ISS International School vs Tanglin Trust School
🇸🇬 Singapore · Side-by-side comparison on verifiable public data.
Tanglin Trust School holds a public inspection verdict (BSO "Outstanding"), while ISS International School operates in a market with no public inspectorate — the former has a verifiable official quality anchor, the latter is judged on accreditation depth. Curriculum is the core differentiator: ISS International School offers IB, American while Tanglin Trust School offers British, 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
| ISS International School | Tanglin Trust School | |
|---|---|---|
| Curriculum | IB / American | British / IB |
| Ages | 4–18 | 3–18 |
| Languages of instruction | English | English |
| Annual fees | SGD 25,000–54,430 | SGD 34,770–55,734 |
| Enrollment | — | 2,824 |
| Boarding | Day only | Day only |
| Inspection rating | — | BSO: Outstanding |
| Accreditations | CIS, WASC, EARCOS, EduTrust, EAPISA | CIS, COBIS, HMC, IAPS, FOBISIA, Cambridge International, Edexcel, BSO |
Strengths
- ✓Full IB continuum (PYP + MYP + DP) under one roof — uncommon and verifiable
- ✓Long track record: established 1981, one of Singapore's older international schools
- ✓Strong, layered accreditation for a small school: WASC (1986), CIS (2011), EduTrust 4-year certificate (2023–2027)
- ✓Dual senior pathway — IB Diploma plus an American-style High School Diploma
- ✓Explicit EAL / multilingual-learner support and a Bilingual Diploma option
- ✓'Outstanding' rating in the 2025 BSO inspection — the only BSO-inspected school in Singapore, a verifiable third-party quality signal
- ✓Strong published 2025 results: provisional IB Diploma average 39.3, 100% IB pass rate, 63% A*/A at A-Level
- ✓Rare dual-pathway Sixth Form letting students choose A-Levels or the IB Diploma at 16
- ✓Century-long track record (founded 1925) and a large, diverse community (~2,824 students)
- ✓Broad accreditation and membership footprint (CIS, COBIS, HMC, IAPS, FOBISIA, Cambridge, Edexcel)
Trade-offs
- !Small scale typically means fewer specialist facilities, sports teams and CCA breadth than large campuses (ISS joined EAPISA, an association for small international schools)
- !No published total enrollment figure, limiting transparency on cohort size
- !Fees are mid-to-high (senior grades exceed SGD 50,000/year before development and protection-scheme fees), without the facilities footprint of similarly-priced larger schools
- !No independent inspectorate rating published (EduTrust is a regulatory certification, not a graded inspection)
- !Published IB results (top score 43; 94% diploma rate) are school-reported and not independently verified
- !High fees: SGD 34,770–55,734 for 2025/26, plus a non-refundable SGD 1,000 application fee, SGD 4,500 enrolment fee, and SGD 4,500 capital levy
- !No EAL support — children not already fluent in English cannot be accommodated
- !Day school only; no boarding option
- !Exam fees (GCSE/IGCSE/A-Level/IB), personal-device costs, transport, meals and trips are extra
- !Established and oversubscribed — competitive admissions and waitlists are commonly reported (not quantified in public sources)
Best Fit For
- • Families wanting the full IB continuum (PYP→MYP→DP) with continuity across all stages
- • Students who thrive in small classes with close teacher attention and mentorship
- • Internationally mobile / expat families needing strong EAL support and a Bilingual Diploma route
- • Families wanting an IBDP alternative (the American-style High School Diploma) within the same school
- • Fluent-English-speaking families wanting a British curriculum with an IB option at Sixth Form
- • Academically ambitious students aiming for strong A-Level or IB Diploma outcomes
- • Families seeking a long-established, large, multi-national community
- • Families who can comfortably absorb premium Singapore international-school fees
University Placement
School-reported · not independently verified
School-reported, unverified: ISS publishes a highest IB score of 43, a 94% IB Diploma attainment rate, an 88% Bilingual Diploma rate and a 100% HSD pass rate (2024–25). No independently published IB average or university-placement list was found.
School-reported, unverified: Tanglin publishes 2025 examination outcomes (provisional IB Diploma average 39.3, 100% IB pass rate, 63% A*/A at A-Level) but no specific university-destination list was found in public sources.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Should I choose ISS International School or Tanglin Trust School?
ISS International School is best for: Families wanting the full IB continuum (PYP→MYP→DP) with continuity across all stages. Tanglin Trust School is best for: Fluent-English-speaking families wanting a British curriculum with an IB option at Sixth Form. The right choice depends on target curriculum, budget, and family priorities — the two are not linearly comparable.
How do fees compare between ISS International School and Tanglin Trust School?
ISS International School: SGD 25,000–54,430. Tanglin Trust School: SGD 34,770–55,734. Verify against each school's own published fees; some figures are sourced from third-party aggregators.
What curricula do ISS International School and Tanglin Trust School offer?
ISS International School: IB, American. Tanglin Trust School: British, IB. Tanglin Trust School inspection: BSO "Outstanding".
Do ISS International School or Tanglin Trust School offer boarding?
ISS International School: day school only. Tanglin Trust School: day school only.
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 →