American School of Bombay
🇮🇳 Mumbai · Founded 1981 · American / IB · Ages 3-18
Mumbai's longest-established American international school, pairing a US college-prep diploma with the full IB pathway (PYP and DP) under deep international accreditation.
Curricula
American, IB
Age range
3-18
Languages of instruction
English
Annual fees
SGD USD 20,000-35,020 per year (2023-2024: Pre-K 20,000; KG-Grade 5 32,450; Grades 6-10 34,130; Grades 11-12 35,020)
Enrollment
750
Boarding
No (day school)
IB authorised
PYP, DP
Accreditations
IB World School (since 1998), Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools (MSA, since 1992), Near East South Asia Council of Overseas Schools (NESA), Council of International Schools (CIS), Global Online Academy (GOA)
Tier Profile
We only tier dimensions backed by a public inspection verdict or verifiable accreditation. Other dimensions show a data flag — never a guessed score.
BrightKey's Assessment
The American School of Bombay (ASB) opened in 1981 with 12 students in a room at the American Consulate, founded in cooperation with the United States Consulate to serve diplomatic and expatriate families. It has since grown into an independent, coeducational, non-profit day school of roughly 750 students drawn from more than 40 nationalities, occupying a campus in the Bandra Kurla Complex of Mumbai.
ASB runs a dual academic model: students can graduate with an American high school diploma, the IB Diploma, or both. The school is authorized for the IB Primary Years Programme (PYP) in its elementary years and the IB Diploma Programme (DP) in its final two years, and has been an IB World School since 1998 (IB school code 001078). It does not run the IB Middle School Programme; the middle years follow the school's own US-aligned curriculum.
Accreditation depth is a genuine strength. ASB is accredited by the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools (MSA, since 1992) and is a member of the Council of International Schools (CIS) and the Near East South Asia Council of Overseas Schools (NESA), alongside the Global Online Academy. India has no government graded-inspection regime for international schools, so the school is rated on accreditation depth rather than a published inspection band.
Instruction is in English, with English as an Additional Language (EAL) support available through the school's learning-support provision. ASB is a day school only, with no boarding. Published 2023-2024 tuition ran from USD 20,000 at Pre-K to USD 35,020 in Grades 11-12, placing it at the premium end of Mumbai's international-school market.
Why These Ratings?
Inspection & AccreditationA — Excellent
Rated 'A' rather than 'S' because India operates no government graded-inspection regime that issues a verbatim band (no Ofsted-style 'Outstanding' equivalent), so 'S' is unavailable by brand rule. The 'A' reflects strong, independently verifiable accreditation depth: MSA accreditation since 1992, CIS and NESA membership, and IB World School authorization since 1998 for both PYP and DP.
Strengths & Trade-offs
Strengths
- Dual-credential pathway: students can earn a US high school diploma, the IB Diploma, or both
- Deep, layered accreditation - MSA (since 1992), CIS membership, and IB authorization since 1998
- Longest-established American school in Mumbai, founded 1981 with consulate backing
- Highly international community spanning 40-plus nationalities at roughly 750 students
- Continuous IB pathway from PYP in the early/primary years through DP in Grades 11-12
Trade-offs
- Premium fees (up to USD 35,020 in 2023-2024) put it out of reach for most local families
- No IB Middle Years Programme - the middle-school curriculum is the school's own US-aligned model, not MYP
- Day school only, with no boarding option for relocating or regional families
- No published government inspection band, so external quality signals rely on accreditation alone
Is It Right For You?
Best For
- ✓Expatriate and diplomatic families wanting a recognised US-style education in Mumbai
- ✓Students aiming for both US and international university applications via a dual diploma
- ✓Families prioritising IB PYP-to-DP continuity within one school
- ✓Mobile international families needing globally portable MSA/CIS-accredited credentials
Not Ideal For
- ✕Families seeking a low-cost or locally-priced school place
- ✕Households needing boarding provision
- ✕Students specifically wanting the full IB continuum including the MYP
- ✕Families who require a published government inspection rating to compare schools
Curriculum
Dual model: an American college-preparatory curriculum leading to the ASB (American) high school diploma, plus the IB Diploma Programme in Grades 11-12. The IB Primary Years Programme runs in the elementary years. The school is authorized for PYP and DP only - not the IB MYP - so the middle years follow ASB's own US-aligned curriculum. The official site does not list Advanced Placement, so AP is not asserted here.
Fees
Per the U.S. State Department 2023-2024 fact sheet, annual tuition was USD 20,000 (Pre-K), USD 32,450 (KG-Grade 5), USD 34,130 (Grades 6-10) and USD 35,020 (Grades 11-12). Directory listings quoting INR figures vary widely and are not used here; confirm the current year's schedule and additional fees (capital, application, transport) directly with the school.
Admissions
Coeducational, independent day school admitting from Pre-K (age 3) to Grade 12 (age 18). Historically oriented to the diplomatic and expatriate community; English as an Additional Language support is available for students still developing English. Verify current entry points, assessment requirements and waitlist status with the admissions office.
Campus Life
ASB occupies a campus in the Bandra Kurla Complex business district of Mumbai (the school moved to Bandra in 1998). The community spans more than 40 nationalities at roughly 750 students. As a day school it offers co-curricular and athletics programming through regional circuits such as SAISA and ASIAC, in which ASB is a member school.
University Placement
School-reported · not independently verified
School-reported, unverified: ASB-published materials describe IB Diploma results and university destinations including highly selective US institutions; specific IB average scores and pass rates cited by third-party summaries could not be confirmed against a primary ASB source and are therefore not stated as verified figures.
Sources
Every verifiable fact carries a public source — verify it yourself.
- ASB official site - About (Pre-K to Grade 12, IB day school) · 2026-06
- ASB official site - Accreditations and Affiliations (IB 1998, MSA 1992, NESA, CIS, GOA) · 2026-06
- Wikipedia - American School of Bombay (founded 1981, day school, IBO/MSA, PYP+DP) · 2026-06
- U.S. State Department - ASB 2023-2024 Fact Sheet (tuition by grade, USD) · 2026-06
- IB World Schools directory - ASB (school code 001078, IB since Dec 1998) · 2026-06
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