Lusaka, Zambia Report of what it's like to live there - 08/19/26
Personal Experiences from Lusaka, Zambia
School Name:
Lusaka International Community School
Background Information:
1. Are you the parent of a child(ren) attending this school? A teacher at the school? Or both?
My child graduated from LICS.
2. What grade or grades do/did your children attend at the school? During what year(s) did they attend the school?
Years 8-13 (2021 to 2026).
3. What years did you live here?
2021-2026.
4. What was your reason for living in the city where the school is located (e.g., government, military, corporate, NGO, retired)?
Work.
5. Are other schools available to expatriates in this city? Why did you choose this particular school?
There are four other international schools and many private Zambian schools with similar education standards. I chose LICS as I believed it was the best choice for my son.
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?
Admission is clear and easy. The Admissions Officer was very helpful.
2. How would you rate the school's support and welcome/integration of new students and their families, and why?
This is difficult to assess as we arrived during COVID with online classes that eventually merged to in-school every other week. It was more difficult for my son to integrate but I believe that was more a factor of COVID than the school. When the school was open full time for in-class learning, he settled quickly.
Administration & School Procedures:
1. How is the overall communication between teachers and parents, and the administration and parents? How is communication facilitated?
LICS does a good job keeping parents informed via email. They utilize mass email for all parents. Teachers could do more to engage parents more often than parent-teacher meetings. We had one teacher who routinely updated parents. However, most teachers did not engage with parents until the 10 minute parent teacher meeting, where there is not much space for engagement and in-depth discussions. There were a few teachers who I really felt were open to more discussion and engagement. Most seemed to not want to be bothered.
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?
There is a uniform requirement. Parents pay for the annual class trip. The school has a bring-your-own-laptop practice.
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?
The school has a guidance counsellor who assists students with university applications. He had good knowledge of worldwide programs and universities.
2. Is there before and/or after-school daycare available? What are the costs?
NA
3. Does the school have a library? How large is it? How updated are the books? Can students borrow books to read at home?
In this digital age, do schools still have well stocked libraries?
4. What are the technology requirements for students? Do they need their own laptops/ipads? How is technology integrated into the classroom and homework?
The school linked the students with useful online learning sites to further skills and knowledge. The school has a bring-your-own-laptop practice.
5. How are information technology resources at the school. Are they up-to-date? Is there a computer lab?
There is a computer lab.
6. Describe the physical education resources at the school. Is there a gym? A swimming pool? Are there playing fields or tennis courts available?
The school has a gym, pool and basketball court.
7. What is the approximate teacher-to-student ratio in the grades that your child attended?
15-17:1 or so.
8. 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?
The school offers A levels. I was very content with the school through IGCSE. I had thoughts to remove my child for A levels when at his IGCSE graduation there were just 6 students. His graduating class was larger, but I wish I had utilized another school for A levels. The teachers were ill equipped to teach the A level curriculum. For AS his class had the highest repeat of recent classes. The school blamed the students but in reality it is the low skilled A level teachers. They were great for IGCSE but not for A levels.
9. 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 A level curriculum is challenging. The problem is that the teachers can't adequately teach the curriculum. The secondary principal pays little to no attention to what occurs inside the classroom.
10. 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?
Many. I think most children can find an after school activity they enjoy.
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?
IGCSE: A
A levels: D. Maybe even an F.
I would send my child here again for IGCSE and move him elsewhere for A levels.
2. Please describe some of your child's/children's highlights and challenges during their time at this school.
A level teachers and the inability to teach the curriculum. There were also some teachers who seemed to not really understand adolescents and teenagers. Sometimes kids make mistakes. I did not like hearing about a silly dumb adolescent mistake that happened three years ago that the teacher was still bringing up even though no similar incident had happened since then. We had two teachers who could not let a minor incident from years earlier go. Many of the teachers could benefit from extra skill development in child development, expectations, handling issues, and letting go.
3. Please tell us anything else you think prospective parents and students should know about this school. Thanks for your contribution!
Great school through IGCSE. Go elsewhere for A levels.
