American School of Bombay vs Bombay International School
🇮🇳 Mumbai · Side-by-side comparison on verifiable public data.
Neither American School of Bombay nor Bombay International School sits in a market with a public inspectorate, so both are assessed on verifiable accreditation, curriculum authorisation, and published data rather than an official quality rating. Curriculum is the core differentiator: American School of Bombay offers American, IB while Bombay International School offers IB, British — the choice should follow the family's target qualification system.
Key Facts
| American School of Bombay | Bombay International School | |
|---|---|---|
| Curriculum | American / IB | IB / British |
| Ages | 3-18 | Lower Prep (approx. age 4) to Grade 12 (approx. age 18) |
| Languages of instruction | English | English |
| Annual fees | USD 20,000-35,020 per year (2023-2024: Pre-K 20,000; KG-Grade 5 32,450; Grades 6-10 34,130; Grades 11-12 35,020) | not public |
| Enrollment | 750 | — |
| Boarding | Day only | Day only |
| Accreditations | IB World School (since 1998), Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools (MSA, since 1992), Near East South Asia Council of Overseas Schools (NESA), Council of International Schools (CIS), Global Online Academy (GOA) | Cambridge International (Cambridge Assessment International Education), International Baccalaureate Organization (IB World School) |
Strengths
- ✓Dual-credential pathway: students can earn a US high school diploma, the IB Diploma, or both
- ✓Deep, layered accreditation - MSA (since 1992), CIS membership, and IB authorization since 1998
- ✓Longest-established American school in Mumbai, founded 1981 with consulate backing
- ✓Highly international community spanning 40-plus nationalities at roughly 750 students
- ✓Continuous IB pathway from PYP in the early/primary years through DP in Grades 11-12
- ✓Unbroken international pathway from IB PYP through Cambridge IGCSE to the IB Diploma, removing curriculum-switch friction between phases.
- ✓Strong, transparently published IGCSE outcomes (Class of 2025: 81% of grades A* and A across 43 candidates).
- ✓Dual international accreditation — Cambridge International and IB World School (PYP and DP) — rather than a single board.
- ✓Deep heritage and a deliberately small scale ('the small school with a big heart'), founded 1962 with a progressive, anti-rote ethos.
- ✓Need-based financial aid and a dedicated university counselling and CAS provision for the senior years.
Trade-offs
- !Premium fees (up to USD 35,020 in 2023-2024) put it out of reach for most local families
- !No IB Middle Years Programme - the middle-school curriculum is the school's own US-aligned model, not MYP
- !Day school only, with no boarding option for relocating or regional families
- !No published government inspection band, so external quality signals rely on accreditation alone
- !Fees are not published online — families must contact admissions, reducing cost transparency.
- !No published enrollment figure, so overall school size cannot be verified.
- !Small cohort sizes (43 IGCSE candidates in 2025) mean limited subject breadth and peer-group scale versus larger international schools.
- !No external graded inspection rating exists in the Indian context, so quality must be inferred from accreditation and results.
Best Fit For
- • Expatriate and diplomatic families wanting a recognised US-style education in Mumbai
- • Students aiming for both US and international university applications via a dual diploma
- • Families prioritising IB PYP-to-DP continuity within one school
- • Mobile international families needing globally portable MSA/CIS-accredited credentials
- • Families committed to an IB-anchored education from the early years through to the Diploma.
- • Expatriate and globally mobile families wanting an internationally portable curriculum in central Mumbai.
- • Students who thrive in a small, pastorally attentive school community rather than a large campus.
- • Households seeking a progressive, inquiry-led alternative to India's national exam boards.
University Placement
School-reported · not independently verified
School-reported, unverified: ASB-published materials describe IB Diploma results and university destinations including highly selective US institutions; specific IB average scores and pass rates cited by third-party summaries could not be confirmed against a primary ASB source and are therefore not stated as verified figures.
School-reported, unverified: BIS publishes IBDP results-and-placements material and a university counselling programme, and reports IGCSE highlights such as 81% of Class of 2025 grades at A* and A; specific university destinations were not independently verified.
More Comparisons
Frequently Asked Questions
Should I choose American School of Bombay or Bombay International School?
American School of Bombay is best for: Expatriate and diplomatic families wanting a recognised US-style education in Mumbai. Bombay International School is best for: Families committed to an IB-anchored education from the early years through to the Diploma.. The right choice depends on target curriculum, budget, and family priorities — the two are not linearly comparable.
How do fees compare between American School of Bombay and Bombay International School?
American School of Bombay: USD 20,000-35,020 per year (2023-2024: Pre-K 20,000; KG-Grade 5 32,450; Grades 6-10 34,130; Grades 11-12 35,020). Bombay International School: not public. Verify against each school's own published fees; some figures are sourced from third-party aggregators.
What curricula do American School of Bombay and Bombay International School offer?
American School of Bombay: American, IB. Bombay International School: IB, British.
Do American School of Bombay or Bombay International School offer boarding?
American School of Bombay: day school only. Bombay International School: day school only.
Questions parents ask
This comparison is BrightKey's independent assessment using verifiable public data only. University-placement figures are school-reported and not independently verified. BrightKey takes no payments from schools. Our method →