Best International Schools in Yangon: 2026 Guide for Expat Families

Quick answer: what are the best international schools in Yangon? It depends on curriculum and commute. International School Yangon offers a US-based programme with the IB Diploma, Network International School follows the English National Curriculum to IGCSE and A Level, and International School of Myanmar teaches American courses with AP. Fees are mostly unpublished, so ask each school directly.

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

Choosing among the best international schools in Yangon is a smaller exercise than in most Asian capitals. The city has a handful of established English-medium schools, several newer or smaller ones, and a wide gap between them in size, curriculum and how much information they publish. This guide sorts them by who they suit rather than naming a winner.

Two things shape every decision here. First, which curriculum your child needs to follow after Yangon: American, British or IB. Second, how practical the daily journey is, because the schools sit in different townships. We also explain what Myanmar's 2023 private education law means for you, and where we could not verify a detail, we say so plainly.

Yangon for school-age families: where schools sit and how long the commute is

International schools in Yangon cluster in three broad areas. Bahan Township, a leafy residential district in the centre of the city near Inya Lake, is home to International School Yangon and to the main campus of Network International School, both on streets close to Inya Road. Mayangone Township, to the north-west towards the airport, hosts Future Kidz International School and Crane International School Myanmar. International School of Myanmar sits further west in a housing estate off Mya Kan Thar Main Road, in Hlaing Township according to the school's own recruitment listing.

Yangon traffic is the practical constraint. Network International School's own bus page admits that door-to-door pickups may not be possible for some locations because of travel time, direction and traffic conditions, which is a useful reminder that distance on a map and time in a car are different things. If you are choosing between two schools that suit your child, let the commute decide, and ask each school for its bus routes before you rent a house.

Families should also check the current situation locally before committing. Term dates, staffing and facilities can change faster here than in most cities, so confirm with each school what is running this academic year, and read your government's current travel advice for Myanmar.

Curricula available in Yangon

American curriculum: International School Yangon (Common Core based, to Grade 10), International School of Myanmar (with AP courses and a US high school diploma, the school says), Future Kidz International School and The Khayay International School (partly).
International Baccalaureate: International School Yangon offers the IB Diploma to all students in Grades 11 and 12, according to the school.
British curriculum: Network International School follows the English National Curriculum from Early Years, with IGCSE and A Level exams, as the school describes.
Blended local and international: The Khayay International School combines elements of American, Japanese and Burmese curricula and teaches in English, Japanese and Burmese, the school says.

We found no school in Yangon that offers every route. That makes the first question simple: if you want the IB Diploma, you are choosing a very short list, and if your child is heading for UK university, the British route is the more direct one.

International schools in Yangon worth shortlisting

International School Yangon

International School Yangon, known as ISY, is a private non-profit day school at 20 Shwe Taungyar Street in Bahan Township. The school says it was established in 1955 and describes itself as the oldest and most diverse international school in Myanmar; we could not confirm that independently, so treat it as the school's own claim. It enrols more than 500 students from age 3 to 18 from over 27 nationalities, and says it caps any single nationality at between 20% and 30% of a grade, depending on the grade level.

The programme runs from Reggio-inspired early years classes through a US-based curriculum aligned with the Common Core to Grade 10, then the IB Diploma for everyone in Grades 11 and 12. The school states that it is accredited by WASC, authorised by the IB and a member of EARCOS. Children must be 3 by 31 August to join the Chinthe Cubs class. English is the language of instruction, French or Mandarin starts in Grade 2, and Burmese is part of the curriculum. Tip: because the IB Diploma is compulsory rather than optional, it suits academically confident students; ask how the school supports a child who would prefer a different final-year route.

Network International School

Network International School was founded in 1996. Its website describes it as the oldest British Schools Overseas accredited British international school in Yangon, and it teaches pupils from age 2 to 18, from Early Years to IGCSE and A Level. It runs two campuses, Bahan and 7 Mile, with a free bus between them, and a paid door-to-door service. The school's age guidelines page says its published guidelines are correct for the 2026 to 2027 year.

For results, the school reports that its class of 2024 earned over 60% A* or A grades at IGCSE and 40% A* or A grades at A Level, and its results page lists 95% of IGCSE grades at A* to C in the year it describes. These are the school's own figures and we have not seen the underlying exam board data. Tip: if you want to be sure of exam board status for a particular qualification, ask the school for its Cambridge or Pearson centre number and check it against the exam board.

International School of Myanmar

International School of Myanmar, or ISM, was founded in 1998 and teaches an American programme. In high school, students take Advanced Placement courses and graduate with a US high school diploma, which the school says is accepted by colleges and universities worldwide. The school also says more than 700 graduates have gone on to higher education abroad. The campus is at Mya Kan Thar Housing, away from the Bahan cluster, so the school run is a different proposition.

English is the language of instruction. Fee information is not published on the pages we could reach. Tip: ask for the AP course list for the year your child will be in Grades 11 and 12, because AP offerings in a smaller school depend on enrolment.

The Khayay International School

The Khayay International School has operated in Yangon since 2004 as a co-educational private school from preschool to Grade 9, at 16 Inya Road. Its founding principal wrote the preschool curriculum, which the school says gives children exposure to five languages: English, Burmese, Japanese, French and Chinese. In elementary and junior high, students use English, Japanese and Burmese as languages of instruction and can prepare for any of the three school systems.

Classes are small, with a stated maximum of ten students, and the school quotes teacher to student ratios of 1 to 5 in preschool and 1 to 7 in kindergarten. Tip: because the school ends at Grade 9, ask where recent leavers moved on to and how the transition to a Grade 10 programme elsewhere works.

Future Kidz International School

Future Kidz International School describes itself as a private kindergarten to Grade 12 school following an American curriculum with an international perspective. It says it was founded in 1996 and also operates in Mandalay. The Yangon campus is at 972/C Shwe Hninsi Road in Mayangone Township, and the school says its premises have space for safe drop-off and pick-up.

The school makes claims about university placements and scholarships, and also says its education system is registered in the United States. We have not verified either, so ask for the name of the registering body and for recent graduate destinations. Tip: if Mayangone is your base, it is worth visiting alongside Crane International School Myanmar, another independent co-educational school in the same township.

International school fees in Yangon

Most Yangon schools do not publish tuition online, and we could not reach fee schedules for the schools above. We could not find a published fee schedule for any of the schools above. International School Yangon says its fees have two elements, enrolment fees and tuition, paid to two separate legal entities, a US-based association and a Myanmar entity, and that fees typically rise by 3 to 5% a year; ask the admissions office for the current schedule. For the other schools, confirm exact figures and the payment currency in writing before you apply.

Under the Private Education Law, which took effect on 12 May 2023 and replaced the Private School Registration Law 2011, private schools must be registered, and registration is valid for five years. According to the US Department of Commerce's trade.gov summary, teachers, including foreign teachers, must register with the Regional Supervisory Board, with certificates valid for three years, and schools must notify the board within 14 days of appointing or terminating foreign staff. The regulator is the Ministry of Education working through Regional Supervisory Boards. We cannot say how this is enforced for any particular school today, and the summary is a trade brief, not the legal text, so ask the school directly about its registration under the 2023 law.

Extras to ask about before you compare totals:

Application or registration fee and any refundable deposit.
Annual capital or development levy.
School bus, which Network offers as a free inter-campus service and a paid door-to-door option.
Uniforms, books and devices.
Exam entry fees for IGCSE, A Level, AP or the IB Diploma.
Meals and after-school activities, which ISY, for instance, runs in two ten-week rounds a year.

Practical advice for choosing

Start with the destination. Decide whether your child is likely to apply to a US, UK or other university, then pick a curriculum that fits. A child who moves between countries every few years often does best in a curriculum that is easy to continue elsewhere, such as the IB or an American programme.

Visit and ask for documents. Ask each school for its registration under Myanmar's Private Education Law, its accreditation letters and its exam centre status. The IB, Cambridge International and the accrediting bodies each publish their own lists, and Cambridge International's school locator lets you search by country. A school that is open about this paperwork is usually easy to work with.

Allow for mid-year changes. Smaller schools can have class limits and staff changes during the year. Ask what happens to your child's place if a teacher leaves, how many pupils are in the class you are applying for, and what the withdrawal notice period is.

Compare more schools

For a wider list of schools, see our ranking: Best international schools in Yangon.

More guides to schools in Yangon

Frequently asked questions

Which international school in Yangon offers the IB Diploma?

International School Yangon says all students in Grades 11 and 12 take the IB Diploma Programme, and that its authorisation was renewed after an IB review in January 2024. We did not find another Yangon school in our shortlist offering the Diploma. Ask the school for its current IB authorisation status and recent Diploma results before applying.

Are there British curriculum schools in Yangon?

Yes. Network International School teaches the English National Curriculum from Early Years and prepares students for IGCSE and A Level exams. It has two campuses, Bahan and 7 Mile, with a free bus between them. Ask the school for its exam centre details and how pupils are assessed before the IGCSE years.

Do Yangon international schools have to register with the government?

Under Myanmar's Private Education Law, in effect since 12 May 2023, private schools must register, with registration valid for five years, and teachers including foreigners must register with the Regional Supervisory Board. This comes from a US trade.gov summary, so ask any school directly about its own registration.