Good to know
Good to Know
- QSI International School of Sarajevo is the only school in the city running a full, standalone American K-12 curriculum with AP/AP Capstone — it's the default choice for many diplomatic and NGO families.
- If you want an IB Diploma without paying private-school tuition, the Second Gymnasium (Druga gimnazija) runs the IB Diploma Programme inside a public, state-funded school — but seats on that track are competitive and via entrance exam.
- Outside of QSI and the French school (EFS), almost none of Sarajevo's bilingual/Cambridge-affiliated schools publish tuition online — budget time to email or call each school directly for a current quote, and expect fees to vary a lot by grade level and whether a child needs the full English-medium track versus a bilingual one.
- QSI's own published tuition jumped substantially between 2020-21 and 2023-24 (K-12 rate roughly $20,400 to $25,000), so always ask the school for the current-year fee schedule rather than relying on older published figures.
- Sarajevo has only a handful of true international/bilingual K-12 schools (QSI, CIFS, Richmond Park, Maarif, and a couple of bilingual Cambridge-track local gymnasiums) — far fewer options than in larger European capitals, so shortlisting and applying early matters more than in a big-city market.
- Several schools explicitly warn that spaces are limited, especially for popular grade levels — treat 'apply 4-6+ months before the school year starts' as the safe default rather than assuming a rolling spot will be open.
- Homeschooling is not a legal option for resident families in Bosnia and Herzegovina, so nomad families planning a longer stay should budget for one of the local international schools or a local public/private school rather than planning around home education.
- Required documents almost always include certified translations of academic records if they're not already in English, French, or Bosnian/Croatian/Serbian — get this translation started early, as court-certified translation in Sarajevo can add real lead time.
Schools And Curricula
- Overview
- Sarajevo's named international/bilingual school market is small: one full American-curriculum K-12 international school (QSI), a cluster of Cambridge (British) International-affiliated bilingual schools, two public gymnasiums that additionally run the IB Diploma Programme alongside the Bosnian state curriculum, and a small French Ministry of Education primary school. Most schools outside QSI and the French school do not publish tuition publicly and require direct inquiry.
Schools
QSI International School of Sarajevo (QSIS)
- Curriculum
- American (outcomes-based, U.S. national standards) with Advanced Placement and the AP Capstone Diploma in the secondary years; not IB.
- Ages Grades
- Pre-K through Grade 12 (ages 3–18)
- Language Of Instruction
- English, with Bosnian, French and German taught as foreign languages
- Notes
- Tuition is set and published by the school in USD; local-currency figures above are our conversion, not a price the school itself quotes in BAM. Older published ranges (around $6,000–$15,700/year) appear on some directory sites but are outdated versus the school's own 2023-2024 figures.
- Location Note
- Historically based in Vogošća (a suburb ~15 minutes from downtown); more recent U.S. State Department fact sheets list an address on Aliпašina street closer to the city center.
Tuition
- Academic Year
- 2023-2024 (most recent officially published figures)
- Pre K Full Day
- BAM 8,110
- Pre K Half Day
- BAM 4,150
- Kindergarten To Grade 12
- BAM 45,080
- One Time Registration Fee
- BAM 540
- Annual Capital Fund Fee K 12
- BAM 2,885
Second Gymnasium Sarajevo (Druga Gimnazija Sarajevo)
- Tuition
- Fee data not publicly published. As a public state gymnasium, the standard Bosnian curriculum is state-funded rather than charged as Western-style private tuition; no public breakdown of any separate cost for the IB track was found.
- Curriculum
- Bosnian national gymnasium curriculum (BiH Matura) plus IB Middle Years Programme and IB Diploma Programme — it was the first school in Bosnia and Herzegovina to introduce the IB DP, in 2000.
- Ages Grades
- Grades 9–12 (secondary only) for the IB track; standard secondary ages for the national programme
- Language Of Instruction
- Bosnian for the national programme; the IB Diploma Programme is taught in English
- Notes
- Entry to the IB Diploma stream is by entrance exam, open to outside applicants as well as the school's own students.
Secondary
- Name
- Prva bošnjačka gimnazija (First Bosniak Gymnasium) – Cambridge International School
- Tuition
- Not publicly disclosed — listed as "inquire at school" in available directories.
- Curriculum
- Three parallel tracks: Curriculum A (Sarajevo Canton plan/programme only), Curriculum B (bilingual — Cambridge/CAIE subjects in English plus a reduced cantonal programme in Bosnian/Serbian/Croatian), and Curriculum C (fully Cambridge, IGCSE and AS/A Level, aimed at English-speaking children of foreign nationals).
- Language Of Instruction
- English (Curriculum C and the Cambridge subjects of Curriculum B); Bosnian for the cantonal-programme components
- Notes
- Has been a Cambridge International (CAIE) school since 2005.
Bloom School Sarajevo
- Tuition
- Not publicly disclosed — described by directories as "inquire at school."
- Curriculum
- State (Sarajevo Canton) curriculum delivered with a Montessori philosophy/method in preschool and primary; Cambridge International Assessment curriculum and an IB Diploma Programme option are both offered at secondary level, including a combined-diploma "Gymnasium" pathway.
- Ages Grades
- Ages 3–19 (preschool through international high school)
- Language Of Instruction
- Mixed Bosnian/English depending on track
- Notes
- Bloom is accredited as a Cambridge International Assessment school and by a Montessori evaluation/accreditation body; it is presented as the only school in Bosnia and Herzegovina offering a route to a double diploma (cantonal + IB).
Richmond Park Educational Institution
- Tuition
- Not publicly disclosed — "inquire at school."
- Curriculum
- Cambridge International programme, approved by the relevant cantonal Ministry of Education.
- Ages Grades
- Preschool through secondary (also runs affiliated higher-education faculties)
- Language Of Instruction
- English-medium Cambridge subjects alongside local-curriculum components
- Notes
- Part of a wider Richmond Park network with campuses beyond Sarajevo (Tuzla, Bihać, Zenica).
ÉCole Française De Sarajevo (EFS)
- Curriculum
- French Ministry of Education curriculum, delivered by teachers accredited by the French Ministry of Education; run under the Mission laïque française network.
- Ages Grades
- Kindergarten and primary only
- Language Of Instruction
- French
- Notes
- One of the only schools in this list with a genuinely published local-currency tuition range.
Tuition
- Annual Range Low
- BAM 8,700
- Annual Range High
- BAM 13,000
Montessori Preschool Sarajevo
- Tuition
- Not publicly disclosed — "inquire at school."
- Curriculum
- English National Curriculum framework combined with Montessori method; licensed preschool.
- Ages Grades
- 12 months to 6 years
- Language Of Instruction
- English
- Notes
- Preschool only, open to children of all nationalities.
Enrollment And Homeschooling
Homeschooling
- Legal Status
- illegal
- Legal Status Detail
- Homeschooling is prohibited in Bosnia and Herzegovina under current law. The Home School Legal Defense Association (HSLDA) states plainly that homeschooling is prohibited in the country, noting that while Article 23 of the Constitution gives parents a right to select the type of education for their children, that right is constrained by a requirement that the child's right to 'appropriate education' still be exercised, effectively limiting the choice to public or private schools rather than home education.
- Corroborating Detail
- A separate country-level school-systems reference on Bosnia and Herzegovina's education system likewise states directly that home schooling is illegal in the country, with compulsory education running from age seven to fifteen and delivered through the public or private school system.
- Practical Implication For Nomad Families
- This means foreign/nomad families residing in Sarajevo cannot legally use home education as a primary schooling option for a resident child; the realistic options are a local public/private school or one of the international/bilingual schools listed above. Families on short-term stays sometimes continue an online/distance program from their home country informally, but this is not a recognized or protected legal status under Bosnian law and carries some risk if a child is officially resident and of compulsory school age.
Waitlist Expectations
- General Pattern
- Because Sarajevo has only a handful of true international schools, popular grade bands (especially early primary and any grade with an IB/Cambridge exam cohort) can fill up before the new school year; a formal public 'waitlist number' is not published by any school, so realistic expectation-setting comes down to applying early and asking each school directly how full a given grade currently is.
- Practical Advice
- Because Richmond Park and similar schools explicitly say spaces are limited and encourage early registration, and CIFS runs its own committee-based review rather than first-come-first-served enrollment, families should treat 'apply the year before' as the safe default rather than assuming a same-year rolling spot will be available, particularly for CIFS (small French Baccalaureate track) and QSI (small diplomatic-community school).
Homeschooling Community
- Status
- No genuinely documented homeschooling community, support group, or co-op operating in Sarajevo was found in available sources.
- Note
- Given that homeschooling itself is illegal in Bosnia and Herzegovina, any home-education community here would necessarily be informal and low-visibility; we did not find a credible, specific source (a named group, registered NGO, or active online community demonstrably based in Sarajevo) to confirm one exists, so none is listed rather than assuming one by default.
International Bilingual School Enrollment
- Overview
- Sarajevo's international/bilingual school scene is small compared to larger European capitals, with options including QSI International School of Sarajevo, the French International School of Sarajevo (CIFS), Richmond Park Schools (Cambridge curriculum), Maarif International Schools, and bilingual programs at schools like Prva bosnjacka gimnazija (Cambridge track). Rather than a single centralized process, each school runs its own admissions independently.
- Application Timing
- Most schools accept applications on a rolling basis throughout the year rather than a single hard deadline, but places for the following August/September school year fill fastest, so applying in spring (roughly 4-6 months ahead) is the safer window for popular grade levels.
- Assessment Process
- Several schools (e.g. Richmond Park) may invite a child to an entrance assessment or interview depending on age and grade level, with placement generally based on age and prior academic experience, though schools note some flexibility for students with varied educational backgrounds.
- Qsi Notes
- QSI International School of Sarajevo primarily serves diplomatic, development, and business expat families, with the school year running in three terms from August to June; families are advised to contact the school directly for current, specific enrollment timing rather than relying on generic guides.
- Cifs Notes
- CIFS (French International School of Sarajevo) frames its admissions as an ongoing process: staff support families at every stage, from an initial school visit through preparing the application file, and all applications are reviewed by an Admissions Committee that assesses a student's ability to integrate into the school community.
- Documents Note
- General expat guidance for Sarajevo confirms that application procedures typically require certified translations of secondary education certificates, transcripts, passport copies, and proof of English proficiency where relevant, plus for K-12 schools specifically: previous school transcripts, birth certificates, passport copies, immunization records, and application fees.
- Richmond Park Notes
- Richmond Park Schools state that they accept applications from both local and international students throughout the academic year, subject to availability, and note that spaces are limited, encouraging early registration.
Required Documents Typical
- Previous school transcripts / academic records
- Birth certificate and passport copy of the child
- Immunization / health records
- Application form and application fee (varies by school)
- Entrance assessment, placement test, or interview for some grade levels
- Certified translations of foreign academic documents where the original is not in English/French/Bosnian, depending on the school's language of instruction
AI-generated estimateData refreshed July 2026
This section has no cited sources.
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Data last updated July 2026 · Verify anything important.