Good to know
Good to Know
- The Bahamian dollar is pegged 1:1 to the US dollar, so tuition quoted in BSD is the same number in USD — no currency conversion math needed when budgeting.
- The most internationally-oriented, full-IB option (Lyford Cay International School) and the newest premium British/IB entrant (King's College School) both sit in gated western New Providence communities, while more moderately-priced blended-curriculum schools like Tambearly and St Andrew's are more central.
- Several well-established private schools in Nassau (Queen's College, Kingsway Academy, Summit Academy, Bahamas Academy of Seventh-day Adventists) do not publish tuition rates online — you'll need to email or call the school directly for a current fee schedule.
- On top of sticker tuition, budget for extras: application fees, enrollment deposits (King's College, for example, charges a $150 application fee and $2,500 deposit), uniforms, meals, and bus transport are commonly billed separately.
- If you want the IB Diploma specifically, Lyford Cay International School is currently the only school in Nassau fully authorized for it; King's College School offers IB but is still a candidate school working toward authorization.
- The Bahamian dollar (BSD) is pegged 1:1 with the US dollar and both circulate interchangeably in Nassau, so local and USD figures for anything priced in BSD are effectively identical.
- None of Nassau's international schools publish a hard public deadline or a numeric waitlist count — the realistic move for a relocating family is to start the tour/application process the moment a move date is set, rather than waiting for an official 'admissions season.'
- School enrollment in Nassau does not by itself guarantee an immigration permit for the child or family — that is a separate Bahamas Department of Immigration process worth starting in parallel.
- If you plan to homeschool in Nassau, register with the Ministry of Education's Home School Unit even though enforcement appears informal — this avoids complications later if you need documentation for return migration, university applications, or insurance.
Schools And Curricula
- Academic Year
- Most private/international schools in Nassau run August/September to June, similar to the North American calendar.
- Currency Note
- The Bahamian dollar (BSD) is pegged 1:1 to the US dollar, so every local tuition figure below is numerically identical in USD.
Schools
Lyford Cay International School (LCIS)
- Founded
- 1962
- Location
- Lyford Cay, western New Providence (gated community)
- Curriculum
- International Baccalaureate — full continuum (PYP, MYP, DP, and CP); the only school in The Bahamas authorized to deliver all four IB programmes
- Ages Grades
- Preschool (18 months) through Grade 12
- Notes
- Non-profit, independent, nondenominational day school; small class sizes and a large international student mix (40+ nationalities reported).
Tuition Annual
- Low
- BSD 14,040
- High
- BSD 21,510
St Andrew's School
- Founded
- 1948
- Location
- Yamacraw, eastern New Providence
- Curriculum
- Blended British/American approach with an IB programme (Primary Years and Diploma) available in upper years; also administers PSAT, SAT and ACT
- Ages Grades
- Pre-school through Upper School (roughly ages 2.5–19)
- Notes
- Figures are for annual-advance-payment; Grade 12 students receive a discount that scales with years enrolled. Roughly two-thirds of the student body is Bahamian, one-third international.
Tuition Annual
- Low
- BSD 4,945
- High
- BSD 15,365
King's College School, The Bahamas
- Founded
- 2022
- Location
- Nassau (part of the global Inspired Education Group)
- Curriculum
- Cambridge International (IGCSE), A-Levels, and IB Diploma Programme (currently a candidate school pursuing IB authorization, not yet a full IB World School)
- Ages Grades
- Ages 2/3 to 18
- Notes
- Meals and uniforms are billed separately from tuition; French and Spanish tutoring offered as an add-on.
Tuition Annual
- Low
- BSD 15,750
Starting/entry-level figure from a third-party school directory; the school's own fee page does not publish exact numbers publicly.
Additional Fees
- Application Fee
- BSD 150
- Enrollment Deposit
- BSD 2,500
Tambearly School
- Founded
- 1985
- Location
- Sandy Port, western New Providence
- Curriculum
- U.S. (American) curriculum supplemented with British, Canadian and Bahamian material, plus a Spanish-immersion program
- Ages Grades
- Pre-K (Montessori) through Grade 8, with a high-school expansion planned
- Notes
- Small classes with teachers drawn from Canada, the US, Britain and The Bahamas; leads to a U.S. high-school diploma track.
Tuition Annual
- Low
- BSD 4,365
- High
- BSD 14,910
Queen's College
- Location
- Nassau
- Curriculum
- Bahamian national curriculum — Bahamas Junior Certificate (BJC) and Bahamas General Certificate of Secondary Education (BGCSE); operated under the Bahamas Conference of the Methodist Church
- Ages Grades
- Pre-school through High School
- Notes
- The oldest private school in The Bahamas; a government grant-aided private school, so tuition is not published — families must inquire directly with the school.
Kingsway Academy
- Location
- Bernard Road, Nassau
- Curriculum
- Bahamian-oriented curriculum delivered with an interdenominational Christian ethos; member of the Bahamas Association of Independent Secondary Schools (BAISS)
- Ages Grades
- Elementary through High School
- Notes
- Tuition not published online; recognized by the Ministry of Education of The Bahamas.
Summit Academy
- Founded
- 2003
- Location
- East Bay Street (Waterloo Compound), Nassau
- Curriculum
- International Early Years Curriculum (IEYC) and International Primary Curriculum (IPC) — the only school in The Bahamas offering these specific programmes; progressive, inquiry-based approach
- Ages Grades
- K2 through Grade 8
- Notes
- Small, lakeside-campus school; tuition figures are not consistently published — contact the school directly for current rates.
Bahamas Academy of Seventh-day Adventists
- Location
- Marshall Road & Old Trail Road, Nassau
- Curriculum
- Bahamian national curriculum culminating in BGCSE; students in the Secondary Division must obtain 5+ BGCSE passes (C or above, including English and Maths)
- Ages Grades
- Early Learning (K2–K5) through Grade 12
- Notes
- Faith-based (Seventh-day Adventist); accredited by the South Bahamas Conference Board of Regents. Tuition not published; inquire at school.
Windsor School
- Location
- Old Fort campus (western New Providence) for younger grades; Albany campus (southwest New Providence) from Year 9
- Curriculum
- Cambridge (British) curriculum from Year 9 onward
- Ages Grades
- Pre-reception through Year 13, split across two campuses
- Notes
- Tuition figures found across sources for this school conflicted significantly and could not be confirmed reliably — contact the school directly for current fees.
Lyford Commerce Park, Western Road, Nassau
- Name
- Bahamas Virtual School / American High School Caribbean (via Discovery Learning Development Center)
- Curriculum
- Online K-12 pathways: a Bahamian national diploma track and a separate American diploma track (powered by American High School)
- Notes
- Fully online/remote option rather than a physical campus; positioned as a lower-cost alternative to in-person international schools. Specific tuition not found in current listings.
Enrollment And Homeschooling
Homeschooling
- Legal Basis
- Homeschooling is legal in the Bahamas under the Education Act, whose Section 23(1) states that educating a child of compulsory school age is the duty of the parent, which the Bahamas Homeschool Association cites as the basis for the legal right to homeschool rather than treating it as an unregulated gray area.
- Legal Status
- Fully legal and regulated
- Membership Cost
- BSD 60
- Local Community And Coop
- The Bahamas Homeschool Association (BHA), based in Nassau/New Providence, is a real, active, incorporated non-profit made up of homeschooling families that offers support, group networking, and local/national meetings and workshops for members. Membership requires being registered with the Ministry's Home School Unit and paying annual dues, and the BHA notes it is not open to families whose children attend a small school simply branded as 'homeschool.' The BHA's leadership and stated philosophy are explicitly Christian, so families outside that tradition should confirm fit before joining, though the practical registration/support services are described as open to all registered homeschoolers.
- Registration And Oversight
- The Ministry of Education's Home School Unit asks homeschooling parents/guardians to register their children, and registration forms are available through the National Accreditation and Equivalency Council of The Bahamas (NAECOB) or online via the Ministry of Education's website. As of the most recent available information, the Ministry has created the Home School Unit for this purpose but has not issued formal regulations under the Act, so the registration process functions more as a request/administrative step than a strict licensing regime.
- Applies To Foreign Residents
- Homeschooling law in the Bahamas applies to any child residing in the country regardless of nationality, so foreign/expat families based in Nassau are covered by the same registration expectations as Bahamian families.
International Bilingual School Enrollment
- Overview
- Nassau's international/IB-curriculum options for nomad families are a small handful of private schools — Lyford Cay International School (LCIS), St. Andrew's International School, Windsor School, Summit Academy, and the Spanish-medium San Pedro International School — plus the British-curriculum-leaning independent schools (Queen's College, Tambearly). There is no single centralized application portal for the city; each school runs its own process, and none publish binding, dated 'first come, first served' cutoffs the way large international-school systems in Asia or the Gulf do.
Typical Documents Required
- Completed application/registration form
- Previous school reports/transcripts (recent 1-2 years); official records requested prior to acceptance
- Birth certificate and passport copy for the child
- Immunization/medical records
- Proof of the family's immigration/residency status in the Bahamas (relevant for foreign families, since school enrollment does not itself guarantee an immigration permit)
- Results of an in-person math/English placement or diagnostic assessment, required by at least one Nassau school (Windsor) in addition to formal registration
How Admissions Actually Work
- Most Nassau international schools use a continuous/rolling admissions model rather than one fixed annual deadline.
- Windsor School explicitly runs this way: rolling admissions accepting candidates throughout the academic year, with a separate financial-aid application window from September to November each year for the following school year.
- Typical steps described by schools and school-profile aggregators: initial inquiry/tour request, a school tour or virtual visit, submission of a formal application with supporting documents, an in-person placement or diagnostic assessment (math/English), and a decision meeting, sometimes followed by a formal offer and enrollment agreement.
Waitlist And Timing Reality For Foreign Families
- Because Nassau has only a few internationally-oriented schools and expat/finance-sector demand concentrates heavily on Lyford Cay International School in particular (the only school in the country authorized for the full IB continuum), popular entry points — especially the early-years/kindergarten intake and mid-year secondary openings — are the most likely to have real capacity constraints; families relocating for work commonly report needing to apply well before their move date to secure a place, though none of the schools publish a published numeric waitlist length.
- Because most schools use rolling/continuous admission rather than one hard annual deadline, the practical risk for a nomad family is less 'missing a deadline' and more 'arriving after the class is already full' for a given grade — so applying as soon as a move to Nassau is confirmed, ideally several months ahead of the school year (August/September start), is the realistic safety margin rather than any single official cutoff.
- Scholarship/financial-aid tracks, where offered, do have fixed windows (e.g. Windsor's September-to-November aid cycle for the following academic year), so families depending on aid need to apply on that specific calendar, separate from general admission.
AI-generated estimateData refreshed July 2026
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Data last updated July 2026 · Verify anything important.