International School of Brussels

A Philosophy Built on Inclusion and Challenge

At the heart of the International School of Brussels is a deceptively simple but demanding motto: Everyone Included, Everyone Challenged, Everyone Successful. This is not a marketing tagline but a genuine operational framework that shapes how teachers plan lessons, how support services are structured, and how the school measures its own outcomes.

Personalised Learning at Scale

With over 1,300 students from 60+ countries speaking 55+ home languages, delivering truly personalised education is a formidable challenge. ISB meets it through:

• Differentiated instruction within IB and AP/US Diploma tracks, allowing students to pursue pathways matched to their strengths
• The Inclusion & Challenge Department, which coordinates learning support specialists, counsellors, EAL teachers, and a high-ability programme under one roof
• Flexible programme selection at the senior level: students may choose IB Diploma, US High School Diploma with AP courses, or IB Career-related Programme with BTEC vocational components in Sport or Art & Design

Inquiry-Based Learning

ISB's pedagogical approach is rooted in the IB's inquiry model. Across all three IB programmes (PYP, MYP, DP), students are encouraged to ask questions, make connections across disciplines, and reflect on their own learning. This methodology is reinforced by a low student-to-teacher ratio of approximately 7:1, enabling meaningful dialogue between teachers and students.

The Language Dimension

Language learning is central to the school's philosophy of international citizenship. English is the primary medium of instruction, but French is compulsory from age 2.5—an unusually early start that reflects the school's commitment to host-country integration. A bilingual French-English pathway is available from Grade 5, allowing motivated students to sit IB subjects in French. The Home Language Programme further supports mother-tongue literacy in Dutch, Spanish, Hebrew, Korean, Swedish, and Japanese, recognising that strong first-language skills underpin all learning.

Wellbeing as a Prerequisite for Learning

ISB views student wellbeing not as an add-on but as foundational. The school counselling service covers every division, psychological support is available, and a dedicated health office ensures physical welfare. The campus itself—a former château estate adjacent to the UNESCO-listed Forêt de Soignes—provides a calming, nature-rich environment that many parents cite as a defining feature of the school's atmosphere.

Taken together, ISB's philosophy represents a commitment to the idea that excellence and inclusion are not in tension but are mutually reinforcing: when every student feels genuinely seen and supported, the entire community achieves more.

Seven Decades of Growth and Transformation

The International School of Brussels has one of the longest histories of any international school in continental Europe. Its journey from a small expatriate institution to a 1,300-student global school reflects both Brussels' emergence as an international capital and the evolution of international education itself.

Origins: The American School of Brussels (1951–1953)

ISB was founded in October 1951 by U.S. Air Force officers stationed in Belgium during the early Cold War. The school opened in Woluwe-St-Pierre with just 27 students and 4 teachers, serving the children of American military and diplomatic personnel. Within two years, as the U.S. military footprint in Belgium shifted, the school needed a new home.

The Move to the Château (1953)

In 1953, the school relocated to its permanent home—the Château des Fougères (also known as the Bischoffsheim estate) in Watermael-Boitsfort—and was renamed the International School of Brussels. The 19th-century château, set within extensive wooded grounds adjacent to the Forêt de Soignes, gave the school a distinctive character it retains today. The name change also signalled an ambition to serve the broader international community, not just American families.

Decades of Expansion (1960s–1980s)

• 1960s: Kindergarten added; student population exceeded 1,000 for the first time by the mid-1960s
• 1970s: American football programme introduced; IB Diploma launched in 1977, one of the earliest adoptions in Europe
• 1979: Tennis courts added
• 1980: Dual accreditation from the Council of International Schools (CIS) and the Middle States Association (MSA)
• 1981: Thompson Field dedicated for outdoor sports
• 1983: Performing Arts Centre (theatre/auditorium) opened

Into the 21st Century

• 2005: IB Middle Years Programme (MYP) authorised
• 2011: Indoor Olympic-size pool added, significantly expanding aquatics capabilities
• 2024: Full re-accreditation by CIS and MSA following a comprehensive self-study process; major campus renovations completed

Today

From its modest wartime origins, ISB has grown into a school of 1,300+ students from 60+ countries, with a faculty of approximately 200 teachers and a curriculum spanning IB PYP through Diploma, AP, BTEC, and bilingual pathways. It remains a private, non-profit institution governed by a Board of Trustees, true to its founding ethos of serving the internationally mobile community.

Academic Performance and University Placement

ISB positions itself as academically rigorous without being narrowly selective. The results bear this out: outcomes across the IB Diploma, AP, and BTEC programmes consistently outperform global benchmarks, and university placement data reveals a genuinely international spread of destinations.

IB Diploma Results – Class of 2025

• Average score: 35 (above the global IB average of ~30)
• Pass rate: 100%
• Bilingual Diploma: 49% of candidates earned the IB Bilingual Diploma
• High scorers: 20% scored ≥40 points; 42% scored ≥37; 59% scored ≥34; 81% scored ≥30
• Candidates: 118 students

These figures place ISB firmly among the stronger IB schools in Europe. The 49% bilingual diploma rate is especially notable and reflects the school's deep commitment to French-English bilingualism.

AP Examination Results – 2024

• Average AP score: 3.84 (vs. global average ~2.9)
• Scores ≥3: 90% of all examinations
• Scores of 5: 44% of all examinations
• Exams taken: 186 across 13 subjects by 103 students

The AP programme serves students on the US Diploma track and provides additional rigour for IB students seeking US university recognition. ISB's 90% rate of scores ≥3 is well above the global average of approximately 60%.

BTEC Results – 2024

• Pass rate: 100%
• Students: 33 (in Sport and Art & Design pathways)

University Destinations – 2025

• 220 different universities received ISB graduates across 20 countries
• 148 offers from QS Top-100 globally ranked universities
• 117 offers from UK Russell Group universities
• Virtually 100% of graduates proceeded to tertiary education

The breadth of destinations—spanning North America, the UK, continental Europe, and beyond—reflects ISB's role as a genuinely international school rather than a pipeline to any single national system. The school's university counselling team supports students in navigating applications across multiple countries simultaneously.

Curriculum Breadth

ISB's academic offer is unusually wide for a school of its size:

• IB PYP (Early Childhood–Grade 5)
• IB MYP (Grades 6–10)
• IB Diploma Programme (Grades 11–12)
• US High School Diploma with AP courses
• IB Career-related Programme with BTEC (Sport; Art & Design)
• French bilingual pathway from Grade 5

This breadth means students are not locked into a single track at age 11; choices can be made—with counsellor guidance—as individual strengths and ambitions become clearer.

The ISB Community: Diversity as a Defining Strength

For many families considering ISB, the community itself is the curriculum. With students from more than 60 countries speaking over 55 home languages, the school's corridors are a microcosm of the world—and that diversity is deliberately cultivated rather than simply tolerated.

Who Attends ISB?

ISB primarily serves the internationally mobile expatriate community in Brussels—diplomats, EU and NATO employees, multinational corporate staff, and NGO workers—but it also welcomes local Belgian families and returnee families seeking an international education. The school does not publish precise nationality breakdowns, but the presence of NATO headquarters and EU institutions in Brussels ensures a consistently cosmopolitan intake.

Language as Community

Rather than treating the linguistic diversity of its student body as a challenge, ISB has built it into the educational programme:

• English Language Development (ELD): In-class and pull-out support for non-native English speakers across all grade levels, ensuring no student is disadvantaged by English proficiency on arrival
• Home Language Programme (HLP): Mother-tongue classes in Dutch, French, Spanish, Hebrew, Korean, Swedish, and Japanese for Grades 1–5, preserving first-language literacy
• French bilingual pathway: Compulsory French from age 2.5, with an optional full bilingual track from Grade 5 through IB Diploma
• IB Language B and A: Multiple language options at SL and HL in the Diploma Programme

A Culture of Transience and Belonging

One distinctive feature of ISB's community is the high rate of student turnover characteristic of expatriate schools—families arrive and depart mid-year as postings change. The school has developed strong onboarding practices and a culture of radical welcome to ensure that new students, whether joining in August or February, feel integrated quickly. Advisory programmes and counselling services are structured to support this constant renewal.

Parent Community

The Parent-Teacher Association (PTA) at ISB is active and internationally minded, organising the annual International Festival and cultural events that celebrate the community's diversity. Many parents are themselves highly educated professionals, and the school benefits from a strong culture of parental engagement—attending information evenings, supporting university application processes, and contributing to school governance through the Board of Trustees.

Campus as Community Space

The campus itself—a wooded former château estate steps from the Forêt de Soignes—provides a unusually tranquil setting for an urban international school. Students from across the globe share outdoor spaces, sports fields, and performing arts facilities that would be the envy of many national schools, and the natural environment is actively used for outdoor learning and wellbeing activities.

ISB Admissions: Open but Oversubscribed

ISB describes itself as non-selective academically—and this is broadly true. The school does not administer entrance exams in the traditional sense, and students with limited English proficiency are welcomed thanks to the ELD programme. However, non-selective does not mean easy to enter, and families who approach ISB without adequate preparation often find places unavailable.

The Application Process

1. Inquiry and visit: Families are encouraged to attend a campus tour or information session (offered monthly) before applying
2. Online application: Submitted with the one-time, non-refundable application fee of €2,000 per family
3. Academic documents: Last two years' school reports, teacher recommendations, and any relevant assessment or learning support documentation
4. Interview/assessment: Division heads may conduct an interview with the student and family; placement testing in maths and English may be arranged for primary and middle school applicants
5. Decision: Conditional offers are typically issued within approximately one month of a completed application, with a five-day acceptance window

Waitlists and Timing

Cohorts—particularly in popular year groups (Kindergarten, Grade 6 entry)—fill well in advance of the academic year. A formal waiting list is maintained when a year group is full, and families are encouraged to apply as early as possible. Year-round rolling admissions mean mid-year entries are possible when places arise.

English Proficiency

There is no minimum TOEFL or IELTS requirement. Students with limited English are assessed informally and placed in the ELD programme. However, for senior school (Grades 9–12) applicants aiming for the IB Diploma, a functional level of English is implicitly required given the programme's academic demands.

Scholarships and Financial Aid

Two forms of tuition support are available:

• Merit Scholarship: A limited number of partial tuition grants for students entering Grades 7–12 who would significantly enrich the school community. Applications must be received by 31 March for the following academic year. Awards span two consecutive years and are not means-tested.
• Financial Aid Programme: Need-based tuition reduction for existing ISB families experiencing temporary hardship. Assessed case-by-case on an annual basis.

Fee Context

ISB's fees range from €22,995 (Preschool) to €51,105 (Grades 10–12) per year, placing it in the upper tier of Brussels international schools. The bus service adds approximately €3,240/year for round-trip transport. There are no additional capital levies or deposits beyond the application fee, which simplifies fee planning compared to some peer schools.

Practical Advice for Applicants

• Apply well before the intended entry date—do not wait for a relocation confirmation
• The March deadline is critical for scholarship applicants
• ELD support removes language as a barrier at entry; early-years applicants have the widest range of support available
• Families relocating to Brussels with children at multiple grade levels submit one application fee for the whole family