Best International Schools in Bali: The 2026 Guide for Families

Comparison table

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

The island

Bali is not a typical international posting. The corporate expat population is small. The bulk of foreign families with school-age children are here because they chose Bali, not because an employer sent them. That includes remote workers, founders, creative-industry families, lifestyle movers, and a long-standing residential community in Ubud and Sanur. The schools reflect this: smaller cohorts, more international mixing, less of the diplomatic-and-banking feel you get in larger Asian capitals.

Geography matters more here than in most cities. The island is not large but the road network is slow and unpredictable. A school in Sanur is 45 minutes from Canggu in light traffic and well over an hour at the wrong time of day. Ubud to the south coast is similar. In practice, families pick a school first and then live within fifteen to twenty minutes of it. Cross-island school runs do happen but they wear thin within a term.

English is widely spoken in the tourist and expat areas. Bahasa Indonesia is not strictly necessary for day-to-day life in Canggu or Sanur, but it is useful for staff, household help, healthcare admin, and anything that touches officialdom. A few months of lessons go a long way.

Visas and residency are a separate exercise from the school search and worth handling early. Most foreign families operate on either an investor or retirement KITAS, a remote worker visa, or a sponsored work permit. Schools will ask for your status during admissions but do not arrange it for you.

The schools

Bali Island School

Bali Island School is the only school on the island offering the full IB continuum (PYP, MYP and Diploma) and the closest thing Bali has to a traditional international school. Founded in 1986, located in Sanur, it has CIS and WASC accreditation and around 400 students. If your child is already in the IB system, or you want IB Diploma continuity through to university applications, this is the natural starting point.

Annual fees for 2026/27 run from approximately IDR 77 million for half-day preschool to IDR 330 million for Grades 11-12 (around USD 5,000 to USD 21,000). Capital and registration fees are additional. Sanur location pulls families towards the south-east of the island.

Canggu Community School

Canggu Community School is the British curriculum school families in Canggu shortlist first. Founded in 2011, it runs from Early Years through Year 13, with Cambridge IGCSEs in upper secondary and the IB Diploma at sixth form. Around 430 students. It is the school most aligned with the Canggu lifestyle community and most of its families live within ten minutes of the campus.

Fees for 2026/27 range from IDR 117 million (Early Years) to IDR 272 million (IB Diploma Years 12-13), broadly USD 7,000 to USD 17,000. There is also a one-off enrolment fee.

Green School Bali

Green School Bali is the school most associated with Bali in the wider world. Open-air bamboo campus near Ubud, founded 2008, project-based curriculum leading to a US High School Diploma, WASC accredited. Around 500 students. The model is unconventional: outdoor learning, sustainability woven through everything, a strong community of mission-aligned families. It is not for every child or every family, but for those who want it, there is nothing else like it.

Fees for 2025/26 run from IDR 178 million (Early Years) to IDR 319 million (Grades 11-12), roughly USD 11,000 to USD 20,000, with a one-time admission fee around IDR 40 million. University placement is broad rather than concentrated at any single tier, and parents should look at outcomes as part of the decision rather than assume a conventional pathway.

Australian Independent School Bali

Australian Independent School Bali has been running since 1996 and is the established Australian-curriculum option. It teaches the Australian Curriculum from Early Years to Year 10, then offers the IB Diploma in Years 11-12. Inclusive admissions ethos, around 320 students, accredited by CIS and AISA and an IB World School. Located in Sanur, with a separate Denpasar campus historically used for some year groups.

Fees for 2026 range from IDR 76 million (Early Years 3) to IDR 191 million (Year 11-12), around USD 5,000 to USD 12,000, plus a capital levy. Useful for Australian families who want curriculum continuity, and competitively priced compared with the British and project-based options.

Dyatmika School

Dyatmika School is a not-for-profit bilingual school founded by parents over twenty-five years ago. Around 1,000 students, the largest of the schools commonly shortlisted by international families, on a campus near Sanur with views across rice fields to the Indian Ocean. Dual-language English and Indonesian, Cambridge IGCSE and A Levels at upper secondary. IGCSE outcomes have been above the global benchmark in recent years.

Fees for 2025/26 are notably low: IDR 48 million (Kindergarten 1) to IDR 147 million (Grades 10-12), around USD 3,000 to USD 9,000. Parents who want their child to come out of school genuinely bilingual, and who are committed to staying in Bali for the long run, often end up here.

Lycee Francais de Bali

Lycee Francais de Bali is the only French school on the island. Established in 1991, AEFE-affiliated, around 400 students from 25-plus nationalities, located in Kerobokan. Trilingual model (French, Indonesian, English) from age 2 through to the French Baccalaureate. Cambridge IGCSE is also available alongside the French track. Pass rate at the Baccalaureate has averaged 95% over the last decade.

Fees for 2026/27 run from IDR 58.9 million (TPS, age 2) to IDR 156.9 million (upper secondary), around USD 3,700 to USD 9,800. The natural choice for French-speaking families and a credible bilingual option for others.

Sunrise School Bali

Sunrise School Bali is a parent-founded non-profit operating since 2000 in Kerobokan. Strong values-based ethos, IEYC and IPC curriculum frameworks alongside the Indonesian Kurikulum Merdeka. Around 250 students, ages 18 months to 14. Junior High (Years 7-9, IMYC) was reintroduced in 2024/25. The school does not currently extend through to upper secondary, which matters if you have a child approaching age 14.

Fees for 2025 range from IDR 65.7 million (Nursery) to IDR 132.2 million (Grade 7-8), around USD 4,000 to USD 8,000.

The British School of Bali

The British School of Bali opened in September 2025 at Onyx Park Resort in Tegallalang, in the Ubud district. It is part of an established international school group and runs the English National Curriculum for ages 2-11, with Year 7 opening in September 2026. Small founding cohort of under 200, class sizes capped at 20.

Annual fees run from approximately IDR 120 million to IDR 165 million. Founding-year entry is typically the easiest time to secure a place at a new school, and relevant if you are looking for British-curriculum primary near Ubud.

Gandhi Memorial Intercontinental School Bali

Gandhi Memorial Intercontinental School Bali is an IB World School in Renon, Denpasar, running since 2007. It offers the full IB continuum (PYP, MYP, Diploma) plus Cambridge IGCSE in Grades 9-10. Around 500 students from 30-plus nationalities. The Denpasar location places it closer to Sanur families than Canggu or Ubud ones.

Annual fees for 2026/27 are IDR 76 million (Preschool/KG) to IDR 177 million (Grade 11-12), around USD 5,000 to USD 11,000.

ProEd Global School

ProEd Global School is a Cambridge-accredited British school with two campuses, one in Umalas (close to the Canggu/Seminyak overlap) and a newer site in Tabanan at the Nuanu development. Ages 3-19, IGCSE and A Levels at the top end. Around 350 students. Useful as a British-curriculum alternative to Canggu Community School, particularly for families based around Umalas or further west.

Fees for 2025/26 are IDR 88 million (Nursery) to IDR 193 million (Years 9-13), around USD 5,500 to USD 12,100, with annual levies of IDR 32-34.5 million on top.

Pelangi School

Pelangi School is a non-profit, parent-founded school in Banjar Kumbuh, Mas, just south of Ubud. Around 200 students, ages 2-14. Uses the IEYC and IPC frameworks alongside the Indonesian National Curriculum. Genuinely small-school feel and a strong fit for families who want something less commercial than the larger international schools.

Fees for 2025/26 run from IDR 45 million (Tiny Tots half-day) to IDR 116.7 million (Middle Year 8), around USD 2,800 to USD 7,300.

Curriculum and fees at a glance

Fees are tuition only. Capital fees, registration fees, transport and exam fees are additional. Currency conversion uses an indicative rate of around IDR 16,000 per USD 1.

Where people live

Bali's school families cluster in four distinct areas, and the geography is the single biggest practical factor in your decision. Pick the school first, then the neighbourhood.

Canggu (Berawa, Pererenan, Tibubeneng)

The current centre of gravity for younger international families, particularly remote workers and digital nomads. Surf, cafes, co-working, fitness studios. Canggu Community School and ProEd's Umalas campus pull most of the school traffic here. Rentals run a wide range: a three-to-four-bedroom modern villa with pool typically costs USD 2,500 to USD 6,000 a month long-let, with prime Berawa addresses higher. Traffic on the main roads is now consistently slow at peak times.

Ubud and the south Ubud belt (Mas, Tegallalang)

Quieter, greener, more residential. The community feel is strong. Green School Bali, The British School of Bali and Pelangi School all sit in or just south of Ubud. Ubud itself can be busy with tourists in season, but the residential lanes off the main roads are calm. Long-let villa rentals run from around USD 1,800 to USD 4,500 a month for a family-size property, often less than the equivalent in Canggu.

Sanur and east Denpasar

Sanur is the most established residential area for families on the island. Lower-key than Canggu, beachfront-and-bicycles feel, with Bali Island School, Australian Independent School Bali, and Gandhi Memorial all within a 15 to 25 minute radius. Dyatmika is also broadly in this zone. Long-term residents and families with older children tend to gravitate here. Long-let villas typically run USD 2,000 to USD 4,500 a month for three to four bedrooms.

Seminyak, Kerobokan, Umalas

The corridor between Canggu and Seminyak has long been a base for families with mid to upper budgets. Lycee Francais de Bali and Sunrise School are here, and ProEd's Umalas campus is on the edge of it. More built-up than Canggu and busier than Sanur. Long-let villas run USD 2,500 to USD 6,000 a month for family-sized homes, with Umalas slightly cheaper than central Seminyak.

On the commute question

Cross-island school runs are the thing families consistently underestimate. Sanur to Canggu is feasible only with a school bus or a very early start. Ubud to the south coast is similarly tough. Most schools run a bus service that covers a defined catchment, and that bus radius is the practical answer to where you can live. If a school does not run a bus to where you want to live, treat that as a deal-breaker.

Practical notes

Visas and residency: KITAS (limited stay permit) is the standard route for foreign families. Investor, retirement, work-sponsored, and the newer remote worker categories all exist. Schools will ask about your status during admissions but do not facilitate the visa process. Use a reputable agent.

Healthcare: BIMC and Siloam in Kuta and Denpasar are the main private hospitals families use. Most international families have private insurance with international evacuation cover, which matters because complex care typically means a flight to Singapore. Routine GP and dental services are widely available across Canggu, Sanur and Ubud.

Cost of living: A family of four on a comfortable but not extravagant footing can live well on USD 4,000 to USD 7,000 a month before school fees. That covers a long-let family villa, a car or scooters, household help, eating out regularly, and private health insurance. Families wanting a higher-end villa, full-time staff, and frequent travel can spend two to three times that.

Transport: Cars and scooters dominate. Most families have at least one car for the school run and weather; scooters for short hops. Ride-hailing apps (Gojek, Grab) work well in the southern beach areas and Ubud. Public transport in any meaningful sense does not exist.

Connectivity: Fibre is generally good in Canggu, Sanur, Seminyak and core Ubud. Outlying villas can be patchy. If remote work is the reason you are here, check connectivity before signing a long lease.

FAQs

Which school should I look at first if my child is already in the IB system? Bali Island School in Sanur is the only full IB continuum on the island. Canggu Community School offers the IB Diploma at sixth form alongside the British curriculum lower down. Australian Independent School Bali and Gandhi Memorial also offer the IB Diploma. If you want continuity end-to-end, Bali Island School is the obvious first call.

How early should I apply? Popular entry points at the most established schools (Early Years, Year 7, and Grade 11 IB entry) can fill up, particularly at Bali Island School, Canggu Community School and Green School. Contacting schools four to six months before your intended start date is sensible, and earlier is better. Availability varies year to year and is worth checking with each school directly rather than assuming.

Is Bali a viable place for a teenager arriving at 16? For IB Diploma entry at Year 12, Bali Island School, Canggu Community School and Australian Independent School Bali are the credible options. Dyatmika offers Cambridge A Levels, ProEd Global School the same. None of these are large schools by international standards, so the sixth form social environment is closer to a tight cohort than a big-city school. That suits some teenagers very well and others less so. Visiting in person before committing is worthwhile.

Are there cheaper credible options? Yes. Dyatmika, Pelangi, Sunrise, the Lycee Francais and Australian Independent School Bali all sit at the lower end of the fee range and are well established. Dyatmika and Pelangi in particular offer strong value if a bilingual or Indonesian-curriculum-influenced education suits your family.

Do I need to live near the school? Effectively yes. Bali's road network does not support cross-island school runs as a sustainable arrangement. Most schools run buses with a defined catchment, and that catchment is in practice your housing search area. Pick the school first.

What about new schools opening? The British School of Bali opened in 2025 in the Ubud district and is adding Year 7 in September 2026. ProEd has expanded onto the Nuanu development in Tabanan. Bali's market does grow, but more slowly and at smaller scale than Bangkok or Dubai. Check directly with any new school for current year groups and capacity.

Fees correct as of May 2026. Exchange rate: approximately IDR 16,000 per USD 1 (2 May 2026, indicative for fee comparisons in text). 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, 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.