The Guide
Sat, 16 May 2026

Cities / Johor Bahru / LUCA International School

LUCA International School

A small Cambridge IGCSE school in Taman Kempas Utama, founded in 2018 by Golden Lampstand Baptist Church. Year 1 to Year 11 with values-led pastoral focus.


Curriculum
British
Founded
2018

A small Cambridge IGCSE school in Taman Kempas Utama, founded in 2018 by Golden Lampstand Baptist Church. Year 1 to Year 11 with values-led pastoral focus.

LUCA serves ages 7 to 17 across five Cambridge stages, capping at IGCSE. Annual tuition is at the affordable end of the Johor market, around MYR 20,400 in primary up to MYR 26,400 in Years 10 and 11, with a one-off application fee of MYR 500 and enrolment fee of MYR 1,500. The setting is residential and quiet, on the Kempas side of Johor Bahru.

The faith-based founding shapes the culture. Parents describe genuine attention to character, manners, and independence alongside academics, with regular parent-teacher contact and progress conversations. The scale is small and the academic ceiling is IGCSE, so families looking ahead to A Levels or IB will need to plan a transfer or distance pathway for sixth form. Best fit for families wanting a Christian-values environment with Cambridge structure at a modest fee.


  • A small, Christian-founded Cambridge IGCSE school in Johor Bahru, opened in 2018 by a local Baptist church.
  • The published review pool is small. Almost all of it is parent testimony curated by the school or in directory listings rather than independent forums.
  • Parents who post highlight character development, confidence, and small classes. Several describe their children becoming more independent and engaged at school.
  • One parent said their son "became more independent and cheerful" after joining; another said their daughter gained confidence speaking English.
  • The Christian framing is explicit. Parents who choose the school appear to do so partly for faith-based values; families looking for a secular international setting should weigh that.

Head of school

Joshua Tham

Joshua Tham serves as Chairman and articulates the school's vision through welcoming leadership. He emphasises LUCA's foundation in biblical truth and values combined with future-ready international education, positioning the school as a movement nurturing wise, courageous learners full of grace, with a strong commitment to character formation alongside academic excellence within a 21st-century pedagogical framework.


6, Jln Kempas Utama 2/4, 81300 Johor Bahru, Johor Darul Ta'zim, Malaysia

School website