Good to know
Good to Know
- ISPS (Westmoorings) is the most established and internationally-oriented option, blending IB Primary/Middle Years Programmes with a US-style AP track at high school — useful if you may relocate again and want globally transferable credentials.
- Several schools charge tuition and fees in US dollars (ISPS explicitly invoices this way), which can shield you from TTD exchange-rate swings but also means you're paying US-dollar prices regardless of local cost of living.
- Expect extra costs beyond headline tuition almost everywhere: one-time 'capital fund' or building contributions, application/registration fees, uniforms, laptops (mandatory from Grade 5 at ISPS), and exam fees are usually billed separately.
- If you're based further out in central Trinidad (e.g. Chaguanas), Trillium International School offers an Ontario-curriculum option, but it's a genuine commute from Port of Spain proper, not a city-center choice.
- Foreign/expat families are often quoted a different (higher) tuition tier than Trinidad-resident families at some schools (e.g. Maple Leaf), so ask specifically for the 'foreign student' fee schedule rather than assuming the locally-advertised rate applies to you.
- ISPS accepts applications year-round (rolling admissions), but priority goes to families sponsored by the school's shareholder companies — non-sponsored expat families should apply as early as their relocation plans allow rather than assuming a spot will be available on short notice.
- If you're hoping to enroll for the following academic year, note the deposit-confirmation deadline for renewing families falls before Easter — a useful marker for when to have your own application decision finalized.
- Homeschooling is constitutionally protected in Trinidad and Tobago, but since 2023 it requires formal annual Ministry approval (4–6 week processing) rather than just a notification letter — build that lead time into any plan to pull a child from school to homeschool.
- The current Ministry homeschooling policy text is written around Trinidad-and-Tobago nationals; if you're a foreign family, confirm directly with the Ministry how this applies to your child before assuming the standard process covers you.
- The Homeschool Association of Trinidad & Tobago (HATT) is a real, active local support network — useful for letter templates, curriculum advice, and connecting with other homeschooling families, and membership is optional.
Schools
International School of Port of Spain (ISPS)
- Location
- Westmoorings (western suburb of Port of Spain)
- Grades Served
- Pre-Kindergarten (age 3) through Grade 12
- Tuition Note
- Tuition is set and invoiced by the school in US dollars regardless of where the family pays from; the TTD figure below is only an approximate conversion at the prevailing bank exchange rate, not the school's official published figure.
Curricula
- IB Primary Years Programme (PK-Grade 5)
- IB Middle Years Programme (Grades 6-8)
- US-style college-preparatory curriculum with Advanced Placement (AP) courses at high school level
Accreditation
- NEASC (New England Association of Schools and Colleges)
- IB World School (PYP, MYP)
- Registered with the Trinidad and Tobago Ministry of Education
Additional Fees
- Application Fee
- TTD 675
- One Time Capital Building Contribution Per Child
- TTD 40,500
Tuition 2023 2024
- PK3
- TTD 72,900
- PK4
- TTD 106,650
- Grades6 8
- TTD 140,400
- Grades9 12
- TTD 143,100
- Kindergarten To Grade5
- TTD 138,375
Maple Leaf International School
- Location
- Petit Valley (western suburb, near Diego Martin/Port of Spain)
- Grades Served
- Junior/Senior Kindergarten through Grade 12
- Tuition Note
- Figures below are the school's own published 2022-2023 rates for LOCAL (Trinidad-resident) students; the school also charges a separate, higher 'foreign student' fee tier but the specific foreign tuition amounts were not published in the sources checked. Contact the school directly for current international-family rates.
Curricula
- Ontario (Canada) Ministry of Education curriculum, K to Grade 12, culminating in the Ontario Secondary School Diploma
Additional Fees
- Registration Fee Local
- TTD 600
- Registration Fee Foreign
- TTD 1,000
Tuition Local Students 2022 2023
- JK SK
- TTD 36,000
- Grades1 6
- TTD 48,000
- Grades7 8
- TTD 48,750
- Grades9 10
- TTD 55,500
- Grades11 12
- TTD 66,600
The British Academy
- Founded
- 2006
- Location
- St. Clair, Port of Spain
- Grades Served
- Upper primary (around Standard 3-5) through post-secondary; secondary-focused
- Tuition Note
- Specific current tuition figures are not published on the school's site; a 2026-enrollment promotion referencing capital fund and annual fee discounts was found but no base fee amount. Contact the school directly for current rates.
Curricula
- National Curriculum for England
- Cambridge IGCSE and A-Levels
Accreditation
- Registered Cambridge International Centre
St. Andrew's School
- Location
- Valleton Avenue, Maraval (Port of Spain suburb)
- Grades Served
- Primary level (described as a small neighborhood school)
- Tuition Approx Dated Source
- TTD 205,538
- Tuition Note
- Only source found is a dated expat-directory listing whose figures for other schools (e.g. ISPS) are clearly years out of date, so this number should be treated as unreliable and only indicative; currency was not explicitly specified by the source.
Curricula
- English-language, British-style curriculum
Excluded But Nearby
Trillium International School
- Location
- Chaguanas
- Reason Excluded
- Located in Chaguanas, roughly a 30-45 minute drive from central Port of Spain — outside the walkable/short-commute radius of the city center.
Curricula
- Ontario (Canada) curriculum
Homeschooling
- Legal Status
- Fully legal and regulated
- Nationality Caveat
- The Ministry's own published policy text states it applies to children of compulsory school age who are nationals of Trinidad and Tobago. It is not clearly spelled out in public Ministry materials how the policy applies to foreign-national or dual-status children living in Port of Spain, so relocating families intending to homeschool should contact the Ministry of Education directly to confirm their specific status rather than assuming the standard citizen process applies unchanged.
Legal Basis
- The Constitution of Trinidad and Tobago recognizes 'the right of a parent or guardian to provide a school of his own choice for the education of his child or ward' (Chapter 1, Article 4(f)).
- The Education Act, Chapter 39:01 (Sections 76–78), sets compulsory school age at 5 to 16 and allows a child to be excused from school attendance if the Minister of Education is satisfied the child is receiving satisfactory instruction at home or elsewhere.
Local Homeschool Community
- Name
- Homeschool Association of Trinidad & Tobago (HATT)
- Confirmed To Exist
- Yes
- Description
- A national homeschooling association (not POS-neighborhood-specific, but the main organized community resource families in the capital area use) that provides a letter-of-intent template for notifying the Ministry, connects families for recreational/social get-togethers, offers curriculum guidance, and advocates for homeschoolers' interests with the Ministry of Education.
- Membership Note
- Joining HATT and paying its membership fee is optional — it is not a legal requirement to homeschool in Trinidad and Tobago.
Current Process Under 2023 2027 Ministry Policy
- The Ministry of Education's Home-Schooling Policy 2023–2027 moved homeschooling from a simple notify-only system to a formal approval process: parents/guardians must apply to the Office of the Chief Education Officer for permission to homeschool, and this must now be renewed rather than being a one-time approval.
- Processing takes roughly 4–6 weeks, and during that window children aged 5–16 are legally required to remain enrolled in a registered school.
- If approved, the Ministry issues written permission covering a stated period.
- If not approved, the Ministry will facilitate placement in a public school, or the parent may enroll the child in a private school at their own expense.
- Approved homeschooling families are expected to provide adequate teaching/learning resources, maintain an annual portfolio of the child's work, and submit an end-of-year report if the Ministry requests one.
- Homeschooled children can still sit national exams — the Secondary Entrance Assessment (SEA) and CXC CSEC — by registering as private candidates during the Ministry's official registration windows.
International Bilingual School Enrollment
- Primary School Covered
- International School of Port of Spain (ISPS) — the metro area's main IB/international day school
- Realistic Timing And Waitlist Expectations
- Rolling admissions does not mean seats are guaranteed on short notice: because openings depend on current families withdrawing and because sponsor-company families get priority, foreign families should apply as far ahead of their planned move as their timeline allows, especially for popular grade levels, and expect to possibly sit in a wait pool for a period. The school's calendar for the upcoming year is typically published in February, which is a useful planning marker for families deciding when to apply.
- Location Note
- ISPS is located in Westmoorings, roughly 15–20 minutes' drive west of central Port of Spain. It functions as effectively the only full international/IB-curriculum school serving the greater Port of Spain area, so most nomad/expat families commute from the city center to reach it.
- Other Practical Note
- Students in Grades 5–12 are required to have their own laptop on a daily basis under the school's Bring-Your-Own-Device policy — worth budgeting for as part of enrollment.
Admissions Process
- Applications are submitted online through ISPS's PowerSchool Enrollment portal.
- ISPS runs rolling admissions and accepts applications throughout the school year rather than working to a single hard deadline, which suits internationally mobile families.
- The Admission Committee (Principal, Enrollment Manager, and School Counselor) only reviews an application once all required documents and screenings are complete.
- If a seat isn't immediately available for the applicant's grade, the child is placed in a wait pool and reconsidered whenever a seat opens — availability is often tied to another family's withdrawal.
- If the family/child is still abroad at the time of a decision, the acceptance offer may be issued as 'conditional' pending arrival or further documentation; admission can also be conditional if extra learning-support services are needed.
- Priority is explicitly given to families sponsored by ISPS's shareholder companies (corporate/diplomatic sponsors including the US Embassy and major energy companies), so non-sponsored applicant families are competing for a smaller remaining pool of seats.
- Once offered a place, the family receives an acceptance package (offer, invoice, payment instructions); for continuing/renewing families the deadline to confirm and pay the deposit falls before the Easter break each year.
- The child is only formally enrolled after completing the registration/enrollment contract and remitting tuition and capital-contribution fees.
Required Documents
- Completed online PowerSchool application
- A recent headshot photo of the applicant
- Official school records/transcripts — must be in English, or officially translated into English (required for high-school credit evaluation)
- One recommendation form from a teacher/administrator at the child's current school, emailed directly by that school
- Special-needs documentation (diagnostic/psycho-educational reports or Individual Learning Plans) if applicable, to help the school assess support needs
- Age cut-offs apply for early-years entry: 5 years old by Sept 1 for Kindergarten, 4 for Pre-K4, 3 for Pre-K3; grade placement otherwise follows date of birth and prior completed grade
Local Public Option Context
Trinidad and Tobago provides free public education (British-derived system, culminating in CSEC and CAPE exams) from primary through secondary and university level, but this is a national system rather than a named international/bilingual school and is generally not the option nomad/expat families use.
Bilingual Dual Language Schools
No dedicated dual-language/bilingual (e.g. French- or Spanish-medium) K-12 international school was identified operating within Port of Spain itself. ISPS teaches Spanish as a required foreign language from Pre-Kindergarten, but instruction is otherwise entirely in English.
AI-generated estimateData refreshed July 2026
This section has no cited sources.
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Data last updated July 2026 · Verify anything important.