Ankara · School search
Ankara’s four profiled schools offer different qualifications and nationality rules. Check eligibility first, then the teaching language, final school year and actual campus.
The strongest starting point in Ankara is your child’s current school system. A French-speaking pupil continuing towards the French baccalauréat has a different shortlist from an English-speaking teenager seeking the International Baccalaureate Diploma. A Turkish passport also changes which applications are possible.
Our four profiles cover co-educational day schools, not every private or public school in the capital. Use the Turkey guide for the wider system and ask about a Turkish national-curriculum school if that is your intended long-term route.
Lycée Français Charles de Gaulle follows the French national curriculum through the baccalauréat, the school-leaving qualification used for university entry. It belongs to the French overseas-school network, AEFE. It is the clearest comparison here for a child already studying successfully in French.
The campus changes after nursery. Maternelle is in the French Embassy grounds in Kavaklıdere; primary, collège and lycée are in İncek. A family with children in both sections should check both transport arrangements before choosing a home.
Bilkent Laboratory and International School, or BLIS, offers a route from pre-kindergarten to Grade 12 on Bilkent University’s East Campus. Its FAQ describes bilingual English–Turkish elementary teaching, then English-medium middle and high school. Turkish pupils must also follow the Ministry of National Education’s Turkish curriculum.
BLIS takes national and international applicants. Its older pupils study Cambridge IGCSE in Grades 9–10 and the IB Diploma in Grades 11–12. It is therefore worth comparing for a family seeking an international university-entry qualification without changing schools at 16. Ask how Turkish requirements and language support apply to this child, not just whether the school teaches “in English”.
British Embassy School Ankara, or BESA, serves ages 3–16 in Çankaya. Its English curriculum leads to IGCSE examinations in Year 11. Those are secondary qualifications, not an A-level or IB Diploma course. Choose it for British-curriculum continuity only with a credible plan for the following two years. BLIS is the more relevant local comparison if remaining through university-entry study is essential.
Ernst-Reuter-Schule is a German school abroad on Tunus Caddesi in Kavaklıdere. Its final two years offer the GIB, a German–English version of the IB Diploma, rather than the German Abitur.
The admissions page currently excludes Turkish citizens, including dual nationals, from both kindergarten and school. It allows limited probationary entry for pupils without sufficient German in Grades 1–4, with language progress reviewed. That is not a general English-language entry route for older children.
Complete September applications are due by 30 March of the entry year; later applications depend on vacancies. Ask about the next applicable deadline and disclose every citizenship before paying an application-related charge.
Charles de Gaulle’s 2026–27 tuition table groups French and Turkish pupils together and charges other nationalities more. Its first-registration categories differ: €2,500 for French pupils and €3,000 for other nationalities. Do not carry the tuition grouping into the registration charge.
BESA’s 2026–27 annual fees are £18,530 for Nursery, £15,546 for Reception and primary, and £16,764 for Years 7–11. Application and new-pupil registration add £350 and £1,750 respectively.
Ernst-Reuter’s 2026–27 schedule quotes €10,500 for Grades 1–10 and €14,500 for Grades 11–12 before VAT. Its €4,500 admission fee is also a net figure. Obtain an inclusive quotation with membership and other compulsory charges. BLIS’s public admissions pages do not provide a tuition amount; request its current schedule directly.
Check the journey to the child’s actual campus, including the return after activities. İncek, Bilkent, Çankaya and Kavaklıdere are not interchangeable home-to-school journeys.
Send each admissions office the child’s age, present grade, languages, citizenships and expected leaving date. Ask whether a denklik equivalence document is required to recognise previous schooling, and who arranges it.
The Ankara hub gathers the four profiles. Only expand to the Istanbul guide if the family could genuinely relocate there; those schools are not commuting alternatives.
Friendly orientation, not formal admissions advice. Always confirm dates with the school.
BLIS welcomes Turkish and international applicants on Bilkent University’s East Campus in Ankara. Primary education is bilingual, with English-medium teaching from middle school. Families should confirm the child’s curriculum obligations, assessment route and fees directly with Admissions.
AnkaraBritish Embassy School Ankara is an English-medium day school for ages 3–16 on the British Embassy grounds in Çankaya. It leads to Cambridge IGCSE in Year 11. Families should check current availability, English and support requirements, and a conflict between two published registration-fee figures.
AnkaraA small German Embassy school from kindergarten through the bilingual GIB. It currently excludes Turkish citizens, including dual nationals. September applications need a complete file by 30 March, and every published 2026–27 fee is net of 10% VAT.
AnkaraAn AEFE school from early years to terminale, with maternelle in Ayrancı and older pupils in İncek. Its 2026–27 tuition groups French and Turkish pupils together, but first-registration fees group French pupils separately from everyone else.
Start with the qualification your child would actually receive. Then check its subjects, language demands, and recognition in the countries where they may study next.
7 minStart with your child and the family's likely plans. Define the non-negotiables, verify the school's claims, compare three realistic options and visit with specific questions.
7 minTuition is only one line of the budget. Separate charges from advance payments, record what each figure includes, and ask the school to confirm your calculation in writing.
7 minA useful visit should help you picture your child’s school day and resolve the questions that matter to your family. Ask for concrete examples, then separate what you observed from what you were told.