International School Admissions in Boston: 2026 Step-by-Step Guide

Last reviewed: October 2026 by David from ISA. Fee ranges are indicative; always confirm with the school.

Boston pulls in families for its universities, hospitals and life-science employers, and many of them arrive on a timetable that has nothing to do with the school year. That matters, because international school admissions in Boston follow the New England independent school calendar: applications in the autumn and winter, decisions in March and a short window to accept. Families who relocate in spring or summer are not shut out, but they do need to understand how the main round works before they ask about places that open later.

This guide covers the three international schools on our Boston list: the British International School of Boston in Jamaica Plain, The Newman School in Back Bay and the International School of Boston in Cambridge. It sets out each step from first enquiry to deposit, the documents you will need, how age and grade placement work, and what to do if your child lands on a waiting list or needs to start in the middle of the year.

Boston and Cambridge: where the schools are and how families get there

Most international families come for a job at one of the universities, the teaching hospitals around the Longwood Medical Area, or the biotech and technology firms in Kendall Square and the Seaport. A common pattern is to choose a home that suits the commute to work and only then look at schools, which can produce long daily journeys across the city or over the river.

The three schools sit in quite different parts of the metro area. The Newman School is on Marlborough Street in Back Bay, the grid of brownstone streets between the Public Garden and Massachusetts Avenue, within walking distance of several Green Line stations. The British International School of Boston is on Pond Street in Jamaica Plain, a leafy residential neighbourhood in the south-west of the city known for Jamaica Pond and the Arnold Arboretum. The International School of Boston is at 45 Matignon Road in North Cambridge, just across the Charles River from Boston.

Traffic is the factor newcomers underestimate. Storrow Drive, the Jamaicaway, Route 2 and the Mass Pike all slow to a crawl at peak times, and a short trip on the map can easily take 40 minutes or more. Teenagers often use the MBTA subway and buses, but younger children usually rely on a parent run or a school bus. The International School of Boston lists school transport among its services; ask the other two what they offer and which neighbourhoods any routes reach. Many families keep their options open by renting in Brookline, Newton, Somerville, Arlington or Jamaica Plain itself.

Curricula you will meet at these Boston schools

• International Baccalaureate (IB): listed by all three schools. The IB Diploma is a two-year programme for ages 16 to 19 that US and overseas universities know well; ask each school which IB programmes it runs and from which grade.
• French Baccalaureate: offered at the International School of Boston as an alternative upper-school route to the IB, rooted in the French system.
• American high school diploma and college preparation: International School of Boston graduates earn an American diploma alongside the IB or French Baccalaureate, and The Newman School describes itself as a college-preparatory school.
• Bilingual French and English teaching: at the International School of Boston, from preschool at age 2 to Grade 12, with both languages used for instruction.
• English-medium teaching: at the British International School of Boston and The Newman School, where English is the language of instruction.

Curriculum shapes admissions as much as teaching. The IB Diploma and the French Baccalaureate both run over the final two years, so Grade 11 is the hardest point to join and Grade 12 entry is rarely possible without a matching programme behind it. At a bilingual school, the language level your child brings in will often decide which grades are realistic.

The three schools and what to ask each admissions office

British International School of Boston

Based at 416 Pond Street in Jamaica Plain, BISB is part of the Nord Anglia Education group and teaches in English. Its profile lists stages from nursery through high school, the International Baccalaureate as its international programme, and facilities that include a maker space, a science laboratory, a music room and a sports hall. A recurring theme in parent reviews on the profile is families who joined from abroad and settled in quickly.

Families coming from the English system should ask how BISB maps year groups to US grades and in which grade the IB begins, so you know whether your child will join at the start of a programme or part way through it.

The Newman School

At 247 Marlborough Street in Back Bay, Newman is a private, coeducational college-preparatory school that teaches in English and lists the IB. The school describes itself as the only boarding school in the city, and its motto, "Heart Speaks to Heart", reflects an emphasis on self and community within a city-centre setting that it uses for cultural and educational opportunities.

With no sprawling suburban campus, it is worth asking how sport and activities are organised around the city. If your teenager would board, raise boarding places, guardianship and visa status in the first conversation, since those questions take longer to settle than the academic file. Because Newman is a college-preparatory school, also confirm which grades take new students before you apply.

International School of Boston

ISB is a bilingual French and English school at 45 Matignon Road in Cambridge, serving children from preschool at age 2 through Grade 12. Graduates earn an American high school diploma and choose between the IB and the French Baccalaureate. The profile also lists school transport, a library and sports hall, after-school clubs, a Garderie programme for wraparound care, secondary athletics and a bilingual summer camp for children aged 3 to 10.

For families without French, the natural entry point is the early years, when children start in both languages together. For older children, ask at which grades the school can take a beginner in French and what support it provides, because that answer shapes the whole application. The summer camp is also a low-pressure way for a younger child to try the school before term starts.

What applying costs: fees, deposits and extras

None of the three profiles publishes a fee band, so treat these figures as indicative and confirm each one with the school. Day tuition at Boston-area independent and international schools runs roughly USD 30,000 to 60,000 a year, about EUR 26,000 to 52,000 at recent exchange rates, with preschool usually towards the lower end and high school towards the upper end. A boarding place at The Newman School costs considerably more than a day place.

Timing affects your cash flow as much as the amount. Massachusetts requires school attendance from age 6 to 16, and many independent schools in New England release admission decisions on a common notification date of 10 March, with families replying by 10 April. International and bilingual schools often also accept rolling applications when places remain. The enrolment contract and deposit usually fall due when you accept, so have funds ready by early April if you apply in the main round.

• Application fee: usually non-refundable, roughly USD 50 to 200 per child, and sometimes higher for applicants abroad.
• Enrolment deposit: due on acceptance, often a fixed sum of a few thousand dollars or around 10 per cent of tuition, normally credited against the first bill.
• Tuition refund insurance: some schools require or offer it in case you withdraw after signing the contract.
• Testing and translations: registration for a standardised test if a school asks for one, plus certified translations of reports not written in English.
• Transport: bus routes, where they exist, are normally charged separately from tuition.
• Meals and wraparound care: lunch programmes, after-school clubs and ISB's Garderie are usually billed on top.
• Uniform and devices: uniform where the school has one, and a laptop or tablet in the upper grades.
• Exams and trips: IB or French Baccalaureate exam fees in the final years, plus residential trips.
• Boarding extras: health insurance, weekend activities and arrangements for holidays when boarders cannot go home.

Many US independent schools offer need-based financial aid on the same timetable as admissions. If you need help, say so in the first conversation and submit the aid forms by the application deadline, not after the offer.

Step by step: the Boston admissions timeline

For September 2027 entry, the main round is already open. A typical sequence runs like this:

1. Research and enquiry (spring to October): shortlist schools, work out the grade your child will enter and register interest online.
2. Visits and open houses (September to December): tour the school, meet the admissions team and, for older children, book an interview or a shadow day. Virtual visits are usually possible from abroad.
3. Application (deadlines usually January to early February): submit the form, the fee, a parent statement and consent for the school to request records.
4. Documents and references (January to February): two to three years of school reports, teacher recommendations, a passport or birth certificate, immunisation records and any learning support reports, translated into English where needed.
5. Assessment (January to February): ask each school what it uses. Many US independent schools request the SSAT or ISEE for middle and upper school, while others run their own tests, a language check or a play-based session for young children. None of the three profiles specifies an entrance test.
6. Decision (10 March) and reply (10 April): you receive an offer, a waiting list place or a decline, and you accept by signing the enrolment contract and paying the deposit.
7. After April: waiting lists move as families turn down places, and rolling applications open where seats remain.

Age cut-offs and grade placement. US schools place children by age against a cut-off date, most often around 1 September, so a child with an autumn birthday may land in a different grade from the one you expect. As a rough guide, a child who would enter Year 7 in England usually joins Grade 6. Because school is compulsory in Massachusetts from age 6, a family arriving with a school-age child needs a confirmed place, public or private, soon after moving.

Waiting lists and mid-year entry. A waiting list is not a refusal. Tell the school promptly that you are still interested, send updated reports and explain if your dates are fixed by a job start. International schools handle mid-year arrivals more often than traditional New England day schools, so ask about January entry and send documents early; a place can open when another family is posted abroad.

Visas and paperwork. If you are coming on a work or study visa, check your child's visa status with each school before you apply, and keep copies of passports and visa pages with the file. Request records from your current school before you leave, because chasing reports across time zones in January is harder than it sounds.

Compare more schools across Massachusetts

Boston and Cambridge are one part of a wider market of day and boarding schools across the state. To compare options beyond these three, see our ranking of international schools in Massachusetts, then come back to this timeline once you have a shortlist.

More guides to schools in Boston

• International school fees in Boston
• ranking of international schools in Massachusetts

Frequently asked questions

When should I apply to a Boston private school for September 2027?

Start now. Many Boston-area independent schools run open houses and interviews between September and December, set application deadlines between mid-January and early February 2027, and release decisions on 10 March 2027, with replies due by 10 April. If you miss that round, international schools may still consider rolling applications for any places left after April.

Can my child join an international school in Boston mid-year?

Often yes, if a place exists in the right grade. International and bilingual schools in Boston and Cambridge are used to relocating families and may assess a child within a few weeks of enquiry. Send recent reports, references and immunisation records early, and remember that children aged 6 to 16 must attend school in Massachusetts while you wait for a place.

Do Boston private schools require the SSAT or ISEE?

Some do and some do not. Many US independent schools ask for the SSAT or ISEE for middle and upper school entry, while others run their own assessments or are test-optional. International schools often weigh reports, interviews and language level more heavily, including French at the International School of Boston. Ask each school before you book a test date.