WE WELCOME YOU TO İSTEK SCHOOLS

The İSTEK Foundation, a nonprofit organization, was founded in 1985 by Bedrettin Dalan, a former mayor of Istanbul, in order to provide academic and cultural education of higher quality than that previously available to Turkish children. Our guiding philosophy, handed down by the Founder of the Turkish Republic, Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, is that all education should be high-quality. Since that time İSTEK has expanded into eight campuses which offer education to students of ages 3 to 18 years, as well as three separate Kindergartens. Our campuses are spread over the city, and we can boast four full service campuses on each side of the Bosporus Strait serving a total of 7000 students. Other members of the İSTEK family include Yeditepe University, Yeditepe University Hospital, and separate Dental and Optometric Clinics.

Two of our primary schools have gained candidate status for implementing International Baccalaureate (IB) Primary and Middle Years Programs (PYP & MYP). The high standards and holistic approach of these programs are an inspiration to other İSTEK Schools’ education systems.

At İSTEK we believe in balancing learning ideals with the reality of the education system in Turkey. Students take national exams in the 6, 7 and 8th grades, and a national university entrance exam upon high school graduation in the 12th grade. We also strive to provide English language education which is at or near the standards of our students' mother-tongue Turkish lessons, because the language of instruction at most universities in Turkey is English.