In this guide
Why the IB works in Prague
Prague has hosted an internationally mobile family base since the early 1990s, and the schools that survived the post-Soviet decade have matured into a small but unusually competent IB sector. The International Baccalaureate fits the city for two reasons. First, the expat population is genuinely mixed. American, British, French, Dutch, Korean and Czech-returnee families coexist across the same compound classrooms, and a single national curriculum will not serve them well. Second, the parent base is mobile. The typical Prague posting runs three to five years, and parents arrive expecting the next move to be to a different continent. The Diploma is the credential that keeps the most doors open at sixth form.
The result is a city where the IB has critical mass without being saturated. Six schools currently run a full Diploma Programme, with two of them also running the Primary Years and Middle Years Programme as a continuum. That depth is comparable to Vienna and Warsaw, and ahead of every other Central European capital except Berlin. The published Diploma averages at the top of the Prague market sit above the global average of 32.5, with International School of Prague and Park Lane consistently producing cohorts in the mid 30s. For the wider sector picture see our moving to Prague with children guide and the Prague city guide.
How we ranked the schools
We looked at six factors. Diploma authorisation history, which tells us whether the school is a long-established IB provider or a recent entrant still finding its feet. Published average Diploma score across the three most recent results cycles where the school has chosen to disclose. Cohort size at Diploma, because a school with eight candidates a year cannot run the same subject menu as a school with thirty. Faculty stability, drawn from our verified review database and from public LinkedIn signals on senior teaching appointments. University destination patterns, with weight on Russell Group, Ivy League, Czech and Dutch top universities. Fee value, expressed as Diploma headline tuition relative to outcomes delivered.
The list below is restricted to schools currently authorised by the IB Organisation to deliver the Diploma Programme. Several Prague schools mention an IB ethos in their marketing but do not hold authorisation, and we have excluded those. Authorisation matters because only authorised schools can register candidates for the May or November examination sessions and issue the final transcript that universities recognise.
The six IB Diploma schools
International School of Prague (ISP)
The Prague benchmark. ISP runs the full IB continuum and has produced Diploma averages around 35 to 37 points across the past three cycles, with several candidates each year above 40. Strong US, UK and Dutch university pipeline. The newly extended Nebusice campus, modern science and arts facilities, and the deepest co-curricular programme in the city. Cohort of around 50 to 60 Diploma candidates a year. The default choice for families targeting strong US universities or for whom continuity through the full IB pathway matters.
Park Lane International School
The strongest British-heritage school in Prague with a credible IB pathway at sixth form. Park Lane runs IGCSE at Key Stage 4 and then the IB Diploma at sixth form, a structure that suits families wanting traditional British secondary preparation followed by the breadth of the Diploma. Diploma averages around 34 to 36 points with strong Russell Group destinations. Smaller sixth form cohort of around 30 candidates a year. Two campuses, with the senior school in central Smichov.
Riverside School
A long established British-heritage school that introduced the IB Diploma in 2014 and has built a credible track record since. Smaller Diploma cohort of around 15 to 20 candidates a year, which limits the subject menu but supports unusually high teacher contact time. Published averages typically in the 33 to 35 point range. Strong outcomes for the cohort size, particularly into Dutch and UK universities. A good fit for families who want closer attention than the larger schools can provide.
English College in Prague
The most affordable credible IB option in Prague, structured as a Czech grammar school that also delivers IGCSE and the IB Diploma. Roughly half the cohort is Czech, half international, with all sixth form teaching in English. Diploma averages have sat consistently around 33 to 35 points and university destinations span the UK, Czechia, Netherlands and Germany. The school suits families who want strong academic outcomes with deep Czech integration and significantly lower fees than the western expat schools.
The Prague British International School (PBIS)
A large Nord Anglia school running IGCSE at Key Stage 4 and the IB Diploma at sixth form. PBIS is a younger Diploma provider with its first cohorts graduating in the past few years; published averages have settled around 32 to 34 points. The strength is scale and facilities; the trade-off is a less mature IB culture than ISP or Park Lane. A reasonable fit for families on Nord Anglia mobility schemes or for whom the campus location matters more than IB heritage.
Sunny Canadian International School
A bilingual Czech-English school in the southern suburbs with IB Primary Years through to a small Diploma cohort. The Diploma cohort is the smallest in this list at around 10 to 12 candidates a year, which constrains the Higher Level subject menu. Published outcomes are credible for the cohort size but should be read in the context of the small group. The fit is for families based in the southern suburbs who want bilingual Czech-English exposure with an IB academic backbone.
Compare these schools side by side
Run a side by side comparison of any two or three Prague IB schools on the school compare tool, which shows Diploma scores, fees, cohort size, language profile and authorisation history in a single view. The IB curriculum hub explains how the Diploma, Middle Years and Primary Years Programmes fit together and what to look for in a Diploma school. For the broader Prague picture see the city guide.
Fees and the all in family number
Prague IB schools are markedly cheaper than the Western European IB market and slightly above the wider Czech private school average. Headline Diploma tuition in 2026 ranges from CZK 380,000 at English College in Prague to CZK 780,000 at International School of Prague, a span of roughly two to one. The mid market (Park Lane, Riverside, PBIS) clusters in the CZK 520,000 to CZK 680,000 range. Converted at current exchange rates, the top of the Prague market sits at around EUR 31,000 per year, which is materially below comparable Diploma tuition in Frankfurt (EUR 38,000), Vienna (EUR 34,000) or Geneva (EUR 45,000).
The headline tuition is not the family number. Capital levies of CZK 60,000 to CZK 200,000 are charged at registration, refundable in some cases and not in others. Registration fees run CZK 8,000 to CZK 25,000, non refundable. Exam fees of CZK 35,000 to CZK 60,000 are charged in Year 12 and Year 13 separately, before the Diploma sitting. School bus, where used, runs CZK 25,000 to CZK 50,000 a year. Uniform, where applicable (only at the British-heritage schools), costs CZK 8,000 to CZK 15,000 in the first year and modest replacement thereafter. The all in family number, including capital levy amortisation and add ons, runs 15 to 20 percent above headline tuition. For a detailed school-by-school breakdown see our international school fees in Prague 2026 piece.
| School | Diploma tuition | Capital levy | Exam fees | All in (est) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| International School of Prague | CZK 780K | CZK 200K | CZK 60K | CZK 920K |
| Park Lane International School | CZK 720K | CZK 150K | CZK 55K | CZK 860K |
| Riverside School | CZK 640K | CZK 100K | CZK 50K | CZK 760K |
| PBIS | CZK 660K | CZK 120K | CZK 55K | CZK 790K |
| Sunny Canadian | CZK 580K | CZK 80K | CZK 45K | CZK 680K |
| English College | CZK 520K | CZK 60K | CZK 40K | CZK 610K |
Diploma scores and university destinations
The published Diploma averages cluster more tightly than the fee gap suggests. ISP and Park Lane lead with averages in the 34 to 37 point band over the past three cycles. Riverside, English College and PBIS sit in the 32 to 35 point range. Sunny Canadian is harder to read because the cohort is small and the school is selective about which years it publishes. The global Diploma average for 2024 sat at 30.32 points, so the Prague top schools are roughly four to seven points above the world benchmark.
University destinations are where the difference between the schools becomes clearer. ISP places consistently into the US selective tier (a third of leavers each year to US universities ranked in the top 50 by US News), with a secondary pipeline into UK Russell Group and Dutch research universities. Park Lane is the strongest into the UK with around 60 percent of leavers going to British universities and a steady Oxbridge stream. English College is the strongest into Czech and Dutch universities, with leavers spread across Charles University, Czech Technical University, the UvA in Amsterdam and Leiden. Riverside and PBIS have more spread destinations matched to the relatively international cohort. Sunny Canadian, given small cohort sizes, has variable year-on-year destinations.
Choosing the right IB school
The right school depends on three variables: where the next move will be, how much subject specialisation matters at sixth form, and the family's tolerance for school size. If the next move is likely to be to the United States or the family is targeting the US selective tier, ISP has the deepest pipeline and the strongest dedicated college counselling team. If the next move is likely to be to the UK or Russell Group destinations matter most, Park Lane has the longer track record. If the family is committing to Prague for the full senior school and wants strong Czech integration alongside English-medium teaching, English College is the most natural fit and materially cheaper.
Subject specialisation at sixth form needs honest assessment of cohort size. A larger cohort at ISP or PBIS will run a wider Higher Level menu, particularly in sciences and economics. A smaller cohort at Riverside or Sunny Canadian will be unable to offer some HL options (typically Physics, Economics or Visual Arts) in any given year. If a child is firmly oriented toward a specific Higher Level combination such as HL Maths, HL Physics and HL Chemistry, the question worth asking at the visit is whether that exact combination has run in the past two years.
School size and culture matter for children. ISP is the largest international school in the city and has the energy of a larger community; Riverside and Sunny Canadian are markedly smaller and offer closer day to day attention. Some children thrive in the larger setting; others prefer the smaller one. The most reliable signal is the child's response to a half day shadow visit, which every school on this list will arrange on request. For broader curriculum context see our IB curriculum guide.
Admissions timing and waitlists
The top tier (ISP and Park Lane) carries waitlists for popular year groups, particularly Year 6, Year 7 and Year 12, of six to twelve months. Both schools accept rolling applications but recommend applying twelve to eighteen months ahead of intended start date for the most popular intakes. The mid market (Riverside, PBIS, English College) typically has rolling availability inside three to four months, with the exception of Year 12 sixth form entry where places are more limited because the existing Year 11 cohort takes priority.
Most Prague IB schools run on the Northern Hemisphere academic calendar with the main September intake supplemented by a January start where places allow. The application sequence is consistent: enquiry, school visit, application form, child assessment and family interview, offer and acceptance, deposit and capital levy paid at acceptance. Several schools require the most recent two years of school reports and standardised test scores where the previous school provided them. For families relocating from outside Europe, allow eight to twelve weeks from first enquiry to confirmed place, which usually fits inside the broader relocation timeline. The moving to Prague with children guide covers the wider relocation sequence and how the school decision fits inside it.
Related guides
Frequently asked questions
How many IB schools are there in Prague?
Prague has six schools currently authorised by the IB Organisation to deliver the Diploma Programme in 2026, with a further three running the Primary Years Programme only. The market is small but mature, with International School of Prague and Park Lane International School the longest established Diploma providers.
What is the best IB school in Prague?
International School of Prague (ISP) and Park Lane International School consistently produce the highest published Diploma averages in the city, sitting around 35 to 37 points. Riverside School and English College in Prague are credible alternatives with smaller cohorts and different fee profiles.
How much does the IB cost at a Prague school?
IB Diploma tuition in Prague ranges from around CZK 520,000 a year at the smaller schools to CZK 780,000 at the top of International School of Prague. Capital levies, registration fees, exam fees and trips typically add 15 to 20 percent on top of headline tuition.
Can Czech students attend Prague IB schools?
Yes, and they do in substantial numbers. English College in Prague was founded with explicit Czech and international dual intake and is around half Czech. Park Lane and ISP both admit Czech students who pass an English assessment, and several Czech families now use the IB Diploma as a route to selective European universities.