You will find below a list of the most popular international and bilingual schools for expats in Sri Lanka with fee information. The list includes nursery schools, primary and secondary (high) schools for you to find the right school to prepare for the International Baccalaureate and other accreditation in Sri Lanka. Some schools may follow the American or British curriculums with English speaking programs while others are regulated under the French language and system.

Education in Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka's education structure is divided into five parts: primary, junior secondary, senior secondary, collegiate, and tertiary.

Primary education lasts five years (Grade 1 to Grade 5) and at the end of this period, the students may elect to write a national exam called the Scholarship exam.
This exam allows students with exceptional skills to move on to better schools.

After primary education, the junior secondary level (referred to as middle school in some schools) lasts for 4 years (Grades 6-9) followed by 2 years (Grades 10-11) of the senior secondary level which is the preparation for the General Certificate of Education (G.C.E) Ordinary Level (O/Ls).

According to the Sri Lankan law, it is compulsory that all children go to school till grade 9 (age 14) at which point they can choose to continue their education or drop out and engage in apprenticeship for a job or farming. However, the Ministry of Education strongly advises all students to continue with their studies at least till the G.C.E Ordinary Level.

Students who are pursuing tertiary education must pass the G.C.E O/Ls in order to enter the collegiate level to study for another 2 years (grades 12-13) to sit for the G.C.E Advanced Level. On successful completion of this exam, students can move on to tertiary education, there for the GCE A/Ls is the university entrance exam in Sri Lanka.

More information on the stages of education and schools can be found in the EasyExpat.com Guide to Sri Lanka.

International Schools

International schools can be the perfect solution for an expat student (multinational corporation executives, children of diplomats, NGO staff) in Sri Lanka. Many schools provide similar standards of schooling around the globe, providing for an easy transition between schools whether they are in France or Vietnam. There may be some local population, but the schools are usually geared for an international student body. Schools may follow a curriculum model from the US, UK, France, etc. Primary instruction may be any language (and multiple languages are usually taught), but it is usually in English, French, Spanish, German, or Japanese. Schools also provide internationally accepted accreditation such as the international baccalaureate.

Admission and enrolment procedures vary from school to school. Space is often limited and preference may be given to students based on nationality. Tuition tends to be expensive based on local standards, but offers high standards of learning, boast smaller class sizes, first-rate facilities, and extracurricular. Boarding facilities are available at some schools, but most only provide day classes.

Accreditation & Membership

• The CoIS (Council of International Schools) is a non-profit association of international schools and post-secondary institutions which provides educational accreditation, teacher and leadership recruitment services, links to higher education, governance assistance and help with founding new schools.
• European Council of International Schools (ECIS) is a collaborative network promoting the ideals and best practice of international education, complemented by grants and awards.
• Council of British International Schools (COBIS) is a responsive organisation that serves, supports and represents its member schools.
• New England Association of Schools & Colleges (NEASC) is a regional accrediting association which establishes standards for all levels of education, from pre-K to doctoral.
• Agency for French Education Abroad (Agence pour l'enseignement français à l'étranger, AEFE) is a national public agency under the administration of the French government that assures the quality of schools teaching the French national curriculum outside France.
• National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS) represents over 1100 independent schools and associations in the United States and abroad.

International schools in Colombo

Wycherley International School Colombo
Address: No. 232, Bauddhaloka Mw,
Colombo 07, Sri Lanka
Tel: +94 77 7730 730
Email: admissions@wis.lk
Tuition Rates: Inquire at school

Wycherley International School is one of the oldest International Schools in Sri Lanka. It was founded in 1985. Wycherley is also known as the First and Only Comprehensive School following the Cambridge Curriculum from UK (Year 1) – Grade 12 in Sri Lanka. The school teaches English not as a foreign language but as a unifying agent that draws together students from a multi-racial, multi-ethnic, multi-religious society. It has the right ambience that unites Sinhala, Tamil, Muslim, Malay, Burgher and even foreign students, using English as the medium of instruction from Elementary to Senior School, grooming students to sit for Cambridge Examinations.

Elizabeth Moir School  
Address: No. 232, Bauddhaloka Mw,
Colombo 07, Sri Lanka
Tel: +94 11 2512 275 / +94 11 2512 109
Email: admissionsjunior@moir.lk and Senior.School@moir.lk
Tuition Rates: FromRs 221,500 RS ($1,100) to Rs 353,000 ($1,750) per 3 annual terms [school year 2021-22]

Elizabeth Moir School is a co-educational, international day school, located on two campuses in Colombo, Sri Lanka, which welcomes children of all nationalities aged between 2-18 years old. The shool uses the British education system. Students sit for IGCSE and Advanced Level examinations, set by Edexcel in Sri Lanka, and have had the best results of any international school outside the United Kingdom in both 2015 at Advanced Level, with 38% A+ and in 2016 at IGCSE, with 64% A+.

The Brirish School in Colombo
Address: 63 Elvitigala Mawatha,
Colombo 08, Sri Lanka
Tel: +94 11 5329 329
Email: admin@britishschool.lk
Tuition Rates: Inquire at school

The School uses the English National Curriculum as the basis of its curriculum. At the end of Year 11 (when pupils are 16 years), it also offers International GCSE examinations (IGCSE), and both A Level Examination courses as well as the International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma Programme.

Brisbane International School
Address: 152, Dharmarama Road, Off Havelock Road,
Colombo 06, Sri Lanka
Tel: +94 11 2809 769 / +94 11 3132 978
Tuition Rates: Inquire at school

Brisbane International School (B.I.S) in 1998, and it now comprises of the Montessori section and classes from Grade 1 to GCE A/Levels. The classes follow the Edexel curriculum. The school assessments are conducted by the University of New South Wales, Australia and are held annually, where students are tested on their skills of speaking and writing English language, knowledge of science, computing and mathematics. The school is also a member of the New South Wales Montessori Association of Australia.

Colombo International School
Address: 28, Gregory's Road,
Colombo 7, Sri Lanka
Tel: +94 11 2697 587
Email: management@cis.lk
Tuition Rates: Inquire at school

Colombo International School (CIS) is a private co-educational school in Colombo that employs an English-medium curriculum. In 1998 the school was expanded with the Colombo International School Kandy, in Mawilmada. Colombo International School has three sections, Infant, Junior and Senior, providing a structured, progressive education from the age of 2 ½ to 18. Each section also has its own purpose built classroom block and playground. The school provides a British curriculum based education system which includes the IGCSE Examination for grades 10 and 11 and International Advanced Level for 6th form.

Colombo South International College
Address: 43, S. De. S. Jayasinghe Road Kohuwala,
Nugegoda, Sri Lanka
Tel: +94 11 2827 821
Email: info@csic.lk
Tuition Rates: Inquire at school

CSIC is a private international school located in Kalubowila, in Colombo’s outskirts. The medium of instruction is English with students ranging from nursery to high school. In the senior school, the classes prepare students for the Local Ordinary (O) Level and Edexcel IGCSE, Advanced Subsidiary (AS) and Advanced (A2) Level examinations.

The Overseas School of Colombo International School
Address: 325, Pannipitiya Road,
Battaramulla, Sri Lanka
Tel: +94 11 2789 202
Email: info@osc.lk
Tuition Rates: Inquire at school

The Overseas School of Colombo (OSC) is dually accredited by the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools (MSA) and the Council of International Schools (CIS), and authorised by the International Baccalaureate (IB). OSC is the only 3-programme continuum IB World School in Sri Lanka authorised to offer all three programmes – PYP, MYP and DP, from Pre-kindergarten to Grade 12.

Royal Institute International School
Address: Havelock Town, Colombo, 05, Sri Lanka
Tel: +94 77 7701 557
Email: info@royalinstitute.org
Tuition Rates: Inquire at school

Royal Institute International School is a private sector educational institute in Sri Lanka providing primary and secondary education. In addition to the Royal Institute main school at Havelock Town, Colombo, it has branch schools in Nugegoda, Maharagama, Gampaha which provide mixed education while the branch school in Maya Avenue is exclusively for students. The school offers both the Sri Lankan national curriculum and the Cambridge Assessment International Education from Grade 1 to Grade 12.

French Schools in Colombo

École française internationale de Colombo
Address: 120 Park Rd,
Colombo 00500, Sri Lanka
Tel: +94 11 258 8803
Email: ecolefranco@gmail.com / dafefic@gmail.com
Tuition Rates: From 1,126,964 LKR ($5,570) to 2,055,054 LKR ($10,150) [school year 2021-22]

École Française Internationale de Colombo (EFIC) is accredited by the French Government and affiliated to the AEFE network (Agency for French Education Abroad). The school serves levels Maternelle (preschool) through Lycée (senior high school). Among all the international schools in Colombo, this one is the only establishment using French as the main language. Pupils also take early learning courses in English and Sinhalese and from middle school, they can opt for other foreign languages.

International schools in Kandy

Colombo International School - Kandy
Address: 175, Paranagantota Road,
Mawilmada, Kandy, Sri Lanka
Tel: +94 81 2234 298
Email: ciskandy@sltnet.lk
Tuition Rates: Inquire at school

Colombo International School – Kandy is the second campus of the Colombo International School (see above). At CIS Kandy, the curriculum is based on the British system of education which is designed to provide an all-round, holistic education with equal importance to academic, arts, sports, cultural, technological, intellectual and social activities.

International schools in Pinwatta

Leeds International School
Address: No 7/25 Railway Station Road,
Pinwatta, Panadura, Sri Lanka
Tel: +94 77 478 1932
Email: secretary@leeds.lk
Tuition Rates: Inquire at school

Leeds International School is a very well-regarded, high achieving and popular school located across 10 major cities in Sri Lanka. It is a fully-fledged Kindergarden-Grade 12 co-educational school network with English as the primary medium of instruction in teaching and learning. The school prepares students mainly for Pearson Edexcel IGCSE and International Advanced Level (IAL) Examinations. The main school in Panadura was inaugurated on 23rd August 1999 and later, nine more schools were started in Matara, Galle, Horana, Ambalangoda, Matugama, Tangalle, Piliyandala, Kiribathgoda and Negombo.

International schools in Galle

Galle International College
Address: 12, Hirimbura Cross Road
Galle, Karapitiya 80000, Sri Lanka (Near Belligaha Junction)
Tel: +94 77 3457 020 / +94 91 2234 388
Email: info2012gic@gmail.com
Tuition Rates: Inquire at school

Galle International College (GIC) is an international school in Galle, Sri Lanka, serving ages 2–18. Students sit for the IGCSE and GCE O Levels, which are overseen by the Cambridge International Examinations, a division of Cambridge Assessment (UCLES).

International schools in Gampaha

Wycherley International School Gampaha
Address: No. 05, Mudungoda, Miriswatta,
Gampaha, Sri Lanka
Tel: +94 77 0037 037
Email: admissions@wisgampaha.lk
Tuition Rates: Inquire at school

Wycherley International School Gampaha is the second campus of the prestigious Wycherley International School Colombo (see above in Colombo).