St. John's International School

The default full-IB school for English-speaking families in southern Brussels and Waterloo, running PYP, MYP and DP since the 1970s with around 525 students from 62 nationalities.

On a residential campus in Waterloo, taking children from age one through to Diploma. Bilingual English and French is genuine here, and the early years offering from twelve months makes it one of the very few true full-continuum options for relocating families. Boarding is available for highly mobile families and circuit-followers.

The community is the draw as much as the academics. Diverse, expat-heavy, with strong volunteer and family networks that make landing in Brussels easier. Teachers stay long, and the IB pedagogy is embedded rather than bolted on. Trade-offs are the price tag at the senior end, the commute if you live in central or northern Brussels, and a campus feel that some families find suburban after the city. For families south of Brussels with a long horizon, this is usually the first school visited.

• Long-running American-flavour IB school in Waterloo, with a Brussels alumni reach back to the mid-1960s.
• Parents and alumni praise differentiated teaching: classes split into ability groups for spelling, reading and maths so children get pitched at the right level.
• Welcoming for newly arrived expat families. The Welcome Committee and parent-led networking come up in nearly every positive write-up.
• Co-ed full IB continuum (PYP through DP) with results consistently above world averages.
• One former-community Reddit comment flags reputational decline: "its quality and reputation has taken a hit in recent years" , based on second-hand accounts from old friends, not first-hand and not corroborated elsewhere.
• Strong arts and sports facilities, including a state-of-the-art performing arts centre.