Australian International School
🇸🇬 Singapore · Founded 1993 · Australian / IB / British · Ages 2 months–18
The natural fit for Australia-cycle families: a Southern-Hemisphere Jan–Dec calendar and a broad Australian-curriculum + IB + IGCSE + HSC pathway, for-profit and premium-priced.
Curricula
Australian, IB, British
Age range
2 months–18
Languages of instruction
English
Annual fees
SGD 43,030–53,518
Enrollment
2,300
Boarding
Yes
IB authorised
PYP, DP
Accreditations
CIS, WASC, NSW Government Education
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 Australian International School (AIS) is a private, co-educational international school in Singapore, opened in 1993 at 1 Lorong Chuan, a short walk from Lorong Chuan MRT. It is owned and operated by Cognita and serves a community of over 50 nationalities, with enrollment around 2,300 — among the larger international schools in Singapore.
AIS's distinctive feature is its blended curriculum. The school grounds its identity in the Australian Curriculum and the New South Wales (NSW) Higher School Certificate (HSC) — it holds NSW Government Education accreditation — while layering international pathways on top: the IB PYP in the early/elementary years, Cambridge IGCSE in the middle-secondary years, and a choice between the IB Diploma and the HSC in the final two years.
The school's most concretely verifiable point of difference is its calendar. AIS runs a Southern Hemisphere academic year, starting in January and ending in December (confirmed via its 2026 term dates), aligning it with the Australian school year and making it a natural fit for families relocating from or to Australia/New Zealand.
AIS spans an unusually wide age range — from infant care at 2 months to 18 years — and offers EAL/ESL support plus homestay and boarding options at secondary level.
Why These Ratings?
Inspection & AccreditationA — Excellent
CIS-accredited, WASC, IB World School status, Cambridge International, and NSW Government Education accreditation — broad accreditation depth. No independent inspectorate report is public (external review references are editorial), so it is not inspection-anchored.
Strengths & Trade-offs
Strengths
- Genuinely distinctive Southern Hemisphere (January–December) academic calendar — ideal for families moving on the Australian school cycle
- Broad multi-pathway curriculum: Australian Curriculum + IB PYP + Cambridge IGCSE + a choice of IB Diploma or NSW HSC at senior level
- Very wide age span, from infant care (2 months) through Year 12, on one campus
- Multiple recognized accreditations: CIS, WASC, IB World School, Cambridge International, NSW Government Education
- Large, established community (opened 1993; ~2,300 students; 50+ nationalities)
- EAL/English preparation support and secondary boarding/homestay options
Trade-offs
- High fees: secondary tuition reaches SGD 53,518/year (2026), among the more expensive bands in Singapore
- For-profit ownership under Cognita
- Large size (~2,300 students) may not suit families seeking a small setting
- No independent regulatory inspection report is publicly available (external references are editorial, e.g. Good Schools Guide)
- The blended HSC/IB/IGCSE model, while broad, can be complex for families to navigate
Is It Right For You?
Best For
- ✓Families relocating on the Australian/Southern Hemisphere school calendar who want continuity of term timing
- ✓Families wanting a single school covering infancy through to age 18
- ✓Students who may benefit from a choice between IB Diploma and the Australian HSC at senior level
- ✓Families seeking an established, well-accredited, large international school in central-north Singapore
Not Ideal For
- ✕Budget-conscious families — fees sit at the higher end of the market
- ✕Families who prefer a small, boutique school environment
- ✕Families who prefer a not-for-profit or foundation-governed school
- ✕Families needing an MYP track — AIS uses IGCSE in those years, not the IB MYP
Curriculum
Australian Curriculum + IB PYP (early/elementary) + Cambridge IGCSE (middle-secondary) + a senior choice of IB Diploma or NSW HSC. No IB MYP.
Fees
Fees reflect the school's published 2026 schedule (SGD): Elementary SGD 43,030–44,302; Secondary SGD 50,770–53,518; Early Years SGD 15,678–21,210 per semester; Infant Care SGD 3,330/month. These exclude application, registration and deposit charges and are subject to change — verify directly with the school.
Admissions
EAL/English preparation support is available, with homestay and boarding options at secondary level. For-profit, owned by Cognita.
Campus Life
A single campus at 1 Lorong Chuan (near Lorong Chuan MRT) on a Southern-Hemisphere Jan–Dec calendar, with 300+ co-curricular programmes (school-reported).
University Placement
School-reported · not independently verified
School-reported, unverified: AIS states '100% university acceptance' with '99% securing a top-choice placement,' names destinations including Melbourne, Stanford, Cambridge and NUS, reports 15% of students achieving 40+ IB points, and over $2.67M in scholarships in 2024. These are not independently verified.
Sources
Every verifiable fact carries a public source — verify it yourself.
- AIS official site (homepage / programmes) · 2026-06
- AIS About Us (Cognita ownership, address, accreditations) · 2026-06
- AIS Our History (founded 1993) · 2026-06
- AIS School Fees (2026 schedule) · 2026-06
- AIS Term Dates (Jan–Dec / Southern Hemisphere calendar) · 2026-06
- International Schools Database — Singapore · 2026-06
- Wikipedia — Australian International School, Singapore · 2026-06
📬 Get notified when we publish new university guides
Compare Australian International School with
Side-by-side: curriculum, fees, accreditation, honest trade-offs