What is an international school, and what makes it international? International schools come in a lot of different forms, shapes, and sizes. The term international school refers to a wide range of school systems that encompass many different formats and criteria.
To be considered an international school, the school typically needs to follow a national or international curriculum different from the host country that it resides in. A huge emphasis is placed on international education and global citizenship, and several international schools have programs like international baccalaureate or IB.
The international school market has experienced tremendous growth over the past 10 years, with international schools more than doubling worldwide. International K-12 education is a huge business, bringing about 27 billion dollars per year and employing more than 270,000 teachers and administrators.
The criteria for international schools
The rapid growth of international schools around the world is partly due to schools obtaining the name “international” that are not truly international. For example, about 25 percent of new international schools offer international baccalaureate or IB programs, but what about the three-quarters of international schools that do not provide this program?
While international baccalaureate is not the only international curriculum in the world, it does not raise the question, are all of these schools truly international schools? The International Association of School Librarianship outlined a list of criteria in 2009 for a school to be described as an international school. Not all international schools meet all of these criteria, but most of the following eight specified criteria should be met, including:
1. The transferability of students’ education across international schools
2. A multinational and multilingual student body
3. A moving population, higher than in national public schools
4. An international curriculum, such as IB - DP, MYP, PYP
5. An international accreditation
6. A non-selective student enrollment
7. A transient and multinational teacher population
8. Typically English or bi-lingual as the language of instruction
That being said, not everyone agrees with the criteria that the International Association of School Librarianship or IASL outlined. Many international school leaders believe that it’s not about where the students come from but how the education program is delivered. For these leaders, international schools deliver international education through a curriculum like international baccalaureate to produce global citizens. And other leaders believe that if a school has at least two of the criteria outlined by IASL, it should be considered an international school.
Like the International Indian School of Abu Dhabi, the students at international schools tend to be the children or dependents of employees of international businesses, international organizations, foreign embassies, missions, or missionary programs. Many of these schools have local students from the host country in attendance and the children of ex-pats. International schools are becoming more popular school options for host country students. Children can learn the language of the international school, typically English, and gain higher education qualifications in a foreign country.
