Quick answer: how do you choose an international school in Kathmandu? Start with curriculum and exit exams, then filter by campus location relative to your neighbourhood, because Kathmandu traffic decides daily life. Expect roughly 400,000 to 2,200,000 NPR a year at the main English-medium schools, and apply at least six months ahead for the popular year groups.
Last reviewed: September 2026 by David from ISA. Fee ranges are indicative; always confirm with the school.
Working out how to choose an international school in Kathmandu is mostly an exercise in trade-offs. The city has a small but genuinely varied set of English-medium schools serving diplomatic missions, development agencies, airline staff and a growing group of Nepali families who want an international curriculum. There is no single best school; there is a best fit for how long you are staying, where you will live, and where your child is heading next. This guide walks through the decisions in the order that actually matters.
Start with how long you are staying
Kathmandu postings split cleanly. Two-year assignments with the UN system, embassies or international NGOs point towards schools whose programmes transfer cleanly to the next country, which in practice means the International Baccalaureate or a recognisable British or American structure. Longer stays, or families with a Nepali parent, open up options that mix Nepali language and context into an international framework, which is usually a richer experience but a less portable one.
The second question is age. Early years provision is reasonably plentiful and easy to arrange at short notice. Secondary places, especially in the two years before external examinations, are much tighter, and a mid-year move into an examination cohort is genuinely difficult. If your child is fifteen or sixteen, the school shortlist should be built around which board they are already following rather than around campus quality.
Curricula available in Kathmandu
- International Baccalaureate. Available at the established international schools, and the most portable option if you expect to move again. Diploma cohorts are small, so subject choice can be narrower than in a larger city.
- British curriculum with IGCSE and A Level. Well represented, popular with families moving between South Asia, the Gulf and the UK.
- American curriculum with Advanced Placement. The traditional choice for the diplomatic community and for families heading to North American universities.
- French curriculum. A small francophone option exists and is important to the French-speaking community, but capacity is limited.
- Nepali national board with English medium. Strong academically and far cheaper, but the transfer value outside Nepal is limited, so it suits long-stay and local-hire families rather than short postings.
Where the campuses are, and why it matters
Kathmandu is compact on a map and slow on the ground. The main international campuses cluster in the south and east of the valley, around Rabi Bhawan, Dhobighat, Bhaisepati and out towards Lalitpur, with a few in the north near Maharajgunj. Most expat housing sits in Lazimpat, Maharajgunj, Sanepa and Jhamsikhel. Pairing the wrong two of those can mean an hour each way in the dry season and worse when the monsoon breaks.
Air quality is the other practical variable. Between roughly December and March the valley traps pollution, and schools differ meaningfully in whether they have filtered indoor sports space and a published policy on outdoor activity. This is a fair question to ask on a tour and the answers vary more than you would expect.
Five schools in Kathmandu worth shortlisting
Lincoln School
The long-standing American-curriculum school in the valley and the default for embassy and development-agency families. Facilities are among the best available locally and the graduating cohorts have a consistent record of moving on to universities abroad. See the verified profile for Lincoln School.
The British School Kathmandu
A British-curriculum campus with a settled international community and a clear IGCSE and A Level pathway. A natural fit for families arriving from or heading to the UK, the Gulf or other British-system schools in the region. Details on The British School Kathmandu.
Sanskriti International School
A school that deliberately blends international teaching with Nepali context, which appeals to mixed families and to those staying beyond a single posting. Worth visiting if you want your child to leave Kathmandu actually knowing Kathmandu. See Sanskriti International School.
International French School of Kathmandu
Small, francophone and important to French-speaking families who need continuity with the French system. Capacity is limited, so early contact matters more here than anywhere else on this list. Profile: International French School of Kathmandu.
Prime International School
A mid-market English-medium option that is considerably more affordable than the established international campuses and draws a largely Nepali student body with some international families. A sensible shortlist entry for local-hire budgets. See Prime International School.
What it costs, in rupees
Fees in Kathmandu span an unusually wide band because the market runs from local private schools to full international campuses. As a working guide for 2026, expect roughly 400,000 to 700,000 NPR a year at good English-medium local-international schools, roughly 900,000 to 1,500,000 NPR at the mid-range international campuses, and roughly 1,600,000 to 2,200,000 NPR or more in the senior years at the top international schools. Some schools quote in US dollars for foreign-passport families, which shifts the real cost with the exchange rate.
Extras to budget for:
- Application and one-off admission fees, often 50,000 to 200,000 NPR and usually non-refundable.
- Capital or development levies charged annually at some schools.
- School bus, which is close to essential given traffic and typically adds 60,000 to 150,000 NPR a year.
- Uniform, books and technology, billed at the start of the year.
- External examination entry fees for IGCSE, A Level, AP or the IB Diploma, paid in foreign currency.
- Trips, which at the international schools can be substantial and are rarely optional in practice.
One concrete detail that catches new arrivals: Nepal Standard Time runs at UTC+05:45, the only 45-minute offset in the world. It sounds trivial until you are coordinating an online entrance assessment or a video interview with a school or examination board abroad, and it is worth double-checking every scheduled slot.
Practical advice before you commit
Ask about the academic calendar, not just the curriculum. Nepali-system schools typically run an academic year starting in April, while the international schools run August to June. If you are switching between the two, your child may repeat or skip part of a year, and schools handle that placement very differently.
Check how the school handles disruption. Kathmandu schools deal with strikes, festival closures, monsoon days and occasional air-quality closures. Ask what happened over the last two years and whether teaching moved online or was simply lost. The answer tells you a great deal about how the school is run.
Talk to two current parents, not the admissions office. The expat community in Kathmandu is small and candid. A fifteen-minute conversation with a parent at your child's likely year group will tell you more about teacher turnover and pastoral care than any tour.
Compare the full ranking for Nepal
To see how the Kathmandu schools sit against each other and against the rest of the country on curriculum, languages and fees, use the independent ranking: best international schools in Nepal.
More guides to schools in Kathmandu
Frequently asked questions
Do international schools in Kathmandu teach Nepali?
Most do, usually as a language subject with separate streams for beginners and for first-language speakers. Schools that blend international and Nepali curricula go further and use Nepali for some content teaching. If language exposure matters to you, ask how many hours a week your child would actually receive.
When does the school year start in Kathmandu?
International schools generally follow an August to June calendar, while Nepali-system schools typically begin in April. Families moving between the two systems should discuss year-group placement with admissions early, because the mismatch can cost or gain a child part of an academic year.
How early should we apply?
Six months ahead is a sensible target for the established international schools, and longer if you need a specific year group or the francophone option. Early years places can often be arranged at shorter notice, but examination year groups are frequently full and operate waiting lists.