Good to know
Good to Know
- There is no government subsidy for private or international school tuition in Antigua and Barbuda, so full costs fall on families.
- Island Academy is the only IB World School in the country, so families wanting the IB Diploma specifically have one option; Antigua International School (bilingual English-Spanish) and CCSET (Canadian OSSD) are the other two main named 'international' options.
- Two of the three main schools (AIS and CCSET) do not publish tuition rates online — you'll need to email or call the school directly for current fee schedules.
- Budget beyond quoted tuition: registration, textbook/material packs, digital learning fees, school bus service, and activity/trip contributions are typically billed separately and can add a meaningful amount to the headline tuition figure.
- The Eastern Caribbean dollar (XCD) is pegged at a fixed rate to the US dollar, so cost comparisons in USD are stable and not subject to normal exchange-rate fluctuation.
- Deposits to secure a school place (e.g. EC$1,500 at Island Academy) are non-refundable — pay them only once you're sure of your start date and school choice.
- If you or your child are not a citizen of an OECS country, factor in extra lead time for the student permit process through Antigua's Ministry of Education and Immigration — your child cannot start school without it, even after being accepted.
- Because admissions are rolling but space fills quickly, especially at popular grade levels, it's worth applying as soon as you have a firm move date rather than waiting until close to the September start of the school year.
- If you're on Antigua's Nomad Digital Residence (NDR) visa, private-school enrollment for your children plus the student permit application aren't optional — they're a visa requirement.
- Homeschooling is a genuine, legally recognized option here, but it's not just a matter of declaring it — you must register annually with the Director of Education and submit a written education plan at least three months before you start, per current law.
- We could not confirm a specific, organized homeschooling co-op operating in St. John's itself — if this matters to your decision, it's worth reaching out directly to the Ministry of Education or existing expat networks before committing rather than assuming a ready-made community exists.
Schools And Curricula
Island Academy International School
- Location
- Oliver's Estate, near St. John's, Antigua
- Grade Levels
- K–13 (early years through pre-university)
- Accreditation
- IB World School (IB-accredited since 2011); the only IB World School in Antigua and Barbuda
Tuition
- Period
- per year
- Range Low
- EC$12,930
- Range High
- EC$25,860
- Notes
- Tuition-only figures; lower end applies to early years, higher end to upper secondary. Excludes registration, the 'Complete School Pack' (textbooks/materials), a Digital Learning Fee, bus fees, and end-of-year trip contributions.
Curricula
- International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma Programme
- Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) via the Caribbean Examinations Council (CXC)
Additional Fees Examples
- Term bus fees around EC$370 per term, plus an annual bus pass around EC$20
- 25% of Term 1 fees typically due by late August each year, with installment plans available
Antigua International School (AIS)
- Location
- St. John's area, Antigua
- Grade Levels
- Pre-K through Grade 12
- Accreditation
- Council of International Schools (CIS) accredited
Tuition
- Period
- per year
- Notes
- Tuition is not published publicly; the school communicates current fees directly to prospective families (contact via antiguais.org).
Curricula
- Bilingual English–Spanish academic program, Pre-K through Grade 12
CCSET International Academy
- Location
- Cedar Grove, St. John's, Antigua
- Grade Levels
- Secondary level (OSSD pathway)
- Accreditation
- Delivered under partnership arrangement with Centennial College (Ontario, Canada) for OSSD issuance
Tuition
- Period
- per year
- Notes
- Fee schedule is not published publicly; families are asked to contact the school directly for a full fee breakdown.
Curricula
- Ontario Secondary School Diploma (OSSD), delivered in partnership with CCSET–Centennial College
Enrollment And Homeschooling
Homeschooling
- Legal Basis
- Homeschooling is explicitly legal in Antigua and Barbuda. The Education Act of 2008 states that parents may choose "home schooling ... private schooling, or public schooling for their children" under its section 21.
- Legal Status
- Fully legal and regulated
- Registration Requirements
- Section 81 of the Education Act outlines the regulations for homeschooling, including annual registration with the Director of Education and an educational plan for each child, and the law also gives the Director of Education authority to assess students' achievements on a regular basis.
- 2020 Amendment Timing Rule
- Under a 2020 amendment, an initial education plan must be prepared and provided to the Director of Education three months (or a shorter period if the Director deems necessary) prior to the commencement of the home education program, and that plan must cover a minimum of one full school year.
- Homeschool Community Or Coop
- No specific, verifiable homeschooling co-op or formal support group based in St. John's could be confirmed through official or authoritative sources. Some expat-focused sites mention informal online/social-media groups for homeschooling families in Antigua and Barbuda generally, but this is not backed by a government source or a named, checkable organization, so it should be treated as unconfirmed rather than a documented local resource.
- Additional Context
- A 2019 U.S. State Department religious-freedom report on the country separately confirms that the law permits homeschooling, noting some Rastafarian families specifically choose homeschooling or private schools that don't require vaccinations for their children.
International Bilingual School Enrollment
- Waitlists
- At least one private school in the area (ILM Academy, an international-curriculum school) runs formal waitlists by grade level, with movement off the waitlist tied to when current students vacate spots; waitlists do not roll over from one school year to the next, and priority is given by application date, siblings already enrolled, and academic/behavioral standing.
- General Process
- Rolling admissions is the norm rather than a single annual cutoff. Families complete a written application, submit required documents, and the child typically sits an entrance/placement assessment before a formal offer is made.
- Other Schools Process
- CCSET International Academy and Antigua International School (AIS) are both reported to handle enrollment on a space-available basis similarly to Island Academy, with tuition and current openings shared directly with families on inquiry rather than published online.
- Timing Recommendation
- Because the local academic year runs on a UK-style three-term calendar (Term 1 September–December, Term 2 January–April, Term 3 May–June) with the main school year opening in September, most schools want enrollment paperwork and first fee payments finalized before the end of August. Given rolling but capacity-constrained admissions, families should start the application process at least several months before their intended start date, and ideally as soon as a move date is confirmed, since specific grade levels can be full or waitlisted well before the term begins.
- Visa Linked Requirement
- Antigua's Nomad Digital Residence (NDR) visa program requires visa holders to enroll school-age children in a private school and separately apply for the student permit described above — this is a hard prerequisite, not just a school-level preference.
Schools Covered
- Island Academy International (IB Diploma Programme, Kindergarten–Grade 13)
- CCSET International Academy (Canadian OSSD pathway)
- Antigua International School / AIS (bilingual English-Spanish, Pre-K–Grade 12)
Island Academy Process Detail
- Space Availability
- Described by the school itself as changing rapidly under a rolling-admissions system; an assessment invitation or application fee does not guarantee a place.
- Deposit To Hold Place
- EC$1,500
- Student Permit Requirement
- Any prospective student who is not a national or citizen of an OECS (Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States) country must apply for a student permit through Antigua's Ministry of Education and Department of Immigration. Such students are only provisionally accepted pending approval of that permit and cannot attend until it is granted.
- Deposit Note
- Non-refundable and required even if the student cannot start immediately; it secures the place.
Steps
- Complete an online/paper application form
- Attach required documents (see below)
- Arrange an in-person entrance/placement assessment for the prospective student
- Receive a formal offer if a place is available
- Accept the offer within 14 days and pay a non-refundable deposit to hold the place
Required Documents
- Completed application form
- Child's immunization records (Antigua and Barbuda law requires vaccination against tetanus, pertussis, polio and diphtheria before starting school)
- Both parents'/guardians' passport biography pages
- For non-Antiguan students without proof of citizenship, and for all international students: documentation to support a student permit application
- Most recent report card and transcript (not required for Kindergarten or Grade 1 applicants)
AI-generated estimateData refreshed July 2026
This section has no cited sources.
More About St. John's
Data last updated July 2026 · Verify anything important.