International Montessori Schools of Brussels vs The International School of Brussels
🇧🇪 Brussels · Side-by-side comparison on verifiable public data.
Neither International Montessori Schools 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: International Montessori Schools of Brussels offers Montessori, 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
| International Montessori Schools of Brussels | The International School of Brussels | |
|---|---|---|
| Curriculum | Montessori / IB | IB / American |
| Ages | 1-18 | 2.5–18 |
| Languages of instruction | English, French | English, French, Dutch, Spanish, Japanese |
| Annual fees | Not published | Not published |
| Enrollment | — | 1,300 |
| Boarding | Day only | Day only |
| Accreditations | Association Montessori Internationale (AMI) | Council of International Schools (CIS), Middle States Association (MSA-CESS), International Baccalaureate Organization (IB World School) |
Strengths
- ✓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
- ✓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
- !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
- !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 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
- • 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
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.
University-destination and IB/AP results data were not published on the pages reviewed (school-reported, unverified). Contact the school for outcome statistics.
More Comparisons
Frequently Asked Questions
Should I choose International Montessori Schools of Brussels or The International School of Brussels?
International Montessori Schools of Brussels is best for: Families seeking a genuine long-run Montessori education rather than a single-stage programme. 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 International Montessori Schools of Brussels and The International School of Brussels?
International Montessori Schools of Brussels: Not published. 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 International Montessori Schools of Brussels and The International School of Brussels offer?
International Montessori Schools of Brussels: Montessori, IB. The International School of Brussels: IB, American.
Do International Montessori Schools of Brussels or The International School of Brussels offer boarding?
International Montessori Schools 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 →