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Best 10 International Schools in Bucharest

International Education in Bucharest

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Bucharest may not immediately spring to mind when you think of expat hotspots in Europe. However with its cheap cost of living and emerging market status, there has never been a better time to set up a home away from home in Romania’s capital. The city is slowly but steadily upping its game for expats, including establishing new international schools. If you’re considering a move, here’s what you should know about schools in Bucharest.

Bucharest doesn’t have quite the same selection of international schools as other European capitals, but there are still plenty to choose from. Most of them follow the British curriculum or the International Baccalaureate, with some other European countries represented too. A small number of schools follow the American curriculum.

International schools in Bucharest are scattered throughout the city, mostly in the centre and in the northern and eastern suburbs. Although it’s not a large city, keep in mind that travel times in Bucharest will be longer than you expect due to congestion. If you live on one side of the city and your child’s school is on the opposite side, that could easily mean a commute of over 1 hour each way.

You’ll find a larger local student population in Bucharest’s international schools than you would in other countries. In most schools, 30 - 40% of the student body will have been born and raised in Romania. This is because the standard of education on offer in international schools is higher than in Romania’s public schools. For families who can afford it, sending a child to an international school is a much more desirable option.

Class sizes are small in Bucharest’s international schools - 20-25 students would be considered average. Most schools have a total of around 300-500 students enrolled in any one year, and native English speaking staff are par for the course.

The school day in an international school in Bucharest will begin at 8 or 9am and run until 3 or 4pm in the afternoon. For younger students, the last hour or so will be dedicated to extracurricular activities. For older students, these will take place after school hours. Activities can include everything from drama to sports to entrepreneurship, and everything in between!

No matter the country, international schooling does not come cheap. However in Romania it is cheaper than many other European countries, and significantly cheaper than major capitals like Paris, Zurich, or Brussels. Lunches and bus transport are usually included in the yearly fees, as well as access to sports facilities and extra curricular programs.

Below, we have compiled the top 10 international schools in Bucharest according to our users. However, there are another 10 schools to choose from in the city. You can find the best international school for your child by personalising your results. Just fill in your search criteria, and we will calculate a personal score for every international school in Bucharest based on your requirements.

Best 10 International Schools in Bucharest

Out of a total of 20 International Schools in Bucharest.

Based on the aggregated preferences of our users in the last 30 days.

Hermann Oberth International German School

Teachers and students embrace the IB philosophy aiming to be open-minded, caring, creative life-long learners
Curriculum
IB, German
Languages of instruction
English, German, Romanian
Ages
2 to 18
This school does not make their fees public.

International British School of Bucharest

International British School of Bucharest is a small, friendly and happy school with a strong sense of community. Respect, tolerance, creativity, and independent learning are a priority at IBSB as IBSB understands that a good education is not only about exam results, but also the emotional and social development of our children.
Curriculum
British
Language of instruction
English
Ages
3 to 18
Yearly fees - 2023/2024
from: 54,424 lei
to: 87,326 lei
Reviews
(1 review)

Acton Academy Bucharest

We believe that:
Clear thinking leads to good decisions,
Good decisions lead to the right habits,
The right habits lead to character and
Character becomes destiny.
Curriculum
American
Language of instruction
English
Ages
5 to 18
This school does not make their fees public.

International School of Bucharest

Established in 1996, authorised by the Romanian Ministry of Education and accredited by the Council of International Schools (CIS), associate member of Council of British International Schools (COBIS), International School of Bucharest (ISB) provides a complete and high standard educational programme for students from ages two to eighteen.
ISB serves the educational needs of the international community in Bucharest as well as the educational needs of the Romanian students who are committed to access an international education curriculum in English. We welcome children of all races, religions and cultures and we consider applications throughout the year based on space availability.
ISB operates on a new purpose-built campus situated in Bucharest, Sector 3, 1R Sos Gara Catelu. 40 nationalities are represented among our 750 students. Our school follows the Cambridge Curriculum for Primary and Secondary and offers International General Certificate of Education (IGCSE) and International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme which allow our graduate students to apply and be admitted in prestigious universities worldwide, including Romania. English is the language of teaching at ISB and the majority of our teachers are native English speakers.
Curriculum
IB, British
Language of instruction
English
Ages
2 to 18
Yearly fees - 2023/2024
from: 39,150 lei
to: 70,116 lei
Reviews
(4 reviews)

SEK Bucharest International School

Trilingual education (English, spanish, Romanian)
PYP candidate school
Curriculum
International
Language of instruction
English
Ages
3 to 14
Yearly fees - 2024/2025
from: 29,735 lei
to: 37,486 lei

American International School of Bucharest

AISB was founded in 1962 by the US Embassy to serve the educational needs of the American and international expatriate community. As the school has grown, many local Romanian families have become part of the school community together with expatriate families from government, business, and social welfare organizations.
AISB has a population of approximately 950 students from 60 nationalities attending the Early Years program at age 2 through Grade 12. Romanians comprise approximately 30% of the student population, North Americans 14%, and Turkish, Israeli and Germans approximately 4% each. The balance are from Europe, Asia, Africa, the Middle East, Australia, and South and Central America.
Curriculum
IB, American
Language of instruction
English
Ages
2 to 18
Yearly fees - 2023/2024
from: 55,502 lei
to: 118,619 lei
Reviews
(1 review)

King's Oak British International School

Our school is dedicated to helping each child develop the skills needed to contribute in our rapidly changing world. We know this begins with a solid foundation in traditional skills with emphasis on the development of a child’s critical eye and inquisitive thinking. As teachers, we embrace the challenge of helping our students navigate their own course in learning.
Curriculum
British
Language of instruction
English
Ages
1 to 18
Yearly fees - 2023/2024
from: 45,955 lei
to: 81,974 lei

British School of Bucharest

Through the National Curriculum for England, our students are exposed to many innovative Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Mathematics (STEAM) opportunities. These provide invaluable practical experiences that nourish the skills of creativity, flexibility and collaboration and help our students prepare for the future workplace – for jobs that may not currently exist.
The school’s loyal and experienced native English-speaking teachers, working within a British-Curriculum school, plan practical, high-quality and child-centred lessons focused on active learning where a culture of mutual respect and support is valued along with high achievement.
Curriculum
British
Language of instruction
English
Ages
2 to 18
Yearly fees - 2023/2024
from: 34,199 lei
to: 107,964 lei

Ioanid International High School

IOANID International High School was opened in 2018, with a different educational approach, centered on the real needs of the today’s teenagers. Our team understands that high school students are not receptive to passive learning, which is a typical nowadays teaching method, therefore our main objective is to create some learning experiences that appeal to students. Teaching is interactive, in an engaging manner, exposing the learners to teaching experiences, practical workshops, avoiding repetitive worksheets designed in a traditional teaching method. Each learning space is transformed into a laboratory which leads the students in the middle of the subject taught through technology: video projectors, interactive boards, modular furniture and teaching materials as practical as possible.
Curriculum
British, Romanian
Languages of instruction
English, Romanian
Ages
14 to 18
Yearly fees - 2024/2025
from: 62,196 lei
to: 59,709 lei

Bucharest Christian Academy

BCA is the only fully American international school in Bucharest that follows a holistic education approach—caring for a child’s intellectual, physical, emotional, and spiritual growth—while teaching from a Christian worldview and philosophy of education.
Curriculum
American, Christian
Language of instruction
English
Ages
4 to 18
Yearly fees - 2023/2024
from: 52,025 lei
to: 62,143 lei

Find the Best International School in Bucharest FOR YOU!

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