Woodstock is one of the oldest residential schools in Asia, operating today as a private nonprofit institution with Indian Christian Minority Status. Woodstock offers kindergarten through Grade 12 instruction, with a residence programme beginning in Grade 6. It is fully accredited by the Middle States Association, the first school in Asia to receive accreditation in 1960.[2] In 2019 Woodstock School was officially accredited as an International Baccalaureate (IB) World School, with full authorisation for both the IB Middle Years Programme (MYP) and Diploma Programme (DP).[3] It is also regarded as one of the most expensive schools in India.[4]
History
Woodstock was founded in 1854 and has been on its current campus since 1856. First managed as a girls’ school with staff provided by an English mission, there came an increasing demand from missionaries for a school in North India with an American curriculum to prepare students for American colleges and universities. By 1928, a full American coeducational programme had been introduced at Woodstock. In 1959, Woodstock was the third high school outside North America and the first school in Asia to receive US accreditation through the Middle States Association of Colleges and Secondary Schools.[5]
During the 1960s, cross-cultural courses in social studies, literature, art, and religion were introduced, and Indian classical music and dance lessons were added. Indian universities became more accepting of the Woodstock Diploma, and in 1990 the Association of Indian Universities recognized the Woodstock Diploma as being equivalent to the Indian school-leaving examination, thus allowing graduates to enter Indian universities with greater ease.
In the 1960s and 1970s Woodstock began to rethink its composition, purpose, and philosophy as an institution. The school consciously shifted its conception from that of a missionary school to a school consisting of an international student body, staff, and curriculum, with a strong Indian cultural component. This change to a truly international school was led by Robert Alter, Principal from 1968 to 1978. With the increasing internationalization of the student body, an English as a Second Language (ESL) programme was established in 1978.[6]
In recent years, Woodstock has placed a priority on its academic programming with renovations to classrooms and laboratories, and a move to the International Baccalaureate curriculum. Woodstock officially became an International Baccalaureate World School in May 2019, with full authorisation for both the IB Middle Years Programme (MYP) and Diploma Programme (DP). The Class of 2021 was the first Woodstock students to graduate with both an American High School Diploma and the International Baccalaureate Diploma.
In 2004, Woodstock celebrated 150 years of its journey. The Government of India issued a Woodstock School commemorative postage stamp in 2004.[7]
Alumni organizations
The Woodstock Old Students Association (WOSA) was founded in 1911 and has chapters in many countries.[8]
The alumni organization serving the North America region is a 501(c)3 entity: Friends of Woodstock School. FWS is the successor to Kodai-Woodstock International (KWI), and organizes an annual alumni reunion in North America. FWS maintains an alumni database and provides an umbrella for smaller "Curry Club" groups that convene on an ad-hoc basis.
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