Good to know
Good to Know
- Palau does not have a developed 'international school' scene like Bangkok, Chiang Mai, or Bali — options for foreign families are limited to a handful of small, mostly religiously-affiliated private schools plus the public Ministry of Education system.
- None of the private English-medium schools we could verify formally advertise IB, British (GCSE/A-Level), or other branded international curricula — they operate on an American-influenced model within Palau's own national education framework.
- Tuition figures for K-12 private schools in Palau are not published online in any reliable source we could find — families should contact schools directly for current rates.
- Palau's official currency is the US Dollar, so there is no local/USD conversion needed for school fees here.
- Palau's private/international school options are few and concentrated in Koror — treat any of them as capacity-limited rather than assuming easy last-minute enrollment.
- There's no unified application deadline across schools; contact each school directly as soon as a move is being planned, since required documents and timelines differ school to school.
- For Palau Community College specifically, foreign applicants need documented proof of finances (a minimum $15,000 USD Affidavit of Financial Support) and English proficiency (TOEFL 500+, with an institutional-test alternative), plus valid immigration status.
- Homeschooling is mentioned in some expat guides as an option in Palau, but we could not confirm its actual legal/regulatory status through an official government source, and no documented local homeschooling co-op or support community was found — families considering it should verify directly with Palau's Ministry of Education before relying on it.
Named Schools
Palau Mission Academy
- Type
- Private, faith-based (Christian)
- Grades
- K-12 (approximate; not independently confirmed grade-by-grade)
- Tuition
- Not publicly published; contact school directly for current rates
- Curriculum
- English-medium, American-influenced private school curriculum; not a formally branded IB/British international curriculum
- Confidence Note
- Named only in a single non-official expat guide source; independent confirmation (own website/registry) not found
Mindszenty High School
- Type
- Private, Catholic secondary school
- Grades
- Secondary
- Tuition
- Not publicly published; contact school directly for current rates
- Curriculum
- English-medium, American-influenced curriculum
- Confidence Note
- Named only in a single non-official expat guide source; independent confirmation not found at the time of research
Maris Stella Elementary School
- Type
- Private, Catholic elementary school
- Grades
- Elementary
- Tuition
- Not publicly published; contact school directly for current rates
- Curriculum
- English-medium, American-influenced curriculum
- Confidence Note
- Named only in a single non-official expat guide source; independent confirmation not found at the time of research
Emmaus-Bethania High School
- Type
- Private, faith-based secondary school
- Grades
- Secondary
- Tuition
- Not publicly published; contact school directly for current rates
- Curriculum
- English-medium, American-influenced curriculum
- Confidence Note
- Named only in a single non-official expat guide source; independent confirmation not found at the time of research
Belau Modekngei High School
- Type
- Private, affiliated with the Modekngei religious/cultural movement
- Grades
- Secondary
- Tuition
- Not publicly published; contact school directly for current rates
- Curriculum
- English-medium with strong local Palauan cultural component
- Confidence Note
- Named only in a single non-official expat guide source; independent confirmation not found at the time of research
Post Secondary Note
- Name
- Palau Community College (PCC)
- Curriculum
- American community-college model; accredited by the ACCJC/WASC
- Note
- This is a two-year post-secondary institution, not a K-12 international/bilingual school, but is the only accredited higher-education option based in Palau and is relevant for older nomad-family teens finishing secondary education locally.
- Tuition Note
- Figures reflect a 2020-2021 published rate; verify current pricing directly with PCC before relying on it.
Tuition
- In State Per Year
- $3,730
- Out Of State Per Year
- $3,970
Palau (nearly all relevant schooling is concentrated in Koror) does not have a large international-school sector comparable to major nomad hubs in Southeast Asia or elsewhere. The K-12 system is dominated by the public Ministry of Education network, supplemented by a small number of private, English-medium schools, most of which are religiously affiliated rather than formally IB/British/American accredited international schools.
Public System Note
The Ministry of Education directly operates public elementary and high schools and charters a small number of private schools; instruction nationally is in English alongside Palauan.
Unverified Names Excluded
Some expat-guide websites also reference 'Koror Academy' and 'International School Palau (ISP)' — the latter reportedly offering an American curriculum plus an IB Diploma Programme at high school level. These could not be independently corroborated via any official school website, IBO school directory, or accreditation body listing during this research, so they are excluded from the confirmed list above rather than presented as verified fact.
Enrollment And Homeschooling
- Timing And Waitlist Expectations
- There is no single published nationwide deadline calendar for K-12 international/private schools in Palau — each school sets its own due dates and admissions steps (which can include tests, interviews, or a full document dossier), so families need to contact schools directly to get exact timing. Because Palau is a small country with limited school capacity, seats at the handful of private/international options in Koror can fill up, and relocation guides for the country explicitly advise families to anticipate the enrollment process, check seat availability, and clarify admission requirements well ahead of a planned move rather than assuming a spot will be available on short notice. Families relocating outside the normal school-year start should expect that timing flexibility is limited given how few alternative schools exist locally.
- International Bilingual School Landscape
- Palau's private/international school options for foreign families are small in number and concentrated in Koror, the country's economic and former political center — options typically cited include Koror Academy, International School Palau (which offers an IB-aligned program), a small number of private faith-based schools, and Palau Community College (PCC) for older/post-secondary-age students. Palau does not have a large international-school sector comparable to hub cities like Singapore or Dubai.
Homeschooling
- Local Homeschooling Community
- No documented homeschooling co-op, support group, or organized community specific to Palau was found in available sources. Given the country's very small population and limited number of foreign/expat families, an organized local homeschool co-op does not appear to be a documented, ongoing feature of life there — this should not be assumed to exist.
- Legal Status Note
- We could not find or confirm, via an official Palau government source (such as the Ministry of Education), a clear statement on the legal status or regulatory framework for homeschooling in Palau. Some expat-relocation guides mention homeschooling as an option families use for flexibility, but this has not been verified against an authoritative/government source, so it should be treated as unconfirmed rather than settled fact.
Enrollment Process Steps
- Identify which school(s) fit the family's needs (curriculum, language of instruction, reputation) — options are limited, so shortlisting early matters.
- Contact each school directly (or check its website) to confirm current eligibility criteria for expat/foreign students — these vary by school and can include age limits, residency status, and specific document lists.
- Assemble required documents in advance: child's birth certificate, passport copy, immunization/vaccination records, transcripts or report cards from the previous school, and any additional paperwork the specific school requests.
- Obtain and complete the school's own application/request form, respecting its stated due dates.
- Pay any application fee the school charges (amounts are set individually by each school; PCC's own documented international-student fee is $10 USD, non-refundable).
- For older students applying to Palau Community College specifically, additional documented steps apply: submit official academic transcripts with certified English translation sent directly from prior schools, provide proof of English proficiency (TOEFL score of 500+, or an institutional-test alternative of 600 with a 4 on the writing section for students who completed grades 9–12 in Palau), submit an Affidavit of Financial Support (documented minimum of $15,000 USD) with bank statements, and be in compliance with Palau's immigration/visa requirements before admission.
Required Documents Summary
- Birth certificate
- Passport copy
- Immunization/vaccination records
- Academic transcripts from prior school(s), with certified English translation if not originally in English
- Completed school application/request form
- Application fee payment (amount set per school)
- For PCC/older students: proof of English proficiency (e.g. TOEFL), Affidavit of Financial Support, valid visa/immigration status documentation
AI-generated estimateData refreshed July 2026
This section has no cited sources.
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Data last updated July 2026 · Verify anything important.