Good to know
Good to Know
- Because Cambodia's economy is dollarized, almost every international school actually bills tuition in USD, even though KHR is the official currency — ask schools for their USD figure directly rather than relying on KHR conversions.
- British-curriculum schools dominate the Phnom Penh market (roughly 27 of the city's international schools offer some form of British programme), while full IB schools are comparatively few and concentrated at the premium end.
- Published tuition is rarely the full cost — budget an extra 15-25% in the first year for one-time application/entrance fees, annual capital or 'maintenance' levies, uniforms, and transport, which are usually charged on top of the headline tuition figure.
- A number of newer or smaller schools (e.g., New Gateway, Heritage, NIRA, Berkeley, M-TEL) do not publish fees at all — you generally have to contact admissions directly for a quote.
- Several premium British-brand campuses (Shrewsbury, Bromsgrove) are located on the city's outer edges (Chroy Changvar peninsula, Sen Sok) rather than downtown, which is worth factoring into daily commute plans even though they are still within greater Phnom Penh.
- Cambodia's economy is heavily dollarized, and international schools in Phnom Penh set and collect fees in US dollars, not Cambodian riel — expect to pay application, enrollment, and tuition invoices in USD.
- If you're relocating with a child, start the international-school application process as early as possible (many families aim for 6–12 months out) — ISPP's own guidance is that its classes are often full, and its nationality-based enrollment caps mean Cambodian and Chinese applicants in particular can face longer waits for a place in some grades.
- Homeschooling is a legally viable option in Cambodia with no red tape to navigate, but because there's no official framework, there's also no local accreditation body — most expat homeschoolers use an internationally recognized distance curriculum precisely because Cambodia itself won't formally validate a homeschool program.
- A number of international schools in Phnom Penh (e.g. CIS) don't publish waitlist details online at all — for those schools, going directly to the admissions office by email or phone is the only way to get a real answer on timing.
Schools And Curricula
- Currency Context
- Cambodia's economy is heavily dollarized; most international schools quote and bill tuition directly in USD even though KHR is the official currency. Figures below show the true source figure with a converted equivalent in the other currency.
Schools
International School of Phnom Penh (ISPP)
- Age Range
- 3 to 18 (Early Years to Grade 12)
- Curriculum
- International Baccalaureate (PYP, MYP, DP)
- Notes
- Cambodia's first international school, founded 1989; non-profit, parent-governed; ~900 students from 50 countries
One Time Fees
- Application Fee
- KHR 1,002,500
- Entrance Fee KG To G12
- KHR 14,035,000
Annual Tuition Range
- Low
- KHR 38,450,324
- High
- KHR 118,806,593
Canadian International School of Phnom Penh (CIS)
- Age Range
- Nursery (age 2) to Grade 12, three campuses
- Curriculum
- Alberta (Canadian) curriculum plus IB Primary Years Programme and IB Diploma Programme; bilingual French and Mandarin strands
One Time Fees
- Enrollment Fee
- KHR 2,005,000
- Application Fee
- KHR 1,002,500
- Annual Capital Fee
- KHR 4,812,000
Annual Tuition Examples 2025 26
Nursery 2 (age 2)
- Nursery 2 (Age 2)
- KHR 31,679,001
Kindergarten 1 (age 3)
- Kindergarten 1 (Age 3)
- KHR 38,897,001
Kindergarten 2 (age 4)
- Kindergarten 2 (Age 4)
- KHR 48,120,001
Grade 9-10
- Grade 9 10
- KHR 92,230,002
Grade 11-12
- Grade 11 12
- KHR 101,252,503
Northbridge International School Cambodia
- Curriculum
- Full IB continuum (PYP, MYP, DP); part of the Nord Anglia Education network
- Notes
- Sits at the premium end of the Phnom Penh market; range depends on age of student and includes capital fees
Annual Tuition Range
- Low
- KHR 24,060,000
- High
- KHR 96,240,000
iCAN British International School
- Age Range
- Pre-school (EYFS) to Grade 9
- Curriculum
- International Primary Curriculum (IPC), International Middle Years Curriculum (IMYC), and National Curriculum for England
Additional Fees
- Annual Capital Fee EYFS
- KHR 4,010,000
- Annual Capital Fee MP1 MP3
- KHR 4,812,000
Annual Tuition Range
- Low
- KHR 20,050,000
- High
- KHR 52,130,000
Lycée Descartes
- Age Range
- Pre-school through high school
- Curriculum
- French national curriculum, licensed by the French government; instruction in French and English
- Notes
- Approx. USD 2,000 discount available for Cambodian or French nationals; scholarships available
Annual Tuition Range
- Low
- KHR 24,060,000
- High
- KHR 36,090,000
Footprints International School
- Age Range
- Nursery to Grade 11, multiple campuses around Phnom Penh
- Curriculum
- Bilingual English–Khmer programme
- Notes
- Positioned as a lower-cost bilingual option for expat families wanting Khmer-language exposure; exact current tuition not published in sources reviewed
Logos International School
- Curriculum
- North American academic standards; Christian, mandatory Bible studies for all students
- Accreditation
- Association of Christian Schools International (ACSI) and Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC)
- Notes
- Discounts for large families and children of missionaries; can be a difficult fit for non-Christian families given mandatory religious instruction
Annual Tuition Range
- Low
- KHR 16,040,000
- High
- KHR 32,080,000
Brighton International School
- Age Range
- 2 to 11 years
- Curriculum
- UK National Curriculum using the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) framework; taught in English and Khmer
- Location Note
- Boeng Tumpun, south of central Phnom Penh
Annual Tuition Range
- Low
- KHR 8,661,600
- High
- KHR 14,436,000
Australian International School Phnom Penh (AISPP)
- Curriculum
- Australian curriculum framework
- Example First Year Total
- KHR 56,140,000
- Notes
- A published 2025/2026 first-year total (including one-time enrollment fees) for a 2-year-old Nursery entrant was approximately the figure below; per-grade base tuition varies and sibling discounts of 5-15% apply
Shrewsbury International School Phnom Penh
- Curriculum
- British curriculum
- Notes
- UK heritage brand (sister campus to Shrewsbury Bangkok), located on the Chroy Changvar peninsula; sits at the premium end of the market. Specific published tuition figures were not found in sources reviewed
Bromsgrove International School Cambodia
- Curriculum
- British curriculum, Early Years through A-Levels, with a Montessori-influenced early years programme
- Notes
- Specific published tuition figures were not found in sources reviewed
- Location Note
- Sen Sok campus
Reigate Grammar School Phnom Penh
- Curriculum
- IGCSE / A-Levels and IB Diploma (dual pathway)
- Notes
- Newer entrant to the market; specific published tuition figures were not found in sources reviewed
East-West International School
- Curriculum
- British curriculum
- Accreditation
- WASC and EARCOS
- Notes
- Operating since 2006; positioned as a British-curriculum option at more accessible fees than the premium British schools, though exact figures were not found in sources reviewed
Invictus International School Phnom Penh
- Curriculum
- Cambridge pathway (IGCSE/A-Level track)
- Notes
- Positioned at considerably lower price points than full-IB schools in the city, per market comparison sources; exact figures not independently confirmed
New Gateway International School
- Curriculum
- Tri-lingual: Khmer National Curriculum (overseen by the Cambodian Ministry of Education) plus Chinese and English language-focused strands
- Notes
- Fees are not made public by the school
Heritage International School (HIS)
- Curriculum
- Combination of international and Cambodian national curricula
- Notes
- Marketed as an affordable option; exact tuition not made public
Berkeley International School
- Curriculum
- International programme, Nursery to Grade 12 (formerly known as ELT Elementary and Secondary School, established 2006)
- Notes
- Specific curriculum accreditation and tuition not confirmed in sources reviewed
M-TEL International School (Maple Technology Enhanced Learning)
- Curriculum
- Canadian curriculum based on the Ontario provincial standard
- Notes
- Fees not made public
- Location Note
- Near Chenla Theatre, central Phnom Penh
NIRA International School
- Curriculum
- Cambridge International Education curriculum with Label France Éducation dual-language recognition; Khmer and Chinese also taught from Primary
- Notes
- 6,000 sqm campus; fees not found in sources reviewed
Cambridge International School of Cambodia
- Curriculum
- Cambridge-aligned international curriculum
- Notes
- Limited public tuition data found; described generically in marketing material
Asian Hope International School
- Curriculum
- Christian, child-centered international programme
- Notes
- Fees not publicly disclosed in sources reviewed
Homeschooling
- Legal Status
- Legal but unregulated
- Legal Status Detail
- Homeschooling is legal for families in Cambodia; the country's Law on Education does not explicitly mention or authorize homeschooling as a category, but it also does not prohibit it, which in practice creates a permissive gray area rather than a formal legal framework.
Requirements
- There are no specific government-mandated curriculum, testing, or registration requirements for homeschooling families in Cambodia.
- Families are generally advised to use a curriculum aligned with international standards (so credits/records are recognized abroad) and to keep organized academic records, since these become important later for university admissions.
- Some international schools in Phnom Penh will allow part-time enrollment or let homeschooled children join extracurricular activities, effectively acting as a hybrid option.
Local Community
- Caveat
- Beyond this Facebook group, general Phnom Penh parenting groups (e.g. Phnom Penh Mamas, Phnom Penh Parents, the Cambodia Parent Network) are active but are broad parenting/expat-life communities, not homeschool-specific co-ops — useful for finding other homeschooling families informally, but not a dedicated homeschool organization.
- Detail
- A Cambodia-wide homeschooling group, 'Homeschool Network Cambodia,' operates as a Facebook community for homeschooling families (a meaningful share of whom are based in Phnom Penh), used for advice-sharing, curriculum questions, and organizing meetups; it functions more as an informal support network than a structured in-person co-op with a fixed schedule or campus.
- Exists
- Yes
International School Enrollment
- Overview
- Phnom Penh's international/bilingual schools generally use rolling admissions rather than a single fixed intake window, but the most established schools recommend applying well ahead of the academic year (which typically runs early August to mid-June) because popular grade levels fill up.
Waitlist Reality
- ISPP maintains an active waiting list and explicitly warns that classes are often full, with priority given, in order, to siblings of currently enrolled students, then to already-enrolled students re-applying, then to children of diplomatic passport holders, with remaining places filled strictly by application date.
- A distinctive Phnom Penh-specific wrinkle: ISPP's nationality caps mean wait times can differ sharply by nationality — as of recent admissions cycles the school had already reached its 30% cap for Cambodian students in most grades (leaving only a handful of new spots per year) and its 15% cap for Chinese students in many grades, so those nationalities face materially longer waits than others.
- Other schools, such as CIS, do not publish a detailed public waitlist policy; their admissions pages simply direct prospective families to contact the admissions office directly to find out whether a grade level is full and what the likely wait might be.
- Practical takeaway for a relocating family: for the two most established English-medium schools (ISPP, CIS) apply as soon as a move to Phnom Penh is confirmed — ideally 6–12 months ahead for sought-after grades — rather than waiting until arrival.
Application Timing
- International School of Phnom Penh (ISPP), the oldest and largest international school in the city, accepts applications at any point in the year, up to one year in advance starting September 1 for the following year.
- Canadian International School of Phnom Penh (CIS) accepts applications on a rolling basis year-round rather than a fixed deadline.
- ISPP explicitly tells families that because it is 'Phnom Penh's preferred international school, our classes are quite full,' so applying early is encouraged rather than optional.
Example Application Fees
International School of Phnom Penh (ISPP)
- International School Of Phnom Penh (ISPP)
- $250
Zion International School of Phnom Penh (ZISPP)
- Zion International School Of Phnom Penh (ZISPP)
- $200
Required Documents Typical
- Completed online application form (most schools use platforms like OpenApply) plus a non-refundable application/enrollment fee
- Previous school report cards and academic records, used by non-selective schools like ISPP to judge whether a child can access the curriculum, since ISPP does not require formal entrance testing but does review report cards and school recommendations
- School recommendation/reference letters from the previous school
- Proof of nationality of both the student and parents (passport copies) — ISPP specifically requires this because it caps enrollment by nationality (Cambodian students limited to 30% of the student body, and each other nationality capped at 15%)
- Proof of guardianship/residency — the student must reside with a parent or legal guardian
- Evidence of ability to meet the English-language requirement for the applying grade level (or, at French- or Chinese-medium bilingual schools, the equivalent language-of-instruction requirement)
- Disclosure of any learning, emotional, or social support needs during the application process, which schools like ISPP require upfront since therapeutic/special-needs services are still limited in Cambodia
AI-generated estimateData refreshed July 2026
This section has no cited sources.
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Data last updated July 2026 · Verify anything important.