International schools in Bali: an honest guide for relocating families

How to choose a school

Families weigh up four things. The brochures and the campus tour are the smallest of them.

Curriculum and continuity. If you’re coming for a year or two and then going home — or on to another country — match the curriculum to where you came from and where you’re going next. A British family mid-way through IGCSE shouldn’t drop their child into a school with no clear path back. An IB school transfers more cleanly across borders. More on this below.

Age and stage. Early Years is the easiest to place and the hardest to find a spot in — demand is highest for the youngest year groups. Secondary is more constrained: if your child is in an exam year (IGCSE or IB Diploma), the school has to be able to continue that exact qualification, which narrows the list fast.

Location, because of traffic. This is the one people underestimate. Bali traffic is genuinely bad and a long school run twice a day will grind a family down by month two. Families don’t commute to the school — they move next to it. Which is why school choice and area choice are really one decision (see school, area, villa).

The honest budget. Not the headline tuition — the all-in number, with registration, uniforms, transport and lunch on top. We break that down below. Decide the ceiling before you fall in love with a campus.

A practical order of operations: shortlist two or three schools that fit the curriculum and the budget, check they actually have a place in your child’s year group for your dates, then look at villas in that catchment. Doing it the other way around is how families end up breaking a lease.

The schools, by area

Bali’s international schools sit in three main clusters — plus a smaller, growing option on the southern Bukit. Where the school is, is where families live.

Canggu and the west

The busiest, most popular cluster — and the one with the most options.

Canggu Community School (CCS) is the anchor. It runs Early Years through Year 13, with a British-style, Cambridge-aligned path leading to IGCSE and then the IB Diploma in the final years. It’s a large, well-established, non-profit school with a strong community feel, and it’s the default choice for families who want the Canggu lifestyle. It is also one of the pricier schools on the island.

Sunrise School is a smaller, well-regarded option in the Canggu area, running an inquiry-based international primary and middle-years approach (IEYC/IPC/IMYC). It tends to suit families who want a gentler, more intimate environment than a large campus.

ProEd offers a British-style education from the early years up, and is known for strong learning-support resources — onsite specialists and provision for children who need extra help. Worth a look if that matters to your family.

Montessori School Bali is the option for families committed to the Montessori method specifically, mostly at the younger end.

Lycée Français de Bali (LFB) is the island’s French-curriculum school, in Umalas/Kerobokan — a trilingual (French, Indonesian and English) education following the French national curriculum from kindergarten (age 2) through to the French Baccalauréat, with an international (IGCSE) section in the upper years. The natural choice for French-speaking families, and well placed for the Canggu and Umalas catchment.

AIS Indonesia (Australian Independent School) sits on Jl. Imam Bonjol, on the western edge of Denpasar, delivering an Australian-standard education from preschool through the senior years — the natural fit for Australian families who want a familiar curriculum and calendar. Its catchment families typically live in Umalas, Kerobokan or Seminyak, a short drive away.

Families who want this cluster live in Canggu itself, or in Umalas, Kerobokan or Seminyak — quieter, more residential, with bigger gardens and a short drive in.

Sanur

The calmest, most settled family cluster — and home to the island’s longest-established school.

Bali Island School (BIS) in Sanur is the heavyweight: an IB World School and the only school in Bali authorised to run the full IB continuum — Primary Years, Middle Years and the Diploma — from the early years through to Grade 12. It’s been operating for decades. Families who want a pure, end-to-end IB path with no curriculum switch usually land here. It sits at the upper end of the fee range.

Sanur Independent School (SIS) is a smaller, more affordable option covering early years through lower secondary, built on the Australian and Cambridge frameworks. A sensible choice for primary-age children and for families on a tighter budget.

Families in this cluster mostly live in Sanur — walkable, calm, good for younger children — which is a large part of why families who choose these schools rarely move away.

Ubud and the interior

The cluster for families who want their children growing up around nature rather than beach clubs.

Green School Bali is the well-known one — a bamboo campus in the jungle near Ubud, ages 3 to 18, with a project-based, sustainability-focused, nature-immersed curriculum. It is its own thing: families either strongly want this style of education or they don’t. It is not a traditional exam-factory school, so think about your child’s next step if you’re heading toward formal qualifications elsewhere.

Pelangi School is a long-running, not-for-profit community school in the Ubud area for children roughly 2 to 12, blending an international primary curriculum with Indonesian elements, taught bilingually. Smaller, gentler, more affordable, and primary-focused.

The British School of Bali (BSB) is a newer British-curriculum school near Ubud (Tegallalang), currently covering Early Years and Primary — roughly ages 2 to 11. A fit for British families who want a structured British primary education in the cooler interior rather than on the coast; check its year-group range against your child’s age, as it doesn’t yet run secondary.

Families in this cluster live in and around Ubud — cooler, greener, slower, about an hour from the coast.

Jimbaran and the south

Asian Intercultural School Bali (AISB) is a Cambridge-curriculum school in Puri Gading, Jimbaran, covering primary and secondary — roughly toddler to Grade 12. As an SPK (national-plus) school it usually sits below the big international names on price, and it serves families on the southern peninsula who want a Cambridge path without commuting north. Fees aren’t published, so ask the school directly. (It’s a different school from AIS Indonesia, the Australian school in west Denpasar.)

Families choosing AISB live across the Bukit — Jimbaran, Ungasan and Uluwatu — the dramatic, fast-developing south, handy for the airport but more spread out than the other clusters.

IB, Cambridge or Australian: which curriculum

The curriculum label confuses parents more than anything else. Here’s the short version.

IB (International Baccalaureate) is an inquiry-led, cross-disciplinary approach. It leans on independent research, projects and connecting subjects rather than memorising for single-subject exams. It’s designed to travel — recognised by universities worldwide — and it transfers cleanly between IB schools in different countries, which matters if Bali is one stop of several. The full continuum runs Primary Years, Middle Years and the Diploma. In Bali, Bali Island School runs the full IB continuum; Canggu Community School runs the IB Diploma in the final two years.

Cambridge (IGCSE / A-Level) is a structured, knowledge-based, subject-by-subject curriculum with clear progression and defined exam goals. Children sit IGCSE exams around ages 14–16, then A-Levels (or in some Bali schools, the IB Diploma) for the final two years. It suits children who do well with clear subjects and exam formats, and it’s the natural continuation for British families. Canggu Community School follows a Cambridge-aligned path through to IGCSE.

Australian curriculum is a national curriculum used at AIS Indonesia and within the framework at Sanur Independent School. It’s the obvious match for Australian families — same structure, similar calendar — and it removes the friction of switching systems for a one- or two-year stay.

French curriculum is offered at the Lycée Français de Bali, following the French national programme through to the Baccalauréat in a trilingual setting — the obvious path for French families, and recognised across the French-school network worldwide.

The honest guidance for a relocating family: continuity beats prestige. The “best” curriculum is the one that connects smoothly to the school your child left and the school they’ll go to next. A clean transfer protects your child academically far more than a marginally stronger reputation. If you genuinely don’t know where you’ll be in two years, IB is the most portable. If you’re British and mid-stream, stay Cambridge. If you’re Australian, an Australian-curriculum school is the path of least resistance.

What it actually costs

Tuition is the headline. It is not the bill.

International school fees in Bali, as a broad guide for 2026, sit roughly like this:

Figures are public-source estimates and vary by year group — older children cost more. Verify directly with each school; see the note below.

Now the parts that catch families out:

• One-off enrolment costs. Most schools charge a non-refundable application fee (often a few million IDR) and a registration or capital fee to confirm your place — sometimes a one-off, sometimes annual, sometimes a refundable deposit. As a rule of thumb these add roughly 20–30% on top of base tuition in the first year.
• Uniforms — modest, but real, and some schools require specific suppliers.
• Transport. If you don’t live within walking or short-scooter distance, school-bus or driver costs add up over a year. This is a direct argument for living close to campus.
• Lunch and snacks — either a catered programme you pay into, or daily packed lunches.
• Trips, activities and materials. Some schools fold these into tuition; others bill them separately — Green School’s high-school programme, for example, adds a service-trips fee. After-school clubs are often extra.
• Sibling discounts cut the bill meaningfully if you have more than one child — most Bali schools discount the second child and more steeply for the third and fourth. If you’re moving several children, ask every shortlisted school for its exact sibling schedule.

A realistic all-in figure — tuition plus the one-off fees, uniforms, transport and lunch — lands somewhere around USD 8,000–28,000 per child per year, depending heavily on the school and the year group. Build your budget on the all-in number, not the tuition line, and remember the first year is the most expensive because of the registration and capital fees.

A note on fees: every figure here is a researched estimate from public sources. Schools revise fees each academic year and quote them by individual year group. Always confirm the current numbers directly with the school’s admissions office before you commit — treat this page as orientation, not a price list.

When to apply: the enrolment timeline

The single most common mistake relocating families make is leaving school applications too late.

Apply 6–9 months before you intend to move. The popular schools fill specific year groups — especially Early Years and Primary — and run waitlists. A late application doesn’t just mean stress; it can mean your first-choice school is simply full for your child’s year, which then forces a different area and a different villa.

The main intake is August, the start of the academic year, and that’s when most places open. Many schools also offer a January (second-semester) intake, and places do come up mid-year as other expat families rotate out — Bali’s international-school population turns over constantly. So if your timing is awkward, it’s not hopeless; ask.

The process, roughly:

1. Enquire and submit an application (with school reports from the current school).
2. The school assesses the right year group and may run admissions testing — usually two to four weeks.
3. On an offer, you pay a registration or enrolment fee to confirm the place.
4. The school’s admissions team helps with the student-visa side (more below).

Apply to two or three schools, not one. Confirmation of a place is what lets you commit to an area and a villa with confidence — so the school offer should come before the lease, not after. If you’re working with us on housing, tell us which schools you’ve applied to and we’ll line up villa options in those catchments so you can move the moment a place is confirmed.

Visas for school-age children

A short, practical note — not legal advice, and the rules change, so confirm current requirements with a visa agent or the school.

Children aged roughly six and up (Grade 1 and above) generally need their own stay permit to be enrolled in school in Bali. There are two common routes:

• Dependent KITAS — if a parent holds a qualifying long-stay permit (such as a work KITAS), an unmarried child under 18 can usually be added as a dependent on the family’s permit.
• Student KITAS — where a child can’t be covered through a parent’s permit, the school typically sponsors a student visa instead.

Most established international schools in Bali have a dedicated admissions or visa office that handles or guides this — it’s a normal part of enrolling a foreign child, and worth asking each shortlisted school how they manage it. Allow several weeks for processing, and factor it into your overall timeline. For the wider visa picture for the adults in the family, see the visa section of our moving to Bali guide.

School, area, villa: how they connect

Here’s the part that ties this page to the rest of your move.

Once a school place is confirmed, the area is half-decided for you — because nobody sane does a 40-minute Bali school run twice a day. The school sets the catchment; you choose a villa inside it.

• Canggu Community School → live in Canggu for the lifestyle on the doorstep, or Umalas for more space, a bigger garden and a short, calm drive in.
• Bali Island School → live in Sanur — walkable, gentle, settled, genuinely built for family life.
• Green School → live in and around Ubud — cooler, greener, slower, jungle on all sides.

Our where to live in Bali guide goes deeper on each area’s trade-offs, the cost of living in Bali guide covers the wider monthly budget around schooling, and our moving to Bali guide pulls the whole relocation together.

On the villa itself, school-driven families tend to want the same things: enough bedrooms for the children (and often a visiting grandparent), a safe enclosed garden, a pool with a fence or gate, a reliable kitchen for family meals, fast internet for the working parent, and a genuinely short run to campus. Most of these families are here for a defined stretch — often around an academic year — which makes a long-term lease on a family villa near the school almost always the right setup: better value than monthly rates, a stable base for the children, and one less thing to manage. Our guide to renting a villa long-term covers leases, deposits and what to check before you sign.

This is the part we do every month. Tell us the school, your dates, your budget and who’s coming, and we’ll send a shortlist of family villas within a short commute of the campus — so the house is sorted before term starts.

Talk to us about your move

You sort the school. We’ll sort the house near it.

Tell us which school you’re applying to, your dates, your budget and who’s coming, and we’ll put together a shortlist of family villas within a short, sane drive of campus — enough bedrooms, a safe garden, a fenced pool, fast internet. We house relocating families every month, so we know the catchments and which villas work for family life.

Common questions about international schools in Bali

01What are the best international schools in Bali?

It depends on curriculum, your child’s age and where you’ll live. The most established names are Canggu Community School (Cambridge/IB, in Canggu), Bali Island School (full IB, in Sanur) and Green School Bali (project-based, near Ubud). AIS Indonesia covers the Australian curriculum, and several smaller schools serve specific areas and budgets. The “best” one is the one that fits your family’s curriculum and your move dates.

02How much do international schools in Bali cost?

As a 2026 guide, tuition runs from roughly USD 4,000 a year at smaller community schools to USD 28,000+ a year at premium IB schools, with most mid-range international schools around USD 8,000–20,000. All-in — adding registration, capital fees, uniforms, transport and lunch — budget roughly USD 8,000–28,000 per child per year. The first year costs more because of one-off enrolment fees. Always confirm current fees directly with the school.

03What’s the difference between IB and Cambridge schools?

IB is inquiry-led and cross-disciplinary, designed to transfer cleanly between countries, and recognised by universities worldwide. Cambridge is a structured, subject-by-subject curriculum with IGCSE exams around ages 14–16 and A-Levels (or the IB Diploma) after. For a family moving around, IB transfers most smoothly; British families mid-curriculum usually stay with Cambridge.

04When should we apply to schools in Bali?

Six to nine months before you plan to move. Popular year groups — especially Early Years and Primary — fill up and run waitlists. The main intake is August; many schools also take a January intake, and mid-year places do open up as other expat families leave.

05Do schools in Bali take students mid-year?

Often, yes. Bali’s international-school population turns over a lot, so places come up outside the August intake, and several schools run a formal January intake. Contact admissions directly as soon as your dates are set — don’t assume you’ve missed the window.

06Do my children need a visa to attend school in Bali?

Generally yes, for children around six and up. Either a Dependent KITAS (added to a parent’s qualifying long-stay permit) or a school-sponsored Student KITAS. Most international schools have a visa or admissions office that handles this; allow several weeks and confirm current rules with the school or a visa agent.

07Should we choose the school or the area first?

The school. Bali traffic makes a long school run miserable, so families move next to their chosen school rather than commute to it. Confirm a school place, then choose your area and villa within a short drive of campus — see our where to live in Bali guide.

08Which areas do families with school-age children live in?

Mostly three clusters: Canggu and Umalas for Canggu Community School; Sanur for Bali Island School; and the Ubud area for Green School. Each cluster has a distinct feel — busy and social, calm and walkable, or green and slow.

09Can you help us find a villa near a school?

Yes — this is most of what we do for relocating families. Tell us the school, your dates, your budget and your family size, and we’ll send a shortlist of long-term family villas within a short commute of the campus.