Italy · Bologna
A private day school offering English-medium education from Reception to the IB Diploma. For 2026–27, the teaching site is Via della Libertà 2; the announced Zola Predosa campus is planned for September 2027. Budget for registration and admission as well as tuition, with compulsory lunch through Grade 5.
International School of Bologna (ISB) is a private, co-educational day school at Via della Libertà 2, 40123 Bologna. It offers English-medium education from Reception, starting at age three, through Grade 12 and the IB Diploma. It does not advertise boarding.
The current address matters when planning the journey: the school announces its Zola Predosa campus for September 2027, not for 2026–27. Ask how the planned move would affect your child’s time at ISB before choosing a home.
ISB describes itself as Bologna’s only school offering all three International Baccalaureate programmes: the Primary Years Programme (PYP), the Middle Years Programme (MYP) and the Diploma Programme (DP). This is an IB pathway, not an Italian maturità programme.
The school lists Early Years PYP for ages 3–6, MYP for 11–16 and Diploma for 16–19. Its elementary age ranges differ: 6–12 on the homepage programme block and 6–11 on the elementary and open-day pages. Confirm the appropriate grade for the child’s birth date and previous schooling rather than relying on these overlapping age bands.
Teaching is in English. All pupils study Italian from Grade 1, either as a mother-tongue subject or as an additional language. Ask which course the child would join and how progress is assessed. Secondary English-language support is charged separately, as shown below.
The current premises cover more than 2,000 m². The school lists 25 classrooms, laboratories and a theatre, alongside two playgrounds and a gym. On a visit, ask how these shared facilities are used by the child’s age group.
The garden opens at 08:30. Lessons run from 08:50 to 15:20 in Early Years, and until 15:30 in the later years. The open-day page says Early Years children can use supervised care from 08:15 and after-school care until 17:00, included in tuition.
Families begin with an enquiry and the school’s Apply Now link. Admissions can be contacted at admission@isbologna.com; general enquiries go to info@isbologna.com or +39 051 644 9954, with reception hours of 08:30–17:00.
ISB does not accept Italian-style anticipo, or early entry to a higher year, outside its own placement and promotion rules. Confirm the intended grade, available places and any assessment requirements directly. The cited pages do not establish a general application deadline or current waiting-list position.
An open day is advertised for Wednesday 23 September 2026 at 09:30, covering primary and secondary education with particular attention to PYP from Reception through Grade 5.
The 2026–27 calendar gives orientation and the first day for Grades 6, 11 and 12 as 31 August 2026, with other pupils starting on 1 September 2026. The last day is 24 June 2027, ending at 12:00.
The calendar and fee schedule contains both 2025–26 and 2026–27 columns. The figures below use 2026–27. For example, full-day Reception rises from €10,980 to €11,250.
The annual registration fee applies to new and returning pupils and is non-refundable. The separate admission fee applies only at first enrolment and is also non-refundable. Both are payable on enrolment.
| Stage | Annual registration | New-pupil admission |
|---|---|---|
| Reception, Kindergarten, Transition and Grades 1–5 | €750 | €1,100 |
| Grades 6–10 | €750 | €1,500 |
| Grades 11–12 | €1,000 | €1,500 |
| Grade | Annual tuition |
|---|---|
| Reception, half day | €9,900 |
| Reception, full day | €11,250 |
| Kindergarten | €12,210 |
| Transition | €15,240 |
| Grade 1 | €17,940 |
| Grades 2–4 | €18,300 |
| Grade 5 | €19,575 |
| Grades 6–10 | €21,000 |
| Grades 11–12 | €21,870 |
Sibling reductions apply only to tuition: 10% for the second child, 20% for the third and 30% for the fourth and subsequent children.
Lunch costs €675 for two days weekly, €1,005 for three days, Tuesday to Thursday, or €1,590 for five days. Five-day lunch is compulsory through Grade 5; Grades 6–12 may choose. There is no refund for absence, illness or school closure days.
Secondary English Language Learning support (ELL) costs €1,200 for two periods weekly, or €2,400 for three or four periods. Ask whether the school requires this provision for the child and for how long.
Tuition includes insurance, learning materials and books, Chromebooks for use at school, the residential trip for Grades 5–11, and IB examination fees. It excludes uniform, field trips, optional overseas trips and after-school activities. Request the relevant year’s extra charges before budgeting.
For a new Grade 6 pupil, registration, admission and tuition total €23,250 (€750 + €1,500 + €21,000). Five-day lunch brings this to €24,840. If secondary ELL is also required, the corresponding total is €26,040 or €27,240, before other applicable extras.
Tuition, lunch and other extras are payable in three instalments: 1 September, 1 November and 1 February; the first for this schedule is 1 September 2026. Payments can be made at the administration office, Via Saragozza 1, or by bank transfer to International School of Bologna S.r.l. The administration address is different from the teaching site at Via della Libertà.
A family seeking an Italian state liceo classico, with Latin, Greek and the maturità, is making a different choice. Liceo Minghetti in Via Nazario Sauro is a secondary-school comparator for that route, not an alternative for a three-year-old. Its listed €120 voluntary contribution for 2026–27 is not comparable to ISB’s compulsory tuition.
Use the Bologna guide and Italy guide to compare pathways, then test the journey to the actual campus your child would attend.
Official pages and documents we read. If a figure matters to your budget or your application, open the link and confirm it is still current.
Friendly orientation, not an application. Dates, fees, and programme details move. Confirm everything with the school.
Minghetti is an Italian state liceo classico, not an English-medium international school. Its five-year programme centres on humanities, Latin and Greek, with optional emphasis in science, law/economics or visual education. Entry follows the national public-school process.
RomeAOSR is a co-educational, not-for-profit American day school from Pre-K3 to Grade 12. Its high school combines a US diploma with Advanced Placement and the IB Diploma Programme.
Noverasco di Opera, south of MilanASM offers an English-medium American education and the IB Diploma on a day campus south of Milan. Its support limits and layered first-year charges deserve careful checking.
VareseEuropean School Varese is a multilingual day school for nursery, primary and secondary pupils. It follows the European Schools curriculum and leads to the European Baccalaureate. Admission priority depends on the family's category, and private applicants can be admitted only when places remain.
International School of Bologna offers an English IB continuum. Liceo Minghetti provides a public Italian classical education. Compare the child’s age, language and intended qualification.
7 minStart 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.