SABIS International School Nairobi is one of the newer purpose built options serving Nairobi, a co educational school in Runda that opened in 2018 as part of the worldwide SABIS Network. It teaches the SABIS Educational System, a structured international programme that prepares students for both British and American examinations, and builds more than one language through the school. For relocating parents the questions are what the SABIS method gives a child, where the fees land, how the multilingual approach works and how admissions run, and that is what this profile addresses.
SABIS International School Nairobi at a glance
| Detail | Summary |
|---|---|
| Curriculum and exam boards | The SABIS Educational System, with pathways to British examinations such as IGCSE and A Levels and American ones such as the SAT and Advanced Placement. Confirm the current pathways with the school |
| Stages | Kindergarten through to graduation. Confirm the exact grade range and entry points with the school |
| Founded | 2018, as part of the global SABIS Network |
| Accreditation | Member of the SABIS Network. Confirm any further accreditation or examination centre status directly with the school |
| Fee band | Mid to upper band for the Nairobi market, with a registration fee and deposit on enrolment |
| Campus area | Runda, northern Nairobi, near the Two Rivers development off Kiambu Road |
Curriculum and academics
SABIS teaches its own SABIS Educational System, a structured method used across the network's schools worldwide that sets out what a child should master at each level and tracks progress closely. Rather than following a single national system, it prepares students for recognised external qualifications, with a British pathway through IGCSE and A Levels and an American one through the SAT and Advanced Placement, so a family can steer towards the route that fits the next move.
Language is a defining feature. Instruction is in English, with French and Kiswahili taught alongside from the early years, which is why the school suits families who value a genuinely bilingual education and want a child to leave with more than one working language. For families whose endpoint is a British style qualification, the IGCSE and A Level route also maps cleanly onto the wider British curriculum used across Kenya and overseas.
The honest way to judge fit is to look at how your child learns and how settled your plans are. The SABIS method is structured and assessment led, which gives a clear picture of where a child stands but suits some children more than others, so it is worth understanding the approach before you commit. Ask the school how it places new arrivals at the right level and which external examinations recent cohorts have sat.
Work out what a Nairobi place really costs
Use our fee calculator to add tuition, registration, deposit and transport into one annual figure before you commit.
SABIS International School Nairobi fees
SABIS sits in the mid to upper band for the city, a modern purpose built international school rather than one of the long established premium names or a budget option. Our Nairobi international school fees guide explains how the local market is tiered and where a school like SABIS tends to fall within it. Fees vary by grade and full schedules are not always published online, so the school's own current rates are the only reliable figure to plan against.
Alongside tuition, budget for the registration fee charged on application, a deposit on enrolment and optional costs such as meals, transport and activities. Fees tend to rise year on year, so plan for increases across a multi year stay rather than a flat rate, and ask whether any sibling arrangements apply.
To see where that leaves you against the rest of the city, our fees guide groups Nairobi schools into broad tiers so you can place SABIS against the other names you are weighing. Confirm the current grade fees with the admissions office before you set a budget.
Admissions
SABIS describes itself as non selective and takes students at several grade entry points, assessing each new arrival to place them at the right level within its structured system rather than to screen them out. That assessment is shaped to the stage a child is joining, so a kindergarten entrant and a secondary entrant are looked at in different ways.
As a relatively young school still building its year groups, entry can be more open than at the long established names, but popular grades still fill, so confirm your family's eligibility and the current requirements directly and early. A registration fee applies on application and a deposit on enrolment, both worth budgeting for at the application stage.
It is worth gathering recent school reports, any standardised assessment results and transcripts for older students, and asking the school how it supports students who join from a different curriculum or language background. Register your interest as soon as your relocation is confirmed and ask about assessment dates for the coming intake.
Location and who goes there
The school is in Runda, a leafy northern Nairobi suburb near the Two Rivers development off Kiambu Road. It is an area popular with diplomatic, corporate and international families, and the campus is purpose built rather than adapted, which gives it modern facilities compared with some of the older schools in the city.
The intake is multinational and reflects the surrounding northern suburbs, mixing internationally mobile families with local families who want an English medium school with strong language teaching. Relocating families considering SABIS should weigh the Runda setting and the structured SABIS method against the older British and American schools elsewhere in the city, and think about commute times from wherever they expect to live.
To see how SABIS International School Nairobi compares with the other international schools across the city and where comparable families tend to live, start from the Nairobi city hub and work outward by curriculum, stage and budget.
SABIS International School Nairobi reviews
We do not yet hold any verified parent reviews for SABIS International School Nairobi. 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 SABIS in Runda we would value your account of the SABIS method, the language programme, the campus 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 SABIS International School Nairobi follow?
The school teaches the SABIS Educational System, a structured international programme used across the SABIS Network, and prepares students for both British examinations such as IGCSE and A Levels and American ones such as the SAT and Advanced Placement. Confirm the current pathways with the school.
How much are SABIS International School Nairobi fees?
As a purpose built international school in Runda, SABIS sits in the mid to upper band for Nairobi. Fees vary by grade, and a registration fee and deposit apply on enrolment. Confirm the current schedule with the school before budgeting.
Is SABIS International School Nairobi multilingual?
Instruction is in English, with French and Kiswahili taught alongside it from the early years, so students build more than one language through the school. Confirm the current language programme with the school.
When do SABIS International School Nairobi applications open?
The school is non selective and takes students at several grade entry points, assessing them to place them at the right level. Confirm the current admissions steps and assessment dates directly with the school ahead of your intended start.
Where is SABIS International School Nairobi?
The school is in Runda, a northern Nairobi suburb near the Two Rivers development off Kiambu Road, an area popular with diplomatic and international families.
