International School Manila, founded in 1920, is a private, non-sectarian, not-for-profit day school for boys and girls from preschool through grade 12.
Organization: ISM is governed by a 10-member board of trustees. Five trustees are elected by parents, and five are representatives of the school’s sustaining members. The U.S. Embassy is one of these sustaining members and has a permanent seat on the board.
Curriculum: The curriculum in elementary school is inquiry-based and challenges the students to be creative, independent thinkers. In the middle and high schools, the program is subject-based and culminates in courses leading to the IB Diploma. The school offers taught AP courses to select students in grades 9 & 10. The curriculum is under constant review to ensure that it reflects best practices from around the world. An ESL program is offered for students whose first language is other than English and whose English language competency falls below grade level. Learning support teachers throughout the school provide assistance and guidance to students in need. There is a Specialized Learning Support Program for children with exceptional needs. The foreign languages program includes Chinese, Filipino, French, Japanese, Korean, and Spanish. Approximately 60% of graduating students proceed to undergraduate courses in the United States with the remainder matriculating in high-ranking colleges and universities around the world. ISM Seniors have shown themselves to be academically able, ambitious, hard-working and committed to a range of extracurricular activities; the school’s excellent college acceptance record reflects these characteristics. The school is recognized by the Department of Education, Culture and Sports in the Philippines and is accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges and the Council of International Schools.
Faculty: In the 2022-2023 school year, ISM has 453 total staff including 227 teachers, 90 of whom are U.S. citizens, 17 host-country nationals, and 120 third-country nationals.
Enrollment: As of September 2022, enrollment was 2,192 including 456 U.S. citizens, 427 host-country nationals, and 1,309 third-country nationals.
Facilities: The school operates on a 7-hectare campus in Fort Bonifacio Global City and is enhanced every year. Facilities include: three air-conditioned gymnasia; a fitness gym; eight covered tennis courts; a covered multi-purpose court; three swimming pools; two floodlit, all-weather; artificial playing fields; an oval track; an additional grass playing field; a canteen; three libraries containing a total of 80,000 print and non-print resources; specialist rooms for robotics and design technology; recently refurbished science laboratories; a 350-seat capacity Little Theater; and a 950-seat, fully-equipped fine and performing arts theater. All rooms, including the 200 classrooms, are air-conditioned.
Finances: In the 2022-2023 school year, the majority of the school’s income derives from tuition and related fees. Annual tuition fees can be found here: https://www.ismanila.org/admissions/tuition-fees.
Special Needs: Download the Special Needs Profile (2023 Special Needs- Philippines, Manila) for this school to learn more about their capability to support students with exceptionalities.
This Fact Sheet is intended to provide general information. Prospective users of the schools may wish to inquire further of A/OPR/OS or contact the school directly for more specific and up-to-the-minute information. Information and statistics are current as of September 2022 and are provided by the school.