Singapore Expats

My friend is looking for an affordable International School for her young kids as she has 3. Anyone which school offers the most affordable fees in Singapore?

That, my friends, is what we call an oxymoron.

No foreigner should move to Singapore with 3 school aged children unless:

A. The employer is paying for their school
B. The family is wealthy (money ain’t a thang)

There is no such thing as an affordable International School here… even the less expensive ones have gone up substantially, and continue to do so, year after year.

Local schools, which are now roughly half the cost of International Schools, also quickly become unaffordable for larger families, if they can even access them.

What mal said. If cost is a big issue, your friend should probably sending the kid across the border to JB.

There are some. My neighbour is paying for his child to go to Dimensions and it's not too outrageous (Annual tuition fees start at $12,600 for primary, and including all additional fees will cost you $18,532). There's been a few open of this type open up - they're sort of hybrid. The usual International Schools are far more. Another one is Victory Life Christian School. There are some good comparison websites around (which school advisor dot com)

PNGMK wrote: ↑

Mon, 04 Nov 2024 12:07 pm

There are some. My neighbour is paying for his child to go to Dimensions and it's not too outrageous (Annual tuition fees start at $12,600 for primary, and including all additional fees will cost you $18,532). There's been a few open of this type open up - they're sort of hybrid. The usual International Schools are far more. Another one is Victory Life Christian School. There are some good comparison websites around (which school advisor dot com)

Even local primary school now costs $11,820 for non-ASEAN passport holders (for 2025). Imagine being paid $6,000/mo as an EP holder, just your kids school and your housing can easily exceed your income.

This is what I experienced for many years here… it’s just a money pit. Don’t do it unless you must.

Totally understandable, with three kids, affordability really becomes a key factor when considering International Schools in Singapore! While fees across the board tend to be on the higher side, there are some schools known for being more budget-friendly without compromising too much on quality.

Options like Middleton International School, One World International School (OWIS), and Stamford American Early Learning Village (for preschool) tend to be on the more affordable end of the international school spectrum. Invictus International School is another one that's often recommended for families looking for a more cost-effective route, they offer the Cambridge curriculum and have smaller campuses.

If your friend wants to compare these schools based on her needs (curriculum, location, age group, fees), she could try using (PLEASE ADVERTISE WITH US). it’s a free online tool that helps families find international schools in Singapore based on personalized filters. Super helpful, especially when there are so many choices! Let me know if you want a quick breakdown of the fee ranges or how these schools compare!

For pre-school, you aren’t bound by any constraints other than the number of seats available in the school. My kids both ended up at ACS Barker Kindergarten… my son did a full 4 years there (N1, N2, K1, K2). That’s the easy part, it’s only when formal schooling begins that things get incredibly challenging.

Bottom line: in most cases, Singapore just isn’t worth it unless your kids are SC/PR or the company is paying for their school.

These are a few sub 20k pa schools around.

They are marketed to the expat Indian community sector.

Victory, Dimension etc.

Businesses in Singapore have been known to collect money from customers and then go bust, leaving the customers without refunds or recourse. I would be cautious about any new schools that have deals that seem too good to be true. Just saying.