Brent International School, Manila

In Brief

Brent is genuinely excellent value for a full IB and American-curriculum school - but the location in Binan, Laguna is the deal-breaker for most city-based families. If you live in the south or your company has housing in that corridor, it's worth a serious look.

Founded in 1909, Brent is the oldest international school in the Philippines and sits on a 40-acre campus in Binan, Laguna - about 30km south of Makati. The campus scale (sports fields, pool, performing arts facilities) is hard to match in the city, and the IB average of 33 across a genuinely mixed intake is respectable. The school's ecumenical Christian identity is woven into school life without being heavy-handed; most families of any background find it comfortable.

Around 850 students from 40+ nationalities attend. Class sizes average 18, which means teachers generally know your child. The co-curricular programme runs to 120+ activities, and the boarding option (one of very few in Metro Manila's orbit) means some students from across the Philippines and the region are in residence. The dual USD-plus-PHP fee structure is similar to ISM, though Brent's total fees are meaningfully lower - Upper School runs around PHP 962K annually before the capital fee.

The location is the honest conversation to have with yourself before applying. The Binan campus is around 30km from BGC and 35km from Makati - in Manila traffic, that can mean 60 to 90 minutes each way on a bad day. The school runs bus routes, which helps, but it's a long day for younger children. If you're relocating to the Laguna corridor, Santa Rosa, or Muntinlupa, Brent makes a lot of sense. If you're in Taguig or Makati, it's a harder commute to sustain over years.