Istanbul International School

In Brief

A solid Cambridge pathway on the Asian side for families who want proven IGCSE and A-Level results without crossing to the European side. The boutique scale is a genuine advantage in the lower school - ask specifically about senior facilities before enrolling an older child.

Istanbul International School has been running Cambridge programmes on the Asian side since the 1990s, and it remains the clearest Cambridge-only option in Uskudar. Two campuses sit a few kilometres apart in the same district, which keeps community coherent even as the school splits primary and secondary. The combined roll is around 350 students - small enough that teachers know names quickly. The school is also a registered Cambridge exam centre, running both November and May sittings, which matters for families with children moving at unusual points in the academic year.

The fee structure is straightforward: a single all-in USD price per year group that covers tuition, lunch, and books, with a 5% discount for full advance payment and no separate registration fee published on the site. Early Years starts at around US$21,500; A-Level years reach US$32,750. That puts IIS noticeably below BISI and IICS at equivalent stages, and slightly below Keystone for the secondary years - a meaningful gap for families self-funding in a high cost-of-living city.

The honest gap is senior facilities. The high school campus is functional but lacks dedicated sports infrastructure - no on-site pitches, limited gym space - and this comes up in parent accounts. For a motivated sixth-form student focused on A-Level results and university entry, that is probably a manageable trade-off. For a family with a sporty teenager who wants broad co-curricular options at secondary level, it is worth viewing both campuses before deciding. The Cambridge accreditation, two-campus continuity, and Asian-side location make IIS the natural first comparison point for anyone not wanting to commute to the European side.