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What Christian international schooling looks like in Manila
The Philippines is the largest Christian nation in Asia, and that shapes its schools. Much of Metro Manila private education grew out of Catholic religious orders and Protestant missions, so a great many respected schools carry a faith identity as a matter of course rather than as a selling point. What sets the schools on this page apart is that they combine that Christian grounding with an academic route recognised outside the country, whether the International Baccalaureate, a United States curriculum with Advanced Placement, or a college preparatory programme that feeds into universities abroad. For a family that wants a globally portable qualification alongside a clear values framework and pastoral care, that pairing is the point rather than a compromise.
The traditions on offer are broader than the word Christian suggests. Two of the schools here are Catholic, run by the Jesuits and the Augustinians, orders with centuries of teaching behind them. One sits in the Catholic Regnum Christi network. One has Episcopal roots reaching back more than a century. One is an interdenominational evangelical school founded to educate the children of missionary families. The academic year generally runs from August to May or June, and most schools keep chapel, Mass or a values programme in the weekly timetable for all pupils regardless of background.
Schools to consider
The five schools below all carry a Christian ethos, all teach a recognised international or college preparatory curriculum, and all have a full profile on this site. Ordering here is not a ranked scoreboard. Read each profile, weigh tradition, curriculum, district and stage, then use the compare tool to line up a shortlist.
Brent International School Manila
Brent is an American style, college preparatory international school in Binan, Laguna, just south of Metro Manila, tracing its roots to the Brent School founded in Baguio in 1909 by the Episcopal missionary bishop Charles Henry Brent. It teaches from early childhood to Grade 12, offers the IB Diploma Programme and is accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges. A long established choice for families who want an internationally recognised diploma inside a school with a clear Christian heritage and a broad expatriate cohort.
Faith Academy
Faith Academy sits on a mountainside campus near Antipolo and was founded in 1957 to serve the children of missionary and ministry families in the Philippines. It teaches a United States based curriculum with Advanced Placement and IGCSE options, holds WASC and ACSI accreditation, and sits towards the lower to mid fee band for Manila. An interdenominational evangelical school at heart, it remains one of the region's best known mission schools and suits families who want an explicitly Christian community alongside a US academic route.
Xavier School San Juan
Xavier School is a Jesuit Catholic school in Greenhills, San Juan, founded in 1956 to educate the Chinese Filipino community. Its San Juan campus is an all boys school that teaches a K to 12 curriculum with a mandatory Chinese language programme and an optional International Baccalaureate Diploma track, sitting in the mid to upper Manila fee band. A strong fit for families who want a rigorous Jesuit formation, a serious Chinese language strand and the option of an international diploma in the senior years.
Colegio San Agustin Makati
Colegio San Agustin Makati is a private Catholic coeducational school in Dasmarinas Village, Makati, founded in 1969 by the Augustinian order. It teaches the Philippine K to 12 curriculum aligned with the Department of Education, draws pupils from more than forty countries, and sits in the mid Manila fee band. A settled, centrally located option for families who value an Augustinian formation and a diverse student body within easy reach of the Makati business district.
Everest Academy Manila
Everest Academy Manila is a Catholic international school in Bonifacio Global City, Taguig, teaching pupils from preschool to Grade 12 on a United States designed curriculum. Founded in 2007 and part of the worldwide Regnum Christi network, it is accredited by Cognia and sits in the mid fee band for Manila. Its central BGC location and Catholic identity make it a practical choice for families based in Taguig who want a faith grounded school with an international academic route.
Build a Manila shortlist in minutes
Compare these schools side by side on curriculum, tradition and district, then take the finder quiz to surface the closest fit for your family.
Fees, stages and admissions timing
Manila international and college preparatory tuition spans a wide range by curriculum, stage and school, so a single headline figure is misleading. Fees generally rise from the early years to the senior stages, and most schools charge registration, facilities levies and transport on top of tuition, which can add a meaningful amount to the published rate. The mission founded schools such as Faith Academy tend to sit lower in the range, while the established IB and Jesuit routes sit higher. For a current market picture rather than a guess, read our international school fees in Manila guide, which sets out the bands by curriculum and stage.
The intake calendar runs to the August start, with applications for most schools opening the previous autumn and assessments and offers following through the winter and spring. Transition years, typically the first year of primary and the entry to senior high, fill earliest. Many schools accept rolling enrolment through the year subject to space and an entry assessment. Families transferring from another system should confirm calendar alignment and any faith or community priority before committing.
Curriculum and the faith strand
The schools here split across academic routes. Brent runs the IB Diploma, Xavier offers it as an option in the senior years, while Faith Academy and Everest Academy follow a United States curriculum, with Faith adding Advanced Placement and IGCSE. Colegio San Agustin teaches the Philippine K to 12 programme aligned with the Department of Education. What unites them is a Christian formation woven through school life rather than confined to a single lesson. That can mean weekly Mass or chapel, a religious education or values course, and a pastoral culture shaped by the founding order or mission. The depth and style of that strand differ by tradition, so read each profile and ask how faith shows up day to day for the year groups you need.
Districts and commute patterns
Metro Manila is spread out and traffic is the defining fact of daily life, so school location matters more than headline reputation. The schools here sit across the metro and its southern edge, from Everest in Bonifacio Global City and Xavier in San Juan to Colegio San Agustin in Makati, with Faith Academy up in the hills near Antipolo and Brent further south in Binan, Laguna. A school that looks close on a map can still mean a long run at peak times, so weigh the morning and afternoon commute from your likely neighbourhood before you rank a school. Where a school runs a bus network, check that it covers your residential area, and where a campus sits outside the core, such as Brent or Faith, factor in the longer travel or the option of living nearby.
How to shortlist Christian international schools in Manila
Start with curriculum. If you are anchored to the IB, Brent is the natural fit, with Xavier keeping the option open in the senior years; if you want a US route, Faith Academy and Everest Academy are the closest match. Then weigh the Christian tradition against your family's needs, since a Jesuit, Augustinian, Regnum Christi, Episcopal or interdenominational school each carries a distinct character. Confirm any community or faith priority at enrolment, check whether the school is coeducational or single sex for the years you need, and factor the commute from your neighbourhood into the decision. For wider context use the Manila city guide and line up your final choices in the compare tool.
Frequently asked questions
What is a Christian international school in Manila?
In the Manila context it usually means a private school that teaches an international or college preparatory curriculum in English while grounding school life in a Christian tradition, whether Catholic, Episcopal or evangelical. Families choose these schools when they want a recognised academic route alongside a faith based ethos and pastoral care.
Do these schools require pupils to be Christian?
Most do not require a particular faith to enrol, though several were founded to serve a specific community and give priority to it. Religious education, chapel or Mass and a values programme are usually part of daily life for all pupils. Confirm the enrolment policy and any faith requirement with each school directly.
Which Christian traditions do Manila international schools follow?
The schools here span several traditions. Xavier School and Colegio San Agustin are Catholic, run by the Jesuits and the Augustinians respectively, Everest Academy sits in the Catholic Regnum Christi network, Brent has Episcopal roots, and Faith Academy is an interdenominational evangelical school founded for missionary families.
Are these schools open to expatriate and Filipino families?
Yes. Several draw pupils from dozens of nationalities alongside Filipino families, while others were founded for a particular community such as missionary or Chinese Filipino families. Check the intake profile and language of instruction at each school, since the balance of local and international pupils varies.
How much do Christian international schools in Manila cost?
Manila tuition spans a wide range by curriculum, stage and school. For a current picture across the market see our Manila fees guide rather than relying on a single headline figure, since facilities levies, transport and registration are usually charged on top of tuition.
How early should I apply?
Apply well ahead of the August intake, ideally the autumn before, as popular year groups and transition stages fill early. Many schools accept rolling enrolment through the year subject to space and an assessment.
Bottom line for families
Manila gives Christian families a genuine choice of schools that pair a recognised international or college preparatory route with a real faith grounding, rather than forcing a trade off between the two. Brent leans furthest into the IB and an established Episcopal heritage, Faith Academy offers a US route inside a close missionary community, Xavier brings a rigorous Jesuit formation with a Chinese language strand, and Colegio San Agustin and Everest Academy give centrally located Catholic options in Makati and Bonifacio Global City. Decide on curriculum first, weigh the Christian tradition against your family's needs, confirm any community priority and the commute early, and plan applications ahead of the August intake.