60th Anniversary
Sixty years ago, the American School of Barcelona officially opened its doors on October 2, 1962. Dr. José María Poal, a Catalan doctor who had lived in New York, had the vision, innovation, and passion, to open a school to bring the best educational practices globally to Barcelona. That passion for preparing children for a changing world lies at the heart of what has driven ASB since its foundation 60 years ago.
On its first day, the school opened classes for 100 students from K5 to 5th grade, with ten teachers in our original building in Calle Eusebio Güell in the Pedralbes neighborhood. The original front gate from that residential villa still resides at the front of our current campus. In 1978 ASB relocated to its current location in Esplugues de Llobregat, affectionately named by former students as "the shoe box." Since then, ASB has grown in student and faculty numbers to over 1000, today representing more than fifty nationalities with state-of-the-art facilities.
ASB will celebrate different events and activities throughout the 2022-23 school year to commemorate the 60th anniversary. Save the date for our culminating community celebration on Thursday, June 8, 2023!
Enjoy our short anniversary video
60th Anniversary Toast
We were delighted to welcome our ASB community to campus on October 6, 2022, to share a toast to our 60th anniversary of The American School of Barcelona.
Director Mark Pingitore opened the evening with a speech of gratitude, reflecting on the history and vision of the school's founder, Dr. Jose Maria Poal. He also recognized the culture of giving in the school with the inauguration of the Lynx Athletics Center, made possible by the generosity of a small group of parents and by the unveiling of a unique Keystone gift (located near the ES playground) by former parent and renowned artist, Lluís Lleó, who also shared the meaning of his gift and appreciation of the education his two children received at the school. In addition, Director Pingitore took a moment to personally recognize current parent, Peter Freer, who for many years has been instrumental in supporting the school's development and fundraising programs and a major promoter of building community. Board of Trustees President Roland Nash also addressed attendees with his vision of the Board over the next 3-5 years.
