Best International Schools in Amman: The 2026 Guide for Families

Comparison table

Fees converted to USD at indicative 2026 rates. Verify current figures with each school.

The city

Amman is Jordan's capital and by far its largest city, sitting in a series of hills in the north-west of the country. It is one of the easier postings in the wider region. The climate is dry, summers are hot but the elevation keeps it more bearable than the Gulf, and winters are cool with the occasional snowfall. Daily life is relaxed by Middle East standards, the food is excellent, and the security situation in the city itself has been steady for decades.

The international community is real but compact. The mix is heavy on diplomacy, NGOs, UN agencies, regional banking and consultancy. There is a long-established Jordanian-Palestinian elite that overlaps with the international school community. Most of the daily friction points (banking, healthcare, schools) work in English at the international-facing end. Outside that, Arabic helps. A few months of Levantine Arabic when you arrive will pay off, but you can manage in English in West Amman if you have to.

Amman is meaningfully cheaper than Dubai or Doha. Family budgets stretch further on rent, eating out and private services. The flip side is that imported goods are expensive and the choices are narrower. Healthcare is good and a major regional draw in its own right. Air travel out of Queen Alia is straightforward, with direct connections across the region and to Europe.

The schools

Amman Baccalaureate School

Amman Baccalaureate School is Jordan's oldest IB World School and the school most established expat and Jordanian families ask about first. It opened in the late 1980s on Al Hijaz Street in the Dabouq hills and serves around 1,175 students from KG to Grade 12. The school is bilingual Arabic-English and runs the full IB continuum (PYP, MYP, Diploma). It is a non-profit, which matters in a market where several other schools are owner-operated.

Fees run roughly USD 10,000 to USD 24,000 per year (JOD 7,252 to JOD 16,913). University destinations historically include the strong UK and US universities and the leading regional institutions. The school is a natural first stop for families who want a serious bilingual environment, the IB Diploma, and a long institutional track record.

The default first-stop on a serious IB shortlist in Amman, particularly for families who value the Arabic-English bilingual route.

Amman Academy

Amman Academy is a Nord Anglia IB World School in Khalda, serving around 1,200 students from Pre-KG to Grade 12. The school reported an IB Diploma average of 41.6 in 2025, which placed it among the top schools globally for the year, with 79% of students scoring 40 points or above. That is a meaningful outcome and the headline reason the school sits high on most academically focused shortlists.

Fees run roughly USD 6,000 to USD 17,000 per year (JOD 4,165 to JOD 12,913). For Nord Anglia, that is at the lower end of the network's global pricing and well below the Dubai and Hong Kong sister schools. The combination of strong recent results, the network's resources and Khalda's residential convenience makes this one of the most asked-about schools in the city. Verify the most recent results in person; one strong cohort does not always repeat.

American Community School Amman

American Community School Amman is the city's main American-curriculum school, founded in 1955 and accredited by the Middle States Association. It is independent and non-profit. Around 807 students attend Pre-K to Grade 12 on a 9-acre campus in Deir Ghbar in West Amman, the established embassy and diplomatic district.

Fees for 2025-26 run from roughly USD 9,915 to USD 27,450, with a one-time USD 12,000 capital fee on enrolment. That puts ACS at the top of the American-curriculum market in Amman and roughly comparable with the upper end of the IB schools. It is the natural choice for US families, embassy-linked households and families targeting US universities. Advanced Placement courses are available in the high school. The community is recognisably American with a long institutional memory.

Mashrek International School

Mashrek International School was the first fully authorised IB World School in Jordan, established in 1992 in Dabouq by Bassam Malhas and Dr Hana Al Nasser Malhas. It runs the bilingual English-Arabic IB continuum (PYP, MYP, Diploma) for around 1,500 students from 26-plus nationalities, accredited by CIS.

Fees for 2025-26 run roughly USD 6,000 to USD 14,000 per year (JOD 4,047 to JOD 10,052), which sits below ABS and ACS. Mashrek is worth a serious look if ABS does not have availability or if the family wants the bilingual IB route at a lower fee point. The school has a long history and a settled identity, and the IB Diploma stream is well established.

The International Academy - Amman

The International Academy - Amman is an IB World School founded in 2004 on Tla'a Al-Ali Street, serving around 1,200 students from Pre-K to Grade 12 across 25-plus nationalities. The school reports an IB Diploma average around 35, comfortably above the global mean of 30.5 and a credible result in this market.

Fees run roughly USD 5,000 to USD 22,000 per year (JOD 3,850 for KG1 to JOD 15,928 for IB Diploma years), with a one-time registration fee of JOD 1,200. The mix of nationalities, the IB continuum and the location in Tla'a Al-Ali (close to Khalda and the western residential corridor) make it the most internationally feeling school in this fee bracket. A natural alternative if Amman Academy or ABS is full.

International Community School Amman

International Community School Amman is the established British-curriculum school in the city, founded in 1953 on a purpose-built 11-acre campus in Na'our, about 15 minutes south of the embassy district. Around 700 students from 60-plus nationalities attend Early Years through Year 13, with IGCSE, A-Level and BTEC pathways. The British Schools Overseas inspection rated the school "Good with Outstanding Features", and it holds COBIS and CIS accreditation.

Fees run roughly USD 11,000 to USD 27,000 per year (JOD 7,560 for Early Years to JOD 19,216 for Sixth Form). For British-curriculum families this is the obvious choice. Na'our is further from the central West Amman residential cluster than the Dabouq or Khalda schools, so the commute is the main thing to think about. The school runs a bus service across the city.

King's Academy

King's Academy is Jordan's only co-educational boarding school, founded by HM King Abdullah II on a 144-acre campus in Manja, Madaba, about 30 minutes south of Amman. It runs Grades 7 to 12 with an Advanced Placement curriculum and serves around 500 students from 38-plus nationalities. Day and boarding places are both available. The school awarded around USD 5.3 million in need-based financial aid in 2025-26, and roughly 40% of students receive aid, which is unusual and a real institutional commitment.

Fees run roughly USD 27,000 to USD 53,000 per year (JOD 18,860 for Middle School day to JOD 37,750 for Upper School boarding). That is the top of the Amman market by some distance and reflects the boarding model and the campus build. King's is the right answer for families who want a boarding option in the region for older children, or for academically strong students looking at competitive US universities.

Lycee Francais International d'Amman

Lycee Francais International d'Amman is Amman's only French-curriculum school, part of the AEFE network and approved by the French Ministry of Education. It serves 620-plus students from age 2 to 18 across two campuses, with primary in Deir Ghbar and secondary at Al-Yadudeh on the Airport Road. The school offers the DNB, EAB and French Baccalaureate, and reported a 100% pass rate at Bac with 86% achieving distinctions in 2025.

Fees for 2026-27 run roughly USD 7,000 to USD 11,000 per year (JOD 4,890 for primary to JOD 7,763 for high school), which is well below the leading IB and American schools. For French-speaking families this is the only credible option in the city, and the academic outcomes hold up.

Other schools

A handful of other schools complete the picture. Modern Montessori School in Khalda runs the IB continuum with a Montessori early years and is now part of Inspired Education, with around 1,650 students. International School of Choueifat - Amman in Wadi Essir is a SABIS network school with around 2,500 students and one of the most searched names in the city; the SABIS pedagogy is structured and not for every family. New English School in Khalda runs a British and American dual-curriculum and has been operating since 1986. Modern American School on the Airport Road runs an American programme with an IB Diploma option.

For Jordanian and Arab-international families, Ahliyyah & Mutran School (founded 1926) is a historic IB continuum school combining the Ahliyyah School for Girls in Jabal Amman and the Bishop's School for Boys in Abdoun. National Orthodox School in Shmeisani runs British, IB Diploma and Jordanian Tawjihi tracks at the lower end of the fee scale. Cambridge High School Amman in Al-Rabiya is a smaller British and IB option in West Amman.

Where people live

Amman's residential geography for international families is concentrated in West Amman: a band of hilly western suburbs that stretches from Abdoun in the centre out through Deir Ghbar, Sweifieh, Dabouq, Khalda and Tla'a Al-Ali. This is also where the schools are. The decision is less about which area than about which streets within these areas, and the school commute does most of the steering.

Abdoun and Deir Ghbar

Abdoun is the established embassy district and the prestige central address in West Amman. Deir Ghbar sits immediately to the west and has a similar feel: detached villas, gated developments and apartment buildings in modern blocks. ACS, the Lycee primary campus and Ahliyyah & Mutran (Bishop's) are all here or within easy reach. A three or four-bedroom apartment in a good building runs roughly USD 1,500 to USD 3,500 per month. Detached family villas are higher.

If your school is ACS or the Lycee primary, this is the natural base.

Dabouq

Dabouq sits in the hills west of Abdoun and is the residential heart of the families on the largest packages. ABS and Mashrek are both in Dabouq. The neighbourhood is quieter and more spread out than Abdoun, with detached villas behind walls being more common than apartments. Rents at the top end can match or exceed Abdoun.

If ABS or Mashrek is the first-choice school, Dabouq is the obvious place to look. Daily traffic into central Amman from Dabouq during school start and finish is real but predictable.

Khalda and Tla'a Al-Ali

Khalda is the residential cluster around Amman Academy, Modern Montessori and New English School, with Tla'a Al-Ali (where the International Academy sits) immediately to the north-east. The mix is mainly newer apartment blocks and some detached villas, with more retail and walkability than Dabouq. A three-bedroom apartment runs roughly USD 1,200 to USD 2,500 per month.

This is the sensible base for families with children at Amman Academy, the International Academy or Modern Montessori, and it tends to work out a touch cheaper than Dabouq for equivalent space.

Sweifieh and Um Uthaina

Sweifieh sits between Abdoun and Khalda and is the most retail-heavy of the western residential areas, with the major mall, restaurants and supermarkets. Um Uthaina is immediately north and quieter. Both work well as a central base if you want a shorter commute into Amman's commercial heart and the school is one of the Khalda or Dabouq names. Rents are similar to or slightly below Khalda.

A note on commuting

Cross-city commutes within West Amman (Abdoun to Khalda, Dabouq to Tla'a Al-Ali) typically take 15 to 30 minutes outside peak hours and can stretch in the morning rush. Commutes to ICS in Na'our and to King's Academy in Madaba are longer (30 to 45 minutes from West Amman) and most families with children at those schools either live closer or rely on the school bus. Schools run bus services across West Amman, which takes the daily commute off the table for the children even if the parent commute is longer.

Practical notes

Setting up: Most international families move on an employer-sponsored work permit. The Civil Status card and the residency permit (Iqama) are the documents that everything else flows from: bank account, healthcare paperwork, school enrolment. Bring apostilled qualifications and birth certificates with you. Expect a few weeks of paperwork rather than a few days.

Healthcare: Private hospitals are widely used by international families. Istishari, the King Hussein Medical Center, Jordan Hospital and Al-Khalidi are the names that come up most often, and Amman is a regional hub for medical tourism in its own right. Most employer packages include private health insurance, and out-of-pocket costs at private clinics are reasonable by international standards. Specialist procedures rarely need to be referred outside the country.

Cost of living: A family of four in a good apartment in West Amman, running one or two cars and eating out a couple of times a week, should budget around USD 3,500 to USD 5,500 per month before school fees. That is significantly less than Dubai or Doha and well below Singapore. Eating and drinking out is reasonably priced. Imported goods, alcohol and cars are more expensive than you might expect, partly because of import duties.

Transport: A car is more or less essential. Public transport in Amman is limited and most international families drive or rely on Uber and Careem, both of which are cheap and plentiful. School bus services cover West Amman for all the leading schools. Driving in Amman is busy but not hostile, and the road network through the western hills is reasonable.

Language: Arabic is the working language of business and government, although English is widely spoken at the international-facing end (schools, major hospitals, embassies, the upmarket restaurants and shops in West Amman). A few months of Levantine Arabic when you arrive is one of the highest-return investments for daily life. Most international schools offer Arabic on the timetable, and several of the strongest local-international schools are bilingual Arabic-English.

Climate and air: Summers are hot but dry, winters are cool with occasional snow that can shut the city down for a day or two. Air quality is broadly good by regional standards, well above Cairo or Riyadh and not in the same league of concern as Almaty or Delhi. Schools take dust storms seriously when they happen and adjust outdoor activities.

Methodology

This is an editorial ranking, not a database query. We weighted the schools by academic outcomes where they are published (IB Diploma averages, A-Level and AP results, university destinations), accreditation and inspection evidence (CIS, COBIS, BSO, MSA, IB authorisation), parent feedback we have collected directly, and operational signals like head tenure, faculty international mix, campus quality and how long the school has been running. We then asked what we would tell a friend moving to Amman, and that is the order above.

We have not included every fee-charging school in Amman. The market includes a large number of bilingual and Arabic-medium private schools that are good schools but unlikely to be on a relocating expat family's shortlist. Where a school we have not ranked is mentioned briefly under "Other schools", that reflects an editorial judgement that the school exists but is not a first-choice option for most international families. We have also not visited every school in person in 2026, and where we have relied on published information we have said so. Schools change. Treat this article as a starting point for a shortlist, not a substitute for visiting.

FAQs

Which Amman international schools have the best academic outcomes? Amman Academy reported an IB Diploma average of 41.6 in 2025, with 79% of students scoring 40 points or above, which is a strong result by any measure. Amman Baccalaureate School and Mashrek International School are the longer-established IB names and produce credible Diploma outcomes year on year. American Community School Amman is the leading American-curriculum school and reports university destinations across the strong US universities. Verify the most recent results in person; published data across the market is patchy.

Is there a good American school in Amman? American Community School Amman is the established option, founded in 1955 and accredited by the Middle States Association. It runs the US system Pre-K through Grade 12 with Advanced Placement courses, sits on a 9-acre campus in Deir Ghbar, and is the natural choice for US families and embassy-linked households. Modern American School on the Airport Road is the second American option, with an IB Diploma stream alongside the American programme, and runs at a lower fee point.

Is there a good British school in Amman? International Community School Amman is the established British-curriculum school, with BSO inspection ratings of "Good with Outstanding Features" and COBIS and CIS accreditation. It runs Early Years through Year 13 with IGCSE, A-Level and BTEC pathways. New English School in Khalda runs a British and American dual-curriculum at lower fees. Cambridge High School Amman in Al-Rabiya is a smaller alternative.

Do I need to live near the school? It is the easier choice. Most West Amman cross-city commutes are 15 to 30 minutes outside peak hours, but the school run in the morning rush can extend that. Schools run bus services across West Amman, so the daily commute is off the table for children even if the parent commute is longer. ICS in Na'our and King's Academy in Madaba are further out and the bus service or living closer matter more for those.

How early should I apply? Popular entry years at the leading schools (Pre-KG, KG, Grade 6 and Grade 11) can fill up. Contacting admissions four to six months before your intended start date is sensible, and earlier if you are arriving for the August or September start of the academic year. Treat any waiting-list information you read on third-party sites as indicative rather than current and confirm directly with the admissions office.

Are there cheaper international schools in Amman that still lead to recognised qualifications? Yes. The International Academy - Amman, Mashrek International School and Modern Montessori School all run the IB Diploma at fees materially below ABS and ACS. Lycee Francais International d'Amman is well below the leading English-medium schools for French-speaking families. Ahliyyah & Mutran School and National Orthodox School are at the lower end of the fee scale and the qualifications at exit (IB Diploma, IGCSE, A-Level) are the same internationally recognised credentials.

Fees correct as of May 2026. Figures shown are USD equivalents based on fee ranges published by each school in Jordanian dinar (JOD). Exchange rates fluctuate. We work hard to make every figure, date and description on this page accurate. We don't always get it right. If you spot an error, a fee that's changed, a fact that's out of date, or something we've got wrong, please tell us. Use the feedback button above or email us directly. We'll check it and update the article.