History of the IB

IB going global

The IB opened four regional offices between the mid-1970s and the early 1980s. The first to be established, in 1977, was IB North America (IBNA), located in New York. IB North America works with schools in the US, Caribbean and Canada. The IB is popular among US public schools because it is seen as an answer to a perceived decline in the quality of public education. In addition, the IB’s international focus helps US schools to work with and benefit from increasingly multi cultural student populations.

In 1982, under the leadership of the head of an international school in Uruguay, the IB established a regional office in Buenos Aires (IB Latin America, or IBLA) to promote the Diploma Programme in Latin America.

That same year it created an office in Singapore (IB Asia-Pacific, or IBAP) that was headed by a senior official with the United World College in Singapore.

The IB’s Africa, Europe, and Middle East regional office (IBAEM) first opened in London in 1978. After several interim moves, IB Africa/Europe/Middle East settled in Geneva in 1994.