Our district student body has doubled since 2017-18, now at 470+ students enrolled in DA Schools on all campuses, and we are seeing a higher volume of applicants from all over the world.

For admissions, we are approaching full capacity at Central in grades 1, 2, 3, 5 and 6. At DA West, we are full for PreK3, PreK4 and Kindergarten and limited space for Grades 2 and 4. At DA South, we are at capacity for this year.

Our student scholarship fund increased by $10,000 over what was given in its first year. 16 families have benefited from scholarships from this fund in this school year and 8 benefited from it last year. 

We currently have 103 teachers & staff members, including 2 new positions created this year and 3 student teachers for next semester.

We are nearing completion of the first phase of the West Campus build! To date over $1.2 million has been spent developing the West Campus.

""Opening West Campus has borne much fruit in allowing us to serve families on the west side of Dakar and also to diversify our revenue so that Dakar Academy Schools are more financially viable. Because God has blessed us with sustainable growth at the West and Central campuses, we are now able to invest in our South Campus and dream about opportunities that may come elsewhere." —Charles Ibsen, Finance & Development Strategist

In its first year, we already have 3 staff participating in the Educational Leadership Program launched by the HR department for staff pursuing a higher education degree (Master's level) in educational leadership and expanded the program for those pursuing a Master's in any area of education.

Our Special Education Team meets weekly to collaborate and share student concerns; working together to help create strategies and programs to help students become successful learners. Using the Kaufman Test of Educational Achievement, our Support Team performed comprehensive assessments for 60 students to determine specific academic needs and/or grade placement levels for new students.

Across the district, 35 students receive Special Education services and 12 students receive Speech/Language services.

The English Language Learning Department is currently serving 31 EL students. The WIDA is given to students to formally assess Speaking, Listening, Reading and Writing skills as part of new student admissions criteria and is given twice a year to all students attending an EL class to monitor growth and continued Language Supports.

The Curriculum Department now includes 2 staff members. We reviewed three subjects (MS English, MS Science and Elementary Math and, as a result, implemented three new curriculum options to pilot or use next year. We held three days of training for staff to support teachers in the implementation of the new HMH curriculum and three new committees of about 4-6 people were formed to participate in the annual curriculum review process this year.

Our DA Library added around 400 new books for Central, West and South campuses and also added 50+ books to our digital library. We are currently wrapping up our second Annual Book Fair.

Our IT department continued standardizing the equipment in each classroom district-wide, relative to the school, and so that no matter which classroom you walk into, on any specific campus, the technology will match.

Our Communications & Marketing Department reached over 100,000 people via our website, social media and newsletters in 2023.

Stateside, our HR team participated in 18 recruiting events at colleges, churches and mission fairs. We are competitive and recognized among the top international Christian schools across the world since our presence has increased at major mission recruiting events to continually attract qualified staff members.



105 students participated in the High School Retreat weekend including worship, hearing challenging messages, small group time, swimming and games.  

93 students from Central, West and South campuses participated in the MIddle School Retreat weekend in Ngaparou where they swam in the ocean, had bonfires, zip-lined and rode horses.

"Central Campus teachers are amazing in their love for our students. They pour into them daily whether in or out of the classroom. I'm so happy to work with such a devoted group of co-workers." 

— Matt Perdue, Director of DA Central

Dakar Academy Central was reaccredited by ACSI for Kindergarten to grade 12 and PreK3 to grade 12 was reaccredited by the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools! This reaccreditation is the result of many hours on behalf of our teachers, staff and administrative team. Thank you for your participation in it!

Our Special Education Department has grown to 2 special education teachers and one Speech Language Pathologist. We are currently piloting a Response to Intervention (RTI) Block with an added Enrichment time for Elementary students. Struggling students in grades 1-5 attend a 30-minute block each day where they get extra support for Reading, Writing, or Math.

Students not needing added support now attend an Enrichment Classroom where they are immersed in more abstract, higher level thinking skills such as Science/STEM projects and many hands-on activities. 

The IXL online Math program is a new addition to support our RTI program as well as our general education classrooms for Kindergarten to grade 7.

Our English Language Learning Department welcomed an ELL teacher to Central this year and is piloting an online program called Equipping ELLs. All of the EL teachers are trained in assessing and determining student needs.

Our curriculum office was the distribution site for the new English Language Arts program by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt called "Into Reading and Writing Workshop" that we adopted for our elementary classes this year. 

194 middle and high school students served in 12 locations during the Fall Service Day doing painting, beach cleanup, landscaping, organizing and cleaning, leading crafts, and also team-building activities. The lessons learned through Service Days create a foundation for compassionate leadership and contribute to the development of well-rounded, socially conscious individuals prepared to make a positive impact in their communities.

75 high school students experienced Senegalese culture and cultivated a heart of service during our annual Field Service Experience. Grade 9 went to DA South work on painting and landscaping. Grades 10 and 11 served at the Beersheba Project doing landscaping and agricultural projects. Grade 12 went to Tambacounda where they dug an irrigation trench, made compost piles, and encouraged the local missionaries. 

We began a voluntary one-to-one mentorship program in partnership with our counseling program to meet the needs of our students in a practical way.

Our athletics expanded to by adding Lion Cub Sports for students in Kindergarten to grade 2.

Our Boarding Program allows our our school motto, So All Can Serve, to be lived out by serving the families of 32 students coming from 8 countries across the region. We created a Resident Advisor position and one of our new programs brings together the boarding homes every Sunday Evening for dinner, games, Bible study, student-lead worship and prayer.

Despite the teacher shortage in the U.S., we are excited to have recruited and hired 12 new teachers & staff for this campus.

"In educating our children to find their purpose it takes a dedicated loving teacher, a school that cares, parents that understand, and God who knows what He has created each of us to accomplish. Dakar Academy West is the village that will nurture each child." 

– Cheryl Turner, Director of DA West

We began in 2019 with 19 students and have grown to 130 students, with four grade levels full and running a waitlist. Our students represent 35 nations on one campus.

Our after-school workshops provide 10 different activities for students in Kindergarten to grade 8 throughout the year, including workshops led by internationally recognized artists. Programs for robotics, STEM, chess, arts & crafts, languages, & sports demonstrate the diversity of offerings provided to the students.

The DA Schools' Library processed over 100 new books for the West Campus Library, bringing us to over 2000 books, in addition to classroom and digital libraries. 

The Special Education Department  welcomed two half-time teachers to the West Campus this school year.

For grades 1 to 5, our English Language Arts adopted a new cutting-edge curriculum by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. Teachers are and have worked alongside our Curriculum Coordinators and attended professional development collaboration days, learning how to best integrate the new curriculum into their classes.  

The IXL online Math program is a new addition to support our Response to Intervention program as well as our general education classrooms for Kindergarten to grade 8 at West Campus.

Our English Language Learning Department welcomed three EL teachers to West this year. All of the EL teachers are trained in assessing and determining student needs.

We recruited and hired 8 new teachers & staff for this campus, including art & music teachers.

It is our privilege to host the International Christian Fellowship of Dakar on Sunday mornings, their youth group on Friday evenings and the Senegal chapter of  Moms in Prayer on our campus.

DA West Middle School successfully launched its new Explorer Learner Program (ELP) featuring three diverse units this semester.

The Fine Arts section was hosted by ArtBox and students participated in either pottery or paper maché.

In the Small Business unit, one team orchestrated our inaugural School Fair for over 200 participants, while another team initiated a Cantina for the DA West community.

For Outdoor Education we first focused on swimming and water safety skills to lay the foundation for future activities.

Many of our students had never received any formal swimming instruction, but 65% passed the swimming proficiency test by the end of the unit. Students who passed the initial swimming test went on to have 5 sessions of hands-on sailing lessons in Hann Bay. One the last day, 4 students successfully navigated a sailboat on their own for three laps on a designated circuit.

"The dedication of our teachers and staff and the love that they have for our students makes Dakar Academy South a truly remarkable place both for our students to learn and for our staff to serve."

— Dan Hein, Director of DA South



Our Facilities Team renovated our playground with a slide, swing-set, monkey bars and teeter totter. For the running track, they added additional layers of sand and landscaping. Indoors, new bathrooms with stalls have been added to accommodate more students.

Students in Kindergarten to grade 2 use Chromebooks at least twice a week for Math and English Language Arts (ELA) to reinforce concepts learned in class, to practice spelling and also use Lalilo to practice phonics.

DA South adopted the highly rated Language Arts program by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt for grades 1 to 5. Specific time for professional development and collaboration with the other campuses has equipped our teachers at DA South to begin implementing this program into their classes and we are excited to see the impact that it will have on our students.

The IXL online Math program is a new addition to support our general education classrooms for Kindergarten to grade 8 at South Campus.

We recruited and hired 2 new teachers & staff for this campus. 

DA South continues to develop its own traditions and activities such as an all-school scavenger hunt, monthly school-wide Fun Friday events and weekly community soccer on Thursday afternoons.

In recent years, two Co-Op Campuses were established and grew in two areas of Guinea, allowing medical work to be provided in an area of the country that is difficult to reach.  Last year the Co-Op program expanded into Liberia in Monrovia.

Co-Op enrollment grew to to 36 students at the end of 2023 and applications are already coming in for 2024-25!

Do you know someone interested in serving in Liberia next year? 

The Marketing & Communications team is thrilled to share some exciting news with all of you—Dakar Academy Schools have brand-new logos! The Board appointed our team to create this fresh representation to strengthen our school's identity and foster a sense of pride among our students, faculty, and community. 

Thank you for your continued dedication to DA Schools. We look forward to showcasing our new logo together!

CREATIVE TEAM

Robert Pope | Creative Director

Joy Rufaro Chitate | Lead Designer

Kari Masson | Designer

Andrew Parish | Marketing & Communications

So many numbers and statistics! They represent the efforts of a system as the school continues to grow. They also represent individual students and individual staff. As a Board, we pay attention to the numbers that are brought before us but the thing that motivates us the most is transformed lives of people moving and growing in the ways God has laid before them. Each of these numbers represents either effort to help create that story or it reflects a story that could be told. 

The Board is so thankful for God at work through DA Schools! Thank you for being part of and helping create the numbers and statistics so that we can all glorify God.

—Nathan Kendall, D.Min.

Board Chair, DA Schools

Looking back on the year 2023 I am in awe of the hard work, unified relationships, and the care for DA Schools that is so evident in our staff and Board of Directors. The transition for me to Interim Superintendent has been seamless and that is evidence to the great work that has gone on before me. I am so grateful to God for how the staff have welcomed me and helped me to find my feet in this new role.

May we continue into 2024 with the same unity, care, and tenacity that makes DA Schools a wonderful place to work and to learn. Philippians 1:3-8

—Elena Toombs

Interim Superintendent, DA Schools