Bombay International School
🇮🇳 Mumbai · Founded 1962 · IB / British · Ages Lower Prep (approx. age 4) to Grade 12 (approx. age 18)
A long-established, small-by-design South Mumbai day school running a fully international pathway (IB PYP into Cambridge IGCSE into the IB Diploma), with a distinctive progressive, founder-driven heritage dating to 1962.
Curricula
IB, British
Age range
Lower Prep (approx. age 4) to Grade 12 (approx. age 18)
Languages of instruction
English
Boarding
No (day school)
IB authorised
PYP, DP
Accreditations
Cambridge International (Cambridge Assessment International Education), International Baccalaureate Organization (IB World School)
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
Bombay International School (BIS) is one of South Mumbai's oldest international schools, tracing its origins to a 1961 gathering of young mothers who wanted an alternative to the rote-learning, fear-based culture of the era. The school opened its doors on 11 June 1962 with 90 children, and moved into its enduring home, the Gilbert Building at Babulnath, in 1964. It describes itself as 'the small school with a big heart,' signalling a deliberately intimate scale and a pastoral, child-centred ethos.
Academically, BIS runs a single coherent international continuum rather than the Indian national boards. Early Years and Junior School follow the IB Primary Years Programme, the Middle School (Grades 6-8) bridges PYP into Cambridge, students take Cambridge IGCSE in Grades 9-10, and the school finishes with the IB Diploma Programme in Grades 11-12. BIS adopted Cambridge IGCSE in 2007 and added the IB Diploma in 2011, and its footer carries both the Cambridge International and IB World School marks.
Outcomes are published transparently: the school posts IGCSE result sheets going back to 2021, and for the Class of 2025, 81% of grades were A* and A across 43 candidates, with two students earning nine or more A*s. A university counselling team and a CAS programme support the IBDP cohort, and the school publishes an IBDP brochure and profile for applicants.
BIS operates two day campuses in central South Mumbai (the Gilbert Building at Babulnath and a Junior campus near New Marine Lines). It is a day school only, with no boarding. Fees are not published online; the school directs enquiries to its admissions office and offers need-based financial aid, which makes cost planning harder for prospective families but signals a genuine bursary commitment.
Why These Ratings?
Inspection & AccreditationA — Excellent
India has no government graded-band school inspection regime comparable to Ofsted or ISI, so an 'S' (which the BrightKey method reserves for a verbatim top graded band) is not achievable. BIS holds two strong international quality anchors instead — Cambridge International registration and IB World School authorization for both the PYP and the Diploma Programme — evidenced by the programme pages and the Cambridge and IB marks in the site footer. That combination supports a solid 'A'.
Strengths & Trade-offs
Strengths
- Unbroken international pathway from IB PYP through Cambridge IGCSE to the IB Diploma, removing curriculum-switch friction between phases.
- Strong, transparently published IGCSE outcomes (Class of 2025: 81% of grades A* and A across 43 candidates).
- Dual international accreditation — Cambridge International and IB World School (PYP and DP) — rather than a single board.
- Deep heritage and a deliberately small scale ('the small school with a big heart'), founded 1962 with a progressive, anti-rote ethos.
- Need-based financial aid and a dedicated university counselling and CAS provision for the senior years.
Trade-offs
- Fees are not published online — families must contact admissions, reducing cost transparency.
- No published enrollment figure, so overall school size cannot be verified.
- Small cohort sizes (43 IGCSE candidates in 2025) mean limited subject breadth and peer-group scale versus larger international schools.
- No external graded inspection rating exists in the Indian context, so quality must be inferred from accreditation and results.
Is It Right For You?
Best For
- ✓Families committed to an IB-anchored education from the early years through to the Diploma.
- ✓Expatriate and globally mobile families wanting an internationally portable curriculum in central Mumbai.
- ✓Students who thrive in a small, pastorally attentive school community rather than a large campus.
- ✓Households seeking a progressive, inquiry-led alternative to India's national exam boards.
Not Ideal For
- ✕Families wanting an Indian national board (CBSE or ICSE) qualification.
- ✕Those requiring boarding — BIS is day-only.
- ✕Families needing upfront, published fee schedules before enquiring.
- ✕Students seeking a very large school with extensive niche-subject and facilities scale.
Curriculum
A single international continuum: IB Primary Years Programme (Early Years and Junior School, Grades 1-5), an integrated Middle School (Grades 6-8) bridging PYP to Cambridge, Cambridge IGCSE (Grades 9-10, adopted 2007), and the IB Diploma Programme (Grades 11-12, added 2011). The Indian national boards (CBSE/ICSE) are not offered.
Fees
Tuition fees are not published on the BIS website; the school asks prospective families to contact admissions@bis.edu.in for fee information. BIS states it offers need-based financial aid, which applicants flag on the application form.
Admissions
Entry points are published for Lower Prep, Grade 8 and IBDP (Grade 11), with 'chance vacancies' at other grades. Admissions are handled through the school's online application and admissions office; need-based financial aid is considered when indicated on the application.
Campus Life
BIS runs two day campuses in South Mumbai — the historic Gilbert Building at Babulnath (Maharashtra 400007), its home since 1964, and a Junior campus near New Marine Lines. Provision includes a student wellbeing and SRC programme spanning Lower Prep to Grade 12, an experiential 'Experiential Week' for Middle School, edutours, CAS for the Diploma years and a university counselling team.
University Placement
School-reported · not independently verified
School-reported, unverified: BIS publishes IBDP results-and-placements material and a university counselling programme, and reports IGCSE highlights such as 81% of Class of 2025 grades at A* and A; specific university destinations were not independently verified.
Sources
Every verifiable fact carries a public source — verify it yourself.
- Bombay International School — official homepage · 2026-06
- BIS Story (history: founded 1961-62, Gilbert Building 1964, IGCSE 2007, IB Diploma 2011) · 2026-06
- Cambridge IGCSE programme and published results (Class of 2025 onwards) · 2026-06
- IB Diploma Programme at BIS (Grades 11-12) · 2026-06
- Fees and Financial Aid (need-based aid; fee detail by enquiry only) · 2026-06
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