International School of Dublin vs St. Andrew's College
🇮🇪 Dublin · Side-by-side comparison on verifiable public data.
Neither International School of Dublin nor St. Andrew's College 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. On cost, St. Andrew's College has the noticeably lower entry fee — a material difference for budget-conscious families. See the table below for the figures, and verify against each school's own published fees.
Key Facts
| International School of Dublin | St. Andrew's College | |
|---|---|---|
| Curriculum | IB | IB / National |
| Ages | 3.5–12 | 4–18 |
| Languages of instruction | English | English |
| Annual fees | EUR 11,250 | EUR 9,560–12,600 |
| Boarding | Day only | Day only |
| Accreditations | International Baccalaureate |
Strengths
- ✓Accredited IB World Primary School — Ireland's first, per the school's own site
- ✓Central Dublin 8 location on Synge Street, convenient for city-based families
- ✓Co-educational, non-denominational and open year-round to all nationalities and faiths
- ✓Dedicated English-as-an-Additional-Language (EAL) support for new-arrival and multilingual pupils
- ✓Sibling tuition discounts (10% for 1st/2nd siblings, 20% for 3rd and beyond)
- ✓Dual pathway: pupils can choose the Irish Leaving Certificate or the IB Diploma Programme, offered continuously since 1985.
- ✓Long-established institution (founded 1894) with a full K1-to-sixth-form span.
- ✓English-as-an-Additional-Language support for a diverse, multinational student body.
Trade-offs
- !Primary only (to age 12) — no secondary or sixth-form provision, so families must transition elsewhere afterwards
- !No boarding provision
- !Enrollment numbers and detailed staffing are not published on the school's site
- !Language-of-instruction detail beyond English/EAL is not published
- !No boarding provision since 1995, limiting options for families based outside the Dublin area.
- !The school does not publish current enrolment figures on its own site.
- !Only the IB Diploma is offered — there is no IB PYP or MYP continuum for younger year groups.
Best Fit For
- • Internationally mobile families needing a recognised IB primary programme in central Dublin
- • Multilingual children who benefit from structured EAL support
- • Families wanting a small, non-denominational, inquiry-based primary setting
- • Families wanting a choice between the Irish Leaving Certificate and the IB Diploma at sixth-form level.
- • International families needing English-as-an-Additional-Language support within an English-medium day school.
University Placement
School-reported · not independently verified
School leaver / onward-placement destinations are not published by the school (school-reported data not available).
University-destination and IB results data are not published on the school's own site (school-reported, unverified); prospective families should request current outcomes directly.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Should I choose International School of Dublin or St. Andrew's College?
International School of Dublin is best for: Internationally mobile families needing a recognised IB primary programme in central Dublin. St. Andrew's College is best for: Families wanting a choice between the Irish Leaving Certificate and the IB Diploma at sixth-form level.. The right choice depends on target curriculum, budget, and family priorities — the two are not linearly comparable.
How do fees compare between International School of Dublin and St. Andrew's College?
International School of Dublin: EUR 11,250. St. Andrew's College: EUR 9,560–12,600. Verify against each school's own published fees; some figures are sourced from third-party aggregators.
What curricula do International School of Dublin and St. Andrew's College offer?
International School of Dublin: IB. St. Andrew's College: IB, National.
Do International School of Dublin or St. Andrew's College offer boarding?
International School of Dublin: day school only. St. Andrew's College: 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 →