The British School of Brussels vs The International School of Brussels
🇧🇪 Brussels · Side-by-side comparison on verifiable public data.
Neither The British School of Brussels nor The International School 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 The International School of Brussels offers IB, American — 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 | The International School of Brussels | |
|---|---|---|
| Curriculum | British / IB | IB / American |
| Ages | 2.5–18 | 2.5–18 |
| Languages of instruction | English, French, Dutch | English, French, Dutch, Spanish, Japanese |
| Annual fees | EUR 20,600–46,700 | Not published |
| Enrollment | 1,200 | 1,300 |
| Boarding | Day only | Day only |
| Accreditations | COBIS, BSO, HMC, AGBIS | Council of International Schools (CIS), Middle States Association (MSA-CESS), International Baccalaureate Organization (IB World School) |
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
- ✓Dual international accreditation — Council of International Schools (CIS) and Middle States Association (MSA-CESS) — plus IB World School status.
- ✓Unusually broad range of high-school graduation pathways (IB Diploma, Advanced Placement, BTEC and a US High School Diploma).
- ✓Long institutional history, established in 1951, and a large, diverse community of 1,300+ students from 60+ nationalities.
- ✓Low reported student-to-teacher ratio (7:1) and dedicated Inclusion & Challenge support across all age groups.
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 and fees are not published on the publicly accessible pages reviewed, limiting cost transparency for prospective families.
- !No single graded public inspection band exists for international schools in Belgium, so no external Outstanding-style rating is available.
- !PYP and MYP authorization could not be confirmed from official IB or school sources at time of review (only the IB Diploma is verified).
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
- • Internationally mobile families wanting choice among IB, AP, BTEC and US-diploma pathways at one school.
- • Students seeking an accredited English-medium education with structured additional-language and home-language options.
- • Families needing English-language development (EAL) or learning-support services.
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 IB/AP results data were not published on the pages reviewed (school-reported, unverified). Contact the school for outcome statistics.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Should I choose The British School of Brussels or The International School of Brussels?
The British School of Brussels is best for: Families wanting a choice between A Levels, IB and BTEC at one school. The International School of Brussels is best for: Internationally mobile families wanting choice among IB, AP, BTEC and US-diploma pathways at one school.. 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 The International School of Brussels?
The British School of Brussels: EUR 20,600–46,700. The International School 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 The International School of Brussels offer?
The British School of Brussels: British, IB. The International School of Brussels: IB, American.
Do The British School of Brussels or The International School of Brussels offer boarding?
The British School of Brussels: day school only. The International School 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 →