Hillcrest International School is one of the longer established British curriculum schools in Nairobi, based on Hillcrest Road in Karen and tracing its roots to a secondary school founded in 1965. It is an all through school that takes children from the early years to sixth form and offers boarding alongside day places, which makes it a one school solution for families who want continuity to 18. For relocating parents the questions are how the Cambridge pathway and BTEC option work, where the fees land and how a Karen address fits a commute, and that is what this profile covers.
Hillcrest International School at a glance
| Detail | Summary |
|---|---|
| Curriculum and exam boards | British National Curriculum, with Cambridge IGCSE and, in the sixth form, A Level alongside BTEC qualifications |
| Stages | Early years through to sixth form (roughly ages 3 to 18). Confirm the current year group range with the school |
| Founded | Roots dating to 1965 as Hillcrest Secondary School; the early years provision was added later |
| Accreditation | British curriculum school working with Cambridge International. Confirm current association memberships and inspection arrangements directly with the school |
| Fee band | Mid to upper band for the Nairobi market; boarding charged on top of day fees |
| Campus area | Karen, on Hillcrest Road, towards Langata on the southern side of Nairobi |
Curriculum and academics
Hillcrest follows the British National Curriculum, taking pupils through Cambridge IGCSE in the middle years and then offering A Level alongside BTEC qualifications in the sixth form, with examinations sat through the Cambridge International board across most subjects. That makes it a British curriculum school in the full sense, an all through route from the early years to university entrance, rather than an IB or American school. The BTEC option is worth noting, because it gives students a more applied and coursework based route to university alongside the traditional A Level path.
For relocating families the Cambridge pathway has two practical advantages, recognisability and a clear endpoint. A Level results are widely understood by universities in the United Kingdom and beyond, and a child moving from another British school slots in with little disruption. The combination of A Level and BTEC also means a student whose strengths are more practical than examination based has a route that suits them, which not every British curriculum school offers. The trade off compared with the IB is earlier specialisation in the sixth form.
The honest way to judge fit is to weigh specialisation against breadth, to consider whether the BTEC route matters to your child and to think about whether boarding is part of your plan. If your child knows roughly where their strengths lie and you value the British structure with an applied option, Hillcrest fits well, and the boarding provision can suit families who travel. If you would prefer a broader curriculum to 18, weigh an IB school alongside it. Confirm the current subject and qualification lists directly with the school.
Comparing Nairobi schools?
Put Hillcrest International School side by side with up to two other Nairobi schools to weigh curriculum, fees and location.
Hillcrest International School fees
Hillcrest sits in the mid to upper band for the city, an established British curriculum school with a large Karen campus and boarding provision. Our Nairobi international school fees guide explains how the local market is tiered and where the British schools tend to fall within it. Fees rise by year group, from the early years up to the sixth form, and boarding is charged on top of day tuition, so the total depends on the stage and on whether your child boards, and the school's published schedule is the only reliable figure to plan against.
Alongside tuition, budget for a one off registration fee, a deposit and optional costs such as boarding, meals, transport and trips. Fees tend to rise year on year, so plan for increases across a multi year stay rather than a flat rate, and ask whether sibling discounts apply and how boarding is priced.
To see where that leaves you against the rest of the city, our fees guide groups Nairobi schools into broad tiers so you can compare Hillcrest with the other names in our best international schools in Nairobi guide. Ask the school directly about the current term by term schedule before you commit.
Admissions
Entry runs from the early years up to sixth form on the British academic year, with an assessment suited to the year group a child is joining and a review of recent school reports. Because Hillcrest is an all through school, there are several entry points, and the most common are the start of the early years, the move into secondary and entry to the sixth form, where students choose between the A Level and BTEC routes.
Places in popular year groups can be limited given the school's standing, so confirm your family's eligibility and the current requirements directly with the school early. If boarding is part of your plan, ask about availability and the boarding application process, which can run on its own timeline. Gather recent school reports and, for older entrants, a sense of likely sixth form subjects and whether A Level or BTEC suits your child.
Register your interest as soon as your relocation is confirmed and ask about assessment dates and start dates for the coming intake. If you are moving mid year, ask whether places are available in your child's year group, since intake can be tighter outside the main September entry.
Location and who goes there
Hillcrest International School sits on Hillcrest Road in Karen, towards Langata on the southern side of Nairobi. That location suits families living in Karen, Langata and the surrounding suburbs, where space and greenery draw many internationally mobile and settled Nairobi families, so the commute is short for them and longer for households based in the northern suburbs around Gigiri and Runda. The Karen setting gives the school room for the boarding houses and sports facilities that an all through school needs.
The intake mixes internationally mobile families with Nairobi residents who want a British curriculum, the A Level and BTEC options and the choice of boarding. Relocating families considering Hillcrest should think about where they intend to live, since a Karen address works well for the south and west of the city and less well for the diplomatic quarter on the northern side.
To see how Hillcrest International School compares with the other schools across the city and where comparable families tend to settle, start from the Nairobi city hub and work outward by curriculum, stage and budget.
Hillcrest International School reviews
We do not yet hold any verified parent reviews for Hillcrest International School. GlobalSchoolGuide is an independent guide and no school pays to be listed, so we publish a rating only once we have collected enough verified first hand accounts to be fair to both the school and to families reading them. We would rather show nothing than show an invented score.
If your family has attended Hillcrest we would value your account of the British curriculum, the A Level and BTEC routes, boarding, pastoral care and value for money. Share it through our school reviews hub and we will add verified contributions to this page.
Frequently asked questions
What curriculum does Hillcrest International School follow?
Hillcrest International School follows the British National Curriculum, with Cambridge IGCSE in the middle years and A Level alongside BTEC qualifications in the sixth form. It is a British curriculum school rather than an IB or American one. Confirm the current subject and qualification options directly with the school.
How much are Hillcrest International School fees?
Hillcrest sits in the mid to upper band for Nairobi, with fees rising by year group from the early years to the sixth form and boarding charged on top of day tuition. Budget for annual tuition plus a registration fee, a deposit and optional costs such as boarding, meals and transport, and confirm the current schedule with the school.
Where is Hillcrest International School?
The school is on Hillcrest Road in Karen, on the southern side of Nairobi towards Langata, which suits families living in Karen and the surrounding suburbs.
Does Hillcrest International School offer A Levels and BTEC?
Yes. In the sixth form the school offers A Levels alongside BTEC qualifications, which gives students both an academic and a more applied route to university. Confirm the current subject lists directly with the school.
When do Hillcrest International School applications open?
Entry runs from the early years to the sixth form on the British academic year, with an assessment suited to the year group a child is joining. Apply ahead of your intended entry year and confirm the current admissions criteria directly with the school.
