Windhoek, 28 July —Windhoek International School (WIS) has announced the external examination results of the IB Diploma Programme (IBDP) Class of 2025, whose achievements once again place the school among the leading schools on the continent. WIS students earned an average of 29 points out of 45—just below the global average of 30.58.
Mr Rick Fitzpatrick commented that, “We are proud of what this diverse cohort of learners has achieved on this, the world’s most demanding academic qualification offered at the secondary level. Among those who passed the diploma, the average subject grade was 4.62 out of 7, and this year’s WIS IBDP pass rate stood at 76.5%. ”
The WIS High School Principal and College Counsellor Ms Margarete Reiff, commented that “The IB Diploma consists of six subjects taken over two years, an original Extended Essay research paper of 4,000 words, the Theory of Knowledge course, and requirements to engage in extended Creativity, Action, and Service. Students who are able to balance these components are well-equipped for success at the university level – from NUST and Stellenbosch to Texas Tech, the University of Toronto, and a range of universities across Europe, our Class of 2025 will use these results to attend some of the most prestigious and best-fit universities in the world.”
The IB Diploma Programme is taken over the final two years of secondary school, and requires an additional year beyond what is required by Namibia’s NSSAS Levels. The credential is similar to the UK’s A-Levels or Germany’s Abitur, but the IB Diploma requires a more well-rounded emphasis on critical thinking, research skills, language acquisition, analytical writing, global citizenship, and service to community—traits that are increasingly valued by universities and employers worldwide.
A number of WIS students once again achieved scores which qualified them for advanced standing and university course credit, which makes students eligible for accelerated university graduation in countries which offer 4-year bachelor degrees such as the USA, Canada, Scotland, and the Netherlands. These results mean that WIS graduates are often able to enter into university with college-level credits already in hand. WIS is the only school in Namibia which offers the IB Diploma curriculum.
The WIS Educational Director, Ethan Van Drunen, commented: “We are proud of the Class of 2025. Their results demonstrate not only perseverance and ability, but also the strength of WIS’s teaching, mentoring, and learning environment. Our teachers care about students at a deeply personal level, and it shows. As WIS continues to support its students in becoming principled and knowledgeable global citizens, we salute the achievements of the Class of 2025 and wish them the very best as they now take the next step in their academic and life journeys.”
“We have found that many Namibian families are not aware that the WIS provides significant tuition discounts for students with Namibian Citizenship or Permanent Residency. We take seriously our mission to educate Namibia’s future leaders; furthermore, WIS has an academic scholarship programme for high-ability Namibian students from economically disadvantaged backgrounds. To maintain parity between Namibian and non-Namibian families at the school, we try to keep our school fees for Namibians comparable to those charged by other private schools in Windhoek.” says Van Drunen.
Established in 1990, Windhoek International School has 460 students ages 3 through 19 and who attend from over 45 countries. Around 50% of WIS students are Namibian citizens. The school offers the International Baccalaureate curriculum for all levels of the school, and is eagerly anticipating its first-ever IB Middle Years Programme eAssessment results to be released by the IB in early August. The IB MYP is equivalent to the IGCSE results.
WIS accepts new students on a rolling basis and operates according to the northern hemisphere’s academic calendar, with the school year starting in August and ending in June. More information about the school can be found at the school’s website at www.wis.edu.na
