There are a variety of private schools in Singapore and you might be too spoilt for choices here!
Worry not, Tutopiya is here to break down some of the best private schools in Singapore for our expat parents.
Due to the difficulty of enrolling your child into public schools, expat parents may consider enrolling their children in private schools in Singapore instead.
The priorities are given to Singaporeans and Permanent Residents, therefore it can be difficult to enrol your child into these mainstream schools.
So here are some of the best private schools in Singapore you can look into.
9 Best Private Schools in Singapore
1. United World College of South East Asia
| Website | uwcsea.edu.sg |
| Address | (Dover) 1207 Dover Road, Singapore 139654, (East Campus) 1 Tampines Street 73, Singapore 528704 |
| Contact | Dover: +6567755344 East Campus: +6563055344 |
| Curriculum offered | IGCSE, IB |
| Tuition Fees | Ranging from SGD 30,759 to 38,460 Excluding additional fees that need to be paid |
Tuition Fees
There is a one-time application/ enrolment fee you will have to pay with respect to the grade you are enrolling your child for.
School fees will need to be paid in advance of each term and there are three terms each year and fees will be billed to you in three equal parts.
The school fee varies according to the grade of your child. Additional fees such as course materials, extracurricular activities like field trips will be billed separately.
You will also need to consider some of their compulsory fees to pay such as having a laptop for grades 6 to 12 and overseas trip.
To see a more detailed breakdown of their fee structure visit this link.
Curriculum overview
UWCSEA has three school terms, which begins every August, January and April.
Primary students until Grade 8 will study the UWCSEA curriculum whereas once they reach Grade 9 to 10, they will follow the IGCSE curriculum and Foundation IB programme.
For grades 11 and 12, students will be doing the IB Diploma curriculum.
UWCSEA offers a concept-based curriculum and they follow a co-curricular model where students divide their time between studies and other activities such as service work and outdoor education.
This means UWCSEA offers non-academic activities starting from grade 2 onwards where students can take up activities such as arts, leadership and other clubs.
Facilities
UWCSEA has a large campus and many facilities for students to train for different activities. The school offers interest clubs like gymnastics, swimming, badminton, cross country, and so many more. The school boasts over 200 sporting teams.
UWCSEA is accredited by the Committee for Private Education, Edexcel, Cambridge, Western Association of Schools and Colleges, and CIS.
2. Nexus International School
| Website | nexus.edu.sg |
| Address | 201 Ulu Pandan Road, Singapore 596468 |
| Contact | +6565366566 |
| Curriculum offered | IGCSE, IB |
| Tuition Fees | Ranging from SGD 21,666 to 38,584 depending on your child’s grade |
Tuition Fees
There is a one-time fee of SGD 856 for new applicants at the time of application. There is also a one-time fee of SGD 2,500 for new applicants, upon the acceptance of the offer of a place.
Students will also have to pay for an annual development levy fee of SGD 1,712 every year.
Curriculum overview
NISS has two semesters that begin in August and January respectively.
NISS adheres to the IB PYP curriculum for Nursery to Year 6 students. It covers languages, math, health, music and art classes.
Year 7 to 9 follow the English National curriculum to prepare them for the IGCSE curriculum for when they reach Year 10 and 11.
Year 12 to 13 students will sit for the IB-DP curriculum.
Facilities
In addition to the core curriculum, Nexus encourages students to participate in a wide range of after-school activities.
Nexus has one of the most impressive swim programs and their squad is well-known on the Singapore swimming circuit.
Nexus also has other extracurricular activities such as the arts, music and community service. They have facilities including music practise rooms, art rooms and a theatre as well as specialist teachers for music, art and drama.
There are plenty of opportunities for students to explore their interests through production, concerts, competitions and many more.
3. Singapore American School
| Website | sas.edu.sg |
| Address | 40 Woodlands Street 41, Singapore 738547 |
| Contact | +6563633403 |
| Curriculum offered | American |
| Tuition Fees | Ranging from SGD 21,334 to 34,050 depending on your child’s grade Additional Costs are billed to parents |
Tuition Fees
There is an application fee of $ 2,500 that you will need to pay for the first time. Applications will remain valid for 2 years from the submission date.
New students will also have to pay for a one-time registration fee. There are different fees for the types of national card you or your child is holding.
Lane 1: Student/ parent holding a US passport or Green card
One time non-refundable registration fee of $7,490
Lane 2-4: Student/ parent not holding a US passport or Green card
One time non -refundable registration fee of $9,630
There is also another fixed fee that you will have to pay such as the facility fee and etc.
For more information about these additional payable fees, visit this link.
Curriculum overview
The curriculum offered by the Singapore American School is the American curriculum. SAS academic program supports the needs of students and includes studies in core curricular areas. These areas include reading, writing, math, science, social studies as well as areas like art, music and many more.
In addition to all these, SAS provides students to support services through academic support.
Facilities
Singapore American School provides students with well-rounded student life. Students will be provided with academic support as well as emotional and social support.
SAS also provides opportunities for students to engage themselves in service through academics and dozens of service clubs.
The school comprises 3 cafeterias, libraries, swimming pools and auditoriums! It spans about 36acres in total.
SAS also has an impressive 1,000 seater stadium for school events and gatherings.
SAS is recognised by the Western Association of Schools.
4. GEMS World Academy
| Website | gwa.edu.sg |
| Address | 2 Yishun Street 42, Singapore 768039 |
| Contact | +65 6808 7300 |
| Curriculum offered | IGCSE, IB |
| Tuition Fees | Ranges from SGD9,000 to SGD33,000 depending on the grade of your child |
Tuition Fees
The tuition fees are excluding transportation, uniforms, EAL fees, optional enrichment activities and miscellaneous fees.
Tuition fees will be prorated on a weekly basis for students joining midway.
There is a registration fee of SGD 800 (non-refundable) and is payable in full upon the submission of your application.
The Admission Fee would be a one-time, non-refundable and non-transferable fee of SGD 5,200. You will have to pay the fee on or before the due date for the payment.
Visit this link to find out a more detailed version of the tuition fees.
Curriculum overview
School curriculum for GEMS World Academy starts every August.
The students at GEMS World Academy have a very diverse background, there are close to more than different 60 nationalities in the school.
GEMS offers all three IB programmes – PYP, MYP and DP.
In addition to MYP, middle school students can opt to sit for IGCSE exams instead of the MYP.
From Grade 10, students are offered university and careers advice by the on-campus counsellor.
When students reach Grade 6, they will start to prepare for their IB studies for the MYP and DP.
Grade 9 and 10 students will sit for their CIE IGCSE examinations whereas Grade 11 and 12 students will take their IB Diploma classes and examinations.
Facilities
Students are encouraged to attend after school sports clubs to compete in one of many school sports teams.
GEM has brand new facilities and modern classrooms. The school has a spacious campus where students have access to an Olympic-sized swimming pool, sports pitch, gym, auditorium and so many other facilities.
5. Tanglin Trust
| Website | gwa.edu.sg |
| Address | 95 Portsdown Rd, Singapore 139299 |
| Contact | +6567780771 |
| Curriculum offered | English National Curriculum, IGCSE, IB |
| Tuition Fees | Ranges from SGD9,000 to SGD33,000 depending on the grade of your child |
Tuition Fees
The Enrolment Fee of $2,675 is required for each application.
A non-refundable Capital Levy of $3,750 per student is payable by all new and returning students prior to admission, with the following exceptions:
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- Siblings of current students enrolled in the School before August 2015 are not charged the Capital Levy
- Capital Levy is payable in respect of a maximum of two students per current family
The school terms are split into three terms each year. You will have to pay three equal amounts every term.
Additional fees such as examination fees and other costs such as transport and food services etc will be billed separately.
To find out more details about the tuition fees, visit their official website here.
Curriculum overview
For the infant, junior and senior schools, students adhere to the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) and the UK National Curriculum also known as the English Curriculum.
Students will move onto study for their IGCSEs in Years 10 and 11. They also have the choice of more than 10 different courses.
This private school in Singapore ensures a well-rounded education in all year groups with specialist subjects including art and design, music, drama and many more for the respective year of study they are in.
Facilities
Tanglin Trust has facilities that separate the infant, junior and senior and sixth form students.
The school is well-equipped with many different areas such as multi-purpose assembly, music rooms, facilities for choirs and orchestras and even a drama studio.
The school also has its very own health centre with professional nurses on stand-by.
Additionally, the school also have different sports venues for different sports team such as running tracks, swimming pool, tennis courts and many more
6. Canadian International School
| Website | cis.edu.sg |
| Address | 371 Tanjong Katong Rd, Singapore 437128 |
| Contact | Tanjong Katong Campus: +65 6345 1573 Lakeside Campus: +65 6467 1732 |
| Curriculum offered | IB |
| Tuition Fees | Ranges from SGD31,270 to SGD 37,950 |
Tuition Fees
There is a non-refundable application fee of SGD2,500 and a confirmation fee.
The confirmation fee is as follows:
First child – SGD3,500
Second child – SGD2,800
The confirmation fee is waived for the third and any subsequent child.
The tuition fee for the Lakeside campus and Tanjong Katong campus varies slightly, for a more detailed breakdown, visit their official website here.
There are additional fees that will be billed separately from the tuition fees.
Curriculum overview
The Canadian International School offers all three IB programmes – IB PYP, MYP as well as DP. CIS is a full IB school and they strongly believe that the PYP and MYP is the best preparation for the Diploma programme in their later years.
Grade 1 to 6 students will adhere to the IB PYP, Grade 7 to 10 will adhere to the IB MYP to prepare them for IBDP in Grades 11 and 12.
The school’s bilingual programme (Chinese-English) encourages students from Kindergarten to Grade 7 to be fluent in both languages.
The school also offers other bilingual programs such as French-English programme for Grades 1 to 4, allowing them for an easier transition from the English-only IB MYP.
Facilities
CIS is well equipped with facilities for their youngest learners and their focus is to encourage imagination and creativity. They have a kindergarten wing located in the school, they also have colourful classrooms, junior library and swimming pool.
For students that follow the IB PYP curriculum from Grades 1 to 6, the school provides dedicated English, Maths, Chinese, Spanish, French, arts, music and drama.
The arts programme available at CIS includes musical ensembles and bands, choral groups, productions, and many more.
The school has a 500-seat theatre and many modern studios and practice rooms.
CIS also encourages outdoor learning, the playground located in the school is not only for younger students to have fun, teachers also carry out lessons outside of class in the playground. They would use the playground to teach subjects like maths, science and many more.
7. Stamford American International School
| Website | sais.edu.sg |
| Address | 1 Woodleigh Ln, Singapore 357684 |
| Contact | 6602 7247 |
| Curriculum offered | IB |
| Tuition Fees | Ranges from SGD 15,866 to SGD 42,590 Depending on what you are enrolling your child into |
Tuition Fees
The tuition fees include course fees, all textbooks, workbooks, stationery and select after school and co-curricular activities and a division Year Book.
They have mandatory additional fees for Academic Field Studies for Grade 3 through Grade 12 students. These will be included in the invoice of the semester in which they will take place.
The one-time application fee costs SGD800 whereas the enrolment fee is SGD3,360.
Curriculum overview
SAIS offers all three IB programmes – PYP, MYP and DP. They follow a curriculum based on the AERO and Common Core Plus frameworks.
From KG to Grade 5, students will follow the IB PYP, from Grades 6 to 10, they will follow the IB MYP whereas, for Grades 11 to 12, they will follow the IBDP.
SAIS has a unique feature about their curriculum which is the ‘World Language Programme’. Elementary students will undertake daily Mandarin or Spanish lessons. They are also open to sign up for a bilingual programme in Mandarin and English for students from KG to Grade 5.
Facilities
The school focuses a lot on the extracurricular activities especially the sports area. They are well-equipped with sports facilities and equipment. They have two large indoor gyms, gymnastics centre, sports pitches, swimming pools, rooftop tennis courts, dance studio as well as a rock-climbing wall.
The performing arts also have a role to play in SAIS. SAIS offers many different performing art programmes like dance, drama, music and visual arts for the IBPYP.
For MYP, students will study three arts programmes, one visual art, one performing arts and one design course.
They will study in depth one of these programmes in Grades 9 and 10.
SAIS offers so much more than just these!
8. Dover court International School
| Website | nordangliaeducation.com |
| Address | 301 Dover Rd, Singapore 139644 |
| Contact | +65 6775 7664 |
| Curriculum offered | IB |
| Tuition Fees | Ranges from SGD 21,810 to SGD 42,820 depending on the grades of your child |
Tuition Fees
The school offers an EAL support programme, also known as the English Additional Language programme. The termly fee for this programme is S$1,210 (including GST), so the annual amount due is S$3,630.
For students on the partial EAL support programme there is a termly EAL Fee Supplement of $400 (including GST) so the annual amount due is S$1200 (including GST). EAL enrolment is assessed and invoice each term.
Building Fees
The Building Fund Fee of SGD 500 per term (including GST), which is charged to all students as a contribution towards DCIS’ annual building and maintenance cost. The building fund is invoiced termly, so the annual amount due is SGD 1,500.
Application Fees
Once paid, the application fee is partially refundable should parents wish to withdraw the student from the waitlist before a place is offered. The application fee will not be refunded if the parent is offered a place for their child but chooses not to accept the offer. An administration fee of SGD 500 will be deducted from the refund.
Curriculum Overview
Dover Court offers the British curriculum in its upper and lower primary schools, which is based on the English National Curriculum. This curriculum includes core subjects and specialist teaching in art, music, drama, PE and Mandarin.
The secondary school continues to follow the English National Curriculum. In Years 10-11, students study work towards their IGCSE examinations.
The school introduced the IB Diploma Programme (Years 11-12) in August 2017, and from August 2020 it will offer the BTEC International Level 2 in Business.
Facilities
Dover Court offers a variety of choices for its students in terms of extracurricular activities. Some of these clubs include sport, the arts (from music and choir to drawing, drama and debating, and academia (language skills, science, Mandarin etc). Most activities are included in the school fees.
DCIS has fully equipped their campus with highly embedded technology in classrooms, a Julliard Music Suite and even a TV and radio station. The school also recently opened a secondary building and sports hall with classrooms, cafeteria, and so many more!
The school also has swimming pools, running tracks, full-sized soccer fields, basketball courts and many more!
9. SJI International
| Website | nordangliaeducation.com |
| Address | 490 Thomson Rd, Singapore 298191 |
| Contact | +603 8605 3605 |
| Curriculum offered | IGCSE, IB |
SJI alongside with 2 other private international schools in Singapore that is managed by the Ministry Education of Singapore, but they are privately funded and able to set their own curricula and fees.
The two other private international schools in Singapore are – Hwa Chong International School and Anglo-Chinese International School.
Read also: Education in Singapore – The Ultimate Expat Guide for Parents
Tuition Fees
The tuition fees for SJI International has a large range of payable school fees. It has broken down its school fees into many categories and subcategories after. Singaporean and non-Singaporean school fees are different. For a better understanding, visit their official website here.
Curriculum Overview
The academic year for SJI International starts in January and ends in December, much like the local education system. It means that students sit their IBDP in December, with results being published in January (or December from 2020).
SJI offers a blended curriculum that ultimately works towards the IBDP.
For students from Prep 1 to Grade 6, the curriculum follows the UK and the US curriculum system. They use a combination of the UK national curriculum and US system for language arts.
All elementary students have weekly Religious and Moral Education (RME) lessons, which are based on Lasallian Catholic values.
In high school (Grades 7-12), students work towards IGCSEs and the IBDP and study subjects including maths, English, science, geography, PE, design technology, music, drama and more. The language programme at high school includes a choice of Mandarin, Korean, Spanish, Hindi and Tamil.
SJI International is one of the private schools in Singapore that offers a hybrid secondary curriculum that combines the UK, US and Singapore education system into their curriculum.
Facilities
SJI International has a spacious large campus for their entire cohort of 1,600 students. The elementary and high schools have their own dedicated school within the school. The school is fully equipped with facilities like classrooms, library, science labs, canteen, art and music room, computer labs and many more.
SJI International also has a sports complex which is built four-stories high with multi-purpose halls, fitness centre, dance studios, climbing wall and a swimming pool.
