West Nairobi School is an International Christian co-ed (mixed) day school from Kindergarten to high school (12th grade). WNS also has Early Childhood Learning Center for students 4 – 5 years old.
Early 1990’s
Summer Institute of Linguistics (SIL) faced the challenge of providing an affordable, quality, North American Christian education for children of SIL families while on missions.
The lack of affordable international education resulted in some SIL families being forced to return to their home countries to meet the educational needs of their children.
September 1996
SIL opened West Nairobi School with 42 students in kindergarten through eighth grade. A facility on 2.2 acres of land on Argwings Kodhek Road in the Kilimani area of Nairobi was rented for classes. A small high school boarding program also began soon after.
November 1996
War erupted in Zaire and all SIL families were evacuated, some to Nairobi. This increased the WNS student enrollment to 88. Faculty evacuated from Tethy Academy joined the WNS staff. Previous combination classes could now be divided, and WNS had individual teachers for every grade level.
September 1997
WNS leadership began the task of locating land on which to build a permanent facility. That same year ninth and tenth grades were added.
1999
Enrolment had increased to 148 students.
August 1999
A computer lab was opened in the main administrative building and instructors were added for band, music, and art. Land was purchased in the Nairobi western suburb of Karen on Miotoni Lane.
March 2000
The school moved to its newly constructed facility and graduated its first senior class the same year in July.
2000-2001
School year began with a complete staff of qualified administrators, teachers, and support personnel.
New buildings were added as student numbers increased. The tradition of academic excellence, Christian values and strong sense of school pride also continued to grow.
2003
WNS became part of the Network of International Christian Schools (NICS). NICS operates 17 international schools in 16 countries around the world, including one online school.
2016
The school celebrated its 20th anniversary.
2021
The school celebrated its 25th anniversary.
2023
The NICS celebrated its 40th anniversary.
Today, WNS is proud to provide a North American curriculum christian education to children of diplomats, expat business people, Kenyan families, and missionaries.
The faculty and staff at WNS are dedicated to providing the highest quality education in a caring, loving environment. We believe that your child was created for a purpose and we seek to prepare children mentally, physically, emotionally and spiritually to fulfill their purpose.
We strive for excellence in education and seek to teach the whole child. WNS is blessed to have some of the best teachers in the world. One of the comments heard most often about WNS is that our students feel loved, encouraged and safe.
Students from all ethnic, national, religious backgrounds are respected and welcomed. West Nairobi School does not discriminate in admissions policies on the basis of gender, race, ethnicity, religion, or national origin.
Being part of a large network of International schools benefits West Nairobi School students by:
Aiding in recruiting highly qualified professional educators — the NICS Home Office aids in the recruitment of WNS faculty.
Providing the opportunity for WNS teachers to network with other educators around the world – teachers share information, advice and expertise with hundreds of professional teachers in NICS schools.
Ensuring students receive a world-class education by providing strict governance and accreditation standards for WNS.
Helping prepare WNS teachers for working in an international school – new NICS teachers attend training designed specifically for educators working with international students.
The mission of NICS is to establish a worldwide network of international Christian schools staffed by qualified Christian educators, instilling in each student a Biblical world-view in an environment of academic excellence and respect for people of all cultures and religions.
