Nexus 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 Nexus 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. Both run the same curriculum (IB, British), so the differences come down to pathway detail, campus culture, and specific language/boarding arrangements rather than the curriculum framework itself. 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
| Nexus International School | Tanglin Trust School | |
|---|---|---|
| Curriculum | IB / British | British / IB |
| Ages | 3–18 | 3–18 |
| Languages of instruction | English | English |
| Annual fees | from SGD 33,600 | SGD 34,770–55,734 |
| Enrollment | — | 2,824 |
| Boarding | Day only | Day only |
| Inspection rating | — | BSO: Outstanding |
| Accreditations | CIS, WASC, EduTrust | CIS, COBIS, HMC, IAPS, FOBISIA, Cambridge International, Edexcel, BSO |
Strengths
- ✓Full IB continuum (PYP → MYP → DP), an authorised IB World School across all three programmes
- ✓CIS-accredited (re-accredited 22 June 2022), providing independent quality assurance
- ✓Purpose-built Aljunied campus (opened Jan 2020), designed with teacher input, in a central MRT-accessible location
- ✓Strongly international community — 60+ nationalities and 44% of students bilingual (school-reported)
- ✓IGCSE bridge into the DP, giving a recognized externally-examined qualification at 16
- ✓'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
- !For-profit ownership under Taylor's Schools Group
- !High fees typical of Singapore IB schools — annual tuition from ~SGD 33,600 plus non-refundable initial fees; full per-year schedule not publicly extractable
- !Enrollment size not publicly disclosed
- !No published academic results — no IB Diploma average or A-Level data found publicly
- !Founding/heritage narrative is muddled across sources (2007 brand vs 2011 Singapore acquisition), so historical positioning should be treated cautiously
- !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 an uninterrupted IB pathway (PYP through DP) in one school
- • Internationally mobile families valuing a multi-national, English-medium environment
- • Families who prioritise a modern, purpose-built campus with central Singapore access
- • Students suited to inquiry-based IB pedagogy with an IGCSE checkpoint at 16
- • 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: no IB Diploma average, pass rate or university-placement data was found published on official or reputable third-party sources at the time of research.
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.
More Comparisons
Frequently Asked Questions
Should I choose Nexus International School or Tanglin Trust School?
Nexus International School is best for: Families wanting an uninterrupted IB pathway (PYP through DP) in one school. 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 Nexus International School and Tanglin Trust School?
Nexus International School: from SGD 33,600. 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 Nexus International School and Tanglin Trust School offer?
Nexus International School: IB, British. Tanglin Trust School: British, IB. Tanglin Trust School inspection: BSO "Outstanding".
Do Nexus International School or Tanglin Trust School offer boarding?
Nexus 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 →