Choosing a Bali international school — by child, not by brochure
The first thing to understand about Bali’s international school options is that you have more good ones than the typical international relocation gives you. The second thing to understand is that this can be paralysing. Here is the version of the school landscape we wish someone had given us when we first made our own move.
Most families researching Bali schooling start with Green School, because it has the loudest brochure. Some end up there. Many don’t. The right starting point is not the school’s marketing — it is the child’s temperament.
Five schools, briefly
This is a selective overview of the schools families ask about most, not a complete directory of the island’s options. School details change; anything here is worth confirming directly with the school.
Green School (Sibang Kaja, inland between the coast and Ubud). The school of sustainability, bamboo, and Green School’s progressive, research-based curriculum. Open-air classrooms in the jungle. Children spend significant time outdoors, in gardens, with mud. The marketing emphasises the unique experience; the underlying education is solid, particularly for children who learn through doing. Suits curious, physical, sensory-led children. Can be a hard fit for children who need a quiet, structured classroom to do their best work. Green SchoolFounded 2008 by John and Cynthia Hardy. K–12. Roughly 470 students from 50+ nationalities. Campus built almost entirely of bamboo. Awarded “Greenest School on Earth” in 2012.
Canggu Community School (Berawa). The most traditional of the international schools in the south-west, running from Early Years through Year 13, with the IB Diploma Programme in the senior years. Air-conditioned classrooms. Uniforms. A familiar school structure for families coming from international schools in Singapore, Hong Kong, Dubai or London. Strong on academics, strong on transition — children moving from international schools in other cities tend to land cleanly here. CCSFounded 2001. ~600 students. The natural choice for families arriving mid-IB.
Sunrise School (Berawa). Smaller, family-run, particularly strong for early years and primary. A warm, slow-paced environment where children get noticed individually. Good for younger children; less ideal for teenagers who need a wider social pool.
ProEd Global School (Canggu). Newer, growing quickly, British curriculum (with an IGCSE pathway). Tends to suit families looking for British academic structure outside the British school system — often coming from the UK, Australia, or international schools in Asia.
BIS (Sanur). The longest-running international school on the island — IB-aligned, established and steady. Often the choice of families coming from international diplomatic or NGO backgrounds. BISBali Island School, founded 1986 as the diplomatic community’s school. Authorised IB World School for all three programmes. Still on its original Sanur site.
How to think about fit
We ask three questions on the first call.
One — what kind of classroom does your child do best in?
Open and active, or structured and quiet? Children who thrive in noisy collaborative spaces will love Green School and may struggle in a CCS exam-prep classroom. Children who do their best work alone with structure will be the opposite. This is one of the most useful questions in thinking about school fit.
Two — what’s the transition cost?
If your child is mid-curriculum (especially mid-IB years), keeping continuity matters more than choosing the most distinctive school. CCS and BIS have the lowest IB transition friction. A child two years into a British curriculum is best served at ProEd, not Green School.
Three — what do you want to remember about the year?
Some families remember the year as the year their daughter learned to navigate her own body in mud. Others remember it as the year their son got his IB grades up because the classroom was finally quiet enough. There is no single right school in Bali. There is a right school for your specific child for this specific year.
“There is no single right school in Bali. There is a right school for your specific child for this specific year.”
What we do
Before you choose, we organise informal visits to each of the schools that fit your shortlist, with both you and the children. Schools in Bali expect this; it’s how families decide. We coordinate the logistics, brief the admissions teams on your situation in advance, and read the room with you after each visit. By the end of the second visit, most families know.
The job is not to find “the best school” — it is to find the one that fits the child you have, this year.
Two companion notes: what a year costs, in full — school fees are the biggest line — and where families base themselves.
General information. This article provides general information only. Individual circumstances vary, and families should seek appropriate professional advice for their own situation.
Author: The Annum · Published: May 2026 · Last updated: June 2026
— The Annum