The British School of Brussels vs International Montessori Schools of Brussels
🇧🇪 Brussels · Side-by-side comparison on verifiable public data.
Neither The British School of Brussels nor International Montessori Schools of Brussels 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: The British School of Brussels offers British, IB while International Montessori Schools of Brussels offers Montessori, IB — the choice should follow the family's target qualification system. Both are day schools with fees in the same market band — see the table below for the figures, and verify against each school's own published fees.
Key Facts
| The British School of Brussels | International Montessori Schools of Brussels | |
|---|---|---|
| Curriculum | British / IB | Montessori / IB |
| Ages | 2.5–18 | 1-18 |
| Languages of instruction | English, French, Dutch | English, French |
| Annual fees | EUR 20,600–46,700 | Not published |
| Enrollment | 1,200 | — |
| Boarding | Day only | Day only |
| Accreditations | COBIS, BSO, HMC, AGBIS | Association Montessori Internationale (AMI) |
Strengths
- ✓One of very few schools in Belgium offering A Levels, the IB Diploma and BTEC together, giving families a genuine choice of post-16 route
- ✓Broad British-sector accreditation and membership footprint (BSO, COBIS, HMC, AGBIS)
- ✓Established British-international provision since 1969 with a large, highly international community (65+ nationalities)
- ✓Formal bilingual (French-English) pathway plus a Dutch mother-tongue programme for younger children
- ✓Uninterrupted Montessori continuity from age 1 through the IB Diploma at age 18
- ✓Authentic bilingual English-French immersion with two-language staffing in the early and primary years
- ✓IB World School status for both the Middle Years Programme and the Diploma Programme
- ✓Additional Dutch, German, and Spanish language options in the IB secondary section
- ✓AMI-affiliated Montessori teacher training on site, signalling fidelity to the Montessori method
Trade-offs
- !No graded public inspection band is published, so external outcomes must be taken from the school's own reporting
- !Dedicated English-as-an-Additional-Language (EAL) support is not described on the school's public pages
- !Fees at the upper year groups are among the higher band for the region
- !Tuition figures are not published on the website; fees are only available via downloadable PDF schedules
- !Founding year, enrollment size, and formal EAL provision are not published
- !Belgium's lack of a graded public inspectorate for international schools limits independent, comparable quality verification
Best Fit For
- • Families wanting a choice between A Levels, IB and BTEC at one school
- • English-speaking expatriate families near Brussels/Tervuren
- • Families seeking a French-English bilingual or Dutch mother-tongue route in the early and primary years
- • Families seeking a genuine long-run Montessori education rather than a single-stage programme
- • English-French bilingual households or families wanting authentic dual-language immersion
- • Internationally mobile families who value the IB Diploma as a university-entry credential
University Placement
School-reported · not independently verified
The school reports strong public-examination outcomes and university destinations including Imperial, Cambridge, UCL and NYU (school-reported, unverified). No independent placement figures are published.
University-destination and exam-outcome data are not published on the school's site (school-reported, unverified); the IB Diploma is the exit credential of the secondary section.
More Comparisons
Frequently Asked Questions
Should I choose The British School of Brussels or International Montessori Schools of Brussels?
The British School of Brussels is best for: Families wanting a choice between A Levels, IB and BTEC at one school. International Montessori Schools of Brussels is best for: Families seeking a genuine long-run Montessori education rather than a single-stage programme. The right choice depends on target curriculum, budget, and family priorities — the two are not linearly comparable.
How do fees compare between The British School of Brussels and International Montessori Schools of Brussels?
The British School of Brussels: EUR 20,600–46,700. International Montessori Schools of Brussels: Not published. Verify against each school's own published fees; some figures are sourced from third-party aggregators.
What curricula do The British School of Brussels and International Montessori Schools of Brussels offer?
The British School of Brussels: British, IB. International Montessori Schools of Brussels: Montessori, IB.
Do The British School of Brussels or International Montessori Schools of Brussels offer boarding?
The British School of Brussels: day school only. International Montessori Schools of Brussels: 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 →