American Schools in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

American international schools were first developed to provide an American education for the children of American citizens working overseas.  They have since become a popular choice for students from all around the globe.  The core curriculum of American international schools is developed to ensure that students are able to enter schools, colleges and universities in the US.  In the US there is no set Curriculum.  Each State, and even each district within, sets its own educational standards.  There are, however, many common practices between American international schools.  They usually place great emphasis on the development of the whole child and providing an individual education.  American International Schools also encourage creativity and try to enable their students to explore a broad range of subject areas.

There are three American schools in Kuala Lumpur.

Templer Park International School

Templer Park International School (TPIS) is uniquely situated on more than 17 acres to the north of the city yet is only 20 minutes away from the metropolitan area.  It offers an American education programme with a maximum of 15 students per class and an emphasis on inquiry-based, hands-on teaching methods and developing the whole child.  They believe that learning in a park-based environment has a crucial role in developing the physical and mental health for children.   

TPIS has an open park school concept including outdoor classrooms, horse riding, a half Olympic swimming pool, a zipline, a mini zoo, camping and hiking facilities in addition to well equipped indoor classrooms and labs.  

Fees range from around RM30,000 to RM47,000

Review score at time of writing: 5/5

Mont’Kiara International School

Mont’Kiara International School (M’KIS) is a medium sized school situated in the green, leafy suburb of Mont Kiara in north Kuala Lumpur.  There are over 1,000 students enrolled, aged between 3 and 17, from 55 different nationalities.  M’KIS is accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC) with a curriculum based upon North American standards and delivered through an International Baccalaureate (IB) framework.

The campus is surrounded by greenery and well equipped with new laboratories and art rooms, a swimming pool, gymnasiums, two climbing walls, a robotics and STEM lab, a 440 seat theatre, a canteen, a cafe, a refurbished library and multiple playgrounds and outdoor spaces.  In addition to the usual extra curricula actives, M’KIS also offer a variety of Community Service Clubs, student-based clubs that help out around the community.  M'KIS runs a bus system, fitted with GPS and cameras, to and from school.  The school also offers a wide range of learning support and counselling services.

Admissions are accepted all year round depending on the availability of places, and fees range from RM48,000 to RM111,000

Review score at time of writing: 5/

Oasis International School Kuala Lumpur

Oasis International School Kuala Lumpur (OIS) is a relatively small school with around 600 students situated in Selangor, about 30 minutes to the south west of Kuala Lumpur.  It is a member of the Oasis International Schools Network, a non-profit organisation that is committed to establishing and maintaining American-style, English-speaking international schools around the world.  Oasis KL offers an American education programme with an individual and holistic approach.  

Oasis KL is situated on a 12 acre campus with modern, well equipped classrooms, science labs, sports facilities and a cafeteria.  The school encourages students to participate in a range of activities in their After School Activities Program.  A specialist bus service is offered to a number of surrounding areas.  Oasis KL also offers learning support and has adopted the Arrowsmith program, which is a brain-based approach based on neuroscientific research. Arrowsmith gets to the root of students' learning difficulties by strengthening the weak cognitive capacities. After completing the three to four year program with Arrowsmith, students should be able to rejoin the general education classroom full time with little to no extra support. 

Admissions are accepted throughout the year and fees range from RM41,500 to RM66,000.

Review score at time of writing: 4.5/5