Good to know
Good to Know
- Bangalore has one of India's largest concentrations of IB World Schools, alongside strong Cambridge (IGCSE/A-Level) and Indian-board (ICSE/CBSE) options — most nomad families will be choosing between IB and Cambridge pathways for portability if they plan to relocate again.
- Development/building fund levies are unusually common at Bangalore's private and international schools compared with Delhi or Mumbai — always ask upfront whether this one-time fee is refundable (it usually isn't) before budgeting.
- Top schools such as Indus, Stonehill, and Canadian International School often have waiting lists for popular entry points (KG, Grade 1, Grade 6, Grade 10) — applying 6–12 months ahead is strongly advised for a mid-year international move.
- Fee figures published by third-party school-comparison sites vary noticeably from school to school and even for the same school across different listings — always confirm current-year figures directly with the school's admissions office before budgeting.
- Admissions at Bangalore's international schools are rolling and seat-based rather than tied to one annual deadline — but that also means popular entry grades (Reception/UKG, Grade 1) can waitlist at any point in the year, so applying early is genuinely advantageous, not just a formality.
- Have your child's passport (for foreign nationals), the last two years of school transcripts/report cards, and a scanned recent report ready before you start — schools ask for these upfront alongside the online application.
- Expect an entrance test in English and Math plus an interview for basically any grade from 1 upward; some schools (e.g. TISB) will do this over video call if you're applying from abroad before relocating.
- Homeschooling is legal and unregulated in India, but it's a genuine grey area for the compulsory 6–14 age range since there's no dedicated law — keeping a simple learning record/portfolio is a practical safeguard, especially if you plan to transition back into a school or sit NIOS/IGCSE exams later.
- If you homeschool in Bangalore, plan your certification path early: NIOS is the standard route to a recognized Indian qualification (needed later for exams like JEE/NEET), while IGCSE/Cambridge private-candidate exam centres are also available locally for internationally-oriented families.
Schools And Curricula
- Currency Note
- All local figures in INR (Indian Rupee). USD conversion computed at an approximate rate of 1 USD ≈ 85 INR based on cross-checked figures in current fee-guide sources; treat USD figures as indicative, not exact.
Schools
Canadian International School (CIS)
- Area
- Yelahanka, North Bangalore
- Tuition Period
- per year (day school)
- Notes
- One of Bangalore's oldest international schools (founded 1996); was the first school in the city to introduce the IB Diploma Programme.
Curricula
- Ontario (Canadian) curriculum – Elementary/Middle School
- Cambridge IGCSE – Grades 9–10
- IB Diploma Programme (IBDP) – Grades 11–12
Tuition Annual
- Low
- ₹400,000
- High
- ₹1,400,000
The International School Bangalore (TISB)
- Area
- Whitefield–Sarjapur Road (Dommasandra Circle)
- Tuition Period
- per year
- Notes
- Day and boarding K-12 school on a 140-acre campus; boarding available from Grade 5.
Curricula
- National Curriculum of England – Pre-Primary/Middle School
- Cambridge IGCSE – Grades 9–10
- IB Diploma Programme (IBDP) – Grades 11–12
One Time Fees
- Admission Fee
- ₹195,000
- Application Fee
- ₹15,000
Tuition Annual
- Day
- ₹1,060,000
- Boarding
- ₹1,090,000
Indus International School
- Area
- Billapura, Sarjapur Road
- Tuition Period
- per year (day); boarding costs extra
- Notes
- Residential/day campus of 40+ acres; considered a flagship IB school in Bangalore with strong Ivy League and IIT placement.
Curricula
- Full IB continuum (PYP + MYP + DP)
- Cambridge IGCSE (alternative pathway)
Tuition Annual
- Low
- ₹500,000
- High
- ₹1,400,000
Stonehill International School
- Area
- Tarahunise, Jala Hobli (North Bangalore, near airport corridor)
- Tuition Period
- per year (day); boarding available at additional cost
- Notes
- 140-acre North Bangalore campus; primarily a day school with a strong expatriate community and consistently high IB Diploma results.
Curricula
- Full IB continuum (PYP + MYP + DP)
Tuition Annual
- Low
- ₹600,000
- High
- ₹1,500,000
Oakridge International School (Dommasandra)
- Area
- Varthur Road, Dommasandra
- Tuition Period
- per year
- Notes
- Part of the Nord Anglia Education network, offering collaborations with MIT and Juilliard alongside the standard IB programme.
Curricula
- Full IB continuum (PYP + MYP + DP)
Tuition Annual
- Low
- ₹480,000
- High
- ₹950,000
Greenwood High International School
- Area
- Sarjapur Road / Varthur
- Tuition Period
- per year
- Notes
- Offers a genuine dual-track choice between IB and Cambridge assessment frameworks, which is relatively unusual among Bangalore schools.
Curricula
- Full IB continuum
- Cambridge IGCSE / A-Level (parallel track at the international campus)
Tuition Annual
- Low
- ₹300,000
- High
- ₹800,000
Bangalore International School (BIS)
- Area
- Hennur Bagalur Road
- Tuition Period
- per year
- Notes
- Private, non-profit, parent-owned day school for ages 3–18; reported annual fee figures vary noticeably by source.
Curricula
- Cambridge IGCSE
- Cambridge International AS/A-Levels
- IB Diploma Programme
- Indian Curriculum (BIS Diploma, AIU-recognised)
Tuition Annual
- Low
- ₹212,000
- High
- ₹900,000
Trio World Academy
- Area
- Defence Layout, Sahakar Nagar
- Tuition Period
- per year
- Notes
- Listed consistently among Bangalore's top IB schools; specific published tuition figures were not independently confirmed for this listing — expect a range broadly comparable to other mid/premium-tier IB schools in the city.
Curricula
- Full IB continuum (PYP + MYP + DP)
Inventure Academy
- Area
- Whitefield
- Tuition Period
- per year
- Notes
- Regularly cited alongside CIS, Stonehill and Greenwood High as one of Bangalore's leading international schools; specific tuition figures not independently confirmed for this listing.
Curricula
- Full IB continuum (PYP + MYP + DP)
Neev Academy
- Area
- Yemalur, Bellandur
- Tuition Period
- per year
- Notes
- Frequently listed among Bangalore's top IB schools; specific tuition figures not independently confirmed for this listing.
Curricula
- IB (PYP/MYP, expanding toward DP)
Candor International School
- Area
- Electronic City
- Tuition Period
- per year
- Notes
- Named among the top IB schools in Bangalore; specific tuition figures not independently confirmed for this listing.
Curricula
- IB
Ebenezer International School
- Area
- Bangalore
- Tuition Period
- per year
- Notes
- Offers weekly and regular boarding options alongside its multi-curriculum day programme.
Curricula
- IB
- Cambridge IGCSE
- CISCE (Indian board)
Chaman Bhartiya School
- Area
- Kannuru
- Tuition Period
- per year
- Notes
- Students follow an integrated curriculum until Grade 5, after which they choose between ICSE and IB-MYP pathways.
Curricula
- ICSE (integrated curriculum through Grade 5)
- IB-MYP (Grade 6 onward, as an alternative to ICSE)
Embassy Academy
- Area
- Devanahalli
- Tuition Period
- per year
- Notes
- 5-acre campus founded by Embassy Group, covering Toddler through Class 12.
Curricula
- IB
Maple Bear School
- Area
- JP Nagar
- Tuition Period
- per year
- Notes
- Franchise of the Canadian Maple Bear network; positioned as a bilingual, student-centred early-years-through-school option rather than a pure IB school.
Curricula
- Canadian-based bilingual/play-based curriculum (preschool–high school)
- IB affiliation
Silver Oaks International School
- Area
- Whitefield and Sarjapura (two campuses)
- Tuition Period
- per year
- Notes
- Named among Bangalore's top-10 IB schools across both its Whitefield and Sarjapura campuses.
Curricula
- IB
General Fee Structure Notes
- Bangalore international schools generally charge a one-time non-refundable application/registration fee (roughly INR 15,000–250,000 depending on school tier), a separate admission confirmation deposit, and often a 'development fund' or building levy that can be substantial — this development-fund culture is particularly entrenched in South Indian private schools (Bangalore, Chennai, Hyderabad) compared to Delhi or Mumbai.
- Because of these one-time costs, first-year expenses commonly run 20–50% above the advertised annual tuition figure; from Year 2 onward, costs settle closer to tuition plus transport, activity, and meal fees.
- IB Diploma students pay separate IBO registration/exam fees (roughly INR 25,000–50,000 per diploma sitting), and A-Level/Cambridge students pay separate Cambridge exam fees per subject.
Enrollment And Homeschooling
Homeschooling
- Legal Status India
- Homeschooling is not prohibited by Indian law; the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education (RTE) Act, 2009 makes education compulsory for ages 6–14, but the compulsion is on the state to provide education, not a legal requirement that parents send children into a school building. The RTE Act does not include homeschooling in its definition of 'school,' meaning it is neither formally regulated nor explicitly restricted. Courts, including the Delhi High Court, have addressed the issue and confirmed parents are not barred from educating children at home, though homeschooling still sits in a genuine legal grey area for the compulsory 6–14 age band since there is no dedicated homeschooling statute — nothing explicitly legalizes or bans it, and in practice no family has been prosecuted for it.
- Certification Pathways
- Because CBSE and ICSE generally don't allow private (non-enrolled) candidates for board exams, most homeschoolers in India route through the National Institute of Open Schooling (NIOS), a government body that lets homeschooled children sit exams after age 14 to obtain a recognized Indian qualification. An international alternative is the IGCSE/Cambridge system — homeschooled students can sit Cambridge exams as private candidates at registered exam centres in various Indian cities including Bangalore.
- Local Homeschooling Community
- Homeschooling is not yet widespread nationally but has been gaining traction specifically in a handful of metropolitan areas, with Bangalore repeatedly named (alongside Pune and Mumbai) as one of the cities where the community is growing. Support in India for homeschoolers is largely organized through internet-based groups (Facebook/WhatsApp networks) and informal social meetups/conferences based mostly in major urban centers rather than a single formal Bangalore institution.
International School Enrollment
- Waitlist Reality
- Waitlisting by grade level is common and genuinely happens even mid-year — for example, one Bangalore international school listed UKG, Grade 1, and Grades 4–8 as currently waitlisted on its own admissions page. TISB explicitly describes itself as selective and merit-based, noting there may be waiting-list places for some grades once vacancies are filled, with admission not automatic even after assessments are completed.
- Application Timing
- Most Bangalore international schools (Bangalore International School, TISB, Indus International School) run rolling, year-round admissions rather than a single hard deadline. Bangalore International School states that admissions operate on a rolling basis and depend on seat availability. TISB welcomes inquiries year-round, subject to grade availability, and holds dedicated Open Mornings from January to April for prospective families to visit before entrance assessments. Indus International School similarly admits students throughout the year based on seat availability, though most students still join at the start of the academic year.
- Assessment And Interview
- For Grades 1 through 12, expect a standard sequence: online application and document upload, then an entrance assessment in English and Mathematics, followed by an interview or meeting with a Section Coordinator, Head of School, or (for overseas applicants at TISB) a remote video interview. TISB asks accepted applicants to confirm acceptance and pay fees within two weeks of an offer letter.
- Practical Advice For Foreign Families
- Because seats (not calendar deadlines) are the real constraint, families relocating to Bangalore should start the enquiry and document process several months before their intended move if possible, and treat entry grades like UKG/Reception and Grade 1 as the most likely to have waitlists given they're the main intake points.
Required Documents Typical
- Completed online application/registration form (usually via an online admissions portal, e.g. 'Open Apply')
- Parent questionnaire
- Passport copy (required specifically for foreign nationals; Indian nationals submit Aadhaar instead)
- Academic records/report cards for the past two years plus current mid-term transcripts
- Application fee, generally payable once an entrance test slot is confirmed
AI-generated estimateData refreshed July 2026
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Data last updated July 2026 · Verify anything important.