Brent International School Manila vs British School Manila
🇵🇭 Manila · Side-by-side comparison on verifiable public data.
Neither Brent International School Manila nor British School Manila 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: Brent International School Manila offers American, IB while British School Manila offers British, IB — the choice should follow the family's target qualification system.
Key Facts
| Brent International School Manila | British School Manila | |
|---|---|---|
| Curriculum | American / IB | British / IB |
| Ages | 3-18 | 3-18 |
| Languages of instruction | English | English |
| Annual fees | Tuition charged in two currency components (USD plus PHP) per the 2026-2027 schedule: Nursery $3,584 plus PHP164,120; Pre-Kindergarten $4,600 plus PHP211,056; Lower School (K-Grade 5) $8,704 plus PHP399,840; Middle School (Grades 6-8) $9,320 plus PHP428,168; Upper School (Grades 9-12) $9,680 plus PHP444,496. Plus annual Capital Development Fee $1,575/yr, one-time Matriculation $3,000 (new students), ESL support $1,210 where needed (Grades 1-8), Application $300. | not public |
| Enrollment | 1,046 | 968 |
| Boarding | Day only | Day only |
| Accreditations | ACS WASC, International Baccalaureate Organization (IBO), EARCOS, NACAC, Philippines Department of Education (DepEd), Episcopal Church in the Philippines | CIS, IB World School, Cambridge International School, COBIS, FOBISIA, EARCOS |
Strengths
- ✓Over a century of institutional lineage (1909 origins) with a stable, well-established Manila school running since 1984.
- ✓Dual academic offer: a full American college-prep programme with AP courses plus the IB Diploma in the final two years.
- ✓Full ACS WASC accreditation and IB World School status, with EARCOS and NACAC membership reinforcing external recognition.
- ✓Strong IB uptake (around 75% of students take the Diploma) with a solid published May 2018 average score of 33.
- ✓Dedicated English as a Second Language support for Grades 1-8, easing entry for non-native English speakers.
- ✓Long-established (1976) non-profit governance, removing the profit motive from reinvestment decisions
- ✓Strong IB Diploma outcomes, with a reported 36-point average for the Class of 2024 against a world average in the low 30s
- ✓Full CIS accreditation plus COBIS, FOBISIA and EARCOS membership and IB World School and Cambridge International School authorisation
- ✓Genuinely international community spanning 50-plus nationalities with a roughly 78 percent international intake
- ✓Clear single-campus 3-to-18 continuity in a prime Bonifacio Global City location
Trade-offs
- !IB authorization covers only the Diploma Programme; there is no PYP or MYP, so younger years are not on the IB continuum.
- !No Council of International Schools (CIS) accreditation, unlike some peer international schools.
- !Dual USD-plus-PHP tuition structure plus several non-refundable add-on fees makes total cost complex to budget and exposed to currency movement.
- !No boarding at the Manila campus, which is a constraint for families needing residential placement.
- !Tuition fees are not published, reducing transparency for prospective families
- !No British Schools Overseas (BSO) graded inspection in the public record, so no single verbatim inspection band
- !Wait-pool admissions mean entry is not guaranteed once year groups fill
- !Day-only model offers no boarding option for relocating or regional families
Best Fit For
- • Families wanting a US-style college-prep pathway with AP courses and the option of the IB Diploma.
- • Internationally mobile families seeking a long-established, WASC-accredited school near Metro Manila.
- • Students aiming at US and international university admission who value NACAC-linked college counseling.
- • Families comfortable with an ecumenical Episcopalian school ethos.
- • Internationally mobile families wanting a British-into-IB pathway in Metro Manila
- • Students aiming for the full IB Diploma with strong average outcomes
- • Families prioritising CIS-accredited, non-profit international schooling
- • Expatriate households based in or near Bonifacio Global City
University Placement
School-reported · not independently verified
School-reported, unverified: roughly 75% of Brent students enroll in the IB Diploma Programme, and the May 2018 cohort posted an average diploma score of 33 with a highest score of 44; college counseling is supported through NACAC membership.
School-reported, unverified: BSM reports an IB Diploma average points score of 36 for the Class of 2024 and pass rates in the high-90s to 100 percent in recent years, positioning leavers for competitive university destinations internationally.
More Comparisons
Frequently Asked Questions
Should I choose Brent International School Manila or British School Manila?
Brent International School Manila is best for: Families wanting a US-style college-prep pathway with AP courses and the option of the IB Diploma.. British School Manila is best for: Internationally mobile families wanting a British-into-IB pathway in Metro Manila. The right choice depends on target curriculum, budget, and family priorities — the two are not linearly comparable.
How do fees compare between Brent International School Manila and British School Manila?
Brent International School Manila: Tuition charged in two currency components (USD plus PHP) per the 2026-2027 schedule: Nursery $3,584 plus PHP164,120; Pre-Kindergarten $4,600 plus PHP211,056; Lower School (K-Grade 5) $8,704 plus PHP399,840; Middle School (Grades 6-8) $9,320 plus PHP428,168; Upper School (Grades 9-12) $9,680 plus PHP444,496. Plus annual Capital Development Fee $1,575/yr, one-time Matriculation $3,000 (new students), ESL support $1,210 where needed (Grades 1-8), Application $300.. British School Manila: not public. Verify against each school's own published fees; some figures are sourced from third-party aggregators.
What curricula do Brent International School Manila and British School Manila offer?
Brent International School Manila: American, IB. British School Manila: British, IB.
Do Brent International School Manila or British School Manila offer boarding?
Brent International School Manila: day school only. British School Manila: 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 →