Qingdao MTI International School - History

History

Qingdao MTI International School (QMIS, now International School of Qingdao) was established by the MTI (Management Technologies International) Education Foundation, Inc., an American non-profit corporation committed to educational work in China. This included establishing international schools for expatriate children and promoting cultural understanding and exchanges. QMIS was the second of six schools to be established under the International Schools of China consortium. QMIS obtained licensing from the Qingdao Education Commission in June 1996 and the National Education Ministry on September 23, 1996.

When QMIS began in the fall of 1996, there were eight students in kindergarten through fourth grade. The school was housed in three classrooms with an office and restrooms on the second floor of the back wing of the No. 1 Middle School of High Tech Park. The school grew to thirteen students by the end of the first academic year, and by the end of the second year, the growing student population necessitated that the school relocate. In August 1998, QMIS moved to the fourth floor of the Children's Club at the Qingdao Children's Activity Center, No. 6 Donghai Road. The steady increase in enrollment required the school once more to acquire more classroom and office space at the activity center.

In the summer of 2004, QMIS' parent company, MTI, merged with Leadership Development International (LDI), another American non-profit corporation with the same commitment and vision for educational work in China. As part of the merger, MTI officially changed its name to LDi; however, there are no plans to alter the name of the school to reflect that change.

Because of its continued growth, QMIS again relocated to a larger campus. QMIS started its 2007-2008 academic year on a new campus in the Laoshan district. QMIS occupies three buildings on the campus which it shares with the private Chinese school, Baishan.