International School of Kenya

What the school is

School history and governance

ISK is a non-profit governed by a Board of Directors and a Board of Governors. Published information describes elected parent representatives and US Embassy and Canadian High Commission appointees.

The documented accreditation history includes secondary accreditation in 1980, full accreditation by 1999 and joint CIS/MSA reaccreditation in June 2019. AISA and Round Square memberships are separate affiliations. The Plastiki Rafiki upcycling programme received a 2022 International Schools Award for community building; that award concerns the programme, not all aspects of the school.

Academics in practice

Curriculum and learning support

ISK uses North American frameworks, with Spanish, French and Kiswahili among the reported language options. Students can earn its high-school diploma and pursue the full IB Diploma in Grades 11–12, subject to separate requirements. The homepage’s 99% IB pass-rate claim gives no examination year or cohort, so it is not comparable with dated results that show candidate numbers and mean scores.

The documented Intercultural Program began in 1978 and describes field study from Grades 3–11, with trips ranging from a day to a week. The Life-Centered Education programme, introduced in 2019, is described as serving students with mild to moderate learning needs, including intellectual disabilities. ISK’s 2026–27 fee page lists a US$20,000 LCE programme fee in addition to tuition; eligibility, capacity and staffing are assessed for each child.

A secondary account reports 149 faculty in 2024, more than 60% with master’s degrees. A scholarship programme for Kenyan citizens is reported as covering high-school costs on merit and need.

Admissions and cost

Tuition and the two capital levies

The official 2026–27 fee page describes application, tuition, one-time and annual capital levies, transport, lunches and selected programme charges. It lists annual tuition of US$18,870 for Pre-Kindergarten, US$30,800 for Kindergarten and US$32,540 to US$37,330 for Grades 1–12, payable by semester. New applicants pay a US$400 application fee, and new entrants to Grades 1–12 pay a US$11,000 one-time non-refundable capital levy (US$500 less for each additional child from the same family); continuing pupils pay an annual US$1,600 capital levy. Optional bus fees are US$2,200 a year.

The 2026–27 fee aggregator lists a separate annual capital levy of about KSh207,000 and annual grade totals from about KSh2.65 million to KSh5.04 million. Converted shilling totals and dollar estimates are separate schedules and should not be combined. Secondary reporting describes a shilling-payment option for Kenyan citizens with proof of citizenship.

An undated OpenApply entry gives a US$10,000 one-time levy and a US$500 sibling reduction. These are older terms, not current charges or promised discounts. Ask for the current sibling policy and future payment schedule.

OpenApply describes applications requiring up to three years of reports, translations where necessary, a confidential report from the current school and a health form. It also lists MAP scores from Grade 3 and mathematics, English and modern-language references for Grades 9–12. Diplomatic or corporate employment does not by itself guarantee priority; ask how available places are allocated.

The family experience

Housing and the school journey

The school serves families in northern Nairobi, including those considering Kitisuru, Runda and Gigiri. Property-guide travel times and neighbourhood security descriptions are general; the journey from a specific home is what counts.

Bus routes, pickup times and capacity matter before committing to housing. The US$2,200 bus figure here comes from ISK’s 2026–27 fee page. Include lunches, IB charges and any required Intercultural Program trips in the quote, with support costs shown separately.