Best International Schools in Taipei: The 2026 Guide for Families

Comparison table

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

The city

Taipei is manageable in a way that many Asian capitals are not. It is about 2.7 million people in the city proper, a fraction of Tokyo or Jakarta. The MRT is reliable and cheap. Taxis and ride-sharing are affordable. Traffic is a fact of life but not the all-consuming commute calculus you face in Bangkok or Jakarta.

The cost of living is reasonable for a major Asian city. Restaurant meals, utilities, and domestic help are all noticeably cheaper than in Singapore or Hong Kong. Schooling is also cheaper: families on the Taipei circuit are often pleasantly surprised by fees that sit materially below what they paid in their previous posting.

Taiwan's bureaucratic registration process has its moments, but it is not Singapore for complexity or Dubai for paperwork volume. The healthcare system is good. Most families take out supplemental insurance to access private clinics easily, but the public system functions and is not something to be feared.

Mandarin surrounds you. English is widely spoken in international areas and among younger Taiwanese, but learning some Mandarin makes daily life considerably easier. Schools vary on how much Mandarin they integrate.

The schools

Taipei American School

Taipei American School is the dominant school in the city and has been for decades. It sits in Shilin on a 15-acre campus, runs American curriculum for ages 4 to 18, and offers both the AP and IB Diploma pathways at the upper school. In 2024, 96% of AP candidates scored 3 or above and 94% of IB candidates scored 4 or above.

The school is not easy to get into. Enrolment is capped and there is a genuine waiting list, particularly at primary entry. Families on corporate packages sometimes arrive expecting a place to be available and discover otherwise. Fees for 2026-27 run TWD 956,770 to TWD 1,055,105 per year (roughly USD 29,900 to USD 33,000), plus a one-time capital fee of TWD 350,000. For families whose companies are covering costs, this is near the top of what Taipei charges. For self-funding families it is still below equivalent flagship schools in Singapore or Hong Kong.

The community is large, around 2,371 students, and leans heavily American. If your children are coming from a US system or headed to US universities, TAS is the natural first call. If you are a non-American family and the IB appeals more than AP, the school works for that too, but it will feel more American than European in culture.

Taipei European School

Taipei European School is the most internationally varied school in the city, with around 1,800 students from 50-plus nationalities spread across British, French, and German sections on two Shilin campuses. The IB average in 2024 was 37 points, which is well above the global mean of around 30, and the French Baccalaureate passed at 100%.

Families choose TES for the curriculum continuity it offers. If your child has been through the French system, or the British curriculum, or the IB from the start, TES can deliver that without a system switch. The trilingual environment, English plus the section language plus Mandarin, is a real feature for families thinking about language development over a multi-year posting.

Fees for 2026-27 run TWD 553,800 to TWD 836,000 per year (roughly USD 17,000 to USD 25,400) depending on year group and section, with a one-time registration fee of TWD 50,000. That is considerably below TAS and represents good value given the academic results.

Morrison Academy Taipei

Morrison Academy Taipei is an American-curriculum school on a purpose-built campus in Linkou, New Taipei City, opened in 2020. It serves around 923 students from Kindergarten through to Grade 12, runs AP courses from Grade 9 onwards, and is accredited by Cognia (formerly AdvancEd).

The school was founded to serve missionary families and that community remains its core, but it is open to international families more broadly. If you are a faith-oriented family looking for a school with a clear Christian ethos and an American curriculum, Morrison is the main option. The Linkou location means a longer commute from central Taipei and the Shilin cluster, but families who live in that direction find it practical. Fees for 2025-26 run TWD 592,000 to TWD 706,000 per year (roughly USD 18,500 to USD 22,000), with a one-time entrance fee of TWD 30,000.

Dominican International School Taipei

Dominican International School Taipei is one of the older international schools in the city, established in 1957. It sits in Zhongshan, more central than most, runs a modified American curriculum from PreK through Grade 12, and offers 18 AP courses. Student numbers are around 1,100.

The Catholic ethos is present but not overbearing. Families across different faith backgrounds attend. The Zhongshan location suits families living in the central or northern districts who want to avoid the Shilin traffic, and it is within easier reach of the Da'an and Xinyi residential areas. Fees for 2024-25 run TWD 354,000 to TWD 591,000 per year (roughly USD 11,000 to USD 18,500), with a one-time placement fee of TWD 25,000. That makes DIS the most affordable among the larger American schools in the city.

Kang Chiao International School

Kang Chiao International School is in Xindian, New Taipei City, outside the main Shilin cluster. It runs both the IB Diploma and AP alongside boarding, and results are solid: in 2025, 95% of AP candidates scored 3 or above across 960 exams, and the IB Diploma pass rate was 87% with a mean of 31 points. It serves around 1,100 students aged 12 to 18.

This is a school for secondary-age children. The boarding option is relevant for families on regional assignments who want their child settled in one place. The bilingual Chinese-English environment is a feature for families committed to Mandarin development. As far as we can tell, fees are not published publicly; confirm directly with the school, but based on comparable schools in the region, expect a range of roughly USD 16,000 to USD 22,000 per year.

Grace Christian Academy Taipei

Grace Christian Academy Taipei is a small Christian school in Nangang, on the eastern edge of the city, running Grades 1 through 12 for around 160 students from 30 countries. It has a tight community feel, five diplomatic families among its current enrolment, and fees that sit in the USD 15,000 to USD 18,000 range for 2025-26.

Nangang is less convenient than Shilin for most families on the international circuit, and the small size means limited subject breadth at the upper school level. But for families specifically seeking a small-community Christian school, there is not much else in Taipei that fills that gap. Families who've been here a few years say the pastoral care is a genuine strength.

Smaller and specialist options

A few other schools are worth a mention for specific circumstances.

Taipei Adventist American School is a very small Seventh-day Adventist school in the Yangmingshan hills in Shilin, covering Grades 1 to 8 for around 120 students. The setting is striking. If Adventist values are central to your family, it is the only school of its kind in the city. Fees for 2025-26 run TWD 472,000 to TWD 520,000 per year (roughly USD 14,700 to USD 17,000).

The Primacy Collegiate Academy is a small Christian high school near Shilin MRT, Cognia-accredited, covering Grades 9 to 12 only. It exists for families arriving with teenagers who need a short-term or transitional American curriculum placement. It is not a full K-12 school.

VIS Experimental High School sits near National Taiwan University in central Taipei, runs American and Canadian curricula for around 400 secondary students, and takes a project-based learning approach. Fees for 2025-26 are around TWD 530,450 per year (roughly USD 16,500). It is a good option for families in the Da'an area who want a more central, less commute-heavy choice for their secondary-age children.

For French families only: Lycée International Français de Taipei is a small AEFE-partnered school in Xinyi running from CP to 4ème. It is trilingual, non-profit, and founded by the French-speaking community. Fees for 2024-25 run TWD 378,900 to TWD 440,100 per year (roughly USD 11,800 to USD 13,800).

Where people live

Tianmu and Shilin

This is where most international families end up, and for practical reasons. Both TAS and TES are in Shilin. Tianmu, which borders Shilin to the north-east, has the highest density of international families in the city, along with English-friendly shops, restaurants, and services. It is not the most Taipei-feeling neighbourhood, which is either a comfort or a drawback depending on what you want from the posting.

The Tianmu MRT line (Danshui-Xinyi) connects to central Taipei in around 20 minutes. Rent for a three-bedroom apartment runs roughly TWD 50,000 to TWD 90,000 per month (around USD 1,550 to USD 2,800), lower than comparable areas in Hong Kong or Singapore by some distance. Houses with gardens exist and are significantly more affordable than you might expect given the school clusters nearby.

Da'an and Xinyi

If you want to live in central Taipei proper, Da'an and Xinyi are the main options. These are affluent, walkable districts with good restaurant and leisure options. They are more representative of city life in Taiwan and less of an enclave. The trade-off is the commute to Shilin for the main international schools: the MRT route takes 30 to 40 minutes from Da'an, which is manageable but not nothing.

DIS in Zhongshan is more accessible from these areas, and VIS near NTU is directly relevant if you have secondary-age children. For families with children at TAS or TES who want the city experience rather than the Tianmu village, the MRT commute is the answer most families land on.

Nangang and the east

Nangang has developed significantly in recent years with tech company campuses and new residential towers. It is not the traditional international family area but it is practical if you are working on the eastern side of the city. Grace Christian Academy is here. Transport links to central Taipei and Xinyi are good by metro.

Linkou (New Taipei City)

Linkou is outside Taipei city itself, to the north-west. It is more suburban in character and significantly cheaper on rent. It makes sense primarily for families at Morrison Academy, which is based there. For others, the distance from central Taipei and the Shilin schools makes it a less natural base.

Practical notes

ARC and registration: You will need an Alien Resident Certificate (ARC) once you have a work permit or residence basis sorted. The school will likely need this for enrolment admin. Start the process early; it takes several weeks.

Healthcare: Taiwan's National Health Insurance covers residents and is one of the best-value health systems in Asia. Most international families are eligible to enrol. Supplemental private insurance is worth having for private clinic access and international coverage, but the public system is genuinely good and not something to avoid.

Cost of living: A family of four in Tianmu or Shilin, running a car, with private health insurance and eating out regularly, should budget around TWD 120,000 to TWD 180,000 per month (roughly USD 3,700 to USD 5,600) before school fees. Groceries and utilities are cheap. Eating out in local restaurants costs a fraction of equivalent restaurants in Singapore or Hong Kong.

Language: English is widely spoken in the international school cluster, in international-facing businesses, and among younger Taiwanese, but daily administrative life runs in Mandarin. This includes government offices, local schools' admin (even if you do not need it), markets, and most taxis beyond the main tourist areas. A basic level of Mandarin makes life meaningfully easier.

Mandarin in schools: The international schools vary significantly in how much Mandarin they integrate. TES builds it structurally into the curriculum. TAS teaches it but the environment is predominantly English. If Mandarin development is a priority, ask specifically about teaching hours, ability groupings, and how much the school uses it outside the classroom.

Our methodology

This ranking reflects our editorial assessment of the schools most internationally-mobile families moving to Taipei will be considering. We weighted academic outcomes where published (IB scores, AP results), accreditation and reputation, community feedback from families on the Taipei circuit, and the practicality of each school given where international families tend to live. We have not independently verified all fee data; some figures come from official school communications and some from published schedules, and fees change annually. We have not been able to access all schools' internal admissions data or most recent inspection reports. Schools without profiles in our directory are still included where they belong in the ranking.

FAQs

Which Taipei international school has the best results? Taipei European School's IB Diploma average of 37 in 2024 is the highest published score among the main international schools, well above the global mean. Taipei American School reported 96% of AP candidates scoring 3 or above and 94% of IB candidates scoring 4 or above in 2024. Both schools have strong academic records, but they serve different communities and curriculum systems.

How hard is it to get into Taipei American School? It is the most competitive school in the city. There is a genuine waiting list at most year groups, and corporate relocation packages do not guarantee places. If TAS is your first choice, contact admissions before you accept the job offer, not after you arrive. TES, Morrison, and Dominican are generally more accessible.

Do I need to live in Shilin to get my child into TAS or TES? No. Both schools run bus services covering a wide area of the city. Many families live in Da'an or Xinyi and manage the commute by bus or MRT. Living in Tianmu or Shilin reduces the school run to a few minutes, which some families value highly, but it is not a requirement for admission.

Are there IB schools in Taipei outside of TAS and TES? Yes. Kang Chiao International School in Xindian offers the IB Diploma alongside AP, with solid results (87% pass, mean 31 points in 2025). Taipei Kuei Shan School in Beitou also offers the IB Continuum. If you are specifically looking for full IB from primary through secondary, TES offers the complete programme.

What is a realistic budget for international school fees in Taipei? The mid-range sits between USD 15,000 and USD 22,000 per year. Dominican is the most affordable of the mainstream American schools at USD 11,000 to USD 18,500. TAS is at the top at USD 29,900 to USD 33,000. Most families will find fees in Taipei noticeably lower than in Singapore, Hong Kong, or Shanghai.

Fees correct as of January 2026. Exchange rate used: approximately USD 1 = TWD 32 (indicative, January 2026). 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.