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Why the curriculum question matters
For most expat families, the choice of curriculum is at least as consequential as the choice of school. The curriculum your child learns under shapes the way they think, the universities that are easiest to reach, the cost of moving them later and the cultural register they grow up in. Picking the wrong fit, or picking a curriculum because the nearest international school happens to teach it, is one of the recurring regrets we hear from parents in our reader surveys. A short, focused diagnostic up front is worth several weeks of half informed Googling.
This quiz does not try to replace a long conversation with a school. It picks up the broad strokes that should be settled before you start that conversation. If you already have a confident answer to the curriculum question, you can skip to the school finder and start matching schools.
Take the quiz
The five question curriculum quiz
Answer five quick questions. We will email a written recommendation within one working day, with the trade offs and the next two or three schools we would shortlist in your city.
How the quiz scores answers
The scoring engine weights each answer against the realistic strengths of each curriculum. A child likely to land at a US university is steered toward the AP suite or IB Diploma, both of which US admissions teams understand well. A child likely to land in the UK and committed to a narrow specialism at sixth form is steered toward A Levels. A child with multiple relocations ahead is steered toward the IB, which travels best across countries because the curriculum and assessment are externally controlled.
For younger children, the scoring also considers language environment, primary curriculum portability and the cost of switching at age 14 to 16 if your situation changes. We do not pretend that any single curriculum is universally best. Our IB versus A Levels and IB versus AP guides set out the head to head trade offs that the quiz uses under the hood.
Want to skip the quiz?
If you already know the curriculum you want, use the school finder to surface schools in your city. If you want a written, second opinion on a shortlist, contact our school desk for a free 20 minute call.
Curricula the quiz covers
The quiz draws on the major curricula most commonly available in international schools worldwide. The British curriculum running from EYFS through IGCSE and A Level or BTEC. The American curriculum with AP options at sixth form. The IB programme through PYP, MYP and the Diploma. The French curriculum delivered in lycees and AEFE network schools. Bilingual and immersion models, which are increasingly common in primary and middle years.
For curriculum specific deep reads, the curriculum hub sets out each option in detail and the schools we tend to recommend by curriculum and city. The hub is the right next step if your quiz result surprises you and you want to understand the reasoning.
What to do after the quiz
The quiz output is a written recommendation with three components. First, the curriculum we think best fits the child, with two sentences on why. Second, the trade offs you should keep in mind, including any narrowing of options the choice creates. Third, two or three schools in your city that match the recommendation and fit any budget or location signals you have given us. If you have not given us a city, the recommendation is curriculum only and we point you to the school finder for the city step.
If you find the recommendation surprising, we are happy to talk it through. Our school desk takes about thirty parent calls a week and the quiz is the cheapest, quickest way to get on the right track.
FAQ
How does the curriculum quiz work?
You answer five short questions about your child's age, family mobility, target universities, language environment and academic profile. We weigh your answers against the strengths of each major curriculum and email you a written recommendation with the trade offs.
Is the curriculum quiz free?
Yes. The quiz is free for parents. We use the answers only to send the personalised recommendation and our weekly briefing if you opt in. No personal data is sold or shared.
Will the quiz tell me which school to choose?
The quiz returns a curriculum recommendation, not a school. Once you have a curriculum match, use the school finder to surface specific schools in your city that teach that curriculum and fit your other constraints.