Cempaka International School

What the school says about its history

According to the school's own material, Cempaka has operated since 1983, beginning with 30 students and eight teachers before moving to its permanent Damansara Heights campus in 1989. This establishes longevity, but longevity is not by itself an independent measure of school quality.

The Cempaka Performing Arts Company states that its 2017 original production, Alice's Wonderland, earned Malaysia Book of Records recognition as the first school to stage an original musical at a professional level. This is a specific performing-arts recognition rather than a whole-school ranking.

How entry is described

The school states that it welcomes admissions enquiries throughout the year and encourages prospective families to visit the campus.

Independently, a public International Schools Database directory entry states that entry evaluation consists of an entrance examination and interview, listing English, Maths and Science for Years 1 to 6, and English, Maths, Science and Malay Language for Malaysian secondary applicants. A separately researched Doris directory profile similarly describes documentation, an entrance examination and an interview, with English, Maths and Science as typical assessment areas that vary by year level.

An Edarabia admissions listing says acceptance is subject to interview and availability of places, and that applicants are notified in writing within three working days to one week. That listing includes older terminology, so it alone does not verify the current rules.

A single family account

A dated 2024 public blog account describes one applicant's online assessment as three hours across English, Maths and Science, followed by an interview with the principal. This is a single community account and does not establish a universal or current admissions procedure.

Places and waitlist

The Doris admissions profile says that live availability, places and waitlist updates are not shared through that profile. This does not establish whether the school operates a waitlist outside the directory, so families should confirm current place availability directly with the school.

Size and age range

Cempaka reports that it has over 800 students and serves ages 2 to 18 on one Damansara Heights campus.

Who attends — third-party estimates only

The school does not publish a nationality breakdown, and the third-party figures that exist do not agree. A Japanese education agent reports approximately 850 students, about 80% Malaysian, with the remaining students mainly from Asian countries. A named 2022 campus-visit blog reported a snapshot of 700 pupils, describing 70% as Malaysian and 30% as international. These are unofficial estimates from single sources and should be treated as such.

Separately, Relocate Magazine's May 2024 Malaysia school guide characterised the school as popular with locals. This is a publisher characterisation, not a measured nationality ratio.

What is and is not published

The school states that students progress from IGCSE and A Levels to university. In the material located, it does not publish a named university-destination list, student or cohort counts, any distinction between offers, acceptances and matriculations, or recent numerical examination outcomes.

MalaysiaKini announced a 2025 partnership between Uni Enrol and Cempaka to provide real-time university and scholarship matching technology. This is a counselling-tool development and is not evidence of university offers, acceptances or matriculations.

Curriculum and facilities

The school says that, since August 2023, it has adopted the Finnish curriculum and school model. At the time the page was published it was operational in Years 1 to 7 and planned to expand into Years 8 and 9.

Cempaka Sports announced a resurfaced Cempaka Court with four pickleball courts, a netball court and a handball court. The accessible page carries no publication date, so it cannot be dated more precisely.

University counselling

Uni Enrol announced a 2025 partnership with Cempaka for real-time university and scholarship matching technology, reported by MalaysiaKini in November 2025.

Day school, no boarding

A third-party profile describes the school as a day-school option without boarding. Families needing residential provision, supervised airport transfer or boarding-related pastoral arrangements would need another provider or separately arranged logistics.

A transitional curriculum, not one continuous British pathway

On the school's own description, the pathway changes model across stages: Michelia is Reggio Emilia-inspired, Years 1 to 6 follow a Finnish curriculum adapted to Malaysia, lower secondary combines the Finnish school model with the Cambridge syllabus, and later stages lead to IGCSE and A Levels. Families seeking a fully continuous British curriculum from early years should ask how transfers and assessment continuity are managed.

Fees to confirm officially

Published 2026/27 third-party fees range from RM27,000 for Michelia half-day provision to RM73,380 for Year 7, before a RM1,000 application fee, a RM12,000 non-refundable registration fee, a RM15,000 school deposit and possible annual or resource fees or SST. Because these figures are from a directory, families should obtain the official offer-specific schedule before committing.

SEN details are undefined

The school states that it has a comprehensive SEN system, but in the material located it does not publicly define supported need profiles, specialist staffing levels, capacity limits, individual-plan processes or fees. Families requiring intensive or highly specialised support should confirm those operational details before applying.