The International School of Uganda (ISU) is a non-profit, coeducational day school, established in 1967 offering an international education program for students from 2.5 to 19 years old. The school is authorized to offer three International Baccalaureate programs and is also accredited by the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools and the Council of International Schools.
Organization: The school is governed by a board of directors comprised of seven elected members, one member appointed by the board, and one member appointed by the U.S. Ambassador. Membership in the association is automatically conferred on parents and guardians of ISU students and on all full-time ISU teachers.
Curriculum: The curriculum is based on the International Baccalaureate (IB) Program, Diploma (16- to 19-year-old students), Middle Years (11- to 16-year-old students) and Primary Years (3- to 11-year-old students). The students are prepared at ISU for entry into American, British, or other international schools or universities. More than 4,500 schools worldwide use one or more of the International Baccalaureate Programs which offers transportability for students of international families. ISU is an inclusive school providing support for students in the areas of learning challenges, English-as-an-Additional-Language, and counseling services. In grades 6-12 ISU is a one-to-one Mac school with students providing their own device to support the integration of technology in the curriculum. In addition, the school has a comprehensive co-curricular program with a range of activities. The school belongs to a local sports league with other schools in Kampala and to the ISSEA International Schools Association competing in events at other schools throughout the year.
Faculty: In the 2023-2024 school year, ISU has 245 total staff including 82 teachers, 15 of whom are U.S. citizens, 15 host-country nationals, and 52 third-country nationals. Our faculty and staff represent 21 nationalities, including American, Ugandan, British, Canadian, Kenyan, and South African. All teaching faculty maintain a teaching certification from their countries of origin.
Enrollment: At the beginning of the 2023-2024 school year, enrollment stood at 615 (PreK – grade 5: 248; grades 6-8 – 183; grades 9-12 – 184). Of the total, 146 are U.S. citizens, 153 are host-country nationals, and 316 are third-country nationals.
Facilities: The lush 33-acre ISU campus is a garden for many indigenous plants and bird-life. The purpose-built campus is on the outskirts of the capital city of Kampala in a suburban setting and about five kilometers from Lake Victoria in the district of Lubowa. It includes access to the internet and wireless connectivity campus-wide, a state-of-the-art science center, a library of over 25,000 volumes, design technology spaces, two sports fields, sports hall, track, two swimming pools, four tennis courts, and facilities for early childhood education including an outdoor garden. A new arts center has been completed including specialized music rooms, a recording studio, drama rooms, visual arts rooms, and a 400-seat theater. An updated facilities master plan has been completed and focuses on greening, new and refurbished buildings, site infrastructure, and campus accessibility.
Finances: During the 2023-2024 school year, tuition rates are as follows: playgroup – $6,200, EC1-EC2 -$7,600, kinder – $21,200, grade 1-5 -$22,800, grade 6-8 -$26,500, Grade 9-10 -$27,500, Grade 11-12 -$32,000. New students in grades 1-12 pay a one-time capital levy fee of $7,000, and all students on entry pay a registration fee of $250. (All fees are quoted in U.S. dollars.)
Special Needs: Review the Special Needs Profile 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 2023 and are provided by the school.