Cities / Almaty / Haileybury Almaty
Haileybury Almaty
Kazakhstan's most academically selective British-curriculum school, opened in 2008 on Al-Farabi Avenue. Fees run from KZT 8.8M to KZT 19.2M per year and include meals, activities, and EAL provision.
In brief
The British school of choice in Almaty, opened in 2008 as a licensed franchise of Haileybury in Hertfordshire and run as a not-for-profit by a group of Kazakh business families. Sits at the top end of the local fee scale.
IGCSE and A-Levels through to 18, with a route into UK and US universities that is the main reason most expat and affluent local families pick it. Boarding is available, which is rare in Almaty. Facilities and grounds are the strongest in the city.
English-medium with strong English language support for new arrivals, which matters because the intake is heavily Kazakh nationals. Fees are very high by local standards, around 9 to 19 million KZT, and parents who pay them tend to feel the school holds up its end. There is a sister school in Astana under the same operator.
Fees
| Fee | Age | Type | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reception | 4 | Annual | KZT 8,840,000 |
| Year 1 | 5 | Annual | KZT 12,675,200 |
| Year 2 | 6 | Annual | KZT 12,675,200 |
| Year 3 | 7 | Annual | KZT 14,776,400 |
| Year 4 | 8 | Annual | KZT 14,776,400 |
| Year 5 | 9 | Annual | KZT 14,776,400 |
| Year 6 | 10 | Annual | KZT 14,776,400 |
| Year 7 | 11 | Annual | KZT 16,877,600 |
| Year 8 | 12 | Annual | KZT 16,877,600 |
| Year 9 | 13 | Annual | KZT 16,877,600 |
| Year 10 | 14 | Annual | KZT 19,189,600 |
| Year 11 | 15 | Annual | KZT 19,189,600 |
| Year 12 | 16 | Annual | KZT 19,189,600 |
| Year 13 | 17 | Annual | KZT 19,189,600 |
| Registration Fee | One-time | KZT 50,000 | |
| Guarantee Payment (refundable) | One-time | KZT 750,000 |
Reviews
- Discussion online is dominated by ex-staff, not parents. Volume is unusual for a Central Asian school and the tone is consistently critical.
- Recurring teacher complaints describe long hours, pay that has not kept pace with inflation, and a senior leadership team accused of running the school as a personal fiefdom. One former teacher wrote, "They want to have control of you."
- Several posts in 2024 raised governance questions: a discrimination case filed in Kazakh courts, doubts about the credentials of senior figures, and recruiter forums said to be moderated to suppress critical posts.
- The British Schools Overseas inspection report is positive on safeguarding and governance; the gap between that and ex-staff accounts is itself the signal.
- Parents on directory sites give it a moderate score and praise the extracurricular range, debating, and Duke of Edinburgh provision.
- Day-to-day teaching and pastoral life are not heavily covered online from the parent side. Families weighing it should read both the inspection report and the staff-side accounts before deciding.
Head of school
John Coles
John Coles is the Headmaster of Haileybury Astana, where he emphasizes the importance of a balanced education that prepares students for global citizenship and academic excellence. He is committed to fostering a supportive learning environment that encourages personal growth and development.
Accreditations
- Council of International Schools 01
- COBIS Patron's Accreditation and Compliance 02
- New England Association of Schools and Colleges 03
Academic results
- University destinations Harvard, Stanford, MIT, Yale, Oxford, Cambridge