The school was founded in 1988 by United States Ambassador Joseph Ghougassian to serve the needs of the American community in Qatar.

Sponsored by the US Embassy, it operated until 1997 as the American International School (AIS).

[citation needed] The school was formerly a member of the Eastern Mediterranean Activities Conference (EMAC).

All sports offered are as such: swimming, volleyball, academic games, golf, basketball, football (soccer), senior fine arts, tennis, cross country, track & field, baseball/softball, badminton, and forensics.

Thanks to the encouragement and support given towards athletics at the school, there is a high prevalence of student-athletes.