Good to know
Good to Know
- Lombok's international-school scene is genuinely small — most nomad/expat families end up choosing between Sekolah Nusa Alam and Apple Tree/Stella Gracia in Mataram, or Mandalika Intercultural School (and the newer Wonder Intercultural School) in the Kuta/South Lombok surf area, depending on which side of the island they base themselves.
- Many Lombok schools do not publish full fee schedules online — expect to email or call the admissions office directly for an up-to-date quote, and confirm whether quoted prices include registration/one-time fees, which can add hundreds of dollars in the first year.
- For families wanting a full IB Diploma or the widest curriculum choice, some expats commute to or relocate near Bali's larger international-school market instead, since Lombok's schools are predominantly Cambridge/British-system or Australian/Singapore-curriculum rather than IB.
- Since 2020s regulatory changes, legitimate international schools in Indonesia should hold SPK (Satuan Pendidikan Kerjasama) licensing — worth confirming a school's SPK status directly with the school before enrolling, as this affects accreditation and visa/KITAS-related paperwork for foreign staff and students.
- Lombok currently has only two well-established internationally-oriented schools (Mandalika Intercultural School in Kuta Lombok and Sekolah Nusa Alam in Mataram), so capacity per grade is limited — apply well ahead of your intended start date rather than assuming a spot will be available on arrival.
- Typical required documents are passport copies, the child's KITAS/visa, previous school transcripts, and vaccination records; older-grade applicants may also face an entrance assessment or interview.
- Enrollment is legally tied to the child holding a valid visa (commonly a Dependent KITAS) — schools need this to register the student in Indonesia's national education database (Dapodik).
- Be cautious about paying large enrollment or 'capital levy' fees before you have a written, confirmed offer letter, as these fees are typically non-refundable.
- Homeschooling is fully legal in Indonesia, including in Lombok, and can be registered either through your local Dinas Pendidikan (education office) or via the national body Homeschooler Indonesia (HSII); neither requires a school enrollment letter for visa purposes.
- Unlike Bali, we could not find a documented, organized in-person homeschool co-op or support group specifically in Lombok — families currently rely on general expat community groups or connect with national/online homeschool providers instead.
Schools And Curricula
- Overview
- Lombok has a small but growing set of international/bilingual schools, concentrated mainly in two areas: Mataram (the island's capital, with several English-medium and trilingual options) and Kuta/Mandalika in South Lombok (the surf/tourism hub, with newer, foreign-oriented campuses). The selection is far smaller than Bali's.
- General Tuition Context
- Across Bali and Lombok, annual tuition at top-tier international schools can range from roughly USD 5,000–20,000, with smaller or newer Lombok schools typically at the lower end (an estimated IDR 40–80 million/year) compared to premier Bali schools charging IDR 100–350 million/year.
Schools
Sekolah Nusa Alam (SNA)
- Location
- Mataram (central Lombok)
- Curriculum
- Cambridge International Curriculum combined with the Indonesian National Curriculum, delivered bilingually in English and Bahasa Indonesia. It is a non-profit, SPK-licensed school.
- Ages Grades
- Ages 3–18 (Early Years through Upper Secondary)
- Pathway Detail
- Secondary years prepare students for IGCSE, followed by Cambridge International AS and A Levels, with university guidance provided via Unifrog and UCAS.
- Curriculum Detail
- Sekolah Nusa Alam (SNA) is a non-profit, SPK-licensed Cambridge international school in Indonesia for students aged 3–18, delivering the Cambridge International Curriculum alongside the Indonesian National Curriculum in a bilingual program taught in English and Bahasa Indonesia.
- History Note
- Founded in 1999 and opened in 2000, SNA earned Cambridge IGCSE accreditation around 2011 and SPK licensing in 2014, with a 2018 campus relocation and a 2022–2025 alliance with Mandalika Intercultural School.
Tuition
- Status
- Not publicly disclosed by the school; multiple school-directory sources list fees as unpublished/available on request
- Estimated Annual Range Local
- IDR 60,000,000
- Note
- One third-party source estimates smaller/newer Lombok international schools (a category that includes SNA) charge roughly IDR 40,000,000–80,000,000 per year, versus IDR 100,000,000+ at Bali's top-tier schools — but this is a general regional estimate, not a confirmed SNA figure
Mandalika Intercultural School (MIS)
- Location
- Kuta, Pujut, South Lombok (Mandalika tourism zone)
- Curriculum
- Cambridge International Curriculum (Primary, Secondary, IGCSE, A Levels); some sources describe its national-curriculum framing as Australian, and one school-database source classifies it as 'British' — descriptions vary by source, so confirm current framework directly with the school.
- Ages Grades
- Ages 2–18
- Curriculum Detail
- The Cambridge International Curriculum across primary, secondary and IGCSE/A Levels guides learning, with the Primary Programme delivering English, Mathematics, Science/STEAM, Wellbeing/Health/PE and Arts, and Bahasa Indonesian taught as a second language.
- Campus Note
- The campus opened October 18, 2022, on a 10,000-square-meter site designed with EDGE environmental practices and Sasak architectural cues.
- History Note
- The school began in 2017 as Rinjani Indah School before rebranding and later moving to its current purpose-built Kuta campus.
Tuition
- Academic Year
- 2025/2026
- Registration Fee Early Years
- IDR 4,750,000
- Registration Fee Primary To Secondary
- IDR 9,500,000
- Note
- Full tuition schedule for Primary through Secondary ages was not published in the sources reviewed — only Toddler fees and registration fees were publicly listed. Sibling discounts of 10% (2nd child) and 20% (3rd+ child) apply. A one-time first-year additional-fees charge of roughly IDR 19,000,000 was cited for a 14-year-old enrollee, on top of regular tuition.
Toddlers Half Day
- Per Term
- IDR 8,500,000
- Per Year
- IDR 32,300,000
- Per Semester
- IDR 16,660,000
Wonder Intercultural School Lombok
- Location
- Dusun Sekar Kuning, Desa Kuta, Lombok Tengah (Kuta area, South Lombok)
- Curriculum
- Primary years are transitioning to the International Primary Curriculum (IPC); Early Years uses a Reggio Emilia-inspired, thematic/inquiry-based approach. Indonesia's National Curriculum Merdeka is taught for native Bahasa Indonesia speakers, with BIPA (Indonesian as a foreign language) for international students.
- Ages Grades
- Early Years (Playgroup, Transitional Kindergarten) through Primary Years 1–6
- Curriculum Detail
- The school is implementing Indonesia's National Curriculum Merdeka for native Bahasa Indonesia and BIPA for international students, providing three Bahasa Indonesia lessons per week, and can issue the Indonesian IJAZAH completion certificate.
Tuition
- Status
- Not disclosed in sources reviewed — contact school directly for current fee schedule
Stella Gracia School (SGS)
- Location
- Cakranegara, Mataram
- Curriculum
- Singapore National Curriculum, trilingual instruction in English, Bahasa Indonesia, and Mandarin.
- Ages Grades
- Ages ~7–15 (Primary Years 1–6 and Junior High Years 1–2)
- Feeder School
- Apple Tree Pre-school (also in Mataram) serves as its international feeder preschool.
- Curriculum Detail
- This international school caters to students between the ages of 7 to 15 in primary (years 1 to 6) and junior high (years 1 and 2), following the Singapore National Curriculum.
Tuition
- Status
- Not disclosed in sources reviewed
Apple Tree Pre-school
- Location
- Cilinaya, Cakranegara, Mataram
- Curriculum
- Singapore National Curriculum, trilingual (English, Bahasa Indonesia, Mandarin); feeder preschool for Stella Gracia School.
- Ages Grades
- 18 months to 6 years (toddler, pre-nursery, nursery, kindergarten)
- Curriculum Detail
- Apple Tree follows the Singapore National Curriculum and is a trilingual preschool, offering lessons in English, Bahasa Indonesia, and Mandarin.
Tuition
- Status
- Not disclosed in sources reviewed
Senggigi International Academy
- Location
- Senggigi area, Lombok
- Curriculum
- A bilingual curriculum integrating international and local (Indonesian) educational standards, with emphasis on holistic academic plus social/emotional development.
- Ages Grades
- Currently Preschool to roughly Year 8; the school has stated plans to expand to older grades
- Curriculum Detail
- Senggigi International Academy is a relatively new addition to Lombok's educational landscape, offering a bilingual curriculum that integrates both international and local educational standards.
Tuition
- Status
- Not disclosed in sources reviewed
Lombok International School
- Location
- Mataram area
- Curriculum
- Cambridge Curriculum, with small class sizes and personalized attention.
- Ages Grades
- Preschool to Year 9
- Curriculum Detail
- Lombok International School is known for its small class sizes and personalized attention, following the Cambridge Curriculum.
Tuition
- Status
- Not disclosed in sources reviewed
Mataram International School
- Location
- Mataram area
- Curriculum
- An international curriculum with strong emphasis on English proficiency, in a multicultural, community-oriented setting.
- Ages Grades
- Not specified in sources reviewed
- Curriculum Detail
- Mataram International School provides a multicultural environment and places a strong emphasis on English language proficiency, with a community-oriented approach.
Tuition
- Status
- Not disclosed in sources reviewed
Schools Covered
Mandalika Intercultural School (MIS)
- Location
- Kuta, Pujut (South Lombok, near the Mandalika Special Economic Zone)
- Curriculum
- Cambridge International Curriculum / Australian-style approach, small class sizes
Sekolah Nusa Alam (SNA)
- Location
- Mataram
- Curriculum
- Full Cambridge International Curriculum (Early Years to Upper Secondary) alongside the Indonesian National Curriculum; non-profit, SPK-licensed
Local Homeschool Community Lombok
- Explanation
- No genuinely documented homeschool co-op or organized in-person homeschool support group specific to Lombok was found. Bali (e.g., Canggu-based co-ops) has an established, documented homeschool community, but this does not extend to Lombok based on available sourcing.
- Found Documented Lombok Specific Coop
- No
Practical Alternatives
- General Lombok expat Facebook groups exist and are sometimes used informally to find other homeschooling families, but they are not dedicated homeschool communities.
- National online/hybrid providers that serve families anywhere in Indonesia, including remote islands like Lombok, include Jakarta Academics (Pearson Edexcel), Wolsey Hall Oxford (UK/Cambridge, fully online), and Sekolah Murid Merdeka (Ministry-recognized blended model).
Process Notes
Some schools also require an entrance assessment or interview to determine placement, particularly for older grade levels.
Required Documents
Required Documents
- Copies of the child's and parents' passports
- Child's KITAS or valid visa (or proof one is being processed)
- Previous academic transcripts / school reports (translated if not in English)
- Health certificate including vaccination records
Homeschooling Legality Indonesia
- Status
- Fully legal and regulated
- Legal Basis
- Homeschooling is legal nationwide, including in Lombok, under Indonesia's National Education System Law (Law No. 20 of 2003), which recognizes informal, family-based education as equivalent in status to formal schooling once a learner passes a national-standard equivalency exam.
- Implementing Regulation
- The Ministerial Regulation Permendikbud No. 129 of 2014 specifically governs homeschooling (Sekolah Rumah) implementation and defines three recognized forms: single-family (Tunggal), multi-family (Majemuk), and community-based (Komunitas).
- Registration Requirements
- Registration can be done at the City or Regency Education Office (Dinas Pendidikan) with documents including parent and student identity documents, a statement letter from the parent/guardian, and a learning plan document; ongoing coordination and periodic reporting to that office is expected so that later equivalency exams proceed smoothly.
- National Alternative Registration Body
- A national body, Homeschooler Indonesia (HSII), also offers a portfolio-based registration pathway used by many expat families as an alternative or complement to registering directly with the local education office.
- Visa Note
- Tourist, social (B211A), and most long-stay visa categories in Indonesia do not require proof of school enrollment for children, so homeschooling does not need to be tied to any school's immigration sponsorship.
- Curriculum Note
- Regulations require homeschool curricula to still address core national-curriculum indicators (religious education, Pancasila/citizenship, Indonesian language), which expat families typically combine with an international curriculum (commonly Cambridge, sat as a private candidate, or Pearson Edexcel) for global portability.
Visa And Registration Requirement
Foreign students enrolled in SPK-status schools must hold a valid visa, most commonly a Dependent KITAS sponsored by a parent's Working or Investor KITAS; the school then registers the student in Indonesia's national education database (Dapodik) to finalize enrollment.
Fee Timing And Scam Pattern Warning
Once accepted, schools generally require the enrollment fee to be paid promptly to secure the seat, and some also charge a separate, often non-refundable, capital levy or building fee. Families should be cautious about paying large sums before receiving a confirmed written offer letter, since such fees are rarely refundable.
International Bilingual School Landscape
Lombok has only a small number of internationally-oriented schools compared to Bali, which shapes both enrollment timing and waitlist risk.
Realistic Timing And Waitlist Expectations
With only two well-known international/bilingual options on the whole island, capacity per grade level is inherently small, so applying several months ahead of the intended start date (rather than after arrival) is the safer approach, especially for popular grade levels. Neither school publishes formal waitlist-length data, and this appears not to be documented anywhere publicly for Lombok specifically — treat any specific wait-time figure with caution and confirm directly with the school.
AI-generated estimateData refreshed July 2026
This section has no cited sources.
More About Lombok
Data last updated July 2026 · Verify anything important.