GDQ International Christian School

What GDQ International Christian School does

GDQ International Christian School is a private, non-profit K-12 institution operated by "The Gjerasim D. Qiriazi" Foundation, delivering Pre-1st through Grade 12 education from a campus in Vaqarr, Tirana, Albania. Founded in 1993 by the first wave of evangelical missionary families in post-communist Albania, the school serves approximately 140 students from around 80 families representing 22+ nationalities, with 65% of families affiliated with mission organizations and 35% with international businesses. The academic product combines British and U.S. curriculum standards with a biblical worldview integration, offering AP courses (Art History, Calculus, Chemistry, English Language, European History, French, Spanish), SAT/PSAT testing, Cambridge IGCSE preparation, EAL support, and special needs services with capped class sizes of 12-20 students.

The school is licensed by the Albanian Ministry of Education, accredited by MSA-CESS and ACSI (since May 2015), and certified by the College Board (since February 2011). Its technology stack is intentionally lightweight: the Sycamore Education LMS provides the parent/student portal, LibraryThing powers the dual K-8 and high school library catalogs, and Chromebooks run a 16-station computer lab. There is no proprietary software, no API, and no AI tooling.

GDQ generates revenue through tuition (annual, set by the Foundation; specific amounts not publicly disclosed), a 35,000 lekë application fee, a 30,000 lekë registration fee, a 10,000 lekë EAL assessment fee, a one-time 75,000 lekë capital levy per family, and donations processed through TrustBridge Global. The "Anchoring Faith, Advancing Mission" capital campaign targets €3,950,000 to purchase the school building and adjacent land. In August 2024, GDQ signed a Letter of Intent to join TeachBeyond as a Family School, signaling organizational integration into a global Christian education network.

Name

GDQ International Christian School

Legal name

"THE GJERASIM D. QIRIAZI" FOUNDATION

Website

https://gdqschool.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1993

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

GDQ International Christian School is a non-profit K-12 institution in Tirana, Albania, founded in 1993 to provide Christ-centered, internationally accredited education to missionary and international business families, serving roughly 140 students from 22+ countries on a permanent Vaqarr campus.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Private K-12 Christian Education

NAICS

Elementary and Secondary Schools (6111), Exam Preparation and Tutoring (611691), Educational Services (61)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

International/Global Curriculum Schools (IB, Cambridge, etc.) (EDAJABAG)

akta.pro secondary industries

Integrated Language + Academic Skills (EAP) Bridging Programs (EDAIAJAF), Test Prep Learning Centers (SAT/ACT, AP/IB, State Exams) (EDANAHAH)

Keywords

• Private K-12 education
• Christian international schooling
• College preparatory curriculum
• Advanced placement courses
• English language learning

Headquarters

HQ city

Vaqarr, Tirana

HQ country

Albania

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Supply Chain, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Tuition and Registration Fees: Annual tuition fees determined each year by the foundation, payable as single payment or in two installments. Non-refundable registration fees required annually.
2. Donations and Charitable Giving: General fund donations from supporters to maintain academic excellence, provide scholarships, and fund professional development. 99% of donations go directly to campaign goals with 1% processing fees.
3. Capital Campaign: Anchoring Faith, Advancing Mission campaign raising funds to purchase school building and adjacent land. Phase 1 (land purchase complete) and Phase 2 (building purchase) totaling €3,950,000.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

GDQ International Christian School provides a Christ-centered Pre-1st through Grade 12 international education for missionary and expatriate families in Tirana, Albania, combining British and American curriculum standards. Core offerings include the K-12 academic program, Advanced Placement courses, SAT/PSAT testing as a College Board center, Cambridge IGCSE preparation, an English as an Academic Language (EAL) program, special needs support with individualized education plans, and college preparatory programming that has placed 460+ graduates in universities worldwide.

Product overview

GDQ International Christian School offers a unified K-12 Christian education program (Pre-1st through Grade 12) serving international and missionary families in Albania. The school provides a comprehensive curriculum combining British and U.S. standards through multiple components: a core academic program with Christ-centered worldview integration, AP college-level courses (AP Art History, AP Calculus, AP Chemistry, AP English Language and Composition, AP European History, AP French, AP Spanish), standardized testing (SAT, PSAT), EAL support, special needs services, and college preparatory guidance. Additional offerings include a library system managed through LibraryThing and Sycamore Education for parent/student portal access.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• K-12 Christian Education Program
• Advanced Placement (AP) Courses
• SAT Exam Administration and Preparation
• PSAT Exam Program
• English as an Academic Language (EAL) Program

Quantifiable outcome

• 460+ graduates have gone on to study in US, South Korea, Germany, Holland, Greece, UK, Italy
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• TeachBeyondcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLike-minded Christian education organization. GDQ joined TeachBeyond as a Family School in August 2024. Partners for online giving processing and supports GDQ's mission of education as catalyst for hope and transformation.
• Child Safety & Protection Network (CSPN)coreOthersMembership organization dedicated to maximizing safety of students through safer recruitment, code of conduct, regular training for staff, volunteers and students, and effective responses to concerns.
• College BoardcoreTechnology or IntegrationGDQ is recognized as official College Board school allowing offering of AP courses and exams. Became certified in February 2011. GDQ is also official testing center for PSAT and SAT exams (testing center number 56106).
• Albanian Ministry of EducationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFully licensed private K-12 academic institution approved by Albanian Ministry of Education. License acquired for Grade 1-9 in 1995. High school license granted August 2010. Plans to partner with Ministry for teacher training and curriculum consultation.
• Albanian Evangelical AllianceminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe GDQ School Foundation partners with Albanian Evangelical Alliance and other evangelical Protestant churches in Albania.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Tirana International School: International K-12 school located in Tirana, Albania, serving a mix of expatriate and local families with an English-language curriculum. Direct geographic competitor to GDQ for the expatriate family segment in Tirana.
• International Christian Academy of Budapest: Christian international school in Budapest serving missionary and expatriate families. Closely comparable in faith-based mission, missionary-family enrollment base, and Central-Eastern European operating context.
• Faith Academy (Manila): Missionary-focused Christian international school in the Philippines serving children of missionaries and expatriates with ACSI accreditation. Comparable in customer base (missionary families), accreditation framework, and curriculum approach.
• Dalat International School: Christian international school in Penang, Malaysia, serving missionary and expatriate children with ACSI accreditation and college-prep curriculum. Highly comparable in mission, target market, and educational model.
• International School of Albania: International school offering K-12 education in Tirana with English-language instruction. Direct peer given shared city, overlapping target market (expat and diplomatic families), and similar international-curriculum positioning.
• Brent International School: Network of Christian international schools (originally founded for missionary children) with campuses across Asia. Comparable in faith-based mission, missionary-target demographic, and college-prep international curriculum.
• Albanian College Tirana: English-medium K-12 international school in Tirana. Competes with GDQ for international and returning-Albanian families seeking non-Albanian-curriculum schooling in the same metro area.
• Kyiv International School: International K-12 school in Kyiv serving expatriate and diplomatic families with English-language curriculum. Comparable as an international school operating in a post-Soviet/Central-Eastern European context serving globally mobile families.
• Black Forest Academy: Christian international school in Germany serving primarily missionary and expat children with ACSI/MSA accreditation. Closely comparable to GDQ in mission-focused enrollment, accreditation stack, and college-prep curriculum.

Broad incumbents

• Quality Schools International (QSI): Network of over 35 international schools worldwide serving expatriate and diplomat families with a mastery-learning approach. Broader incumbent offering similar international-school services across multiple countries, partially overlapping with GDQ's TCK/expat target market.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses6 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/gdqschool

Compliance4 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about GDQ International Christian School