International School Fees in Whitefield: 2026 Cost Guide for Expat Families

Quick answer: How much are international school fees in Whitefield? Across the five schools in this guide, annual tuition runs from roughly INR 2 lakh for CBSE primary to INR 12 lakh or more for the IB Diploma, about USD 2,300 to 14,000. CBSE, offered at GIIS Whitefield, tends to cost least; the IB Diploma, offered at OWIS Sarjapur, costs most. Tuition carries no GST.

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

Whitefield, once a quiet settlement on Bangalore's eastern edge, is now one of the city's main technology hubs, and its schools have grown with it. For families relocating to work in the tech parks, international school fees in Whitefield are often the biggest monthly cost after rent, and they vary more than newcomers expect. The board a school follows, the stage your child is entering and whether you need a bus seat can move the annual bill by several lakh.

This guide is the Whitefield companion to our wider Bangalore fees guide, which appears with our other Bangalore guides at the end of this page. It looks only at the east of the city: five schools along the Whitefield and Sarjapur Road corridor, what each curriculum tends to cost, the one-off and recurring extras, and how to budget when your salary and your fees are in different currencies. None of the five publishes a fee band on its profile with us, so every figure here is indicative and should be checked against the school's current schedule.

Whitefield and the Sarjapur Road corridor: where families live and study

Families come to Whitefield for work. The International Tech Park (ITPL), the EPIP Zone and the office campuses around Brookefield and Hoodi employ large numbers of engineers and managers, many on international assignments or returning to India after years abroad. Housing follows the jobs, with gated communities spread along Whitefield Main Road, Varthur Road and the stretch south towards Gunjur and Sarjapur Road.

The schools in this guide do not sit in the old centre of Whitefield. They cluster further south, around Varthur, Gunjur and Dommasandra, where there was land for larger campuses. GIIS Whitefield and OWIS Whitefield are on the Gunjur and Goravigere side, while Inventure Academy and TISB sit near Dommasandra Circle on the Whitefield to Sarjapur road. OWIS Sarjapur, on Sarjapur Main Road, belongs to the Sarjapur Road corridor rather than to Whitefield itself, although many Whitefield families consider it.

Distances look short on a map, but traffic is the real cost. Varthur Road and the Outer Ring Road junctions at Marathahalli and Sarjapur Road are notorious at peak hours, and a school run of 10 to 15 km can take roughly 45 minutes to an hour. The Namma Metro Purple Line has run through to Whitefield (Kadugodi) since 2023, which helps parents commuting towards the city, but these schools lie well south of the line, so children still depend on school buses or a family car. That is why transport appears as a real budget line later in this guide.

Curricula on offer, and why they cost different amounts

CBSE: India's national board, offered at GIIS Whitefield from Grade 1 to Grade 12.
Cambridge: GIIS Whitefield runs Cambridge from Grade 6 to Grade 10, and Inventure Academy is affiliated to Cambridge Assessment International Education (CAIE).
CISCE (ICSE and ISC): Inventure Academy is also affiliated to the Council for the Indian School Certificate Examinations.
International Baccalaureate (IB): OWIS Whitefield teaches the IB from the early years through the Middle Years Programme for ages 3 to 16, OWIS Sarjapur continues to the IB Diploma, and TISB also lists the IB.
Montessori early years: the Global Montessori Programme at GIIS Whitefield.

Curriculum is the single biggest driver of fees. CBSE follows a national syllabus with modest board exam charges, so tuition at CBSE schools is usually the lowest of the international options. Cambridge and CISCE programmes tend to sit in the middle, with Cambridge exam entries billed per subject by a board based overseas. The IB generally costs most: schools pay authorisation and annual fees to the IB, need more specialist staff and run smaller Diploma classes, and those costs reach parents through tuition.

Five schools in the Whitefield catchment: what you are paying for

Global Indian International School Whitefield

Listed on Gunjur Road (560087) near Dommasandra, GIIS Whitefield offers three tracks: the Global Montessori Programme for young children, CBSE from Grade 1 to 12 and Cambridge from Grade 6 to 10, all taught in English. The school describes a 220,000 sq ft campus that is about 80 per cent open space, and its profile lists school transport, an in-house kitchen, a school nurse and an educational psychologist.

One cost to plan for: because Cambridge stops at Grade 10 here, a Cambridge student will either switch to CBSE for Grades 11 and 12 or move school, so price both routes before you commit.

One World International School Whitefield

OWIS Whitefield is on Goravigere Main Road, Kannamangala Post (560067), and teaches the IB from the early years through the Middle Years Programme, for ages 3 to 16. It is part of the Global Schools Group, teaches in English with additional languages in line with IB requirements, and lists swimming, tennis, robotics, a maker space and science and ICT labs.

Students finish MYP5 at around 16 and move to the sister Sarjapur campus for the IB Diploma, so ask now for both campuses' fee schedules and bus routes. The fee step and the change of commute arrive at the same moment.

One World International School Sarjapur

OWIS Sarjapur sits on Sarjapur Main Road in Dommasandra (562125), part of the Sarjapur Road corridor south of Whitefield rather than Whitefield itself. It runs the IB from the early years to the Diploma Programme in English, and its profile lists ADHD support and an educational psychologist among its inclusion services, alongside gardens, science labs, a library and digital classrooms.

If your child needs learning support, ask whether it is included in tuition or billed per session, and whether IB Diploma exam fees are part of the Grade 11 and 12 fee or charged separately in the final year.

Inventure Academy

Inventure Academy is near Dommasandra Circle on SH 35 at Kachamaranahalli (562125), in the Whitefield and Sarjapur Road catchment. The school says it was established in 2005 and runs from Pre-K to Grade 12, with affiliations to CAIE, CISCE and the Round Square network of schools. English and Hindi are listed as its languages.

With two exam boards under one roof, check which board a quoted fee refers to, and ask what Round Square conferences or exchanges cost, since travel of this kind is usually charged on top of tuition.

The International School Bangalore (TISB)

TISB is in NAFL Valley on the Whitefield to Sarjapur road near Dommasandra Circle (562125), on grounds the school puts at 140 acres. It is a coeducational day and boarding school that teaches in English and lists the IB, and the school describes boarding as central to its identity. Its profile also mentions sports such as cricket, basketball, tennis, athletics, squash and badminton.

Boarding is charged on a separate, much larger schedule than day places, so request both. Day families should also check what the day fee covers in meals and late buses if a child stays on for sport.

International school fees in Whitefield by stage

The ranges below are indicative annual tuition figures across these five schools and their curricula for 2026 to 2027, converted at roughly INR 85 to 90 to the US dollar. They are not quotes, so ask each school for its current schedule.

Early years (Pre-K to kindergarten): roughly INR 1.5 to 5 lakh a year, about USD 1,700 to 5,700.
Primary (Grades 1 to 5): roughly INR 2 to 6 lakh, about USD 2,300 to 6,900.
Middle and lower secondary (Grades 6 to 10): roughly INR 2.5 to 8 lakh, about USD 2,900 to 9,200, with Cambridge and the IB MYP towards the top of the range.
Grades 11 and 12: roughly INR 3 to 12 lakh or more, about USD 3,400 to 14,000, with CBSE at the lower end and the IB Diploma at the top.
Boarding: at TISB, boarding costs considerably more than a day place; ask for the full boarding schedule.

One tax rule helps. In India, school education up to higher secondary is exempt from GST (Notification 12/2017, Central Tax (Rate)), so tuition carries no GST, although some bought-in services such as transport run by third parties may. Read each invoice line by line so you know which items carry tax.

Most schools bill termly or in two to four instalments, and some offer a small discount for paying the year upfront or for a second child. Expect these extras on top of tuition:

Registration fee: paid with the application and usually non-refundable, from a few thousand rupees up to roughly INR 25,000.
Admission fee: a one-off, non-refundable charge on joining, roughly INR 50,000 to 2 lakh or more at the top end.
Caution deposit: refundable when your child leaves, often roughly INR 25,000 to 1 lakh; ask how long the refund takes.
Annual or development charges: some schools bill a yearly charge or development levy separately from term tuition.
Transport: school buses commonly add roughly INR 40,000 to 1.2 lakh a year depending on distance, and this is where third-party GST may appear.
Meals: roughly INR 30,000 to 80,000 a year where the school kitchen provides lunch and snacks.
Uniforms, books and stationery: roughly INR 15,000 to 50,000 a year.
Exam fees: CBSE board fees are modest, while Cambridge entries are charged per subject and IB Diploma registration and subject fees can together add roughly INR 1 lakh in the exam year.
Devices and trips: IB and Cambridge programmes often expect a laptop from middle school, plus field trips and residential camps.

How to budget for school fees in Whitefield

Get the whole schedule, not the headline. Ask each school for a written fee schedule showing tuition, the admission fee, deposit, annual charges, transport by zone and meals, for every year until your child finishes. Fees in Bangalore usually rise each year, so ask what the last three increases were and build a similar rise into each year of your plan rather than assuming this year's figure holds.

Match the currency to the contract. Fees are set in rupees, which suits families paid locally. If your salary is in dollars, euros or pounds, a weaker rupee lowers your real cost and a stronger one raises it, and over a five-year posting that swing can matter more than the gap between two schools. If your employer pays an education allowance, check whether it covers admission fees and transport or tuition only, and whether the cap is set in rupees or in your home currency. Some schools in India also publish a separate schedule for foreign passport holders, so ask which one applies to you.

Price the route, not just the year. A child moving from the MYP at OWIS Whitefield to the Diploma at OWIS Sarjapur, or from Cambridge at GIIS to CBSE senior school, will see both the fee and the commute change at 16. Map every stage your child will pass through, compare the total cost of the full route at each school, and include transport from the home you actually plan to rent before you sign a lease.

See how Karnataka's schools compare

Fees are only one part of the decision. To set these five schools against others across the state, see our ranking of the best international schools in Karnataka, and use the Bangalore guides below for admissions, curriculum and school choice questions.

More guides to schools in Whitefield

Frequently asked questions

Is GST charged on school fees in Bangalore?

Not on tuition. School education up to higher secondary is exempt from GST under Notification 12/2017, Central Tax (Rate), so the tuition line on your invoice should carry no tax. Some bought-in services can still be taxed, for example buses run by a third-party operator, so check each line and ask the school which items include GST.

How much does the IB Diploma cost in Whitefield?

Budget roughly INR 6 to 12 lakh a year or more for Grades 11 and 12 on the IB Diploma, about USD 7,000 to 14,000, plus IB registration and subject fees in the exam year. Among the schools in this guide, OWIS Sarjapur offers the Diploma and TISB lists the IB; neither publishes a fee band with us, so confirm current fees directly.

Do Whitefield international schools charge a one-time admission fee?

Most do. Expect a non-refundable admission fee on joining, often roughly INR 50,000 to 2 lakh at premium international schools, plus a refundable caution deposit and a smaller registration fee when you apply. Ask whether the admission fee is reduced for a second child or for mid-year entry, and get the refund terms for the deposit in writing.