How to Choose an International School in Warsaw

Choosing a school in Warsaw can involve comparing unfamiliar curricula while planning a move. This guide covers questions about teaching, language support, fees and daily school life. Use it to prepare for visits and compare the answers you receive.

This guide is published by the International American School of Warsaw, founded in 1989. It includes examples from IAS and questions you can ask any school, from the early years through to diploma study.

Check the curriculum and qualifications

Find out which curriculum each school follows and which qualifications students can take. For older children, compare subject choices with previous studies and possible university requirements.

In Warsaw you will mainly meet three:

• The International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma. A programme covering six subjects, with university entry requirements set by each institution.
• An American High School Diploma. Familiar to families heading toward, or arriving from, the United States.
• The Polish Matura. This matters if your child may continue in the Polish system or apply to Polish universities.

Most international schools offer one of these. A few offer more. We offer all three, and a single student can hold the IB Diploma, an American Diploma and the Polish Matura together, subject to completing each programme’s requirements. Whichever path you favour, ask about the courses and universities recent graduates have gone on to attend.

If you are choosing for a young child, judge the early years on their own terms

For a younger child, spend time with the early years team. Ask about class routines, staffing, play and how the school supports children who are new to being away from home.

The questions change at this age. Ask how many children are in the youngest classes and how many adults. Ask whether the early years have their own space, away from the rush of older students. Ask what a normal morning looks like, how much of it is play and discovery, and how the school handles a child who cries at drop-off in September.

At IAS the Early Years programme runs from age three and a half to six, in a separate building on ul. Dembego with its own purpose-built playground. The days are built around hands-on learning, and children develop English and Polish alongside one another. From there the Elementary School takes children from six to twelve in two stages, lower and upper, before middle and high school on the same campus. Children can continue at IAS through Grade 12.

For kindergarten in particular, our guide English kindergarten in Warsaw: what to ask before choosing has ten questions to put to any kindergarten, each with the answer for IAS.

What if your child’s English is not strong enough yet?

Families often ask about English before applying. Schools have different entry requirements, particularly in the senior years, so discuss your child’s level and support needs with admissions.

Ask how the school assesses English and what support is available for your child’s age group. Find out who teaches it, how often the group meets and whether it carries an additional fee.

At IAS that programme is English as an Additional Language. The admissions and EAL teams assess each student’s level and the support available for their year group. A new student starts with an interview and a short assessment, then joins a small group, generally no larger than eight, of children at a similar stage, working from the early CEFR levels up toward the B2 that opens the full curriculum. How often a group meets depends on the students’ level. The groups cover the four skills a child needs in every other class, reading, writing, listening and speaking, with grammar taught directly. While they build their English, EAL students ease off other language classes to allow more time for English, and their EAL teacher works alongside their subject teachers as the child’s advocate.

For a Polish child this does not mean leaving Polish behind. In the early years children develop English and Polish together, and the Polish Matura pathway and Polish Ministry recognition stay open the whole way through. IAS has experience of supporting children who are learning English alongside their school subjects.

Ask how the school measures progress in English and when students are ready to leave language support. It helps to understand how that support fits around their other lessons.

Ask about class size and individual support

Ask about the class your child would join, including its current size and the support available to students.

Ask about both class size and the student to teacher ratio. They measure different things: the ratio covers the whole school, while class size tells you how many children are taught together.

IAS has a school-wide student to teacher ratio of 7:1. Class sizes vary by year group and intake. Admissions can tell you about the class your child would join.

Check the accreditation, and check who grants it

Check which organisations authorise or accredit a school and which programmes their recognition covers.

First, the curriculum authority. An IB school is authorised by the International Baccalaureate Organization. That authorisation is not automatic and not permanent.

Second, an independent quality accreditation, and recognition by the host country. IAS holds three: the International Baccalaureate Organization, Cognia (the American accreditation body), and the Polish Ministry of Education. Ask which Polish qualifications a school is recognised to offer.

Ask each school which bodies accredit it, and when it was last reviewed. You can confirm this on the accreditor’s own website.

Check the school journey

A school that looks close on a map can be forty minutes away at 7:45. In Warsaw, traffic and the school run change the answer completely.

• Drive or ride the route at the real time you would do it, not at midday.
• If you will use the metro, check the walk at both ends.
• Ask whether the school runs a bus, which districts it covers, and what time the first pick-up is.

IAS sits on ul. Dembego in Ursynów, next to the Kabaty forest, a short walk from the Kabaty metro station, with school transport available on routes arranged around participating families. Check the journey at the time your child would travel, including the walk to public transport and any school bus arrangements.

Ask whether your child will belong

Ask how a new student is introduced to the class and who they can turn to if they need help.

Worth asking:

• How does the school help students from different language backgrounds take part in class?
• How are new students paired up or welcomed in their first week?
• Which clubs and activities are available to your child’s year group?

IAS has students from more than 40 nationalities. During your visit, ask about how newcomers settle in and whether you can speak with a current parent.

Understand the real cost, and plan for it

Fees vary by school and year group. Ask for the costs that apply to your child, including any services charged separately.

Ask what the published fee covers and what sits on top of it: registration, materials, lunch, transport, trips, examination fees. Ask about sibling arrangements if you have more than one child, and about how fees are scheduled across the year. You can see the IAS fee structure on our tuition and fees page. Compare like with like, and ask each school to put the total in writing before you make a decision.

Ask about application dates and mid-year entry

A work posting or family move may mean starting school during the year. Ask about mid-year availability and how the school helps new students catch up with their class.

Ask each school:

• When the main intake is, and whether places remain for your child’s grade.
• Whether mid-year entry is possible, and how new students are supported.
• What the steps are: application, records, any assessment, a family visit.

IAS runs rolling admissions and welcomes mid-year families. You can begin on our admissions page, and the simplest next step at any school is to visit.

Arrange a school visit

If possible, visit during a normal school day. Ask whether you can see a lesson, meet teachers and discuss how they would support your child.

A short checklist for your shortlist

For each school, write down:

• Which diploma or diplomas it offers, and where its graduates go.
• The ages it teaches, and, if your child is young, the ratio in the early years.
• Its maximum class size and student to teacher ratio.
• Its named programme for a child who arrives with little or no English, including the group size and lessons a week.
• Who accredits it, and when it was last reviewed.
• The real commute at real times, and whether a bus serves your district.
• The number of nationalities, and how new students are welcomed.
• The full cost in writing, including everything beyond tuition.
• Whether your child’s grade has a place now, including mid-year.

Keep the answers together so you can compare schools after your visits.

Frequently asked questions

What curricula do international schools in Warsaw offer? Mainly the International Baccalaureate, an American High School Diploma, British curricula, and the Polish Matura. Some schools offer one path, a few offer several. IAS offers the IB Diploma, the American Diploma and the Polish Matura together.

My child does not speak English yet. Can they still enrol? Entry requirements vary between schools and year groups. Contact IAS admissions about English requirements and support for your child’s year group. After an interview and assessment, a student joins a small group, generally no larger than eight, at a similar stage, and works from the early CEFR levels up toward B2. Ask any school you visit who teaches its EAL, how often, and in what size group.

From what age can my child start? It varies by school. At IAS the Early Years programme begins at age three and a half, the Elementary School runs from six to twelve, and a child can continue on the same campus through to Grade 12 at eighteen.

Will my Polish child lose their Polish at an international school? Not at a school that keeps Polish in the programme. In the IAS early years children develop English and Polish together, and the Polish Matura pathway and recognition by the Polish Ministry of Education remain open the whole way through, so a Polish child can hold an international education and their Polish qualifications at once.

What is a good class size for an international school? Ask about the current and maximum class sizes in your child’s year group. IAS has a school-wide student to teacher ratio of 7:1.

Which accreditations should I look for? The curriculum authority for the diploma, such as the International Baccalaureate Organization, an independent quality accreditation such as Cognia, and recognition by the Polish Ministry of Education so the qualification is valid in Poland. IAS holds all three.

When should we apply, and can we start mid-year? Apply as early as you can once you know your move dates, then confirm a place is open for your child’s grade. Many international schools, IAS included, admit students through the year when space allows.

Which Warsaw districts work well for international schools? Families across Ursynów, Wilanów, Mokotów, the centre and the southern suburbs commute to international schools. What matters is the real travel time at school-run hours and whether a school bus covers your district. IAS is in Ursynów by the Kabaty metro and forest, with bus routes across the city.

How much does an international school in Warsaw cost? Fees vary by grade and school, and the headline number rarely tells the whole story. Ask each school for the full cost in writing, including registration, materials, lunch, transport and trips. The IAS fee structure is on our tuition page.

Making your decision

After your visits, compare the teaching, support and daily arrangements with what your child needs. Contact the school again if anything remains unclear.

If you would like to see how IAS measures up against your own checklist, you are welcome to book a visit or contact our admissions team. Admissions can arrange a visit during the school day.

Part of our guide for families relocating here: moving to Warsaw with children, covering districts and commutes, renting, the Polish school system, and enrolment.