Cities / Phnom Penh / Canadian International School of Phnom Penh
Canadian International School of Phnom Penh
The only Alberta-accredited school in Cambodia, CIS combines a Canadian curriculum with IB PYP and IB Diploma pathways and holds LabelFrancEducation status (first in Cambodia, 2019). Two campuses on Diamond Island serve roughly 1,000 students from Nursery to Grade 12…
In brief
A CIS-accredited school on Koh Pich offering both the Alberta Education curriculum and the IB Diploma, with around 1,000 students from more than 36 nationalities.
CISP is one of the small handful of Phnom Penh schools that genuinely belongs in the top tier, alongside ISPP, Northbridge and AISPP. Students can graduate with the Alberta High School Diploma, the IB Diploma, or both, and the school added IB World School authorisation in 2021. A French Bilingual Programme carries the LabelFrancEducation seal from the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the first in Cambodia. The main campus sits on Koh Pich with an early years campus at Bassac Garden.
Families pick CISP for the Canadian pathway, the strong English-medium teaching, and a community that feels genuinely international rather than dominated by one nationality. Parent voice is positive on community, head and teacher engagement, and university outcomes. Fees of roughly USD 7,700 to 24,600 sit in the upper bracket for Phnom Penh and the school can have waitlists at popular entry points.
Fees
| Fee | Age | Type | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nursery 2 (age 2) | 2 | Annual | $7,692 |
| Kindergarten 1 (age 3) | 3 | Annual | $9,445 |
| Kindergarten 2 (age 4) | 4 | Annual | $11,684 |
| Kindergarten 3 - Grade 5 (ages 5-10) | 5 | Annual | $17,526 |
| Grade 6 - Grade 8 (ages 11-13) | 11 | Annual | $21,520 |
| Grade 9 - Grade 10 (ages 14-15) | 14 | Annual | $22,394 |
| Grade 11 - Grade 12 (ages 16-18) | 16 | Annual | $24,585 |
| Application Fee | One-time | $250 | |
| Enrollment Fee | One-time | $500 |
Reviews
- Online discussion of CISP is sparse and mostly tangential, so the picture leans more on school facts than parent voices.
- Reddit references to the school cluster around r/Internationalteachers and r/cambodia, where it surfaces as a recognisable Phnom Penh employer and a frequent landmark in the city.
- One teacher comment in 2020 questioned the school's brand naming, asking whether it actually operates under a "Learning Jungle" identity, and a 2018 r/financialindependence thread cited CISP as a reasonably priced private option for expat families compared with North America.
- The neutral signals are stronger than the negative ones: students drawn from more than thirty nationalities, IB World School authorisation since 2021, and an Alberta-aligned curriculum on the main Koh Pich campus with an early-years site at Bassac Garden.
- No recurring parent complaint themes surfaced in the open sources used; parents who do post are positive but largely limited to one-line directory style endorsements.
Head of school
Ms. Leah Dushenski
Ms. Leah Dushenski is an experienced international educator who has served as the Head of School at the Canadian International School of Phnom Penh (CIS) since August 2021. Prior to this, she held a senior management role with the Government of Alberta for over a decade. She holds a Master’s degree in School Leadership and a Bachelor of Education in Elementary Education from the University of Alberta. Under her leadership, CIS has expanded its academic programs, including the International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma Programme and Primary Years Programme, and achieved top-tier accreditation status. She is also active in the international education community, presenting at recruitment symposiums.
Accreditations
- Council of International Schools 01
Academic results
- Result IB DP avg 31 points 2025