Roots and wings
A child first feels secure in their own language and city, and opens up to the world from there. Turkish and Turkish literature are part of every path.
One school, thirty time zones.
Meridyen opened in 2009 with 64 pupils on the site of an old tree nursery at the edge of the Sarıyer forest. Today 860 students from primary to high school start lessons at the same bell, with teachers from 30 countries.
A letter from the founder
When I founded Meridyen I had one question in mind: can a child put down roots in their own language and city, and still think freely anywhere in the world?
For twenty years I taught physics in schools in other countries. What I saw was this: international programmes are only as good as their teachers. A programme guide is the same in every school; the difference is the person who walks into the classroom in the morning.
So we built our staff from teachers all over the world who ask the same question: what is this child curious about today? Our Turkish teachers lead the MEB programme and our international teachers the IB and Cambridge courses, but they all plan in the same staff room, for the same children.
Before you choose our school, I would like you to spend a morning in our classrooms. Walk into the middle of a lesson and ask a student what they are learning. They will tell you the rest.
Dr. Nevin ArıkanFounder and Head of School
The years
- 2009The primary school opened in Bahçeköy, Sarıyer, with 64 pupils.
- 2012The middle school building and the first science labs.
- 2014Authorised for the IB Primary Years Programme (PYP).
- 2016Anatolian high school; Cambridge IGCSE exam centre.
- 2018Authorised for the IB Diploma Programme (DP); the first DP class.
- 2020The first IB Diploma graduates.
- 2023Library and arts building; a 300-seat concert hall.
- 2026860 students, teachers from 30 countries.
What matters to us
The question comes first
Every lesson and unit starts with a question. What is learned is not memorising the answer but asking the question well.
Small classes, children known by name
At most 20 pupils per class in primary, 18 in high school. Every student has a tutor.
Honest communication
No exaggerated promises, rankings or guarantees. We tell families how their child is really doing, strengths and struggles alike.
Documents and authorisations
- MEB licence
- Özel Meridyen İlkokulu, Ortaokulu and Anadolu Lisesi — Istanbul Provincial Directorate of National Education (institution codes entered in the admin panel)
- IB
- IB World School authorised for the Primary Years Programme and the Diploma Programme
- Cambridge
- Cambridge International School; IGCSE and Checkpoint exam centre
- Memberships
- Private Schools Association; international school networks
About photos of children
Photos of students on our website and social media are published only with written parental consent. Children of families who do not consent appear with faces not visible, or not at all. The photos on this site are illustrative.
School leadership
Dr. Nevin Arıkan
Founder and Head of School
Istanbul, Türkiye28°E ·
Spent twenty years as a physics teacher and IB coordinator at international schools in Istanbul, Geneva and London. She founded Meridyen in 2009 on the site of an old tree nursery at the edge of the Sarıyer forest.
- Education
- BSc Physics, Boğaziçi University; EdD, University of Bristol
- Languages
- Turkish, English, French
- At Meridyen since
- 2009
Selin Aksoy
Head of High School, IB Diploma Programme Coordinator
İzmir, Türkiye27°E ·
Leads the two-year DP journey, from subject choices to matching Extended Essay supervisors. She meets every Grade 11 student one to one twice a term.
- Education
- BSc Chemistry Education, METU; MA International Education, University of Bath
- Languages
- Turkish, English, German
- At Meridyen since
- 2014
Elif Yurdakul
University and careers counsellor
Ankara, Türkiye32°E ·
Opens an application file with every student from Grade 9 and tracks YKS, UCAS and Common App deadlines on one sheet.
- Education
- BA Psychology, Bilkent University; MA, Teachers College, Columbia University
- Languages
- Turkish, English
- At Meridyen since
- 2018
Hannah Schulz
PYP Coordinator
Vienna, Austria16°E ·
- Education
- Primary Education, Universität Wien
- Languages
- German, English
- At Meridyen since
- 2016
The best way is to come and see one morning.