Ukarumpa High School

Ukarumpa International School is an accredited PreK-12 school in Ukarumpa, Papua New Guinea.

Throughout the history of the school there has been an emphasis on preparing students for re-entry to their home country education systems. This has led to a steady broadening of the curriculum and the inclusion of Mother Tongue Studies when needed and staffing permitted. In 1962 the High School began with five pupils, from Canada and the USA, and three teachers. The students did correspondence lessons from Blackfiars in NSW Australia. The building was a 10 foot by 12 foot bamboo walled building situated on the "Circle' near Lovings and Vincents houses. In 1963 the first permanent building was built on the present site of the school and the pupils grew in number to 13, some came from Kainantu and Aiyura. The original school building was used as a place to store sports equipment for a number of years.

In 1996 the primary and secondary campuses were incorporated into one school to facilitate a K- 12 curriculum under the common name of Ukarumpa International School. Ukarumpa International School has served a student body of approximately 175 in Kindergarten through grade 6 and approximately 180 in 7-12. However, student and staff population fluctuates with the coming and going of missionaries each year. In 2010, the school yearbook, The Silhouette, recorded a population of 258 students and 77 staff. Approximately 80% of the students are children of members or area mission groups. There are 15 nationalities represented in the school with the majority being students from North America.

In 1997 a Finnish School (Ukarumpan Suomalainen Ulkomaankoulu, USKO) was established with 11 students.

In July 2003 the primary campus was relocated into the centre, away from the Aiyura airport.

The 50+ teachers come from many countries. They allow home schooling families at Ukarumpa and allow them to participate in school programs along with their peers.

In July 2003, the primary campus (Grades 1-6) moved to their new campus on the Centre from the old campus about 3 kilometers away. Facilities on the campus include eight classrooms, three double classrooms, a computer lab, art room, assembly hall, library, audio-visual room and six classrooms for Mother Tongue Studies. The large playground has two fields and a large outside basketball court. Covered walkways allow students and staff to traverse the campus in the rain without getting wet.

Originally the kindergarten and the preschool for 3-year-olds (Pukpuks) and 4-year-olds (Kapuls) were located on a separate campus. However, in June 2004 the kindergarten moved to the new primary campus. Then in July 2008 the preschool moved to the new campus.

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