Notes / Bangalore
Best Primary Schools in Bangalore
Bangalore primary schools with the strongest IB PYP or Cambridge Primary spine, ranked. Top tier, mid-tier, fees in INR, and the tech-corridor map.
The brief
- Best premium PYP-to-DP continuum: Stonehill at Tarahunise. All four IB programmes from age 3, CIS and NEASC accredited.
- Strongest results-led primary feeder: TISB. IB PYP into Cambridge middle years, feeding the strongest published 2025 DP cohort.
- Best Cambridge Primary, no IB pivot: Inventure Academy. #1 All India Co-ed Day School, EducationWorld 2024-25.
- Best value mid-tier: Oakridge on Sarjapur Road. Age 2.5 entry into IB PYP from INR 3,60,000.
- Most important context: the framework label tells you little. PYP and Cambridge Primary execution varies sharply between schools. Visit, watch a classroom, ask who leads the early years.
Bangalore primary sits on the city's tech corridor. Whitefield, Sarjapur Road and the villages between them carry most of the international tier; Yelahanka and Tarahunise carry the rest. Almost every shortlist is a commute conversation before it is a curriculum conversation.
IB PYP (ages 3 to 12) is the most widely authorised framework; Cambridge Primary (ages 5 to 11) is the British-anchored alternative. Several schools run both in parallel, sometimes with a CBSE or ICSE stream alongside. EYFS as a badged programme is rare.
Top-tier primary entry runs INR 3,60,000 to 5,80,000, climbing past INR 10 lakh by senior years. Mid-tier credible schools sit at INR 1,80,000 to 3,00,000.
The top tier
Three schools sit clearly above the rest on campus, faculty, accreditation and feeder logic into a strong senior school.
Stonehill International School
Stonehill at Tarahunise is the only Bangalore school authorised for all four IB programmes: PYP, MYP, DP and CP. Founded 2008, around 600 students, head Dr Brian Brumsickle. CIS and NEASC accreditation, the strongest pairing in the city. Fees INR 5,81,090 to 12,67,100 from age 3. Purpose-built campus, boarding from primary. Published 2024 DP average 32.2 (and 33.5 in 2023). Tarahunise commute is the main filter.
The International School Bangalore (TISB)
TISB is the dual-pathway flagship: IB PYP at primary, Cambridge IGCSE in middle years, IB Diploma at sixth form. Founded 2000, around 1,170 students at NAFL Valley, day and boarding. CIS-accredited. Head Kate Reynolds. Day fees INR 5,50,000 to 11,00,000. The 2025 senior cohort produced multiple 45, 44 and 43 scorers against a global DP average around 30, the strongest published 2025 result in the city.
Canadian International School Bangalore
Canadian International School Bangalore at Yelahanka is the only other Bangalore school holding both CIS and NEASC. Founded 1996, around 700 students, head Ted Mockrish. IB PYP with a Canadian overlay, Cambridge in middle years, IB DP at sixth form. Day fees INR 5,11,000 to 10,30,000. Smaller and calmer than the Sarjapur schools; catchment skewed to Hebbal, Manyata and the airport corridor.
Strong mid-tier
The mid-tier at primary is genuinely competitive. Cambridge Primary or IB PYP is the spine, faculty quality is credible, fees materially lower than the top three.
Oakridge International School Bangalore
Oakridge on Sarjapur Road is the best-value full IB continuum. Founded 2001, around 800 students, head Pallavi Mishra. PYP through DP. Age 2.5 entry, the youngest credible through-school. Fees INR 3,60,000 to 11,80,000. Published 2022 DP average of 34.07 with 11 perfect scorers. Inside the Nord Anglia group; the campus carries its own results.
Inventure Academy
Inventure Academy is the strongest pure Cambridge Primary option. Founded 2005, around 1,250 students, founder-head Nooraine Fazal. NEASC-accredited. Cambridge Primary into IGCSE and A-Level, no IB pivot. Fees INR 4,33,000 to 10,01,000. Ranked #1 All India Co-ed Day School in EducationWorld 2024-25. Strong arts and music profile from the early years up.
Greenwood High and Trio World Academy
Greenwood High on Sarjapur Road is the largest of the mid-tier, 2,000+ students across IB, Cambridge and ICSE. Founded 2004, head Aloysius D'Mello. Fees INR 3,00,000 to 9,25,000. IB DP results consistently above the global average.
Trio World Academy at Sahakar Nagar is the boutique north-central option, CIS-accredited, head Dr Brian Irving. Fees INR 3,00,000 to 8,75,000. IB PYP at primary, Cambridge in senior. Sahakar Nagar makes the commute viable from Hebbal, RT Nagar and parts of Indiranagar. Senior track record includes a 45/45 IB Diploma score.
Indus, Candor, Bangalore International, Mallya Aditi
Indus on Sarjapur is the anchor of Bangalore's IB-only market. Founded 2003, around 1,100 students, founder-head Lt. General Arjun Ray. IB PYP into IB DP. Fees INR 5,00,000 to 12,00,000. Publishes 2023-24 senior offers including a USD 393,000 scholarship; DP averages not public.
Candor at Electronic City is the strongest mid-tier south. Founded 2011, CIS-accredited, IB PYP alongside Cambridge. Fees INR 1,80,000 to 6,45,000. Destinations include King's College London, UBC and Melbourne.
Bangalore International School at Hennur Gardens is the oldest international primary in the city, founded 1969. Around 500 students, CIS-accredited, IB PYP alongside Cambridge. Fees INR 1,78,200 to 3,03,000, the cheapest CIS-accredited primary on the list.
Mallya Aditi at Yelahanka is the longest-established Cambridge-and-ICSE school, founded 1984, around 740 students, head Sathish Jayarajan. Primary entry from age 6. Fees INR 6,05,000 to 8,50,000. 100% university progression.
Best for Cambridge or British primary
The Cambridge Primary route from age 3 to 11 narrows to a clear shortlist.
- Cambridge spine to age 18 (no IB pivot): Inventure Academy, into IGCSE and A-Level.
- Cambridge Primary into IB DP: TISB.
- Cambridge alongside IB: Greenwood High, Canadian International School.
- Cambridge into A-Level via ICSE, entry at 6: Mallya Aditi.
EYFS as a badged programme is essentially absent. Cambridge Early Years (from 2024) is starting to appear in school marketing but is not yet a feature of any well-established primary here.
Best for IB PYP
IB PYP from age 3 is the most widely available primary framework. The full continuum on one campus narrows the field.
- PYP + MYP + DP + CP: Stonehill.
- PYP + MYP + DP: Oakridge.
- IB-only, primary to DP (no MYP): Indus.
- PYP into Cambridge middle, then IB DP: TISB, Canadian International School Bangalore.
- PYP alongside other streams: Greenwood, Trio, Candor, Bangalore International School.
PYP is a framework, not a syllabus. The early years team determines whether PYP looks like child-led inquiry or worksheets with PYP labels.
At a glance
| School | Curriculum | Ages | Fees range (INR) | Area |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stonehill International School | IB PYP, MYP, DP, CP | 3-18 | 5,81,090-12,67,100 | Tarahunise (North) |
| The International School Bangalore | IB PYP, Cambridge, IB DP | 3-18 | 5,50,000-11,00,000 | NAFL Valley (East) |
| Canadian International School Bangalore | IB PYP, Cambridge, IB DP | 3-18 | 5,11,000-10,30,000 | Yelahanka |
| Oakridge International School Bangalore | IB PYP, MYP, DP | 2.5-17 | 3,60,000-11,80,000 | Sarjapur Road |
| Inventure Academy | Cambridge Primary, IGCSE, A-Level | 3-18 | 4,33,000-10,01,000 | Whitefield-Sarjapur |
| Greenwood High | IB PYP, Cambridge, ICSE | 3-18 | 3,00,000-9,25,000 | Sarjapur Road |
| Trio World Academy | IB PYP, Cambridge | 3-18 | 3,00,000-8,75,000 | Sahakar Nagar |
| Indus International School Bangalore | IB PYP, DP | 3-18 | 5,00,000-12,00,000 | Sarjapur |
| Candor International School | IB PYP, Cambridge | 3-18 | 1,80,000-6,45,000 | Electronic City |
| Bangalore International School | IB PYP, Cambridge | 3-18 | 1,78,200-3,03,000 | Hennur Gardens |
| Mallya Aditi International School | Cambridge, ICSE | 6-18 | 6,05,000-8,50,000 | Yelahanka |
Fees are indicative annual day-school ranges. Primary entry sits at the lower end; senior years climb past INR 10 lakh at the premium tier. Capital fees, escalators, deposits and transport are extra. Verify with each school.
The age labels and frameworks
IB PYP runs ages 3 to 12: inquiry-led, six transdisciplinary themes, no external exams, PYP Exhibition in the final year.
Cambridge Primary runs ages 5 to 11, with Cambridge Early Years (from 2024) extending the framework down to 3. Subject-based, aligned to English expectations, optional Cambridge Primary Checkpoint at the end of Year 6.
Indian boards (CBSE, ICSE) structure primary around Standards 1 to 5. Several Bangalore schools run an Indian-board primary alongside the international one; at primary you choose the stream as well as the school.
EYFS as a UK-statutory framework is implemented end-to-end in very few Bangalore schools.
How to choose between them
Which side of the city? Bangalore traffic decides more primary choices than any other factor. East (Sarjapur, Whitefield): TISB, Oakridge, Greenwood, Indus, Inventure. North (Yelahanka, Tarahunise, Sahakar Nagar, Hennur): Stonehill, Canadian, Aditi, Trio, Bangalore International. South (Electronic City): Candor. A ninety-minute morning bus is too long for a five-year-old.
Which sixth-form pathway? A primary place is a feeder. For IB Diploma: Stonehill, TISB, Oakridge, Indus, Canadian, Greenwood, Trio, Candor. For Cambridge A-Level: Inventure and Aditi.
Through-school or transition at 11? The premium tier earns its fee by removing the move at 11. A family leaving Bangalore before secondary may take a cheaper primary and accept the transition.
Single stream or split? Stonehill, TISB, Canadian, Oakridge, Indus, Trio, Candor and Bangalore International run close to a pure international primary. Greenwood and Aditi run meaningful Indian-board streams alongside. Ask how long the current early years lead has been in post.
Related reading
- Best international schools in Bangalore, the city-wide pillar shortlist.
- Best British schools in Bangalore, the Cambridge-and-IB pathway in detail.
- Best IB schools in Bangalore, PYP and DP rankings.
- Best early years schools in Bangalore, nursery and kindergarten entry points.
- English National Curriculum and Key Stages, how EYFS, KS1 and KS2 connect.
FAQs
What age does primary start in Bangalore?
Most international primaries take children from age 3 into a PYP or Cambridge Primary nursery year. Oakridge accepts from age 2.5. Mallya Aditi enters at age 6. The Right to Education Act sets formal school-age entry at 6.
Which Bangalore school has the strongest primary?
No school publishes externally-examined primary results, so reputation reads through to the senior school it feeds. On that basis: Stonehill for the strongest CIS-and-NEASC full IB continuum, TISB for the strongest published 2025 DP cohort, Oakridge for credible PYP at materially lower fees, Inventure for Cambridge Primary into A-Level.
IB PYP or Cambridge Primary?
PYP is inquiry-led and concept-driven; Cambridge Primary is subject-based and structurally closer to UK primary. Neither is inherently superior. PYP suits children who thrive on project work; Cambridge Primary suits children who do better with a clearer subject timetable and external benchmarks.
How much does primary cost?
Entry-year premium tier: INR 3,60,000 (Oakridge) to 5,81,090 (Stonehill). Mid-tier: INR 1,78,200 (Bangalore International) to 3,00,000 (Greenwood, Trio). Fees often double by Year 6.
Are CBSE-plus-PYP schools a problem at primary?
Not in themselves. The question is which stream the school is genuinely organised around. A small PYP cohort inside a much larger CBSE primary will be CBSE-shaped in scheduling and senior leadership. A credible international primary with a coherent PYP or Cambridge spine and dedicated early years staff is a different proposition.
Sources: each school's official website (linked); IB World Schools authorisation directory for PYP, MYP, DP and CP status; CIS and NEASC member directories; published IB Diploma cohort results where schools have disclosed them; EducationWorld India School Rankings 2024-25; Cambridge Assessment International Education Primary documentation; NCPCR pre-primary regulatory frame and National Education Policy 2020 foundational-stage structure.