Applications for September 2027 are open now. There is no closing date for the 2027/2028 school year, but places in each grade are limited and most classes this year are full, so the school's advice is to apply as soon as you know you want a place, even if the move itself is still months away. Below: the grade, the documents, how a place is held, and the dates to plan around.
First, check the grade
IAS follows the American system. The grade depends on your child's age on 1 September of the year they join, which for a September 2027 start means their age on 1 September 2027. The grade calculator works it out: enter the date of birth, choose "September 2027", and it shows the IAS grade, the matching Polish, US and UK school years, and which of our two buildings your child would be in.
Pre-KG to Grade 5 learn at Dembego 12. Grades 6 to 12 are at Dembego 18, a few minutes away in Ursynów, and Metro Kabaty is about five minutes' walk.
Comparing with a Polish school? Expect a gap. Polish schools group children by calendar year of birth, so the Polish klasa is sometimes one lower than the IAS grade, and a child whose birthday falls close to 1 September can do well in either grade. Admissions confirms every placement after a conversation with your family.
What the application involves
The apply now page sets out six steps:
- The online application form.
- School records: certificates and transcripts of grades from the last two years, plus a recommendation letter filled in by a principal or teacher.
- The IAS educational agreement, signed, with two copies for the school office.
- Review. The Admissions Office reads the application and contacts you with a decision.
- The enrolment fee.
- A welcome letter, and your family joins the school's mailing list.
One application per child. Brothers and sisters go on the same form, under "More children", and are sent together. Three ID photos of each child will be needed too.
Records in another language are fine: send what you have, and admissions will tell you which documents and which translations they need.
What admissions looks at
Reports come first. After reading the last two years, the school decides whether any entrance assessment is needed, most often in English, mathematics or both.
Lessons are in English. Children with little or no English are welcome in the lower grades, where the admissions and EAL teams look at each child's level and support needs, while for students entering High School the school reviews English more closely and the requirement depends on the year group. EAL is a paid programme. Its charges sit on the fees page, next to tuition and the discounts.
Joining in Grade 11 or 12? Then talk about the diploma early. IAS teaches the IB Diploma Programme, the American High School Diploma and the Polish Matura, and students who graduate with the IB or the Matura also receive the American diploma. A student can earn all three only by completing each programme's requirements. Admissions will talk you through which route fits your child.
How a place is held
The place is confirmed once the school has recorded the enrolment fee: 4,000 PLN, charged every year, never refunded.
Is the grade you need already full? Ask admissions about the waiting list before you pay anything, because the waiting list starts only once the enrolment fee is paid, places from it are offered on merit, and the fee stays non-refundable even if a waiting-list place never turns into a seat in the class. Better to know that on day one.
A timeline for September 2027
Now, and over the winter. Check the grade. Write to admissions with your questions, then send the application. You can do all of this from abroad, before you have a Polish address or a fixed moving date. If an IAS family recommended the school to you, give their name at your first contact with admissions, since the school's referral credit depends on it.
Once your child is accepted. Pay the enrolment fee to hold the place. The office then issues an official confirmation of admission, which families use in their own visa and residence applications; the school does not submit those applications or advise on immigration, so that part stays with your employer or a licensed adviser.
June 2027. Keep the end-of-year report. Students starting a new school year at IAS bring the certificate of promotion from their current class.
September 2027. One rule matters here. If a student has not arrived by 30 September, the place and the enrolment fee are lost, unless the family has asked the school in writing for an extension, so if the move slips, write before the end of the month.
Sooner than September? Term 2 of 2026/2027 begins in February 2027. Families can apply for a mid-year start now, where the class has room, and the guide to joining IAS during this school year explains how.
Questions worth asking any school
Five questions sort out most schools quickly. Is there a closing date, or are places offered through the year? What holds a place, and is any of that money returned if your plans change? Which documents do they need, and in which language? How is the grade decided? For older children, which diplomas can they finish with?
Still weighing up the kinds of school in the city? Our guide to how international schools in Warsaw differ puts the curricula side by side.
About IAS
The International American School of Warsaw was founded in 1989. It teaches children from Pre-KG to Grade 12 in English, in Ursynów by the Kabaty forest, with students from more than 40 nationalities, seven students to every teacher across the school, and accreditation from the International Baccalaureate Organization, Cognia and the Polish Ministry of Education.
Admissions answers on [email protected] and +48 22 649 14 40, Monday to Friday, 08:00 to 16:00. A call or an online meeting settles the grade and the timing quickly.
Start your application · or write to [email protected]
