International Schools in Bali 2026: Fees, Areas and Visas

Reviewed by Florent Delente, Founder, ILA Global Consulting. Last updated: October 2026.

Bali has more than 25 international and SPK schools, clustered in three zones: Sanur and Denpasar, Canggu and Umalas, and the Ubud area. For 2026/27, annual tuition runs from about IDR 45 million (USD 2,500) for a half-day toddler place to about IDR 330 million (USD 18,450) for the final IB Diploma year. Every foreign child also needs a valid stay permit, usually the E31E dependent KITAS sponsored by a parent, which costs IDR 6,000,000 for one year in government fees.

Pick the area you will live in first, then the curriculum, then check fees and seats. Families who choose a villa first and a school second often lose a large part of each day to the school run.

Currency note: USD figures in this guide use IDR 17,900 to USD 1, close to the market rate in early October 2026 (Katadata). Schools bill in rupiah, so your real cost moves with the exchange rate.

How many international schools are there in Bali?

An independent school directory lists 27 schools under “international schools in Bali” as of 30 September 2026, including small bespoke and Montessori schools (doris.school). For a family looking for an accredited English, French or IB pathway through to age 18, the realistic shortlist is closer to 10.

You will notice that few of them use the word “international” in their name. That is not branding. Indonesian rules on SPK schools (Satuan Pendidikan Kerjasama, meaning a school run in cooperation with a foreign education body) stopped private schools calling themselves “international” in 2014. Bali International School became Bali Island School that year for exactly this reason (Bali Island School).

SPK status matters to you for two reasons. It means the school is licensed by the Indonesian education ministry, and it means Indonesian subjects (language, civics, religion for Indonesian pupils) are part of the timetable alongside the foreign curriculum (Dyatmika School).

Which area should you live in for school?

Bali traffic decides more family routines than any curriculum choice. Distances look short on a map, but the school run on the main Canggu, Kerobokan and Sanur roads can take far longer than the kilometres suggest. Shortlist schools within a realistic drive of where you will actually live.

Locations come from each school’s own site or its directory profile (Bali Island School, Lycée Français de Bali, Dyatmika, ACS Bali via NOW! Bali, doris.school).

Before you sign a lease, sort the visa side too. A school can hold a seat, but your child cannot start classes legally without a stay permit. ILA’s visa and immigration team handles the parent KITAS and the children’s dependent permits as one file, so the dates line up with the school calendar.

What do international schools in Bali cost in 2026/27?

The table shows annual tuition per child. Figures marked “school schedule” come from the school’s own published fee document. The others come from an independent directory because the school does not publish its schedule openly, and they are flagged for confirmation with the school.

Sources: Bali Island School fees 2026/27, Green School fees 2025/26, Lycée Français de Bali financial regulations 2026/27, and doris.school profiles for CCS, AIS Bali, GMIS, The British School of Bali, Pelangi and ACS Bali.

The fees that are not in the tuition line

Tuition is only part of the bill. These one-off and annual charges catch most families out in the first year:

• Application fee: IDR 2,500,000 at Bali Island School, IDR 4,000,000 at Green School, IDR 3,000,000 at The British School of Bali. Non-refundable.
• Registration or enrolment fee: IDR 36,000,000 at Green School (so IDR 40,000,000 in total admission fees, about USD 2,235), IDR 30,000,000 at The British School of Bali, IDR 15,000,000 at Pelangi.
• Capital levy: Bali Island School charges IDR 22,252,000 to 28,527,000 a year on top of tuition, already included in the table above.
• Exam fees: IB Diploma exams at Bali Island School cost USD 185 per subject or USD 1,110 for the full set. Lycée Français de Bali charges IDR 3,000,000 for the brevet, IDR 4,000,000 in Première and IDR 5,000,000 for the baccalauréat.
• Learning support: Green School bills IDR 10,000,000 per term for English language support and IDR 20,000,000 per term for intensive learning support.
• Instalment surcharges: paying by term costs more. Bali Island School adds 1.5%, Lycée Français de Bali adds 1.5%, and Green School adds 3% for semester payments and 8% for termly payments.

Sources: the school fee documents linked above and the Green School 2026/27 schedule.

Discounts worth asking for

• Siblings: Bali Island School gives 5% for the second child, 10% for the third and 20% from the fourth. Green School gives 5%, 10% and 15%. Lycée Français de Bali gives 10%, 15% and 20%.
• Early payment: Bali Island School takes 5% off tuition paid in full by 11 April, or 8% with a multi-year fee lock. Lycée Français de Bali takes 7% off for full payment before 15 May.
• French school grants: LFB’s financial rules provide for pupils holding a French school grant (bourse scolaire), deducted from the bill. Eligibility depends on the school’s AEFE status, so check with the consulate in Jakarta before you count on it.

A worked example: two children at Bali Island School

A family with a Grade 7 child and a Grade 3 child at Bali Island School in 2026/27 would pay roughly:

Paying in four instalments would add about 1.5% to the tuition part. Uniforms, buses, lunches, devices and activities come on top.

Is there a French school in Bali?

Yes. The Lycée Français de Bali (LFB) in Umalas, Kerobokan, teaches the French national curriculum from toute petite section (age 2) to Terminale, and presents itself as recognised by the French Ministry of Education and part of the AEFE network (LFB). The school was known as the École Internationale Française de Bali before 2016 and opened in 1991 (Wikipedia). Its 2026 to 2029 school plan reports more than 460 pupils from over 25 countries (LFB school plan).

The exact AEFE label (fully homologated, and for which levels) is not stated on the school’s site. If continuity with a school in France matters, ask LFB in writing which classes are homologuées for 2026/27.

What French families need to know about LFB for 2026/27, from the school’s financial regulations (LFB):

• First registration fee (paid once): IDR 16,250,000 from MS to CM2, IDR 12,950,000 for collège, IDR 8,700,000 for lycée.
• Annual registration fee: IDR 11,300,000 per child.
• International section supplement: IDR 12,400,000 a year from 6e to 3e and IDR 15,500,000 in 2nde.
• Late payment: IDR 350,000 per child per day on the instalment plan, capped at 30 days, after which the child can be refused entry to class.
• Priority deadline: pay registration before 15 May 2026 to secure a place for September.

For French families who want to keep both doors open, the realistic alternatives are an English IB school plus CNED distance learning in French, or LFB with its international section to build English.

How do admissions work, and when should you apply?

Most Bali schools admit year round if a seat exists, but popular year groups fill early, and fee deadlines fall in spring. A practical timeline for an August or September start:

1. January to March: shortlist three schools by area, book tours and online calls, and ask each school for its current fee schedule and seat availability in your child’s year.
2. February to April: submit applications and pay the application fees. Expect to provide passports, the last two years of school reports, vaccination records and, for some schools, a teacher reference and an entry or English assessment.
3. April to May: accept the offer and pay registration. Bali Island School’s early payment discount closes on 11 April, Green School’s annual payment is due by 15 April, and LFB’s priority deadline is 15 May.
4. May to June: start the parent’s KITAS if not already held, then the children’s dependent permits. The government lists 5 working days for visa processing after payment, but documents, apostilles and translations take longer.
5. July to August: arrive, receive the e-ITAS on entry, then complete local registrations and give the school a copy of each child’s KITAS.

Withdrawals also cost money. Bali Island School requires six calendar weeks of written notice and refunds only 50% of tuition for unattended terms on annual payments (BIS). Read the refund clause before you pay a full year.

Which visa does your child need to attend school in Bali?

A child cannot attend school in Indonesia on a tourist visa or visa on arrival. In most families, the child holds a dependent KITAS (a limited stay permit) linked to a parent who already holds a KITAS or KITAP.

The relevant index is E31E, Family Visa for the Child of an ITAS or ITAP holder. ITAS and ITAP are the legal names for the KITAS (limited stay) and KITAP (permanent stay) permits. Here is what Indonesian Immigration publishes for E31E (imigrasi.go.id):

Three points cause most refusals and delays:

• The child’s permit follows the parent’s. If your own KITAS is cancelled or expires, the child’s dependent status goes with it (XPND). Plan renewals together.
• Wrong index, no refund. Children of an Indonesian parent use different E31 indexes, such as E31C, and Golden Visa families cannot use E31E at all; Immigration states that E31E is not for joining a Golden Visa holder. A rejected application does not refund the government fee.
• Turning 18. Dependent status ends at 18. A student still in Grade 12 must switch to another permit, usually a student visa, before the dependent KITAS lapses (XPND).

If neither parent will hold a KITAS, a child can study on E30A, the visa for primary and secondary education, sponsored by the school, with the same government fees of IDR 6,000,000 for one year or IDR 8,500,000 for two (imigrasi.go.id).

The parent’s own permit comes first. Investors usually hold an Investor KITAS through their PT PMA, and employees a Working KITAS. Our KITAS and KITAP overview compares the routes.

What do you do after arrival?

Once the family lands and the e-ITAS is issued at the airport, three local steps remain:

1. Police report (STM). A police registration letter from your local police station. One SPK school’s guidance puts the cost at IDR 75,000 to 100,000 and the wait at 1 to 3 days (Dyatmika).
2. Residence registration (SKTT). The SKTT is the temporary residence certificate from the civil registry. ILA’s SKTT service covers it for the whole family.
3. Study permit for SPK schools. SPK schools ask foreign pupils for an annual study permit from the education ministry, using the child’s KITAS (valid at least 6 months), the STM and a letter from the school. The same guidance describes it as free and taking about a month (Dyatmika).

Living in Bali with your family for more than 183 days in a year also changes your tax position. Read our guide on becoming tax resident in Bali before you move.

How do you choose between the main schools?

A short comparison of the questions families ask us most:

• You want the IB from age 3 to 18 in one place: Bali Island School in Sanur has run the full IB continuum (PYP, MYP and DP) since 2004 and is accredited by CIS and WASC (BIS). Gandhi Memorial Intercontinental School also runs all three IB programmes at a lower fee.
• You want British GCSE and A Level style exams: Dyatmika (Cambridge to A Level) in Denpasar, or Canggu Community School (IGCSE then IB Diploma) in Canggu.
• You want an Australian pathway: Australian Independent School Bali follows the Australian Curriculum to Year 10, then the IB Diploma.
• You want a sustainability led education: Green School teaches its own curriculum and graduates receive a US high school diploma; check how your target universities treat it.
• You want French: Lycée Français de Bali is the only school teaching the full French programme to the baccalauréat.
• Your children are young and you live near Ubud: Pelangi (to age 14) and The British School of Bali (to age 10) are the closest options.

Ask every school the same five questions: Is there a seat in my child’s year? What is the total first year cost including levies? What is the refund rule if we leave mid-year? Which universities have recent graduates gone to? Will you issue the paperwork the study permit needs?

Plan the school and the visa together

The school offer and the KITAS run on separate clocks, and the visa is the one families underestimate. ILA’s visa and immigration team can set up the parent’s KITAS, the children’s E31E permits, SKTT and renewals on one timeline. Contact us with your children’s ages, target schools and planned arrival date, and we will tell you which permits you need and in what order.

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Frequently asked questions

How much does an international school in Bali cost per year?

For 2026/27, expect IDR 45 million to 120 million (about USD 2,500 to 6,700) for early years and smaller schools, and IDR 230 million to 330 million (about USD 12,800 to 18,450) for upper secondary at Bali Island School, Green School or ACS Bali. Add application, registration and capital fees in year one.

What is the cheapest international school in Bali?

Among the schools with published fees, Pelangi School (from IDR 45,080,000) and Lycée Français de Bali (from IDR 58,900,000) sit at the lower end. Fees rise sharply after primary at most schools.

Is there a French school in Bali?

Yes, the Lycée Français de Bali in Umalas, Kerobokan, teaching the French curriculum from age 2 to the baccalauréat. Tuition for 2026/27 runs from IDR 58,900,000 to 156,900,000 plus an annual registration fee of IDR 11,300,000.

Can my child attend school in Bali on a tourist visa?

No. A child needs a stay permit such as the E31E dependent KITAS or the E30A student visa. SPK schools also ask for a study permit, which requires the child’s KITAS.

How much is a dependent KITAS for a child in Bali?

The government fee for an E31E child permit is IDR 6,000,000 for one year or IDR 8,500,000 for two years, including the re-entry permit. Translation, apostille and agent costs are extra.

Which Bali schools offer the IB Diploma?

Bali Island School, Gandhi Memorial Intercontinental School, Canggu Community School, Australian Independent School Bali and ACS Bali all list the IB Diploma for the last two years of school.

When should I apply for a school place in Bali?

Apply between January and April for an August or September start. Fee discounts and priority deadlines fall between 11 April and 15 May for the schools in this guide.

What happens to my child’s KITAS when they turn 18?

Dependent status ends at 18. If your child is still at school, switch them to a student permit before the dependent KITAS expires to avoid overstay fines.

Sources

1. Bali Island School: School fees 2026/27 (updated 16 April 2026)
2. Bali Island School: School history
3. Green School Bali: Tuition fee schedule 2025/26
4. Green School Bali: Tuition fee schedule 2026/27
5. Lycée Français de Bali: About LFB
6. Lycée Français de Bali: Financial regulations 2026/27
7. Lycée Français de Bali: Projet d’établissement 2026 to 2029
8. Wikipedia: Lycée Français de Bali
9. Dyatmika School: FAQ
10. Dyatmika School: Foreign student study permit
11. doris.school: International schools in Bali
12. doris.school: Canggu Community School
13. doris.school: Australian Independent School Bali fees
14. doris.school: Gandhi Memorial Intercontinental School Bali fees
15. doris.school: The British School of Bali fees
16. doris.school: Pelangi School Bali
17. doris.school: Green School Bali
18. NOW! Bali: ACS to open ACS Bali campus
19. Direktorat Jenderal Imigrasi: E31E Family Visa for the Child of an ITAS/ITAP holder
20. Direktorat Jenderal Imigrasi: E30A Primary and Secondary Education Visa
21. Direktorat Jenderal Imigrasi: E31C Family Visa for the Child of a mixed Indonesian and foreign marriage
22. XPND: Dependent visa indexes
23. XPND: Child KITAS at age 18
24. Katadata: Rupiah at IDR 17,903 per US dollar, 2 October 2026