The British School of Brussels vs St. John's International School
🇧🇪 Brussels · Side-by-side comparison on verifiable public data.
Neither The British School of Brussels nor St. John's 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. One practical difference: St. John's International School offers boarding while the other is day-only — decisive for families who need a residential option. Verify current fees against each school's own figures (see the table below).
Key Facts
| The British School of Brussels | St. John's International School | |
|---|---|---|
| Curriculum | British / IB | IB |
| Ages | 2.5–18 | 1–18 |
| Languages of instruction | English, French, Dutch | English, French |
| Annual fees | EUR 20,600–46,700 | EUR 14,750–46,500 |
| Enrollment | 1,200 | — |
| Boarding | Day only | Yes |
| Accreditations | COBIS, BSO, HMC, AGBIS | Council of International Schools (CIS), Middle States Association (MSA), International Baccalaureate Organization (IBO), Boarding Schools' Association (BSA) |
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
- ✓Full IB continuum (PYP, MYP, DP) explicitly authorized and delivered from age 3 to 18
- ✓Strong published academic outcomes: 2025 IB Diploma average of 36 points (school-reported as best in Belgium), top score 43
- ✓Both day and boarding options (boarding for ages 11–17)
- ✓Highly international community with 65+ nationalities
- ✓Multiple recognitions displayed (IBO, CIS, MSA, BSA)
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
- !Only the IB pathway is offered, with no British or American curriculum track for families seeking those systems
- !High tuition, rising to EUR 46,500 for upper grades
- !Detailed language-support and EAL structure is only partially published on the public site
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
- • Expatriate and mobile families wanting a single IB continuum from early years to Grade 12
- • Families needing day or boarding places near Brussels
- • Students targeting the IB Diploma with strong measured results
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.
IB Diploma results are school-reported: a 2025 average of 36 points (described by the school as the best in Belgium), a top score of 43, and 40% of students scoring 38 or more. Individual university placement destinations are not published in verified detail on the public site (school-reported, unverified).
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Frequently Asked Questions
Should I choose The British School of Brussels or St. John's International School?
The British School of Brussels is best for: Families wanting a choice between A Levels, IB and BTEC at one school. St. John's International School is best for: Expatriate and mobile families wanting a single IB continuum from early years to Grade 12. 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 St. John's International School?
The British School of Brussels: EUR 20,600–46,700. St. John's International School: EUR 14,750–46,500. 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 St. John's International School offer?
The British School of Brussels: British, IB. St. John's International School: IB.
Do The British School of Brussels or St. John's International School offer boarding?
The British School of Brussels: day school only. St. John's International School: offers boarding.
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 →