From its modest beginnings in a small two-story building in 1955, BBS has expanded to occupy a 6,700 sqm (72,000 sqft) plot in the heart of Beirut. The school has grown throughout the decades, even staying open during Beirut’s 15-year civil war, when it continued to serve its community by educating young minds and standing for truth and justice. From its first 76 students in 1955 to more than 1,300 current students, BBS has generated productive members of society living in Lebanon and abroad.
After establishing the Baptist Near East Mission in Lebanon in the early 1950s, Rev. Finley Graham and his wife Julia worked in collaboration with Rev. James Regland and Mr. Salim al Sharouk to found the Beirut Baptist School. BBS became the first missionary Baptist institution in Lebanon. Although the building construction was not yet completed, the school opened its doors for the first time in 1955.In 1998, the Baptist Near East Mission handed over the ownership of the school to the Lebanese Society for Educational and Social Development (LSESD), under which the school continues to operate. Rev. James Regland served as the first principal followed by Mr. Elias Bitar in 1987. In 2001, Mr William Oueis became the school’s third principal until Mr. Pierre Rahal was appointed the school’s administration in 2011. In July of 2015, Tony Haddad and Alice Azar Wazir were entrusted as new Co-principals for BBS, Mr. El Haddad as Co-principal of Administration and Operations, and Mrs. Azar as Co-principal of Academics.
Finally, Mrs. Alice Wazir became the sole principal of BBS in 2020.