About RICE

History

The idea for Reach International Center of Education (RICE) was conceived in the early months of 2012 arising from two sparks.

The first spark was seeing yet again the demand by parents for an education that will both prepare their child academically, but one which will also lay a solid moral and ethical foundation, developing a child’s character; a character especially moulded with Christian values.

The second spark was the desire to provide quality international education that would encourage Ethiopians living abroad to return to Ethiopia. Ethiopians who live overseas or have been studying overseas with their families are often concerned about the education of their children when returning. This concern has unfortunately resulted in many families deciding to remain overseas. We wanted to see RICE provide one contributing factor for Ethiopians to return to their home country of Ethiopia.

Small beginnings, our first year.

These two sparks ignited an ongoing conversation about the desirability and possibility of starting an international school that was framed within a Christian environment. After much prayer and deliberation we decided to push the doors and see what God would do. God not only opened doors wide but also in doing so He confirmed to us that the seeds of vision growing within our hearts were indeed set there by God Himself. Within two months all requirements were met in order to obtain the appropriate license from the Investment Agency in Ethiopia.

Beside the expectation of raising the minimum required capital amount of $60,000 was the need to find a suitable facility in which the school could be started. Current land prices and building costs are such that a significant amount of capital would be required if we wanted to buy land and build our own school. But would we find suitable facilities? The same week that we started to push doors we found a local university in Addis Ababa that had a block of classrooms they were looking to rent. Built in the last couple of years but never used, and with green space that could be developed as a play area, we again found God leading us through doors beyond our expectation.

Our first school building; a simple house with converted garage!

Unfortunately, as so often happens when on a journey with God, we found several challenges facing us in early 2013.

The first challenge came with the news that the university was no longer able to rent to us. After the initial shock, we began to look for other property we could rent and were able to narrow our choice down to several houses. However, before signing a lease agreement we again enquired at the Investment Agency to ensure there were no ‘surprises’ as we moved forward.

Along came the second challenge. We discovered that the Ethiopian Law regarding foreign investment had changed and the minimum capital investment had been changed from $60,000 to a minimum of $150,000.

In February 2013, we therefore decided to postpone starting the school for one year. Though disheartened, we also knew that God’s timing is perfect.

The journey from that decision in 2013 until August 2014 presented many challenges. By the end of that summer we had raised all the required capital through the generous support of many. So we again began to look for a suitable facility in which to start RICE. That turned out to be quite a hurdle. We found one suitably large building towards the western edge of Addis Ababa but the owner was unable to complete the required paperwork despite several months of effort. Another house was found but at the last minute the owner decided not to rent.

Then finally in May 2014 we found an old villa house on 1000 square metres of land. Though rather tired looking the house provided everything that we needed to start a school; classroom space, toilets and several play areas. We signed the lease in June 2014. Then began two solid months of hard work turning the house into a school.

After two years we were ready to move to a larger building!

By the middle of August 2014 we not only completed the building, but also received our Ministry of Education license and finally the much anticipated business license. We were ready to go. Though perhaps considered as backwards by many, we had already started to advertise and register new families despite not having a building to show parents. God was gracious and we began to have parents registering their children for RICE. Quite a faith step on their part too!

February, 2017 will remain a key milestone for RICE. This was when we became a registered Cambridge International School, able to formerly offer the Cambridge Primary and Cambridge Secondary 1 programmes. October, 2022 also marked the year our High School became accredited with Cambridge International, making us a fully Cambridge international school.

Our current location at Meskel Flower, for Year 1 to 6.

And our Agona campus for Year 7 to 12.

So having been established in August 2014 with 33 children, we have steadily grown so that now we have almost 650 children across Grades Year 1 (Preparatory) to Year 13 (Grade 12).

Vision, Mission & Core Values

Vision

Enriching the lives of children through learning, by providing quality education that develops the whole child.

Mission

  • Curriculum

Providing consistent quality education by having teachers who are effective, creative and engaging in the classroom. Developing our children to become passionate life-long learners. Equipping our children with 21st Century life-skills that will enable them to succeed after they graduate from RICE, both in their further education and working career.

  • Character

Shaping our children, not just academically, but as a ‘whole child’; emotionally, socially, physically and spiritually.

  • Community

Working together with our parent community, knowing that the growth and maturity of our children will only be successful when this is done together.

Core Values

  • Resilience

Resilience is the ability to withstand challenges and ‘bounce back’ even stronger from difficult situations.

  • Integrity

Demonstrating strong moral principles and ethical standards in all actions and decisions.

  • Community of Grace

A community that comes together to raise a generation with the heart to forgive and give a second chance to each other.

  • Excellence

Consistently pursuing and achieving the highest standards of quality, performance, and outcomes.

  • Service

Actively engage in actions, that benefit others, without expecting something in return.

  • Belief

Believing that each person is created in the image of God and has the ability to do all that God has created them to be and do.

    Curriculum

    Updated for the 2025-2026 academic year… RICE became an accredited Cambridge International School in February 2017 to provide Cambridge Primary & Lower Secondary and in October 2022 to provide Cambridge Upper Secondary & Advanced. The medium of instruction is English, with Amharic taught as the next main language. RICE does not teach and prepare students for the national exams at Grade 6, 8 & 12, although we facilitate registering students for these exams and Saturday revision classes are offered to help prepare for these exams, at an additional cost.

    1. Cambridge International

    For Year 1 – 9 (Preparatory – Grade 8) we use the Cambridge subjects of Global English, Mathematics, Science and Global Perspectives. From Year 3 (Grade 2) onwards there are Progression tests for each Year grade, which are taken once a year to help the teachers check their students’ progress against the Cambridge Curriculum objectives. These tests are produced externally but marked internally by the class teachers. At Year 6 & 9 (Grade 5, 8) the students take an externally produced and marked exam called the Cambridge Checkpoint Exam. This is marked by Cambridge to help both parents and a school see how students are doing compared to other Cambridge schools around the world. There is an additional charge for the Checkpoint exams.

    In August 2022, we started the Cambridge Upper Secondary Curriculum. Offering IGCSEs (International General Certificate of Secondary Education), these are internationally recognised qualifications starting in Year 10 (Grade 9) with exams being taken at the end of Year 11 (Grade 10). We currently offer IGCSEs in English as a Second Language, Mathematics, Co-ordinated Science (double-IGCSE), Geography, History & Computer Science. From Year 12, students learn from the Cambridge Advanced Curriculum. We currently offer AS/A Levels English General (AS only), Biology, Business, Computer Science, History, & Physics. We hope to continue expanding these options in future years.

    2. Ethiopian National Curriculum

    Amharic is included in the curriculum for Years 1-11 (Prep. to Grade 10), but not taught in Year 12 & 13 (Grade 11 & 12). Citizenship is taught in Year 8 & 9 (Grade 7 & 8). RICE facilitates students who want to take the national Grade 6, 8 & 12 exams and we offer Saturday revision classes for these exams, for an additional fee.

    SAT

    RICE is an accredited SAT Test Center and has been offering SATs since October 2022. For information about registering to take an SAT exam in Ethiopia, follow the instructions at https://satsuite.collegeboard.org/sat

    Accreditation

    RICE receives its education license through the Ethiopian Ministry of Education. We are also an accredited school with Cambridge International Education to use and offer the Cambridge International curriculum from Year 1 to Year 13 (Preparatory to Grade 12).