The State of International Schools 2026: Annual Industry Report

Headline numbers for 2026

Five numbers capture the shape of the sector in 2026. They are the numbers we use as the framing for everything else in this report.

The sector continues to grow but at a slower pace than in the early 2020s. The annual school count growth rate is now around three per cent, down from peaks above six per cent before the pandemic and four per cent in the immediate post pandemic recovery. Enrolment growth is closer to two per cent annually, reflecting both fertility declines in some markets and the maturing of the major host city school populations. Revenue growth is higher than enrolment growth because of fee inflation and the addition of premium ancillary services (transport, after school, examinations).

The headline that matters more for parents is the wider dispersion in school quality. The gap between the strongest schools in each city and the weakest is wider than it was a decade ago, partly because of rapid sector expansion in some destinations and partly because of the diverging curriculum and inclusion choices schools have made. The single most useful filter for the year ahead is to focus on the schools that have made deliberate choices about who they serve, rather than the schools that try to serve everyone equally.

Enrolment: where the growth is, where it is not

The geographic distribution of growth has shifted decisively in the past three years. The Gulf states (UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain, Oman) have added more international school places per year than any other region since 2022, driven by economic diversification programmes, large infrastructure projects and inbound expat populations linked to events such as the Saudi Vision 2030 transformation programme. South East Asia (Singapore, Vietnam, Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia) sits in second place, with Vietnam in particular emerging as a fast growing destination as foreign direct investment shifts production from China.

South Asia (India, particularly Bangalore, Hyderabad and Mumbai) has continued to grow, although from a smaller base. The expansion is driven by a combination of returning Non Resident Indian families and a domestic upper middle class with rising incomes. China's international school sector, after expanding rapidly through the 2010s, has been broadly flat for three years, with the sector adjusting to tighter regulatory expectations and slower expat inflows.

The legacy markets (London, the wider United Kingdom outside London, the European hubs) have grown more slowly. The UK has seen a particular slowdown in 2025 and 2026 driven by the imposition of value added tax on private school fees in January 2025, which has compressed demand at the bottom and middle tiers of the private sector. Several London international schools have reported flat or slightly declining enrolment for the 2025 to 2026 year as a result.

For city by city detail, our cities hub breaks down the major destinations and the schools that operate within them. The patterns above translate to differences in waitlist length, fee dispersion and the kind of family the schools are designed to serve.

Fees: the four per cent ceiling and what broke it

The sector wide average tuition fee increase for the 2025 to 2026 academic year was 4.6 per cent in nominal terms, almost exactly in line with the average across the previous five years. The headline number conceals significant variation. Singapore (8.1 per cent), Dubai (7.4 per cent) and Hong Kong (7.0 per cent) saw the largest increases, driven by demand pressure and rising local cost bases. London (4.2 per cent), New York (4.0 per cent) and Geneva (3.8 per cent) sat closer to the sector average. Several less competitive destinations (Brussels, Madrid, Lisbon) saw increases below three per cent.

The cost increases that broke the historical four per cent ceiling are easy to identify. Teaching staff costs, the largest single line item for any school, grew at six to nine per cent in the high demand cities through 2024 and 2025 as schools competed for limited specialist and senior teaching pools. Energy costs, particularly across European campuses, remained elevated through the period after the 2022 to 2023 disruptions. Insurance, particularly for cyber and reputational risk, has grown materially as a line item across the sector.

The headline tuition figure remains the wrong number to plan around. Most international schools layer additional charges on top of tuition: capital levies (typically 5 to 15 per cent of tuition), transport (USD 1,500 to 4,000 per year), books and devices, after school programmes, examination fees, trips and meals. The all in cost runs at 25 to 40 per cent above the headline tuition for most families. Our hidden fees article covers the structure in detail, and our relocation cost calculator models the full picture for a chosen city.

Curriculum mix: IB slowing, British and American consolidating

The curriculum landscape continues to evolve. The IBO reported approximately 209,000 candidates for the May 2025 IB Diploma session, a four per cent year on year increase. This is meaningful growth but materially slower than the eight to twelve per cent growth seen in the late 2010s. The British curriculum (IGCSE and A Level) continues to expand its share of the international sector, particularly across the Gulf and parts of South East Asia, where the appeal of a globally portable academic credential and the easier match with UK university admissions are both factors. The American curriculum, particularly Advanced Placement, has seen continued growth in markets where US university admissions are the dominant pathway.

The bilingual segment has been the fastest growing in percentage terms, particularly in continental Europe and parts of Asia. Schools combining the IB programme with a national curriculum (the German DAS, the French AEFE, Spanish bachillerato) are gaining share, partly because of changes in family mobility patterns and partly because of family preferences to keep options open for both local and international university destinations.

The most significant curriculum decision parents face has not changed. Our curriculum hub sets out the structural details of each major system. Our IB versus AP university outcomes piece compares the two systems on the dimension that most often drives family decisions. The curriculum that suits a particular child depends on more than the headline figures; the school's interpretation and delivery of the curriculum matters more than the badge.

Hot cities: who gained and who lost

Several cities have seen significant shifts in international school demand in the past twelve months. The patterns matter for families considering relocation, both because they signal what is happening in the wider economy and because they shape the practical question of school availability.

Operators: the school groups that matter

The international schools market is more concentrated than parents often realise. The five largest international school operators run between them more than 350 schools serving over 350,000 students, roughly five per cent of the global sector. The operators include GEMS Education (UAE based, with major presence in Dubai and across the Gulf), Cognita (UK based, schools across the UK, Spain, Asia, the Americas), Nord Anglia Education (UK based, premium English medium schools across 30 plus countries), Inspired Education (UK based, premium positioning, schools across Europe, Africa, Asia, the Americas) and Globeducate (Spain based, Mediterranean and Asia presence).

Group ownership is not in itself a positive or negative signal. The strongest schools in the sector include both group owned and independently run schools. Where group ownership matters is in three areas. First, the curriculum and standards consistency across the group, which can mean a good experience at one campus is a useful guide to the experience at another. Second, the financial strength to weather demand shocks, which matters in destinations where smaller schools have struggled. Third, the staff career paths within the group, which can support stronger retention of senior teachers and leaders.

The ownership question matters most when the school is part of a recently expanded group. Schools that have joined a group within the past two years often go through a transition period as standards and processes are integrated. Ask explicitly about ownership history when evaluating any school whose name carries a group brand.

The teaching workforce: shortage and shift

The international school teaching workforce in 2026 is in a tighter market than at any point in the sector's recent history. Three structural pressures are driving the shortage. First, the long term decline in entrants to teaching in the major source countries (the UK, the US, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Ireland and South Africa) has reduced the pool from which international schools recruit. Second, the post pandemic rebalancing of family priorities has reduced the number of younger teachers willing to take overseas postings. Third, the rapid expansion in the Gulf and South East Asia has increased demand at exactly the moment supply has tightened.

The consequences for parents are visible in three places. Teaching staff turnover at the average international school sits between 18 and 25 per cent annually, materially above the historical average. The most affected schools are those at the lower fee tiers in highly competitive cities, where they are losing teachers to the higher fee competitors. The shortage of subject specialists, particularly in mathematics, sciences, and modern languages, is acute. Schools that have invested in retention through housing allowances, education benefits for teaching staff children, and clearer career paths have weathered the shortage better.

The single most useful question parents can ask in admissions, and the question we recommend asking on every school visit, is what proportion of the teaching staff is in their second year or beyond at the school. Numbers above 75 per cent indicate a stable workforce. Numbers below 60 per cent indicate the school is in a higher turnover situation than is healthy. The number tells you more about your child's likely experience than almost any other single piece of information.

Technology and AI: where the sector landed

Three years on from the first widespread availability of large language models in school settings, the international sector has settled into a recognisable set of policies. The dominant pattern is conditional permission for AI use, with disclosure rules, supervised in class composition for high stakes assessment, and an emerging AI literacy strand built into the curriculum. The detailed picture, including the schools that have moved furthest and the questions parents should ask, is set out in our AI policy at international schools 2026 piece.

Beyond AI, the wider technology question has consolidated around device strategy and data privacy. Most international schools have moved to one to one device programmes from a defined year group (most commonly Year 4 or 5 for primary roll out, Year 7 for secondary). The dominant platforms remain Apple iPads in primary, mixed Apple and Windows in secondary, and Google Workspace or Microsoft 365 as the school environment. The interesting recent shift is the emergence of school deployments of generative AI tools (school controlled versions of ChatGPT or Claude or Gemini), which several flagship schools have adopted in the past 12 months.

Hybrid and online schooling has settled into its place in the market. Fully online enrolment has declined from the pandemic peaks but stabilised at a higher level than pre 2020. The strongest providers serve identifiable family situations (highly mobile families, gifted students needing acceleration, students with significant medical or anxiety needs, bridging years between in person placements). Our hybrid and online international schools 2026 piece covers the providers and the trade offs.

Inclusion and SEN: a quiet revolution

The biggest improvement in the sector over the past five years has been in special educational needs provision. The change has been driven by a combination of regulatory pressure (KHDA in Dubai, the Singapore inclusion framework, parent demand in the major host cities) and a generational shift in how schools think about admissions. A decade ago the dominant model in much of the international sector was selective admissions with light SEN provision; the dominant model in 2026 is graduated inclusion with named specialists, written individual support plans, and active engagement with external clinicians.

The improvement is uneven. The strongest schools, particularly the British independent overseas campuses with established inclusion traditions and the larger American and IB international schools, have built deep provision. The weakest schools continue to operate selective models with thin SEN provision. The dispersion within most cities is wider than the dispersion between cities. Our SEN support at international schools piece sets out the broader framework, with cluster pieces on ADHD, autism, dyslexia, and gifted and talented for the specific profiles families ask about most often.

The wider trend that matters for the next two years is the integration of inclusion provision with mental health support. Schools that have built unified pastoral, inclusion and academic teams around the form tutor are producing better outcomes than schools that operate parallel silos. Expect this to become a more visible comparison axis in the year ahead, with parents asking about the integration of teams as a routine part of school visits.

University outcomes: a more selective picture

University outcomes from international schools have continued to strengthen at the top end of the sector while the average has remained broadly flat. The strongest international schools have built deeper relationships with the most selective universities, particularly across the UK Russell Group, the US top 30 and the European public university system. Outcomes from these schools, measured by the proportion of leavers reaching a defined university tier, have improved each year.

For the average school, the picture is more mixed. The continued growth in international applicant numbers to the most selective universities has made admission more competitive, particularly for US institutions where international acceptance rates have fallen below five per cent at several flagship universities. UK admissions have been more stable, though A Level grade inflation over the past five years has tightened the practical entry standards at the most selective Russell Group institutions.

The structural decisions that drive outcomes have not changed. A school's university destinations are produced by the combination of teaching quality, university counselling depth, parental and student investment, and the curriculum and subject choices that the school's pathways enable. Our from international school to top university pillar covers the pathways in detail. For specific destinations, our cluster pieces on Oxbridge, the Ivy League and US admissions from IB cover the practical detail.

What 2026 to 2027 will force the sector to answer

Five questions will shape the year ahead. They are the questions we expect to write about most often, the questions families will ask most often, and the questions the strongest schools are already preparing for.

What does AI literacy mean as a measurable outcome? The current sector consensus is to teach AI literacy through every subject. The next stage, which the strongest schools are starting to grapple with, is to define what good looks like and to assess it. Expect this question to drive curriculum revisions through 2026 and 2027.

How do schools adapt to slower fee growth in mature markets? Several mature markets cannot continue to absorb the historical fee inflation rates. The schools that depend on annual fee growth above six per cent to fund their cost base will need to rethink the model. Expect more aggressive efficiency programmes and, in some cases, more visible consolidation through 2026.

What does climate adaptation look like for schools? The summer of 2025 in the Mediterranean, the South Asian heatwaves of the past three years, and the wider acceleration of extreme weather events have brought the question of climate adaptation into the school day. Schools in affected regions are already revising calendars, building infrastructure for cooling and air filtration, and reconsidering travel programmes. Expect this to become more visible across the sector in the year ahead.

How does the sector respond to demographic change? Fertility decline in some major source markets, an ageing teaching workforce, and shifting expat patterns are all changing the practical demand for international school places. The strongest operators are running scenario planning for several different demand profiles; the weakest are still running on the assumption that the recent past is a good guide to the near future.

How does pastoral and mental health provision integrate with academics? The integration question is the single most important inclusion topic for the next two years. Schools that handle it well will continue to differentiate from schools that do not. The pressure to do this well will come from parents, from regulators, and from the recognition that academic outcomes and pastoral well being are not separable.

FAQ

The global English medium international school sector now numbers approximately 14,500 schools educating around 6.9 million students. Growth has slowed from the post pandemic peak but remains positive, concentrated in the Gulf, South East Asia and South Asia.

Singapore, Dubai and Hong Kong saw above sector average fee increases of seven to nine per cent for 2025 to 2026, driven by demand pressure and rising staff costs. London, New York and the European hubs sat closer to the sector average of four to five per cent.

Yes, but more slowly. The IBO reported a four per cent increase in DP candidate numbers in 2025 to 2026, down from peaks above ten per cent earlier in the decade. The British and American curricula continue to gain share, particularly in the Gulf and South East Asia.

Three things stand out: the consolidation of AI policy, the improvement in inclusion and SEN provision, and the workforce tightening. Each will continue to shape parent decisions and school choices through the year ahead.

The full PDF version of the 2026 annual industry report, including city level fee tables, curriculum share data and the operator analysis, is available as a free download. Subscribe to the Tuesday brief below or contact us to request the PDF.

Related guides

• AI policy at international schools 2026
• Hybrid and online international schools 2026
• Cyber safety standards at international schools 2026