How it all began...
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Kisimani School was built in 2011 as one of Arusha, Tanzania's only public schools to be taught primarily in English, without charging school fees to the parents.

The community in Mkonoo village had been working for 5 years to get a primary school built on their land, so the youngest children would not have to walk 7-11 kilometers to the nearest public school.  With the grassroots support of their community leaders, plus the generous support of many friends in the United States, the first four classrooms were built in partnership with Build African Schools.  

What is so special about Kisimani School?

Public primary school is traditionally taught in Kiswahili, and Secondary school is taught in English, giving students who are able to attend a private English-language school a significant advantage over public school students.  

Kisimani school hopes to shrink this gap for our local students.  We aim to raise the bar for government primary schools and show what is possible when we invest in education.

In 2018, Kisimani School was ranked the #1 public school in the district, and so far 100% of our graduates have continued to secondary school.