International School Basel: three campuses and an English-language IB route

International School Basel suits families seeking English-medium education through the International Baccalaureate (IB), from early childhood to the Diploma. Its three campuses are south of Basel in Aesch and Reinach. The practical tradeoff is that siblings in different stages may attend different sites.

ISB is a not-for-profit, co-educational day school for ages 3–19, with no boarding. The school’s history records its founding by Janet Galli in 1979 with 15 pupils, Diploma authorisation in March 1995, the Middle Years Programme from 2001 and the Primary Years Programme from 2003. It now reports more than 1,200 pupils.

Which campus and which programme?

The IB Primary Years Programme (PYP) covers early childhood and the primary years, approximately ages 3–11. The Middle Years Programme (MYP) serves approximately ages 11–16, followed by the Diploma Programme in Grades 11–12, approximately ages 16–19. These are successive programmes, not three school-leaving qualifications.

Grade 6 remains at Aesch, even though it is charged at the Grades 6–8 rate. Confirm its daily timetable separately; the published collection times below specify the younger Aesch classes.

Campus	Location and classes	Published school-day arrangements
Aesch	Arlesheimerstrasse 7, 4147 Aesch; Early Childhood 1 (EC1) through Grade 6, about ages 3–12	Drop-off from 07:45; classes from 08:15. Collection: EC1–2 at 15:00, EC3 at 15:10, Grades 1–5 at 15:20; all pupils at 15:00 on Wednesdays
Fiechten	Fiechtenweg 72, 4153 Reinach; Grades 7–8	Drop-off 08:10–08:35; classes 08:35–15:50
Reinach	Fleischbachstrasse 2, 4153 Reinach; Grades 9–12	Drop-off 07:45–08:20; classes 08:20–15:50

Aesch’s purpose-built campus opened in 2007 and Reinach’s in 2002. Tram 11 serves the area; Fiechten is in Reinach Süd, one stop north of Aesch. Check the whole journey to each relevant campus.

Term-time reception hours and numbers are Aesch 08:00–18:00 (+41 61 715 33 34), Fiechten 08:00–17:00 (+41 61 567 34 00), and Reinach 07:45–18:00 (+41 61 715 33 33). These are office hours, not a promise of childcare.

Meals and care

Lunch costs extra. Pupils can use the school’s meal arrangements or bring food; the campus pages describe daily registration and pay-as-you-go options. Ask for the relevant plan and current price.

At Aesch, ASPIRE provides after-school care. The fees page lists extended-day care for EC1–Grade 5, 15:00–18:00, at CHF 30 per day with term registration or CHF 60 for drop-in use. Holiday childcare runs 07:45–17:00 and costs CHF 90 per day with advance registration or CHF 150 for drop-in use.

EC1 has its own attendance choices in the tariff: mornings 08:00–12:00 or full days 08:00–15:00. Early drop-off from 07:45 is free. An occasional full day ending at 15:00 costs CHF 100.

Admission and waiting-list conditions

Admissions are rolling for the current school year, subject to capacity. Start with an online enquiry or contact admissions@isbasel.ch to arrange a visit.

After a formal offer, families have seven days to:

1. Accept the enrolment contract and school policies.
2. Pay the non-refundable development fee.
3. Pay at least 20% of annual tuition, unless corporate sponsorship exempts them from this initial payment.

Enrolment is confirmed only when the policies have been accepted and applicable payments made. The 20% is an advance towards tuition, not an additional annual fee.

A waiting-list offer may be made if the grade is full or if learning-support or English as an Additional Language (EAL) provision has reached capacity. Placement is first-come, first-served. The CHF 1,000 waiting-list deposit is credited to tuition if a place becomes available. If ISB cannot offer a place within eight months, the financial regulations provide for its refund. Ask Admissions about the relevant grade and support capacity; no public waiting-list length is given.

ISB may refuse admission or end enrolment if it cannot meet a child’s needs, if behaviour endangers the community, if significant information was withheld or if fees remain unpaid.

Fees for 2026/27

The Financial Regulations 2026/27 and fees page provide the following annual tuition.

Year	Annual tuition
EC1, 5 mornings (minimum)	CHF 14,390
EC1, 4 mornings + 1 full day	CHF 16,270
EC1, 3 mornings + 2 full days	CHF 18,140
EC1, 2 mornings + 3 full days	CHF 20,030
EC1, 1 morning + 4 full days	CHF 21,900
EC1, 5 full days	CHF 23,980
EC2	CHF 23,980
EC3 – Grade 5	CHF 28,210
Grades 6–8	CHF 32,280
Grades 9–10	CHF 33,650
Grades 11–12	CHF 38,000

New pupils, and those returning after more than 14 months away, also pay a CHF 4,500 development fee. It is non-refundable and is not deducted from tuition. The CHF 1,000 waiting-list deposit has different treatment, as explained above.

For example, Grade 6 tuition plus the development fee totals CHF 36,780. For a privately funded pupil, 20% of tuition is CHF 6,456; adding the CHF 4,500 development fee gives CHF 10,956 due at acceptance under the minimum-payment rule. The tuition advance forms part of the annual total. These calculations exclude meals and other extras.

Private payers can arrange ten monthly instalments, due on the 15th from July through April, with a 2% annual administration charge. Corporate tuition is due in full before 15 July. Changing payment frequency after re-enrolment costs CHF 100. Contact finance.receivables@isbasel.ch.

Tuition includes most materials and textbooks. It excludes meals, field trips, IB exams, IB Diploma online courses, extracurricular activities and additional learning-support charges specified in the regulations. Request an estimate for the services your child would use.

Sibling reductions apply when at least two children from the same family are enrolled in the same year. They are prorated for late arrival or early withdrawal.

Child	Annual reduction
Second	CHF 1,000
Third	CHF 2,000
Fourth and after	CHF 4,000

Our view

Compare SIS Basel if German/English bilingual education is the priority. A local Gymnasium, the academically oriented Swiss upper-secondary route, is another comparison if German-medium education and a Swiss maturité are the intended direction. These are different educational choices, not a ranking by school type.

Friendly orientation, not an application. Dates, fees, and programme details move. Confirm everything with the school.