International school fees in Manila: what to expect in 2026

The four fee tiers

Manila international schools fall into four fee tiers, with surprisingly little overlap between them. Knowing which tier you can comfortably afford simplifies the shortlist quickly. Most families work backwards from a sustainable total education spend over the next five to ten years, divided by the number of children, divided by the number of school years remaining. The number that emerges is usually a strong filter on the long list.

Tier 1 international: ISM and BSM. Annual tuition USD 22,000 to USD 32,000 depending on year group. Realistic all in USD 28,000 to USD 40,000 once levies, transport, lunch and books are included. These are the most academically established schools in the country, with the deepest faculty and the strongest sport, arts and SEN provision.

Tier 2 international: Brent, Reedley, Beacon, Everest and a handful of others. Annual tuition USD 12,000 to USD 23,000. Realistic all in USD 15,000 to USD 28,000. Strong outcomes, more variable across schools, and meaningfully cheaper than the tier one pair.

Tier 3 specialty and national: European International School Manila, Korean International School Philippines, Singapore School Manila, Chinese International School Manila. Annual tuition USD 7,000 to USD 14,000. Realistic all in USD 9,000 to USD 17,000. These schools serve specific national or curriculum communities and can be the right choice for families wanting that particular pathway.

Filipino-international hybrid: Xavier School, Ateneo de Manila High School, La Salle Green Hills, Miriam College and similar. Annual tuition USD 4,000 to USD 9,000. Realistic all in USD 5,000 to USD 11,000. The Filipino K to 12 curriculum delivered in English to a strong academic standard, with optional Cambridge or AP overlays at some schools. Suited to families staying in the Philippines long term. See the wider best international schools in Manila ranking for the curriculum context.

Published 2026 to 2027 tuition by school

The table below shows indicative annual tuition for the 2026 to 2027 school year at representative year groups. Figures are in US dollars. Where schools publish in Philippine pesos, we have converted at PHP 56 to USD 1. Schools change fees annually; treat figures as a planning range, not a final quote, and confirm in writing before signing an offer letter.

A few patterns are worth noting. Reception and Grade 1 fees are typically 30 to 40 per cent lower than sixth form fees at the same school. Grade 6 sits in the middle, with the largest annual step usually at Grade 7 or Grade 9 when secondary loadings apply. Sixth form is the most expensive year group at almost every school, partly because of the smaller cohort size and partly because IB Diploma assessment and external exam costs are heavier.

Hidden fees and the 1.25 rule

Across our Manila sample, the realistic all-in annual cost averages 22 per cent above published tuition. For planning purposes we recommend multiplying published tuition by 1.25 to reach a realistic budget figure. The main additions are:

• School bus: USD 1,400 to USD 2,800 per child per year. The southern corridor routes are at the top of the range. Some families share a private van service for two or three families, which can be cheaper for short routes.
• Lunch: USD 800 to USD 1,400 per year. A few schools include this; most do not.
• Books and stationery: USD 250 to USD 600 per year. Heaviest in IGCSE and IB Diploma years.
• Uniform: USD 300 to USD 500 in the first year; USD 150 to USD 250 per year thereafter.
• Trips and residentials: USD 400 to USD 1,800 per year depending on year group and number of overseas trips.
• IB Diploma exam fees: USD 1,000 to USD 1,600 in the final year of sixth form, occasionally bundled.
• Technology fee: USD 300 to USD 600 per year at schools providing a one-to-one device programme.

The 1.25 multiplier holds for tier one and two schools. For tier three specialty schools the all-in addition is often lower (around 15 per cent) because levies are smaller and many families opt out of the school bus where it is available. Read our wider piece on hidden fees in international schools for the global pattern.

The capital levy explained

The single largest fee surprise for new Manila arrivals is the one-off capital levy or endowment contribution charged by most tier one and several tier two schools on first enrolment. It is genuinely non-refundable, separate from refundable security deposits, and is rarely included in a corporate education benefit.

For a family of two children entering ISM, the first year cost therefore includes around USD 13,000 of one-off capital levy in addition to tuition. That is real money and worth knowing about before accepting an offer in principle. Where the levy is not covered by an employer package, it is also worth knowing whether the school will accept payment across two or three instalments, which a few do on request.

Payment schedules and currency

Most Manila international schools bill in two or three instalments per year, with the first instalment due before the school year starts in August. ISM, BSM and Brent accept payment in either US dollars or Philippine pesos at a published exchange rate. Tier two and three schools generally bill in pesos at prevailing rates. For families on US-dollar packages the practical decision is whether to settle in USD at the school's rate or in PHP at the bank's rate; over a typical school year the difference can be 1 to 3 per cent of total fees, which is meaningful at the tier-one end.

Late-payment penalties at most schools are modest in the first month but become serious from the second month onwards. A few schools have public policies of withholding reports and exam access for unpaid fees. The practical advice is to set up an autopay arrangement at the start of each school year through a Philippine bank account; for new arrivals this can take six to eight weeks to set up, so plan the first-instalment payment via international wire transfer instead.

Scholarships, sibling discounts and corporate rates

Scholarships are limited at the top end of the Manila market. ISM and BSM both run a small number of academic and need-based scholarships, mostly internal at sixth-form entry and rarely awarded to incoming families. Brent has a more developed scholarship programme with multiple categories. Reedley and Beacon offer small academic awards in some years. None of these schools should be relied on as a primary funding plan.

Sibling discounts are more practical. Most tier one and tier two schools offer 5 to 15 per cent off tuition (not levies) for second and subsequent children. The discount usually steps up with each additional child, with the largest step typically between the second and third child. For a family of three at ISM, sibling discounts can reduce annual tuition by USD 8,000 to USD 12,000 in total. See which schools offer sibling discounts for the global comparison.

Corporate group sponsor relationships are the third practical lever. Several large multinationals in Manila hold annual corporate sponsor agreements with ISM, BSM and Brent that include priority admissions, a small reduction in tuition (typically 3 to 5 per cent), and sometimes a partial subsidy on capital levies. The employer's mobility team will know whether a relationship exists; if it does, accept the offer in writing before applying through the school's standard channel, as the corporate route can be materially smoother. The scholarship strategies guide covers the wider framework for funding.

Planning the family education budget

For a family of two children attending tier one schools through to the end of sixth form, total realistic education spend across the full school career runs USD 600,000 to USD 800,000 in 2026 money, before university. That is large enough to deserve a separate financial plan. For tier two schools, the equivalent figure is USD 380,000 to USD 520,000. For tier three or Filipino-international hybrid, USD 130,000 to USD 280,000.

Most expat families on Manila postings have some or all of these costs covered by an employer education benefit. The structure varies widely: a fixed annual cap per child (often USD 18,000 to USD 30,000), a percentage of actual fees up to a cap, or full coverage at named schools. Read the policy carefully. Common pitfalls include exclusion of capital levies, exclusion of school bus, and a cap that has not been updated since 2018 and now sits well below the actual fees. Negotiating an updated education benefit before signing an offer is much easier than negotiating it after arrival. The Relocate Hub has a fuller package negotiation checklist.

For self-funded families, a clear-eyed planning exercise three to five years before children reach senior years is worth doing. The annual fee step from Year 9 to Year 13 at tier one schools is around 20 per cent, and the IB Diploma year carries the heaviest costs. Building in that step-up in any long-range financial plan matters. For the wider international comparison see Manila city guide and the IB curriculum hub on the pathway cost differences.

Where the fee dispersion really sits

One of the more counter-intuitive features of the Manila market is how little the headline tuition figure tells you about the quality of the academic outcome. Brent at roughly 70 per cent of ISM fees produces an IB Diploma cohort that is broadly competitive on average points. Reedley at half the ISM fee delivers strong outcomes too, with a smaller cohort and a more personal pastoral environment. The fee difference is most defensible at sixth form, where ISM and BSM offer larger cohorts, broader subject combinations and deeper university counselling resources.

For families thinking about value over the full school career, the most cost-effective combinations tend to be tier two through primary and lower secondary, then a move to ISM or BSM at Year 10 or sixth form if the academic case justifies it. Reedley and Beacon both accept Year 10 and Year 12 entries, and ISM and BSM both have a small but real share of admissions at those points. This pathway can reduce total education spend by USD 100,000 to USD 200,000 across two children while preserving the tier-one finish that matters for university applications.

The reverse path is harder: starting at ISM or BSM and downgrading later is socially and academically disruptive. If a budget squeeze is even possible, starting at tier two and trading up is the safer plan. The switching schools piece sets out the practical considerations.

Related guides

• Best international schools in Manila
• Moving to Manila with kids
• IB schools in Manila

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