Good to know
Good to Know
- AISK and Hillel Academy both bill tuition directly in US dollars for international students — a JMD figure is shown above for consistency, but the school's own invoices and payment plans are in USD.
- AISK offers a 'Pay10' option that spreads annual tuition into 10 interest-free monthly installments, which can make cash-flow planning easier for relocating families.
- Hillel Academy runs two parallel fee schedules — a lower one billed in JMD for Jamaican-registered students and a higher USD schedule for international students — so a 'local hire vs. international assignee' distinction matters a lot for cost planning.
- Admission to both AISK and Hillel, and to the smaller Jamaican-curriculum prep schools, is competitive; some popular prep schools have waitlists that start from birth, so early inquiry matters if relocating with young children.
- Kingston's elite Jamaican-curriculum secondary schools (e.g. the well-known grant-aided high schools) are not included here because they follow the local CSEC/CAPE system rather than an internationally branded (IB/American/British) curriculum, even though they're often academically strong.
- Both AISK and Hillel Academy run rolling admissions rather than one fixed annual deadline, but realistically you should start the process 3-6 months before an August/September start — earlier for Kindergarten or Grade 7, since Hillel's formal Grade 7 entrance exam only runs in April/May each year.
- No school in Kingston publishes real waitlist numbers or average wait times, so treat 'apply early' as a genuine hedge against tight space rather than a formality — Hillel alone draws students from over 40 countries into a relatively small system.
- If you homeschool in Jamaica, registering with the Ministry's Independent Schools Unit is the legally expected path, not an optional extra — go in expecting a facilities check and to keep progress records, not just an informal notification.
- Homeschool groups of more than six children in one setting need explicit Ministry permission, which matters if you're hoping to combine with other expat families into a larger co-op-style setup.
Schools
American International School of Kingston (AISK)
- Location
- 2 College Green Avenue, Kingston 6 (about 10 minutes from New Kingston, 5 minutes from the U.S. Embassy)
- Ages Grades
- Ages 3–18: Early Years/Kindergarten, Elementary (Grades 1–5), Middle School (Grades 6–8), Premium High School Program (Grades 9–12)
- Student Body
- Roughly 300–350 students across 40+ nationalities; largest single group is Caribbean nationals
- Accreditation
- IB World School, accredited by Cognia
- One Time Enrollment Fee International First Child
- JMD 708,750
- Notes
- Figures are for the 2025–26 school year and are the school's own USD-denominated fee schedule; a JMD equivalent is given for reference. Tuition can be split into 10 interest-free monthly installments via the school's 'Pay10' plan. Transportation is included in tuition.
Curricula
- US-based college-preparatory / American curriculum
- International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma Programme, offered in Grades 11–12
- Advanced Placement (AP) courses
Tuition Annual
Early Years Program 1 & 2
- Early Years Program 1 & 2
- JMD 2,168,000
Kindergarten
- Kindergarten
- JMD 2,553,000
Grades 1–5
- Grades 1–5
- JMD 3,391,600
Grades 6–8 (Middle School)
- Grades 6–8 (Middle School)
- JMD 3,712,300
Grades 9–11 (High School)
- Grades 9–11 (High School)
- JMD 3,979,700
Grade 12 (includes senior fees)
- Grade 12 (Includes Senior Fees)
- JMD 4,385,400
Hillel Academy
- Location
- 51 Upper Mark Way, Kingston 8, in the foothills of the Blue Mountains
- Ages Grades
- Ages 3–19: Preparatory School (K1–Grade 6), Middle School (Grades 7–9), High School (Grades 10–13)
- Student Body
- Around 700 students from more than 40 countries
- Accreditation
- NEASC-accredited, Cambridge-authorised, and an IB World School
- Enrollment Fees
- New-student enrolment fees run USD 1,750 (Jamaican, K1–Grade 11) or USD 3,500 (international, K1–Grade 11), and USD 875 for new IB students in Grades 12–13 regardless of nationality; there is also a flat JMD 7,000 registration fee.
- Tuition Jamaican Students
- Jamaican-registered students are billed separately in Jamaican dollars at a lower rate than the international schedule; exact JMD figures were not published in the sources reviewed for this entry.
- Notes
- Founded in 1969, originally by the Jewish community in Jamaica; today it is non-denominational, independent, and Jamaica's largest international school by enrollment.
- Special Note
- Hillel is the only school in Jamaica authorized to offer the International Middle Years Curriculum (IMYC).
Curricula
- Jamaica's National Standards Curriculum for Grades 1–6, with Spanish taught from Kindergarten 1
- International Middle Years Curriculum (IMYC) for Grades 7–9
- Cambridge IGCSE (British-system) for Grades 10–11
- International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma Programme for Grades 12–13
Tuition International Students Annual
Kindergarten 1 (lowest, 3-term total)
- Kindergarten 1 (Lowest, 3 Term Total)
- JMD 1,716,000
Grades 12–13 (highest, 3-term total)
- Grades 12–13 (Highest, 3 Term Total)
- JMD 2,740,500
Other Named Private Schools Kingston Local Curriculum
- Note
- These are private preparatory schools frequently recommended to expat families in Kingston, but they run the standard Jamaican prep-school curriculum rather than a distinct international (IB/American/British) track, and none publish standardized tuition tables online — cost is 'inquire directly.'
Schools
- St. Andrew Preparatory (Primary Dept pre-K–Grade 2, Junior Dept Grades 3–6)
- Sts Peter and Paul Preparatory School
- Mona Preparatory School
- Vaz Preparatory School
- Ardenne Preparatory School
- Stella Maris Preparatory School
- Immaculate Conception Preparatory School
Enrollment And Homeschooling
Homeschooling
- Regulator
- The Independent Schools Unit (ISU) within Jamaica's Ministry of Education, Youth & Information has responsibility for registering, approving and regulating homeschools nationally, including reviewing applications, inspecting home facilities and records, and de-registering homeschools that fail to meet basic standards.
- Legal Basis
- Homeschooling is legal in Jamaica. The Education Act, 1980, Part III Section 21(1) places a duty on parents to ensure a child of compulsory school age receives full-time education suitable to their age and ability, satisfactory to the local Educational Board, 'either by regular attendance at school or otherwise' — the 'or otherwise' clause is the legal basis for home education. Homeschools themselves are governed by the Education Act, 1965, and the Independent Schools' Regulations, 1973.
- Legal Status
- Fully legal and regulated
- Local Community Or Co Op
- A national homeschooling network does genuinely exist: the Jamaica Association of Homeschoolers has been featured by the government-run Jamaica Information Service as an established body that supports and networks homeschooling families across the island. A separate contact point, 'Homeschool Jamaica,' is also listed as an active local resource/support contact by HSLDA's country page. Neither source confirms a dedicated, currently-active in-person co-op specifically within Kingston as opposed to island-wide.
- Registration Requirement
- According to the Ministry's own registrar for the Independent Schools Unit, parents choosing to homeschool must register with the ISU and take full responsibility for providing a safe, conducive learning environment to Ministry standards; a homeschool policy was still being finalized as of the most recent Ministry statement available. A hard cap of six students is set for any single homeschool setting, and special Ministry permission is required to exceed that number.
- Curriculum And Assessment
- Jamaica does not mandate a specific curriculum for homeschoolers, but families are expected to keep records for periodic Ministry assessments and to align eventually with recognized qualifications — most commonly the Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) exams, which are recognized by universities across Jamaica and the wider Caribbean.
International Bilingual School Enrollment
- Overview
- Kingston's main options for internationally-oriented schooling are the American International School of Kingston (AISK, IB World School, preschool through grade 12) and Hillel Academy (Jamaica's largest international school, ages 3-18, IGCSE/IB). Both run rolling, ongoing admissions rather than a single once-a-year deadline, but space by grade level is limited and assessments/interviews are required before a seat is confirmed.
- How Far In Advance To Apply
- Neither school publishes a single hard deadline, but because assessments and interviews take time to schedule and international families often need visa/relocation runway, applying at least one full academic term (roughly 3-6 months) before the intended August/September start is the realistic minimum; earlier is safer for Kindergarten entry and for Grade 7, where Hillel's formal entrance exam only runs in April/May for a September start.
- Waitlist Realistic Expectations
- Neither AISK nor Hillel Academy publishes official waitlist statistics or average wait times, so expectations here are inferred rather than confirmed. Hillel describes itself as Jamaica's largest international school with roughly 700-800 students drawn from over 40 countries, which suggests entry-point grades (Kindergarten and Grade 7) and mid-year openings in popular grades are the most competitive; families should not assume a seat is available on short notice and should treat rolling admissions as 'apply as early as possible, get assessed promptly' rather than a guaranteed quick turnaround.
Example Fees
Hillel Academy
- Hillel Academy
- JMD 7,000
Hillel Academy
- Hillel Academy
- JMD 552,500
Hillel Academy
- Hillel Academy
- JMD 138,125
Application Process Steps
- Submit an online inquiry/application through the school's admissions portal (AISK uses an online portal where an incomplete application can be saved and resumed; Hillel has an online application plus a downloadable form).
- Submit supporting documents; the application is only reviewed once every required document is in the file.
- Academic/placement assessment: Hillel assesses applicants in English, Math and Non-Verbal Reasoning; these can be scheduled at any point in the year for most grades, though Grade 7 entrants sit a formal entrance exam specifically in April or May.
- Interview: Middle/High School applicants meet the Principal in person; for families applying from abroad, AISK conducts this interview remotely (video call).
- Decision and offer: families are notified in writing; AISK issues a formal Acceptance Letter, and if the file is borderline the school may request further evaluation or contact the student's current school before deciding.
- Registration/enrollment fee payment to confirm the seat once accepted.
Required Documents Commonly Requested
- Completed application/registration form
- Child's birth certificate (schools and the Ministry of Education both reference this as a standard registration document)
- Previous school reports/transcripts — Hillel's High School admissions explicitly asks for up to three years of prior school reports for transfer students
- Immunization/medical records
- Passport/visa or residency documentation for the family
- Application and registration fees, paid before or with the assessment
Kingston has two well-established, long-running international schools that dominate the expat/nomad-family market: American International School of Kingston (AISK) in Kingston 6, and Hillel Academy in Kingston 8. Both are IB World Schools but differ in overall curriculum flavor (AISK is US-anchored; Hillel blends Jamaican, British/Cambridge, and IB tracks). Beyond these two, Kingston has several private preparatory schools that follow the mainstream Jamaican curriculum and are popular with expat families for younger children, but they do not publish an internationally-branded curriculum (IB/American/British) or standardized tuition the way AISK and Hillel do.
AI-generated estimateData refreshed July 2026
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Data last updated July 2026 · Verify anything important.