International schools in Kigali: a practical guide for families

Kigali has become a regional base for diplomats, NGOs, businesses and returning Rwandans, and the choice of international schools in Kigali has grown with it. This guide explains the main curricula on offer, lists schools with neutral facts from published sources, compares published 2026/27 fees and walks you through admissions and timing. It does not rank schools. The right school is the one that fits your child, your budget and your daily journey.

All facts below were checked in October 2026 against the schools' own websites or public profiles. Fees and policies change every year, so treat every figure as indicative and confirm with the school before you decide.

What counts as an international school in Kigali?

In everyday use, families in Kigali say "international school" for any school that follows a foreign or international curriculum, teaches mainly in English or French, and has a mixed community of nationalities. In practice that covers four groups:

1. International Baccalaureate schools, which follow the IB's Primary Years, Middle Years and Diploma Programmes.
2. British style Cambridge schools, which follow Cambridge International's pathway through IGCSE and sometimes A Levels.
3. American curriculum schools, often with Advanced Placement (AP) courses in high school.
4. The French school, homologated by the French Ministry of Education.

Alongside these, many private schools in Kigali teach Rwanda's national curriculum in English. Some add international elements, such as Cambridge courses or a strong French programme. For returning Rwandan families planning on Rwandan universities, these are worth a look too.

The curricula compared

Curriculum	Typical structure	Final qualification	Good fit for
IB	PYP (ages 3 to 12), MYP (ages 12 to 16), DP or CP (ages 16 to 19)	IB Diploma, scored out of 45 points	Families who move often between IB schools worldwide
Cambridge (British)	Early Years (3+), Primary (5+), Lower Secondary (11+), Upper Secondary (14+), Advanced (16+)	IGCSE, then AS and A Levels	Families from UK systems or Commonwealth countries
American	Pre-K to Grade 12, with AP courses in high school	High school diploma, AP exam scores, AP Capstone Diploma	Families heading to North American universities
French	Maternelle, élémentaire, collège, lycée	Brevet, then Baccalauréat	French speakers and families within the AEFE network
Rwandan national	6 years primary, 3 lower secondary, 3 upper secondary	Primary Leaving, O Level and A Level national exams	Families planning to stay in Rwanda's system

Each curriculum has its own guide with more detail: IB schools in Kigali, British curriculum schools, American curriculum schools and French schools in Kigali.

Schools families often consider

The list below is not complete and is not a ranking. It is in alphabetical order and gives only facts we could source. If a fact is not shown, we could not confirm it from a public source.

Acorns International School Kigali

Acorns describes a Cambridge continuum for learners from birth to 18: Early Years, Cambridge Primary, Lower Secondary, IGCSE, and Cambridge International AS and A Levels (source: doris.school profile).

Bright Angels International School (BAIS)

A bilingual English and French school in Nyarutarama, from daycare through lower secondary, following the Cambridge Primary and Lower Secondary curriculum (source: doris.school profile).

Ecole Belge de Kigali

Located in Gisozi since 2018, the school historically taught the Belgian French-speaking curriculum. In April 2025, Rwanda's Ministry of Education instructed it to stop the Belgian programme from September 2025 and move to another programme. Ask the school directly which programme it now follows.

Ecole Francophone Antoine de Saint-Exupéry (EFASE)

The French school, at KN 41 in Kigali, runs from maternelle to lycée. It is homologated by the French Ministry of Education and linked to the AEFE. 2026/27 tuition is published in Rwandan francs (see the fees table below).

Green Hills Academy

An IB World School since 2005, offering the PYP from Nursery 1 to Grade 5, the MYP in Grades 6 to 10, and the Diploma and Career-related Programmes in Grades 11 and 12. Its campus address is listed as KG 278 St, Kigali.

International School of Kigali (ISK)

A non-profit school founded in 2009, now at 10 KG 307 St in Kibagabaga. It follows an American curriculum for ages 4 to 18, with AP courses and the AP Capstone Diploma, and says it is accredited by CIS and the Middle States Association, with students from over 35 countries.

Kigali International Community School (KICS)

A Christian, American curriculum school for PreK to Grade 12 in the Caisse Sociale Estates in Gaculiro, founded in 2006. It received accreditation from ACSI and the Middle States Association in 2012.

Wellspring Academy Kigali

Delivers Cambridge International education for ages 3 to 18, including Cambridge IGCSE and A Levels (source: doris.school profile).

Published fees for 2026/27

These are the tuition figures schools have published. They exclude most extras.

School	Annual tuition (2026/27)	Main one-off or extra fees
Green Hills Academy	RWF 3,820,000 to RWF 7,680,000	Application fee RWF 200,000; separate rates for Rwandan, non-Rwandan and sponsored students
EFASE (French)	RWF 3,934,861 (maternelle, French and Rwandan nationals) to RWF 8,096,959 (collège and lycée, other nationalities)	First registration RWF 500,000; file fee RWF 50,000
International School of Kigali	USD 8,098 (Pre-K) to USD 26,435 (Grades 9 to 12)	Application USD 175; enrolment fee USD 3,000 per student (USD 5,000 family maximum); annual capital levy USD 500 to 2,000
Kigali International Community School	Contact us for a current quote	Application USD 300; new family enrolment fee USD 1,500

For Cambridge schools and other private schools, contact us for a current quote, because published fee schedules were not available when we checked. Our school fees guide explains lunch, transport, uniforms and exam costs.

How to choose: questions that matter

A school can be excellent and still be wrong for your child. These questions help:

• Where next? If you will move again in two or three years, the curriculum you can find in your next country matters more than anything else. IB and Cambridge schools exist in many cities, as do French schools in the AEFE network.
• University plans: for older students, think about where they will apply. AP scores are familiar to North American universities, A Levels to UK universities, and the IB Diploma is widely recognised.
• Language: is your child comfortable learning fully in English or French? Bilingual schools can ease the change.
• Learning support: ask how the school supports children with additional needs, and whether there is an extra cost.
• Journey time: Kigali's hills and morning traffic make a short distance on the map feel longer. Check the route at school run time.
• Total cost: add up tuition, one-time fees, deposits, lunch, transport and uniforms before comparing.
• Community: visit if you can. Ask about class sizes, after-school activities and how new families are welcomed.

Questions to ask on a school visit

Bring a short list so you can compare schools on the same points. These are the questions families tell us they wish they had asked:

• Is there a place in my child's year group now, and if not, how does the waiting list work?
• How do you decide grade placement for a child coming from a different system or calendar?
• Which fees are refundable if our posting changes, and what notice do you need before we leave?
• What is included in tuition, and what is billed separately: lunch, buses, trips, exams, devices, activities?
• How do you support children who are new to English or French?
• What does a normal school day look like, and when does it start and finish?
• How do you communicate with parents, and how often do we get reports?
• For older students: which subjects or exam courses run every year, and which depend on numbers?

Write the answers down straight after each visit. After three or four schools, the details blur together quickly.

Admissions and timing

Each school sets its own process, but most follow the same pattern: an enquiry or register of interest, an application with documents and a fee, an assessment or interview, an offer, then a deposit to secure the place.

Deadlines differ a lot. The French school's main 2026/27 window ran from 14 March to 15 May 2026, with entry tests on 23 May. The International School of Kigali accepts applications through the year when places exist. For the national system, NESA's 2026/27 calendar starts the year on 7 September 2026.

Typical documents include recent school reports, a copy of the child's passport and immunisation records. Our admissions guide has a full checklist and timeline.

Moving to Kigali with children

If you are relocating, plan school and housing together. Families often look at neighbourhoods close to their chosen school or to their workplace. Your children will also need dependant residence permits, applied for through Irembo. Our guide to relocating to Kigali with children covers permits, housing areas and settling in, and our nursery schools guide helps with the youngest children.

Get a personalised shortlist

Tell us about your children, your preferred curriculum, your budget and your start date using the form on this page. We will reply with the schools that fit, their published fees and the next admission steps for each one.