was not in the picture at all when my child had issues there. As for Academic Counseling, the school SHOULD have a top-notch university advisor, but currently has no one in the role, despite this being an IBDP school. There was a decent one when we arrived, but she left because she felt overworked and unsupported, I have been told. The "replacement" had ZERO experience and NO idea what she was supposed to be doing. She only lasted a few months, and they still haven't replaced her.
2. Does the school have a library? How large is it? How updated are the books? Can students borrow books to read at home?
Library seems decent. Kids don't have much time to read, though, since it's an IB school.
3. What are the technology requirements for students? Do they need their own laptops/ipads? How is technology integrated into the classroom and homework?
Laptops are necessary for everything.
4. Describe the physical education resources at the school. Is there a gym? A swimming pool? Are there playing fields or tennis courts available?
There is a great gym, indoor pool, and soccer field. But physical education isn't really part of the IBDP. They have "activity" that they have to sign up for, but it can be something like dance or rock climbing. Just know that signing UP for an activity, doesn't mean you really have a lot of opportunities to do the activity...
5. What is the approximate teacher-to-student ratio in the grades that your child attended?
There are 35 teachers across the courses that the 220 students take. 51 of the 70 staff members are from Armenia.
6. Are Advanced Placement (AP) or International Baccalaureate (IB) courses available in upper grades? If this is an IB school, is the full diploma required of all students?
IBPD is required of all students. No other diploma is offered.
7. Are students generally challenged appropriately by the curriculum? Please describe any particular strengths or weaknesses in this area. Do you have any thoughts how the curriculum is applied and implemented at this school?
The IB curriculum is challenging.
8. Is the amount and type of homework generally appropriate for the age and grade of the students?
IBDP is very heavy in coursework.
9. What fine arts electives are available (music, drama, visual arts)?
music, drama, visual arts are all available
10. Are the teachers at the school required to speak English as a first language--or at least fluently?
more or less? Some are significantly better than others.
11. What services are available for gifted/advanced students at the school? Please describe your experience with these services, if applicable.
You have to basically be gifted/advanced to be admitted.
12. What services are available for students with learning disabilities at this school? Please describe your experience with these services, if applicable.
Not really.
13. What services are provided for speakers of English as a second language at this school? Please describe your experience with these services, if applicable.
These students get extra English language support. The 220 students come from 80 different countries, so their fluency varies.
14. What extra-curricular activities (including sports) are available at this school? Have your children participated in these activities? What activities do you feel are missing at the school?
The extra-curricular activities look great on paper, but it's almost impossible to do any of them, and definitely not regularly. My child had few opportunities to try any of the things that looked so appealing about the school via the website.
Social & Emotional Well-Being:
1. What is the climate for LGBT+ kids at this school? Are there resources they can draw upon? Does there appear to be any exclusionary behavior?
There are no resources. I feel like the school tolerates LGBT kids because it needs to based on being a UWC school, rather than because they believe in their rights.
2. Do expatriate students socialize with local students at the school? Are both groups successfully integrated into the school culture?
There are students from 80 different countries. There aren't a lot of Armenians at the school, but they do seem to mostly stick to themselves.
3. Are there are any problems with exclusionary behavior, cliques, or bullying at this school? Please describe any problems your children may have experienced in this area.
Cliques seem to form and disperse regularly. Since every student is new their first year (11th grade), it helps, but they all live together and have their normal teenage stresses with that.
4. What is the climate for students who identify as ethnic, race/racial minorities or religious minorities at this school? Are there resources they can draw upon? Have your children had any experiences in this area?
One of the reasons we picked the school was because it is so racially mixed. The students are open minded about others' religious beliefs, too.
5. What can you say about diversity among the faculty and staff at the school and their experience in supporting minority students?
The staff is diverse.
Overall Impressions:
1. What letter grade (ranging from A, excellent, to F, fail) would you assign to this school based on your overall experience? Would you choose it again?
F - I would NEVER choose this school again. In my view, there is a SERIOUS problem with safeguarding. When parents try to bring issues up with the head or even to the school board, they are give the impression that they are bullying the head of school by reporting to the board. UWC has 18 schools around the world and this does not seem to be an issue at other schools. But I would avoid this school like the plague as we have not had a great experience.
2. Please describe some of your child's/children's highlights and challenges during their time at this school.
Highlights - making more friends from around the world. Challenges - our child was sexually assaulted after drinking alcohol, which they know they should not have done (I find that there is a serious problem with the students having easy access to alcohol). Instead of receiving the support they needed, my child was punished for "engaging in sexual activity". My child fought for changes to be made to address this issue, but the school insists that it's not an issue.
3. Please tell us anything else you think prospective parents and students should know about this school. Thanks for your contribution!
I'm not a fan of the IBDP. I have three kids and two had it and one had AP class options. PICK AN AP SCHOOL IF YOU CAN. There is no benefit when applying to universities with the IBDP. If you DO need an IBDP school, there are a lot of decent options, I'm sure, but this is not one of them and was not for us. Dilijan is a small town, and I think the school has a difficult time hiring and retaining good teachers. I believe 16 are leaving this year. Fortunately, there are a couple who are very good and very caring. If it weren't for them, I don't know what we would have done these past two years.
The school looks great on the website but it just feels terrible to our family with an uncaring board and head.
