Cities / Phnom Penh / Canadian International School of Phnom Penh
Canadian International School of Phnom Penh
A CIS accredited school on Koh Pich offering both the Alberta Education curriculum and the IB Diploma, with around 1,000 students from more than 36 nationalities. CISP is one of the small handful of Phnom Penh schools that genuinely belongs in the top tier, alongside ISPP, Northbridge and AISPP.
In brief
A CIS-accredited school on Koh Pich offering both the Alberta Education curriculum and the IB Diploma, with around 1,000 students from more than 36 nationalities.
CISP is one of the small handful of Phnom Penh schools that genuinely belongs in the top tier, alongside ISPP, Northbridge and AISPP. Students can graduate with the Alberta High School Diploma, the IB Diploma, or both, and the school added IB World School authorisation in 2021. A French Bilingual Programme carries the LabelFrancEducation seal from the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the first in Cambodia. The main campus sits on Koh Pich with an early years campus at Bassac Garden.
Families pick CISP for the Canadian pathway, the strong English-medium teaching, and a community that feels genuinely international rather than dominated by one nationality. Parent voice is positive on community, head and teacher engagement, and university outcomes. Fees of roughly USD 7,700 to 24,600 sit in the upper bracket for Phnom Penh and the school can have waitlists at popular entry points.
Fees
Annual fees
| Year level | Age | Fee |
|---|---|---|
| Nursery 2 (age 2) | 2 | $7,692 |
| Kindergarten 1 (age 3) | 3 | $9,445 |
| Kindergarten 2 (age 4) | 4 | $11,684 |
| Kindergarten 3 - Grade 5 (ages 5-10) | 5 | $17,526 |
| Grade 6 - Grade 8 (ages 11-13) | 11 | $21,520 |
| Grade 9 - Grade 10 (ages 14-15) | 14 | $22,394 |
| Grade 11 - Grade 12 (ages 16-18) | 16 | $24,585 |
One-time fees
| Item | Age | Fee |
|---|---|---|
| Application Fee | $250 | |
| Enrollment Fee | $500 |
Reviews
- Discussion of CISP is sparse and mostly tangential, so the picture leans more on school facts than parent voices.
- Teacher and parent references to the school cluster around Phnom Penh expat communities, where it surfaces as a recognisable employer and a frequent landmark in the city.
- One teacher comment in 2020 questioned the school's brand naming, asking whether it actually operates under a "Learning Jungle" identity, and a 2018 post cited CISP as a reasonably priced private option for expat families compared with North America.
- The neutral signals are stronger than the negative ones: students drawn from more than thirty nationalities, IB World School authorisation since 2021, and an Alberta-aligned curriculum on the main Koh Pich campus with an early-years site at Bassac Garden.
- No recurring parent complaint themes surfaced in the open sources used; parents who do post are positive but largely limited to one-line directory style endorsements.
Positives
- Curriculum and accreditation. IB World School since 2021 alongside the Alberta curriculum is the school's clearest selling point.
- International community. Around 1,000 students from more than 36 nationalities; expat-friendly community structures and parent organisation.
- Affordability versus North America. Online financial-planning commentary cites CISP as substantially cheaper than comparable schooling in the US or Canada.
Considerations
- Brand clarity. Teacher commentary has questioned the school's relationship with the Learning Jungle brand; not a quality concern but worth knowing.
Leadership
Ms. Leah Dushenski
Ms. Leah Dushenski is an experienced international educator who has served as the Head of School at the Canadian International School of Phnom Penh (CIS) since August 2021. Prior to this, she held a senior management role with the Government of Alberta for over a decade. She holds a Master’s degree in School Leadership and a Bachelor of Education in Elementary Education from the University of Alberta. Under her leadership, CIS has expanded its academic programs, including the International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma Programme and Primary Years Programme, and achieved top-tier accreditation status. She is also active in the international education community, presenting at recruitment symposiums.
Accreditations
- Council of International Schools 01
Academic results
- Result IB DP avg 31 points 2025