Bangalore International School Intelligence Report 2026

Comparison table

# Bangalore International School Intelligence Report 2026

Bangalore · Market Report

Bangalore's international school market is shaped by one dominant fact: the city is India's deepest concentration of technology employers, returnee NRI families and dual-passport households, and almost every premium school sits within a 30-minute drive of either Whitefield, the Outer Ring Road or the Sarjapur corridor. Demand here behaves differently from Mumbai or Delhi. Families are typically younger, often two-income, frequently relocating from Singapore, the Gulf, the Bay Area or London, and they bring specific expectations: the IB Diploma, transparent university outcomes and a campus that can absorb a child mid-cycle from a British, American or Singapore system.

That pattern has produced a layered market of 49 schools charging from INR 1.75 lakh to INR 12.7 lakh. The premium tier is dense, with five or six campuses competing on IB Diploma scores and university destinations. The mid-tier is unusually broad, reflecting a generation of CBSE and ICSE schools that bolted on Cambridge IGCSE or the IB Diploma to capture corporate families wanting optionality without the full international fee load. The result is a market with more curriculum permutations than any other Indian city.

Market overview

The 49 schools cluster into three economic bands. At the top, eight campuses publish senior-year fees above INR 8 lakh, and five of those cross INR 10 lakh. In the middle, roughly fifteen schools sit between INR 3 lakh and INR 7 lakh, typically offering Cambridge IGCSE or the IB Diploma layered onto an Indian board foundation. The remaining twenty-six schools either publish fees below INR 3 lakh or do not publish them publicly, a category that includes both budget CBSE-international hybrids and newer entrants still finding their pricing position.

Geographically, the map tilts hard east and north. Whitefield, the Outer Ring Road and Sarjapur Road between them hold the bulk of premium IB capacity, with TISB, Inventure, Indus, Oakridge, Greenwood High and Neev Academy sitting in a corridor from the Marathahalli flyover down to Sarjapur Junction. North Bangalore is the secondary cluster, anchored by Canadian International School in Yelahanka, Stonehill International on Tarahunise Road, and Mallya Aditi at Yelahanka New Town. Electronic City in the south supports Candor International and several CBSE-plus schools but has never matched the eastern corridor's density, partly because Bangalore's tech-NRI demographic skews north and east of the centre.

The fee floor matters as much as the ceiling. Several schools branded "international" charge under INR 2 lakh a year, a fee point that in Mumbai or Delhi would barely cover an Indian-board day school. That floor reflects Bangalore's deep middle-class market for English-medium aspirational schooling.

Premium tier

The International School Bangalore (TISB) sits at the centre of the premium conversation. Founded 2000, IB and Cambridge across the continuum, fees INR 5.5 lakh to INR 11 lakh, IB Diploma 2025 producing multiple 45, 44 and 43 scorers, CIS accreditation underwriting the academic claim. The Whitefield–Sarjapur Road campus doubles as a boarding option for families relocating from outside Karnataka.

Inventure Academy is the Cambridge counterweight on the same axis. Cambridge IGCSE and A Level only, fees INR 4.33 lakh to INR 10 lakh, founded 2005, well-regarded for a co-curricular programme leaning into sport, debating and the arts. Families consciously preferring A Levels with UK university intent route here first.

Indus International School Bangalore in Sarjapur charges INR 5 lakh to INR 12 lakh for the IB continuum, publishing scholarship outcomes rather than score averages, with a 2023-24 cumulative figure of USD 7.8 million in offers. Indus has a residential component and pulls heavily from outside Bangalore, including the Gulf and East Africa.

Canadian International School Bangalore (CIS) in Yelahanka is the dual-IB-and-Cambridge option in the north. Fees INR 5.11 lakh to INR 10.3 lakh, CIS and NEASC accredited, with a Canadian curriculum heritage at the lower years before students choose IB Diploma or Cambridge A Levels.

Stonehill International School, also in the north, posts the highest published top-of-band fee at INR 12.67 lakh. IB continuum, CIS and NEASC accreditation, IB DP averages of 32.2 in 2024 and 33.5 in 2023. Stonehill is more residential and more international in student mix than its north Bangalore neighbours, with enrolment of around 600.

A fifth name, Neev Academy in Yemalur, behaves like a premium school in everything except fee: INR 5.5 lakh to INR 11 lakh, NEASC accredited, IB DP 2024 average of 30 points, with an ICSE strand for families wanting continuity into an Indian board.

Mid-tier

The mid-tier is where Bangalore's market differentiates itself from peer cities. Oakridge International School Bangalore on Sarjapur Road runs the full IB continuum at INR 3.6 lakh to INR 11.8 lakh, with IB Diploma 2022 averages of 34.07 and a track record of perfect scorers. Greenwood High International School, also on Sarjapur Road, charges INR 3 lakh to INR 9.25 lakh for an IB, Cambridge and ICSE mix, unusually broad for a single campus and reflecting growth from an ICSE base into international qualifications.

Trio World Academy in Sahakar Nagar covers IB and Cambridge at INR 3 lakh to INR 8.75 lakh, drawing north-side mid-market families wanting the IB continuum without the Stonehill or Canadian International price tag. Mallya Aditi International School in Yelahanka sits at INR 6.05 lakh to INR 8.5 lakh for a Cambridge and ICSE programme, with a long reputation for academic rigour and a small enrolment that keeps it on most premium shortlists despite never moving fully to the IB Diploma.

Lower again, Candor International School in Electronic City charges INR 1.8 lakh to INR 6.45 lakh for IB and Cambridge, anchoring international provision in the south, and Ebenezer International School Bangalore offers an IB and Cambridge option at INR 3.2 lakh to INR 5.2 lakh. These campuses are the practical floor of the international tier.

Fee analysis

The published range, INR 1.75 lakh to INR 12.7 lakh, hides several breakpoints. The first sits around INR 5 lakh at Grade 12, where international curricula become continuous from primary through senior school rather than bolted onto an Indian-board base. Below that fee, families typically buy CBSE or ICSE primary with a Cambridge IGCSE option from Year 9, which constrains eventual transition to the IB Diploma.

The second breakpoint is around INR 8 lakh, above which schools begin to publish IB DP averages, university destinations and accreditation status as a matter of course. Below it, that information is often opaque or focused on board pass rates.

The top of the band, INR 10 lakh and above, is held by five schools: Stonehill, Indus, Oakridge at its highest grade, Neev and TISB. The premium over the mid-tier pays for boarding capacity, smaller senior cohorts, accreditation depth and specific facilities. Across all 49 schools, capitation, infrastructure deposits and transport are typically charged separately, and a realistic all-in figure for a premium senior year sits 25 to 35 per cent above the published tuition line.

Curriculum trends

Three patterns dominate. The first is the centrality of the IB Diploma at the senior end. The great majority of premium and upper-mid campuses run the IB DP, in most cases the full continuum from PYP through MYP. Bangalore has more IB continuum schools per capita than any other Indian metro.

The second is the durability of Cambridge IGCSE followed by A Level as a genuine alternative. Inventure Academy, Mallya Aditi and Canadian International all run credible A Level cohorts. The pathway appeals particularly to families with UK university intent, where A Level subject specialism is preferred to the IB's breadth.

The third is the CBSE or ICSE plus IB hybrid. Greenwood High, Oakridge, Trio World, Neev Academy and Treamis World School all run two or three boards on a single campus, letting parents defer the international-or-Indian decision until Grade 8 or 9. This hybrid model has been a Bangalore innovation more than a Mumbai or Delhi one.

Admissions pressure

The pressure points are corridor-specific. Whitefield and Sarjapur Road carry the heaviest demand. TISB, Inventure, Indus, Oakridge and Greenwood High all sit in this belt, and Grade 1 entry at any of them now functions on multi-year waiting lists, with sibling priority absorbing a significant share of seats. Families relocating from outside the country typically engage admissions consultants twelve to eighteen months ahead of a planned move, and placement at first preference remains uncertain.

North Bangalore is tighter than five years ago. Canadian International and Stonehill have always been selective, but Harrow International School's arrival on the airport corridor has lifted the entire northern cluster's profile. Mallya Aditi's small enrolment makes it one of the hardest schools to enter in the city.

The Outer Ring Road and Marathahalli corridor connecting the two main clusters is where relocating families often look for the compromise between premium quality and feasible commute. Neev Academy in Yemalur sits in this position and absorbs a disproportionate share of returnee NRI demand.

Electronic City and the south remain less pressured. Candor International, Ebenezer and Treamis offer genuine alternatives at lower fee points, but the absence of a flagship premium IB school in the south is a structural feature of the market.

New developments

Three trends are reshaping the field. Harrow International School has opened on the city's rural northern edge with IB DP and Cambridge IGCSE, the highest-profile brand entrant in a decade. Early to read IB outcomes, but the campus has already shifted the premium north-side conversation Canadian International and Stonehill have held since 2008.

Global Indian International School (GIIS) continues to expand its Bangalore footprint with a broad curriculum mix spanning IB PYP, IB DP, Cambridge IGCSE, CBSE and a Montessori strand, the clearest example of a chain school applying multi-board flexibility at scale.

Sharanya Narayani International School in Whitefield runs the full IB continuum and is building a name in a sub-segment historically dominated by Stonehill and TISB. Its residential component echoes the older premium model.

Across the chain segment, Oakridge, Indus and GIIS are all part of national or regional groups, placing their Bangalore campuses inside larger operational and admissions systems.

Regional context

Bangalore behaves differently from its peers. Mumbai has a smaller but more concentrated premium tier, with Dhirubhai Ambani International, Oberoi International and Aditya Birla World Academy commanding higher fee ceilings than Bangalore's top schools but fewer continuum options. Bangalore's IB continuum density, particularly PYP through DP integration, is harder to match in Mumbai.

Hyderabad is closer to Bangalore in feel, with a strong Cambridge presence and several IB campuses, but its market is roughly two-thirds the size and its premium fee ceiling sits in the INR 8 lakh to INR 10 lakh range rather than Bangalore's INR 12.7 lakh top. The Oakridge group operates in both cities and is a useful direct benchmark: the Bangalore campus charges meaningfully more at the top of the band.

Pune has a thinner international set, perhaps fifteen to twenty schools, with Symbiosis and Mercedes-Benz International as the recognised premium options. Pune's lower scale reflects its narrower NRI returnee base. Bangalore's tech-cluster demand, sustained over twenty-five years, has produced a market no other Indian city matches for depth.

Outlook

Three forces will define the next three years. Continued tech-sector hiring and NRI returns will keep premium-tier demand at structural rather than cyclical levels, particularly in Whitefield and Sarjapur Road. New campus arrivals, led by Harrow and followed by smaller IB and Cambridge entrants on the city's edges, will rebalance the north and may pull demand away from the Outer Ring Road. Fee inflation, running ahead of general Indian education inflation, will widen the gap between the top five and the upper-mid tier.

For families planning a move in 2026 or 2027, the practical implication is that shortlists need to be wider, and the corridor of residence will, in most cases, determine the realistic choice set more than any individual school's reputation.

FAQs

How many international schools does Bangalore have? The city has 49 schools that present themselves as international or that run a recognised international qualification, principally the IB Diploma or Cambridge IGCSE.

What is the fee range across Bangalore's international schools? Published Grade 12 fees span INR 1.75 lakh to INR 12.7 lakh, with the premium tier sitting above INR 8 lakh and most mid-tier schools between INR 3 lakh and INR 7 lakh.

Which schools sit at the top of the premium tier? TISB, Inventure Academy, Indus International, Canadian International, Stonehill International and Neev Academy form the most commonly shortlisted premium group, with Oakridge and Mallya Aditi often appearing alongside them.

Where is most premium capacity located? Along the Whitefield to Sarjapur Road corridor and in the Yelahanka and northern belt, mirroring the city's tech employment and senior NRI residential clusters.

Is the IB Diploma or Cambridge A Level more common? The IB Diploma is the dominant senior qualification across the premium tier, but Cambridge A Level holds a credible second position at Inventure Academy, Mallya Aditi and Canadian International, among others.

Why do so many schools run multiple boards on one campus? The CBSE or ICSE plus IB or Cambridge hybrid model lets families defer the international or Indian-board decision until middle school, which has proven popular among Bangalore's tech-cluster parents who value optionality.

How does Bangalore compare with Mumbai or Hyderabad on fees? Bangalore's top-end fees sit roughly 20 to 30 per cent below Mumbai's premium ceiling but materially above Hyderabad's, with the Oakridge group's parallel campuses offering a direct comparison.

How early should families start the admissions process? For premium-tier Grade 1 entry, twelve to eighteen months ahead of a planned move is the working assumption, with sibling priority and waitlists shaping outcomes more than test performance at that age.