The Jakarta school context

Jakarta has roughly 100 international schools serving 70,000 students. Three concentrated catchment areas (Pondok Indah, Kemang, BSD City) host most of the top tier. Traffic is a defining feature of daily school life; commutes 12km away can take 75 minutes door-to-door. Choose your housing close to the school you select.

The 2026 top 10

1

Jakarta Intercultural School (JIS)

American + IBCilandakUSD 28K to 38KPre-K-12

The benchmark American school in Indonesia (founded 1951). AP and IB Diploma. Strong US Ivy and top liberal-arts pipeline. The default Tier 1 American choice. Cilandak campus.

2

British School Jakarta (BSJ)

British + IBBintaroUSD 26K to 36K3-18

The flagship British international school in Indonesia. A-Level and IB Diploma. Strong UK university pipeline. Bintaro location with school-bus catchment from central Jakarta.

3

ACG School Jakarta

Cambridge + IBKembanganUSD 18K to 28K3-18

Cambridge International curriculum with IB Diploma. Modern Kembangan campus. Strong faculty quality, balanced cohort. Particularly good for families wanting quality at lower price point than JIS or BSJ.

4

Sekolah Pelita Harapan (SPH)

American + IB + IndonesianMultipleUSD 14K to 24KK-12

Christian SPH family of schools (Lippo Village, Sentul, Pluit). Multi-stream curriculum with IB Diploma at sixth form. Strong academic outcomes at value-tier fees.

5

Australian International School Jakarta (AIS)

Australian + IBPejatenUSD 18K to 26K3-18

Australian curriculum with IB Diploma at sixth form. Particularly strong for Australian-bound university families. Pejaten campus, family-friendly.

6

Gandhi Memorial International School

IBKemayoranUSD 16K to 24K3-18

IB Diploma school with strong Indian-curriculum heritage. Predominantly Indian student body but increasingly diverse. Strong academic outcomes at value fees.

7

Sinarmas World Academy (SWA)

IBBSD CityUSD 22K to 32K3-18

Pure IB programme. BSD City location with newer infrastructure. Growing reputation. Strong faculty quality.

8

Lycée Français Louis Charles Damais

FrenchCilandakUSD 10K to 18KMaternelle-Terminale

French Lycée serving Jakarta's francophone community. French Baccalauréat. Materially lower fees than British or American competition.

9

Jakarta Multicultural School

AmericanPondok IndahUSD 14K to 22KK-12

American curriculum with strong cohort balance. Pondok Indah catchment. Good fit for families wanting smaller scale than JIS at lower fee tier.

10

BINUS School (Simprug)

Cambridge + IBSimprugUSD 14K to 22KK-12

Cambridge International with IB option. Strong academic outcomes for the cost. Simprug location, good for central Jakarta families.

Fees and the corporate-package picture

Jakarta Tier 1 fees (JIS, BSJ) sit at USD 28K to 38K tuition. Most expat families on corporate-relocation packages have these covered; self-funded families typically choose Tier 2 schools at USD 14K to 24K. See our 2026 fee report.

Neighbourhoods

  • Pondok Indah: JIS via Cilandak commute, JMS direct. Premium central south Jakarta.
  • Kemang: Strong expat residential, multiple school-bus catchments.
  • Cilandak: JIS, Lycée Français. Family-friendly, premium villas.
  • BSD City: SWA, growing satellite city southwest of central Jakarta.
  • Bintaro: BSJ catchment. Established expat suburb.

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