International schools in Nairobi, Kenya

International schools enrol Kenyan families as well as families moving from abroad. The Braeburn group includes the lower-fee Braeside brand, which its investor materials describe as serving a mainly Kenyan intake. Fees say little about a school’s current community or available places.

International School of Kenya (ISK). This non-profit day school on Kirawa Road offers a North American curriculum and the IB Diploma. Its history includes US Embassy and Canadian High Commission sponsorship from 1976. An August 2026 press report gives 2026–27 tuition of USD 30,800 for Kindergarten and USD 37,330 for Grades 11–12, plus a USD 11,000 one-time capital levy, USD 400 application fee and optional USD 2,200 bus charge. An annual levy is also relevant to the total. The school publishes its fee structure, but not the full official amounts. ↗

Brookhouse Schools. The Karen and Runda campuses offer British qualifications, including IGCSE, A levels and BTEC. An August 2026 press round-up reports day tuition up to KSh 2.88 million in Year 13 and boarding up to KSh 4.55 million at Karen. The Nsouli Scholars Programme is reported to support students aged 13–18; ask about current eligibility and funding. ↗

The Braeburn group. Its original school opened on Gitanga Road in Lavington in 1979. The 2025–26 fee listing for Braeburn Garden Estate gives day tuition from KSh 928,800 in Nursery to KSh 2,576,000 in Year 12, with sibling discounts of 10–40%. These are historical figures. Its reported credentials include CIS accreditation, BSO inspection and COBIS, IAPS and AISA memberships; check the latest reports separately. Braeside Lavington’s historical 2025–26 listing ranges from KSh 688,798 to KSh 1,465,000. ↗

Peponi and Hillcrest. Peponi’s senior school in Ruiru serves ages 13–18 with day and boarding options. Its 2025–26 listing gives KSh 2,929,110 for day fees and KSh 4.12–4.36 million for boarding. Hillcrest in Karen has offered a British curriculum since 1965. Its historical 2024–25 range was KSh 867,900–2,908,500; an August 2026 press report gives up to KSh 3,083,099 for Years 12–13 in 2026–27; the figures come from different years. ↗

Other options. Rosslyn Academy offers an American curriculum in a Christian setting near Gigiri. The German School Nairobi offers a pathway to the Abitur. Current fee schedules for these schools were not publicly available.

Boarding beyond Nairobi. St Andrew’s School, Turi is a Christian boarding school founded in 1931 near Molo, about 200 km north-west of Nairobi. Published sources describe a highland campus at roughly 2,500 metres, but differ on its size and fee figures. In particular, the term-versus-annual basis of quoted fees is unresolved, so budget from the school’s own current schedule. ↗

Peponi offers boarding in Ruiru, Brookhouse at Karen, and Greensteds near Nakuru. For any boarding option, discuss weekend arrangements, travel, pastoral care and how often your child can come home. A visit can help your child assess whether boarding would suit them. ↗

Braeburn Mombasa. A secondary fee listing gives 2026–27 day fees of KSh376,800–2,209,200. The school’s published terms describe instalments in August, December and April, a full term’s written withdrawal notice or fees in lieu, five months’ notice of fee changes and 1.25% monthly late-payment interest. These are that school’s terms, not a national standard contract. ↗ ↗

Aga Khan Academy Mombasa offers IB programmes and boarding. Its secondary 2025–26 day-fee listing ranges from KSh580,000 to KSh1,725,000; OpenApply gives dollar figures on a separate basis, so the two do not combine into one quotation. Light International School, Mombasa Academy and Jaffery Academy are further coast options. ↗ ↗

Up-country. Braeburn Nanyuki and Greensteds near Nakuru are further options alongside St Andrew’s Turi.

Map the school campus, your workplace and possible homes together. Karen/Langata and Runda/Gigiri are useful starting areas, but Nairobi’s schools are spread beyond these two clusters. ↗

Brookhouse Karen, Hillcrest and The Banda School are options in the south-west. Braeburn’s Gitanga Road campus is in Lavington, a separate location. In the north, compare ISK, Rosslyn Academy, SABIS Runda and Brookhouse Runda. Neighbourhood names and advertised travel times say little about a particular commute at school-run hours.

French, German, Scandinavian and Dutch options. The UN’s newcomer guide lists Lycée Français International Denis Diderot in Kilimani, the German School Nairobi, the Swedish School in Lavington and the Netherlands School Society. Their programmes include the French curriculum, Abitur and bilingual Dutch-English teaching. The Swedish school reports a parent-language requirement. Diderot’s 2024–25 regulations describe March registration and exceptional mid-year admission; ask for current dates and fees. ↗

Kenyan-curriculum schools. Kenya began introducing its competency-based curriculum in 2017. The education sources describe the first cohort entering Grade 10 in 2026 and the final KCSE examinations planned for 2027. For a transfer, ask which programme applies to your child’s grade and how their studies would connect with the next school. The national transition alone does not determine whether a school will suit your family. ↗

Check currency and one-time charges. ISK quotes fees in USD, with shilling payment arrangements reported for Kenyan citizens; ask about documentation and the applicable exchange rate. Brookhouse, Peponi, Hillcrest and Braeburn fee examples are in KSh. Separate tuition, annual levies, joining charges and refundable deposits in your budget. ↗

Ask your employer whether it pays the school directly or reimburses you, and obtain the allowance limit for each child. Coverage of capital levies, transport, meals, support and boarding varies by package. Also agree how currency changes and fee increases during your posting will be handled.

Apply according to each school’s calendar. Relocation guides mention September and January entry, but schools set their own term dates and admission rules. Ask about places in the exact grade, assessments and mid-year entry before planning a move around either month. The French lycée’s registration dates above are historical. ↗

Use several kinds of evidence when checking a school:

• Credentials. The accreditor or inspection body’s record for the exact campus gives the report date; AISA, COBIS and IAPS directories list membership separately.
• The UN newcomer guide. Use Karibuni to identify options, then check programmes and admissions directly with the schools. Inclusion in the guide is not a comparative ranking.
• Parent networks. Families can describe communication, support and journeys; individual accounts and shared fee quotes are leads, not records.
• On a visit. Ask for the full fee schedule, staff retention information, support provision and results with cohort sizes. Employer requirements may also apply to the school and your proposed home.