Kodaikanal International School, Kodaikanal

We have 18 student houses, with 25-35 students living with their residential parents in each. Hundreds of employee housing, including apartments, duplex ground floor houses, and stand-alone residences, as well as some rented local houses, are also owned and maintained by us.

A dorm parent’s position is highly invested (particularly at KIS). We love our children so much that we nurture them as if they were our own.

We make sure:

1. Students eat right
2. Sleeping well
3. Studying
4. Taking their medication (if they’re on any)
5. In touch with parents
6. Have a healthy social life
7. Monitoring the academic stress

Here are a few things we dorm parents do to ensure our engagement with the children is useful and has a positive impact:

Engaging in conversation: We give them with a variety of dorm treats and snacks, including a variety of foods and beverages. We make it a point to sit with them during this time and not only have a good time, but also to talk about what’s going on in their lives. They tell us about their day, what subjects they’re struggling with, which classes they like best, and so on. They open up about their personal lives from time to time (when we’re talking one-on-one), sometimes just to be heard, sometimes to vent, and occasionally to seek advise from us. We’re also cautious about the counsel we give and think twice before saying something.

Sickness: We almost always stay up all night when students are sick to make sure it doesn’t turn into something more hazardous or contagious. If this occurs, we will summon the school vehicle to transport them to the Dish. We give them basic drugs given by the Dish if it isn’t a significant concern.

Special Occasions: We make sure they have appropriate clothing & shoes for any upcoming specific event, and if necessary, iron & polish them.

Academic: We usually stay up with the kids for examinations or keep an ear out for them while they study. We make them coffee at strange hours to keep them awake, but we also make sure they receive enough sleep before their exam. When deadlines must be reached and the child requires additional time, we allow them to remain up a bit later to finish their work.

Dorm meeting: Once a week, there is a dorm meeting where significant announcements are delivered and issues are discussed. Everyone is given the opportunity to express their ideas on a variety of topics, including dorm life, classmates, academic or teacher-related issues, and even minor concerns about their rooms, beds, or other necessities.

Safety and Security: The Safety and Security Department monitors and responds to all emergencies 24×7. For crime prevention, bullying prevention, the safety of our staff and students, and the protection of the school’s property, the campus has a 24/7 CCTV surveillance system that is monitored and recorded.

KIS Vision Statement

‘‘We strive to be a school the world needs: We put efforts for every individual student, our graduates, to be transformative leaders, caring humans, and thoughtful ambassadors for a just, sustainable, and peaceful world.’’

KIS Mission Statement

‘Kodaikanal International School (KIS) is dedicated to providing vision, knowledge, compassion, and cross-cultural understanding to young people from a variety of backgrounds. We are a welcoming community that finds its purpose in the life and teachings of Jesus Christ.”

Kodaikanal International School, PO Box 25, Seven Roads Junction, Kodaikanal 624 101, Tamil Nadu, INDIA

Kodaikanal International School is a co-educational, international residential school with an extraordinary history and tradition spanning well over a hundred years! From our establishment in 1901 as an American residential school for the children of missionaries in South India, our many milestones include several ‘firsts’ From when we became the first IB school, the first international school in India (and the third in Asia) by adopting the International Baccalaureate Diploma program in 1976 among only nine other schools worldwide; to when we became the first school in India to have its separate campus for camping and outdoor activities in 1994. Our keen focus on our students, commitment to quality, and dedication to continuous improvement empowers our students to handle whatever life may throw at them. Our greatest strength lies in our commitment to community – the crafting together of a shared vision.

We’re a family of more than 420 students from over 23 countries. We take in students from preschool to grade 12, though residential students are accepted only from grade 3 and up. American and IB curricular programs run in parallel and are taught through the mediums of Elementary, Middle, and High School.

Our Campus 

We have two beautiful academic campuses that also provide staff and student accommodation: Highclerc, housing KIS High School (grades 9-12), and Ganga, home to KIS Elementary School (grades 1-5) and Middle School (grades 6-8). In total, we have 73 classrooms, 3 libraries, 2 media centres, 5 computer/IT labs, 3 study halls, 6 science laboratories, and 1 student recreation room.