What you get

Singapore is the most concentrated international school market in Asia. There are around 60 international schools educating 75,000 children, with the Tier 1 names producing some of the best academic outcomes anywhere in the world. The cost of getting it right is high. The cost of getting it wrong is higher. Families typically discover the structural issues, the building fund deposits, the registration windows, the catchment areas, the Dependant Pass age limits, in the last six weeks before arrival, by which point most of the high quality options are no longer available.

This handbook condenses what we know about how the market actually works into a single document. Sixty pages, no marketing fluff, no school sponsorship, no commercial agenda. Free to families because that is the model we run. The first edition was published in early 2024 and we revise it twice a year as the market shifts, with the current 2026 release reflecting the latest Tier 1 fee schedule, the updated Employment Pass framework and the most recent waitlist data from the Tier 1 names.

Get the free 2026 Singapore handbook

Sixty pages on schools, fees, housing, healthcare and the 90 day relocation timeline. Delivered to your inbox immediately. No follow up sales calls. You can unsubscribe anytime.

We will email you the guide. Nothing else without your permission.

What is inside the guide

  • The full Singapore school list by curriculum: British, American, IB, French, German, Australian, Japanese, Korean and the smaller niches
  • Tier 1 against Tier 2 against Tier 3 with current 2026 to 2027 fees including the building fund and registration deposits
  • The realistic all in annual cost per child (most families plan for SGD 35,000 and end up paying SGD 45,000 to 55,000)
  • Neighbourhood by neighbourhood school cluster mapping: Bukit Timah, Holland Village, East Coast, Sentosa Cove, Punggol
  • Housing by district with the August 2026 rent ranges and the commute trade offs
  • Employment Pass and Dependant Pass timeline, including the under 21 rule and the recent S Pass changes
  • School registration windows and the rolling waitlists at the Tier 1 names
  • Healthcare and family insurance: Integrated Shield Plan, private hospitals, paediatric specialists
  • The 90 day pre arrival checklist, week by week
  • Things that catch new families: the foreign domestic worker decision, the school bus geography, the helper levy

Why trust this guide

We have been writing about Singapore international schools since 2024 and have built the most extensive parent review database for the city outside the Singapore American Community website. Our editorial is independent, we do not accept advertising from schools and we do not run paid placement on our lists. The Singapore handbook draws on around 600 first hand parent reviews collected through our review programme, our own school visits and the published material from the Singapore Ministry of Education, the Council for Private Education and the Committee for Private Education.

If you want a deeper view of the Singapore market before downloading, read our Singapore city guide, our how to choose an international school framework piece, and our 2026 Singapore school fees breakdown.

"We found the GlobalSchoolGuide Singapore handbook in week two of our relocation research. It saved us four weeks of fragmented searching and three calls with relocation agents who were trying to sell us into schools they had commercial relationships with. The school we eventually chose was on page 14 of the guide." Anna and James, moved from London to Bukit Timah, October 2025
"Honest, comprehensive and refreshingly unsalesy. The 90 day checklist alone was worth the download. We followed it almost to the letter and arrived in Singapore with school places secured for both children and a flat ready to move into." Catherine, moved from New York to East Coast, August 2025

After the guide: tools to plan the rest

The handbook is the start of the planning process. Once you have a view on the schools and the neighbourhoods, our tools will narrow the shortlist further. The school finder returns a ranked list of three to six schools matched to your child's year group, curriculum preference, budget and address. The cost calculator projects the multi year all in cost of living in Singapore for a family of your size, including school fees, rent, healthcare, transport and discretionary spend. Both tools are free.

FAQ

Is the Singapore relocation guide really free? Yes. We send the PDF to the email address you provide. No payment required. No school commissions, no sponsored content.

What does the Singapore school guide cover? Schools by curriculum, fees by tier with the realistic all in cost, neighbourhood school cluster mapping, housing by district with rent ranges, Employment Pass and Dependant Pass timelines, healthcare and insurance, and a relocation checklist for the 90 days before arrival.

How long after I sign up will I receive the guide? The guide arrives in your inbox within five minutes. If it does not appear, check the spam folder.

Will I be added to a mailing list? You will be added to our weekly Tuesday brief, which you can unsubscribe from at any time with one click. We do not pass your email to schools or third parties.

Do you provide one to one advice? Yes, on a free basis through our contact form. If you want a paid advisor for end to end relocation we can refer you to one of the independent relocation consultants we trust, but we earn nothing on the referral.