Choosing an international school in Singapore is one of the bigger decisions a family makes, and it deserves proper time. The sector is crowded, the marketing is loud, and sifting through it takes patience. What I have tried to do here is put together a shortlist of ten I would actually recommend to a friend, each strong at something particular, so you can match the school to what your child and family genuinely need rather than to whichever brand has the prettiest prospectus. Fees here are drawn from each school’s published admissions pages; do double-check current figures with the school before you commit. Treat this as a starting shortlist rather than the last word.
Quick picks
- Best all-rounder and community ethos: UWCSEA
- Best American curriculum and AP depth: Singapore American School
- Best British pedigree: Tanglin Trust School
- Best newer British option with strong academic rigour: Dulwich College Singapore
- Best recent arrival with top IB results: NLCS Singapore
- Best curriculum optionality (IB, AP, BTEC, US Diploma): Stamford American International School
- Best unbroken IB journey and integrated bilingual programme: Canadian International School
- Best Australian curriculum and sibling discounts: Australian International School
- Best inclusive British school: Dover Court International School
- Best bilingual English-German programme: German European School Singapore
How we picked
I looked at schools that families actually compare at open days and in parent forums, cross-checked their published fees and curriculum pages, and read the British Schools Overseas inspection reports and IB Diploma score averages where those are available. No school on this list is here because it paid to be, and none of them know this piece exists. If a school slips on academic or pastoral standards, it comes off. If you think there is a gap in the list, send me the tip.
United World College of South East Asia (UWCSEA)
Best for: All-rounder families who want the full IB pathway and a strong community ethos. Curriculum: UWCSEA Programme into IB Diploma (K1 to Grade 12). Fees 25/26: from around S$47,031 (K1 first year) rising to S$53,223 at Grade 12. Two campuses (Dover, East).
UWCSEA is often the first name that comes up when families compare shortlists, and it has earned that position over the years. The two campuses, Dover and East, share the same approach: strong academics, a serious co-curricular programme, and a genuine service and outdoor-education ethos that is part of school life rather than a line in the prospectus. From August 2025 the school retired the IGCSE option in favour of its own bespoke programme for Grades 9 and 10, feeding into the IB Diploma. A word of caution: the community is large, the waitlists are real, and fees sit at the top end of the market. If UWCSEA is on your shortlist, start the application process as early as you reasonably can.
Singapore American School (SAS)
Best for: Families who want a large American-style school with deep AP offerings. Curriculum: American-based throughout with 25+ AP courses. Fees 25/26: S$46,200 (preschool) to S$61,890 (high school), plus a facility fee of S$7,510 to S$8,720.
Singapore American School is the largest single-campus K-12 school outside the United States, and the Woodlands campus carries that scale in every direction. The curriculum is American throughout, with 25 plus AP courses at the upper end and a consistently high university acceptance rate. Performing arts and athletics are strong, the clubs and activities list is long, and the overall experience is shaped by the sheer number of students and families in any given year. That scale is a strength if your child thrives in a busy, activity-rich environment, and something to think about if they prefer something smaller. Either way, visit in person before committing. A campus this size has to be walked through to be understood.
Tanglin Trust School
Best for: British expat families who want a long-established institution with A-level or IB pathways. Curriculum: Adapted British with both A-levels and IB Diploma in Sixth Form. Ages 3 to 18. Fees 25/26: S$34,770 (Nursery) to S$55,734 (Sixth Form).
Tanglin Trust is the long-established British school in Singapore, set on a well-loved Holland Road campus. It is currently the only Singapore school rated Outstanding in every category of the British Schools Overseas inspection, which is a meaningful signal of consistency rather than a single good year. The curriculum is British throughout, with a proper choice between A-levels and the IB Diploma in the Sixth Form. Pastoral care is one of Tanglin’s longstanding strengths and among the reasons families often stay across siblings and years. Waitlists for the younger year groups are long. Register as far ahead as you reasonably can.
Dulwich College Singapore
Best for: Families wanting British curriculum depth with dual language English-Mandarin in early years. Curriculum: British with IGCSE (Years 9 to 11) and IB Diploma (Years 12 to 13). Fees 25/26: S$43,500 (Reception to Year 2) to S$56,220 (Years 12 to 13). Plus S$1,500 application, S$4,000 enrolment.
Dulwich College opened its Singapore campus in 2014 as part of the Dulwich College International group, bringing a respected British academic tradition to the younger end of the market. The dual language English-Mandarin programme for children aged 2 to 7 is one of the more meaningful bilingual options you will find in Singapore, continuing with daily Chinese from age 4. The curriculum moves through the enhanced English National Curriculum into IGCSE and then the IB Diploma, so children finish with a qualification universities recognise anywhere in the world. Expect serious attention to academics, arts, sport, and character development in equal measure.
North London Collegiate School Singapore (NLCS)
Best for: Families chasing top IB results at a newer school with British academic pedigree. Curriculum: British features blended with IB PYP and MYP to age 16, then IB Diploma. Fees 25/26: S$36,826 (Pre-KG) to S$54,640 (Grades 11 to 12). Plus a S$3,500 capital levy and S$3,500 enrolment.
NLCS Singapore opened in 2020 and has already produced IB Diploma averages well above the global mean, with a 100 percent pass rate and at least one student scoring the full 45 points. That is serious academic work for a school this young. It is also the only British school in Singapore to deliver all three IB programmes alongside a curriculum informed by the National Curriculum for England. The academic intensity is real, and parents tend to fall firmly into one camp or the other on it. If your child responds well to challenge, this is one to look at closely.
Stamford American International School (SAIS)
Best for: Families who want maximum curriculum optionality. Curriculum: IB PYP, then MYP or AERO, then a blend of IB Diploma, Advanced Placement, BTEC, or American High School Diploma. Fees 25/26: from S$47,390 (Grades 1 to 5) to S$54,210 (Grades 9 to 12), plus a S$990 to S$1,230 technology fee.
Stamford American is the first school in Singapore to concurrently offer Advanced Placement, the BTEC International Level 3 Diploma, and the IB Diploma. In practice that means teenagers do not have to commit to a single pathway at the start of Grade 9, which is genuinely useful when a family is not yet sure whether the child is heading towards American, British, or European universities. The Early Learning Village for the youngest years is a nice standalone campus. The curriculum framework from IB PYP through to senior school is well thought through. Worth considering if you want maximum flexibility for a child still figuring things out.
Canadian International School (CIS)
Best for: An unbroken IB path from nursery through Grade 12. Curriculum: Full IB continuum (PYP, MYP, DP) with no IGCSE middle switch. Chinese-English and French-English bilingual programmes. Fees 25/26: S$20,010 (Nursery half-day) to S$51,550 (Grades 11 to 12).
Canadian International School is one of a small group of schools in Singapore that runs the IB programme all the way from nursery to Grade 12 without switching to IGCSE in the middle years. For families who want IB continuity from day one, that matters. The bilingual programmes in Chinese-English and French-English are properly integrated rather than daily language lessons with a bilingual label stuck on the brochure. STEAM and the Open Minds programme add real enrichment. Fees sit at the premium end, reflecting the full IB pathway and extensive facilities.
Australian International School Singapore (AIS)
Best for: Australian-curriculum families, and larger families using sibling discounts. Curriculum: Five options across IB PYP, Australian Curriculum, Cambridge IGCSE, HSC, and IB Diploma. Ages 2 months to 18. Fees 25/26: Primary from S$21,210 per semester, Secondary from S$25,200 per semester. 10 percent off for the third child, 20 percent off for the fourth and beyond.
Australian International School is the obvious choice for families with Australian university ambitions or an Australian schooling background, offering the Higher School Certificate alongside the IB Diploma in senior school. It is also one of the few schools in Singapore that takes children from 2 months of age through to Year 12, which is rare and valued by families who want continuity without changing schools every few years. The sibling discounts (10 percent for the third child, 20 percent for the fourth and beyond) are a genuine help for larger families, and the semi-annual billing cycle can be easier to plan around than the usual termly schedule.
Dover Court International School (DCIS)
Best for: Families wanting a British curriculum in a fully inclusive setting. Curriculum: English National Curriculum plus the International Primary Curriculum, with IB Diploma, IB Courses, and International BTEC Level 3 in Sixth Form. Fees 25/26: from around S$29,178 (Early Years) to S$45,609 (Sixth Form), plus a S$3,135 annual building fund.
Dover Court has been in Singapore since 1972, which gives it more institutional memory than most of the international school market. What sets DCIS apart is that it is the only British international school in Singapore to deliver its curriculum within a fully inclusive model. Learning support is built into the school rather than treated as an optional add-on. That ethos matters particularly to families whose children have specific learning needs and who have sometimes been turned away, quietly or otherwise, by less inclusive schools. The Reggio-inspired Early Years, the thematic IPC-enriched Primary, and a flexible Sixth Form with IB and BTEC options round out a school that takes its long experience seriously.
German European School Singapore (GESS)
Best for: Genuinely bilingual English-German families. Curriculum: IB (PYP, MYP, DP) and German National Curriculum (Thuringia standards, delivered in German). Fees 25/26: around S$28,000 (Pre-Kindergarten) to S$41,935 (Years 11 to 12 IB). Founded 1971. Campus on Dairy Farm Lane.
GESS is one of the oldest international schools in Singapore and runs two full parallel curricula: the IB in English, and the German National Curriculum delivered in German. For genuinely bilingual English-German families, this is the only serious option in Singapore. The custom-built K12 campus on Dairy Farm Lane has been running since August 2018 and is one of the nicer school environments you will see on the shortlist. Fees sit noticeably below the top tier, which surprises families who expect a premium curriculum to command a premium price. The IB pathway is as complete as anywhere else on this list.
How to choose
Shortlist by curriculum first. If you are leaning British, Tanglin, Dulwich, Dover Court, and NLCS are the obvious four. If American, SAS is the scale pick and Stamford American is the flexible pick. For a full IB journey from nursery onwards, Canadian International School is the purest option. For the Australian curriculum, AIS. For German, GESS. UWCSEA spans several of these instincts but is fundamentally IB at its core.
Then shortlist by what else matters for your family. Community and outdoor education, UWCSEA. Academic rigour without apology, NLCS or Dulwich. Inclusive pastoral support for a child with specific learning needs, Dover Court. Sibling discounts and semi-annual billing, AIS. Genuinely integrated bilingual programmes, GESS or CIS. Maximum teenage optionality across IB, AP, BTEC, and a US diploma, Stamford American.
Then the practical side. Fees across the ten schools here range from around S$28,000 at GESS Pre-Kindergarten to over S$61,000 at SAS high school, before counting capital levies, building funds, application fees, and enrolment fees, which add between S$3,000 and S$8,000 per family upfront. Add transport, lunches, and uniforms. All schools have waitlists in younger year groups. Register early, tour in person, and bring the whole family. The right school often reveals itself when the child walks into the building.
That is the list. Ten international schools in Singapore worth serious consideration, based on what each one genuinely does well. If there is a school you think should be here and is not, send me the tip. The list is living, and nothing on it is here by arrangement. For more on navigating Singapore, the rest of the guides library is here.
FAQ
What is the average cost of international schools in Singapore?
Fees at the ten schools in this guide currently range from around S$20,000 per year at the entry level (nursery half-day at CIS) to over S$61,000 per year in high school at SAS. Most families looking at the premium tier should budget S$45,000 to S$60,000 per year per child, plus one-off capital levies and annual building funds that can add S$3,000 to S$8,000 upfront.
Which international schools in Singapore offer the IB Diploma?
All ten schools in this guide offer the IB Diploma Programme at Grades 11 and 12, though their earlier pathways differ. UWCSEA, CIS, NLCS, and GESS also offer IB Primary Years and Middle Years. Tanglin Trust offers both A-level and IB pathways. Stamford American layers the IB Diploma with AP, BTEC, and its own US diploma.
Which international schools in Singapore follow a British curriculum?
Tanglin Trust School, Dulwich College Singapore, Dover Court International School, and NLCS Singapore follow a British-based curriculum. Tanglin offers both A-levels and IB in the Sixth Form. Dulwich, DCIS, and NLCS transition to the IB Diploma in the final two years. UWCSEA is IB rather than British.
Which international schools in Singapore follow an American curriculum?
Singapore American School (SAS) follows an American-based curriculum throughout, with Advanced Placement in the upper grades. Stamford American International School offers a blend that includes AP, the BTEC Diploma, the IB Diploma, and its own American High School Diploma, giving students the option to mix pathways.
Do international schools in Singapore have waitlists?
Yes, almost all of them, especially in the younger year groups (kindergarten through Grade 2). UWCSEA and Tanglin Trust have the longest established waitlists. Register as early as possible. Some families apply when a child is two years old for a future Reception place, which sounds extreme until you try to get a spot at short notice.
What additional costs should I budget beyond tuition?
Expect application fees (S$400 to S$1,500), one-time capital levies or enrolment fees (S$3,000 to S$8,000), annual building or facility fees (S$3,000 to S$9,000), transport, lunches, uniforms, and specialised programmes. Sibling discounts are available at some schools, notably AIS (10 percent for the third child, 20 percent for the fourth and beyond).