← Back to the rankingAmerican School of Bulgaria
Varna, Bulgaria · est. 2015 · Private
Illustration · Varna
The American School of Bulgaria (ASB) is a private English-only school in Varna following an American curriculum for grades 1-12. It was founded in 2015 by Dr. Suhair Melehani, its current President; in 2025 it was accredited by Cognia and describes itself as the first and only Cognia-accredited English-only school in Bulgaria. Grades 1-7 study at the American Foundation School of Bulgaria (AFSB) in the Sea Garden, grades 8-12 at the American High School of Bulgaria (AHSB) in the Greek Quarter. The curriculum is based on the US Common Core and State of Florida standards; graduates receive an American High School Diploma, Honors and Advanced Placement (AP) courses are available in grades 11-12, and the school will become an AP testing centre for the May 2027 exams. Besides the on-site school there is a distance-learning version of the full high school programme and a hybrid programme in which a Bulgarian school student adds the American subjects and earns two diplomas. The school says it has welcomed students from many countries and educational backgrounds; the founder sits on the board of the European Association of AP Schools (EAAPS).
Key facts
Tuition
≈ $8 185–10 710 a year
7 245–9 480 EUR
Programmes
American programme
Languages of instruction
English
Registration fee
≈ $169
150 EUR
About the fees Annual fees (invoiced in the year of enrolment plus an additional amount in February of the following year): elementary day programme 6900 euro plus 345 euro, 7245 euro in total; middle school 7590 plus 759 euro, 8349 euro in total; full high school (grades 8-12) 7900 plus 1580 euro, 9480 euro in total; for grade 8 in 2026, 7900 euro plus 6% the following year. Pre-school programme 5000 euro. The distance high school programme costs the same as on-site. One semester costs 5000 euro in primary school and 6000 euro in grades 5-12. For a student who needs a letter of acceptance for a visa, fees for any grade are 12000 euro. The after-school programme from 14:30 to 16:30 for grades 1-4 is 1200 euro per year. The hybrid programme is 2600 euro per year for two subjects; an additional AP course is 1500 euro. Meals and transport are not included.
Admissions Admissions are open all year on a first-come, first-served basis, with registration encouraged by 15 August. The family completes an online application and uploads documents in English: the child's photo, birth certificate, the passport of the parent who signs the contract, and proof of completing the previous year; then pays a one-time non-refundable registration fee of 150 euro and receives the school handbook, a draft contract and an invoice; the school may meet the child. All grades require English at A2-B1 level (B1 for high school), assessed in a meeting; students below that level must take a paid ESL course in summer or after school. Children can start grade 1 at 5 if the school judges them ready and they can read and write. Students who have completed part of high school receive credit for completed courses. Bulgarian citizenship is not required: the school states directly that it accepts students of any nationality and does not require residency documents. For an international student who needs a letter of acceptance for a visa, the school issues it after payment of 12000 euro; if the visa is refused, the fee is refunded minus 500 euro. Enrolment for a single semester is possible.
Stages and year groups Grades 1-12. American Foundation School of Bulgaria: elementary school with four Common Core core subjects (English Language Arts, mathematics, science, social studies) plus art, music and physical education; middle school from grade 6. American High School of Bulgaria: grades 9-12, 24 credits over four years at 6 per year (English, mathematics, science, social studies and two electives each year), graduating with an American High School Diploma; Honors courses are included in grades 9-10 and one AP course in grades 11-12 (others for a fee, online). Hybrid programme from grade 8 (summer or distance learning): a Bulgarian school student takes seven American courses and earns an American diploma in addition to the Bulgarian one. The school has no Bulgarian state curriculum or Bulgarian diploma; Bulgarian is taught on demand outside school hours. The school has announced a pre-school programme for children aged 4 and 5.
Accreditations and programmes verified against official registries
Cognia · accreditationThe school is accredited by Cognia. It follows an American curriculum.
school is in an official registryconfirmed by a school document, by membership or by taking part in a networkclaimed by the school, no confirmation, not counted in the scoreGuide to all organisations → What stands behind each entry
CogniaCognia, formerly AdvancED
The widest-reaching American accreditation: some forty thousand schools in over a hundred countries. It accredits both individual schools and whole school systems. It also sells a paid membership with no inspection behind it, and that membership is often passed off as accreditation.
What the badge means for this school. The school has been through this organisation's accreditation. It was judged as a whole: governance, safeguarding, staff, premises, teaching. The entry stands in the organisation's public register - anyone can check it.
Register to check for yourself, and the full guide →American programme
The American school programme, with the High School Diploma at the end. It usually comes together with AP courses, which the College Board stands behind, and with an American accreditation - MSA, NEASC or Cognia.
What this means for this school. The diploma is written out by the school itself: the American programme has no common leaving exam, and the content of the senior years is set by the school. Outside checking therefore rests on two things here - the accreditation of the school, and the AP exams if the school runs them.
Exams and destinations from the school's official website
Where leavers go: Harvard University · Stanford University
According to the school, its graduates have been accepted at universities in the United Kingdom, Austria, Lithuania, Croatia, the Netherlands, Belgium, Turkey, the United States (including Harvard and Stanford, as well as state universities and colleges) and Bulgaria; several study at medical universities and one is already a practising dentist in London. According to the school, NUFFIC in the Netherlands has accepted its diploma more than 30 times.
Facilities from the school's official website
·Swimming poolnot stated on the website
·Sports hallnot stated on the website
·Laboratoriesnot stated on the website
·Theatre or assembly hallnot stated on the website
·Librarynot stated on the website
·Cateringnot stated on the website
✓School transport
·Boardingnot stated on the website
Campus: The school has two sites in Varna: the high school (grades 8-12) in the Greek Quarter and the Foundation School (grades 1-7) in the Sea Garden, surrounded by nature and close to sports facilities; physical education takes place at nearby sports complexes. Meals and transport are offered as separate paid plans; there are several places near the school where students can buy food. There is no boarding.
Clubs and activities: Drama Club · Music Club · Environmental Club · Student Council · Arts & Crafts · Language Clubs
Teaching staff from the school's official website
·Teachers listed by namenot published
✓Teacher qualifications
·Number of teachersthe school does not say
·Students per teacher or class sizenot stated
What the listings show: credentialed to US standards, English at C1 level or above; English teachers are native or near-native speakers
Teachers come from various countries; the school says all are highly qualified and credentialed to US standards, have English at C1 level or above, and its English teachers are native or near-native speakers. The school promises small groups but does not give class sizes or the number of teachers. Students receive academic counselling, career guidance and help with CVs and motivation letters.
Safety and wellbeing from the school's official website
·CCTVnot stated on the website
·Security staffnot stated on the website
·Access controlnot stated on the website
·Nurse or medical roomnot stated on the website
·Counsellornot stated on the website
✓Child protection policy
·Staff trainingnot stated on the website
✓Anti-bullying policy
Behaviour rules, the dress code, the strike system and the anti-bullying policy are set out in the Parent-Student Handbook sent on enrolment; the programme includes anti-bullying and disease, drug and abuse awareness activities. Phones are not allowed during lessons: elementary and middle school students hand them in in the morning, high school students store them in a provided compartment. Elementary and middle school students leave the premises only with a teacher; visits are by appointment only after school hours.
Reviews
No reviews yet. The community rating counts towards the score once a school has five verified reviews - until then we do not show a zero, so as not to mislead.
Criteria breakdown criterion weight in brackets
Academics and programmes (16%)72 Community rating (16%)no dataparent reviews are needed: the criterion switches on at the fifth verified one Exams and destinations (12%) scored on disclosed data70 Safety and wellbeing (12%) scored on disclosed data65 Accreditation and verifiability (10%)85 Teaching staff (10%) scored on disclosed data55 Facilities (10%) scored on disclosed data65 Clubs and activities (8%) scored on disclosed data76 "Scored on disclosed data" stands where we count only what the school has written about itself on its own site: exams and destinations, safety and wellbeing, teaching staff, facilities, clubs and activities. A low score here means the school does not write about this, not that the school does not have it: a school with good security and a sparse site will score low. A school can fill in its profile, and the score will be counted again.
The score is counted from 8 of the 9 criteria.Only those with checkable data count: programmes and accreditations from official registers, the fee from a published price list. Where it says "scored on the median", the school has no data and the middle of the list is put in its place, so that a gap gives no advantage. Admissions, teaching staff and reviews come in as their data arrives.
The full methodology → Similar schools in the country