The purposes of the assistance program are to help the schools provide adequate education for U.S. government dependents and to demonstrate to foreign nationals the philosophy and methods of American education. The schools are open to nationals of all countries, and their teaching staffs are multinational. Enrollment in the schools at the beginning of the 2000-2001 school year totaled 94,362, of whom 27,769 were U.S. citizens. In addition, there were 66,593 children from 129 other countries. No statement about the American-sponsored overseas schools would apply without exception or qualification to all schools.
Variety is one of their basic characteristics.
They range from tiny schools, such as the American Embassy School in Reykjavik, Iceland, with 13 students, to large overseas schools, such as the Singapore American School with 2,688 students. Very few schools have boarding facilities. The schools are not operated or controlled by the U.S. government. Ownership and policy control are typically in the hands of associations of parents of the children enrolled, who elect a school board to supervise the superintendent or chief administrator whom the board chooses to administer the school. In some schools, the organization is highly formalized, comprising corporate status in the United States or in the host country, while other schools are loosely defined cooperative entities.