Choosing an international or bilingual school in Warsaw

The first Warsaw decision is the educational route. A British school, an American IB school and a Polish public liceum can all offer the International Baccalaureate (IB), but their earlier years and admissions rules are different.

English-medium routes

The British School Warsaw starts at age 2½ and follows a British curriculum through IGCSE examinations. Older pupils choose the IB Diploma or A Levels. Its Polish national-curriculum provision gives participating pupils Polish school certificates; those are not automatically the Polish matura.

The Early Years campus is in Upper Mokotów, while Primary and Secondary are in Sadyba. It suits a family seeking British-curriculum continuity, provided the actual campus works and the school confirms the required language support.

American School of Warsaw offers the IB from primary through the Diploma years, alongside an American high-school diploma. It is in Bielawa, in Konstancin-Jeziorna, outside Warsaw’s city boundary. Compare it with TBS for English-medium schooling, but do not assume the two journeys are similar.

Akademeia High School in Wilanów is a selective secondary school beginning at Year 9 and leading to A Levels. It offers day and boarding places. This is the more relevant comparison for an older pupil wanting specialised A-Level study, rather than a nursery-to-secondary school for several siblings.

Akademeia’s 2026–27 fees are published: PLN 150,400 a year for Years 9–11 and PLN 178,900 for Years 12–13. Assessment costs PLN 3,000, not the older PLN 2,500 figure. Boarding costs PLN 53,665 annually and includes school lunches; do not add the separate day-pupil lunch fee again.

French and German continuity

Lycée Français de Varsovie follows the French curriculum to the baccalauréat. Younger children are in Sadyba, while collège and lycée are in Saska Kępa, across the Vistula. Check the later transfer as well as the first school run.

Willy-Brandt-Schule is a German-Polish school in Wilanów, next to Akademeia. Its German-speaking section and Polish-speaking international section lead towards the German Abitur. Ask which section matches the child’s existing language skills: German is built up in the international section, while later entry to the German section has specific language requirements.

A Polish public-school option

II Liceum im. Stefana Batorego is a public upper-secondary school on Myśliwiecka, not a private international through-school. It offers Polish matura routes and bilingual pre-IB classes.

The first two pre-IB years follow a Polish bilingual curriculum. Progression to the two-year IB programme in years 3–4 is conditional on meeting the school’s admission requirements. Entry to pre-IB is therefore not a guaranteed IB Diploma place.

For first-year entry, use the city’s public-school recruitment process and the school’s language-testing rules. The standard 2026–27 campaign is past; ask about any remaining places separately. Public status also does not remove every IB-related expense: the school publishes programme and examination charges.

Before applying

Choose the required qualification and teaching language, then check entry year and availability. TBS normally restricts new entry into the second year of examination courses, while Akademeia boarding requires a separate place confirmation.

Compare costs in their original currencies: ASW uses both USD and PLN, while several other schools bill in PLN. Request the current year-level schedule, first-entry charges, support costs and transport terms.

The Warsaw city page links all six profiles. The Poland overview explains the wider national system.

Friendly orientation, not formal admissions advice. Always confirm dates with the school.