International schools in Bali: what a year really costs and how to get a place

Start with what the schools publish themselves, not the ranges on review sites. All three post a full fee sheet. Canggu Community School runs from early years to the IB Diploma. Bali Island School sits in Sanur, and Green School teaches in bamboo buildings in the jungle south of Ubud.

The spread is wide even inside one school. At Canggu Community School, the final IB year costs more than twice the early years. Green School's early-years class for five-year-olds costs more than a senior year at some other schools.

Source: Canggu Community School fees page, 2026–27; Bali Island School Tuition Fees SY 2026–27, February 2026; Green School 2026–27 tuition via International Schools Database, September 2026

Tuition is the base, and almost nobody pays only that. Entry fees, deposits and yearly levies add a large sum in year one. Watch the word "registration" in particular. At Green School and Canggu Community School it's a one-off, non-refundable fee. At Bali Island School it's Rp 15 million every year, credited against tuition, so you can't compare the schools on that line.

Bali Island School adds a capital levy every year: Rp 22.3 million in preschool and kindergarten, Rp 25.7 million in grades 1–5 and Rp 28.5 million from grade 6. Canggu Community School charges its capital levy at entry and a yearly materials levy on top.

• Green School: Rp 4 million application plus Rp 36 million registration, both non-refundable, and a refundable deposit of Rp 30 million
• Green School, yearly: an Rp 8.5 million Local Scholar levy, and an Rp 7.25 million trips fee in high school
• Canggu Community School: Rp 2.5 million application, Rp 17 million registration for the first child and Rp 14 million for the next, a capital levy of Rp 21.5–26 million
• Canggu Community School, refundable: a notice deposit of Rp 25 million in early years and Rp 50 million from Year 1, plus a yearly materials levy of Rp 8.5–13.5 million
• Bali Island School: Rp 2.5 million application for new students, Rp 15 million registration each year credited to tuition, and the yearly capital levy

Source: Official fee schedules of Green School, Canggu Community School and Bali Island School for 2026–27

Here's the cash a family puts down in the first year for one child starting grade 3. We add only the lines each school publishes, and uniforms, buses, lunches and trips come on top. Parents' groups put those extras at 20–30% of tuition, which is a community estimate rather than a published price.

Source: Rise Real Bali sum of published fee lines; CCS and BIS fee schedules, 2026–27; the extras estimate comes from parent community reviews, 2026

The top three aren't the whole market. Dyatmika School charges Rp 52.9 million for its youngest class and Rp 163.9 million for grades 10–12 in 2026–27. Sunrise School charges Rp 55.5 million a year for half-day Small World preschool and Rp 63.5 million for full days.

Sibling discounts are common and worth asking about before you sign. Canggu Community School takes 3% off the second child, 7% off the third and 10% off the fourth. Bali Island School gives 5%, 10% and 20%, and Green School 5%, 10% and 15%.

Source: Dyatmika School fees 2026–27 via International Schools Database, September 2026; Sunrise School Bali fees page, 2026–27; school fee schedules for sibling discounts

An international school in Indonesia operates as an SPK, a cooperation between a foreign education body and an Indonesian partner. The rules come from Ministry of Education Regulation 31/2014. The foreign partner needs accreditation in its home country. At least 30% of teachers must be Indonesian citizens, and so must at least 80% of the other staff below the principal.

Indonesian students at these schools also study religion, civics and the Indonesian language. For a foreign family, the practical question is simpler: ask the school for its SPK status and when its license comes up for renewal.

• SPK status and the license renewal date
• Who accredits the curriculum: Cambridge, IB or another body
• Whether bus, lunch and trips are in the fee or billed separately
• Whether each deposit is refundable, and on what notice
• The sibling discount, before you sign

Source: Ministry of Education and Culture Regulation 31/2014 on SPK schools

School-age children usually study on an E30A student visa, which covers primary and secondary levels. Since June 8, 2026, the immigration portal has accepted only primary, junior high and senior high enrollment for it, according to visa agents. We haven't found a regulation number behind the change, so treat it as current practice.

Preschoolers go on the parent's permit instead: an E31E family visa for the child of a KITAS or KITAP holder. Holders of student visas, KITAS and KITAP skip Bali's Rp 150,000 tourist levy. Our long-stay visa guide covers the parent's side.

1. 6–12 months aheadApply

   Earlier for the popular years at the large schools.

2. On acceptancePay entry fees

   Rp 40 million non-refundable at Green School, and Rp 19.5 million in application and registration at Canggu Community School.

3. Before term startsChild's visa

   E30A for school-age children, the family E31E for preschoolers.

Source: Directorate General of Immigration visa list, E30A and E31E; visa agency notice, June 8, 2026; Bali Regional Regulation 6/2023 on the tourist levy, as amended

Schools don't publish waitlist statistics. Expat parents most often report queues at Green School and Canggu Community School, and the usual advice is to apply 6–12 months before the start of the school year. Some age groups wait for months.

Families who arrive in July hoping for a September place often homeschool for the first year. That's workable. Budget for both scenarios from the start, though, because a tutor and an online program cost real money too.

Source: Bali expat parent community reviews, 2026; Rise Real Bali client experience, 2024–2026

In September 2026 we measured how far each published listing in our catalog sits from the nearest school or kindergarten, public or private. In Seminyak the median was 278 meters, in Canggu 695 meters and in Umalas 769 meters, walking distance in each case.

The south spreads out more. The median ran to 1.3 km in Ungasan and 2.4 km in Uluwatu, and in Nusa Dua most listings had no school within the 3 km we measured. Use this as a first filter, then drive the actual school run at 7:30 a.m. before choosing a house. Our area guide covers the rest of family logistics.

Source: Rise Real Bali catalog coordinates and points-of-interest data, September 22, 2026

Pick the school first, then search within 15 minutes of it at rush hour. For Canggu Community School that usually means Canggu, Berawa or Umalas. For Bali Island School it means Sanur. Green School families tend to live around Ubud and Sibang. Open the catalog by area, or tell us the school and we'll shortlist houses within reach of it.

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