Norway · Hafrsfjord
ISS offers an English-medium route from Early Years to the IB Diploma. The important distinctions are financial: most new pupils pay Category 1 fees, Category 2 is limited and means-tested, and one-to-one learning support costs extra.
The International School of Stavanger (ISS) is a non-profit day school at Treskeveien 3 in Hafrsfjord, west of Stavanger centre. It offers one English-medium route from the early years through secondary graduation. It is not a boarding school, and it is not the same proposition as St. Olav videregående skole, the county-run IB option in central Stavanger.
ISS describes different age ranges on different pages. Its application page accepts enquiries for ages 1–18, while its overview pages use 2–18 or 3–18. The 2026–27 fee policy resolves the youngest point: Early Years 1 is for a child who is at least 12 months old by 1 August. Ask Admissions about the correct class and availability rather than relying on the broad homepage range.
ISS suits a pupil who needs English as the main teaching language and values continuity through IGCSE and the IB Diploma. English proficiency is not an entry requirement: pupils who need English as an Additional Language are assessed after they start.
The school offers learning support, but admission remains conditional on ISS being able to meet the pupil’s needs with its current staff and resources. The admissions FAQ describes its normal range as mild to moderate learning difficulties. The newer support page discusses dyslexia, dyscalculia, dyspraxia, ADHD, autism, communication needs and physical or sensory adaptations; it does not promise that every profile or level of need can be accommodated. Send all reports before admission and ask for a written account of the support available in the proposed year group.
A Learning Support Assistant (LSA) can provide dedicated one-to-one help when the family and school agree that it is appropriate. This carries an additional, unpublished fee. Primary pupils receiving support have an annual Individual Learning Plan. In Middle School, support may replace a modern language. In Grades 9–10, Guided Study can do the same; Grades 11–12 arrange sessions around their timetable. The team also works with the IGCSE and IB coordinators on approved exam accommodations.
ISS uses its own cross-cultural curriculum in Early Childhood, Primary and Middle School; it does not claim PYP or MYP authorisation. The route is:
Every High School pupil works towards an ISS High School diploma. The school says almost all also take the IB Diploma, and that it allows all its pupils to enter the programme. Families should still discuss subject choices, workload and the consequences of moving between the ISS diploma and the full IB Diploma.
All pupils study Norwegian from Kindergarten through Grade 9, either as a first or additional language. Norwegian A and B are available in the Diploma Programme. French and Spanish begin in Middle School. After-school home-language classes may be offered when demand and staffing allow; they are not guaranteed.
The grade-placement chart compares ISS grades with Norwegian classes and UK years. Placement also considers date of birth, completed schooling, records and, where needed, a principal’s review. The PYP and MYP columns in that chart are comparisons, not evidence that ISS teaches those IB programmes.
ISS accepts applications throughout the year, subject to space. Its FAQ currently says the Early Years programme for ages 1–4 is waitlisted. Early Years families must also apply through Stavanger municipality, and a child cannot normally start until any notice period at a previous Norwegian barnehage has ended.
The school reviews the application, records and confidential recommendations, and may arrange a meeting with the principal. Entrance tests are not normally used to decide admission. New Middle and High School pupils may take placement tests in languages or mathematics before or shortly after starting.
Most new pupils enter Category 1, whether the bill is paid by a family, a company or another organisation. Category 2 offers a lower fee to a limited number of unsponsored families with restricted means. Applications normally open in April and decisions follow in May. Eligibility is reviewed when a pupil moves into Middle School and High School, and one child’s award does not automatically apply to a sibling.
The FAQ refers to merit scholarships for Grades 10–12, while the 2026–27 fee policy refers to Grades 10–11. The scholarship page said on 4 September 2026 that applications were closed and gave no next deadline. Treat a future award as possible only after the school confirms the eligible grades and application window in writing.
These are the figures in the school’s current fee policy.
| Fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| Early Years application | NOK 1,000 |
| Early Years tuition | NOK 1,200 per month |
| Early Years snack programme | NOK 75 per month |
| Kindergarten–Grade 12 application | NOK 5,000 |
| Kindergarten–Grade 12 registration | NOK 25,000 |
| Category 1 tuition | NOK 277,680 a year |
| Category 2, Kindergarten–Grade 9 | NOK 138,900 a year |
| Category 2, Grades 10–12 | NOK 257,100 a year |
| Kindergarten–Grade 5 childcare, five days | NOK 22,880 a year |
The Early Years monthly charge follows Norway’s maximum-price rules and may change in January. The Kindergarten–Grade 12 entry fees are non-refundable. A new Category 1 pupil therefore costs NOK 307,680 in tuition and compulsory entry fees before transport, meals, childcare, trips or extra learning support. Additional siblings in Kindergarten–Grade 12 receive a 10% tuition reduction.
Corporate accounts are billed for the full year. Private Kindergarten–Grade 12 accounts are billed quarterly on 1 August, 1 October, 1 January and 1 March, and a private pupil starting part-way through a quarter still owes that whole quarter. Sponsored Category 1 late entrants have separate percentage rules.
Withdrawal from Kindergarten–Grade 12 requires at least three months’ written notice. The 2026–27 fee policy applies a three-month rule to Early Years too, beginning on the 15th of the month after notice. An older Early Years rules document still says two months, so obtain the controlling date before signing another childcare contract.
ISS says eligible Grades 10–12 pupils may apply to Lånekassen when their parents pay all or part of the fee and no company, organisation or ISS scholarship sponsors them. Its fee page lists a maximum of NOK 117,641 for 2026–27, paid to the pupil if approved. The school’s deadlines are 15 November for the full year and 15 March for spring only. This is not an automatic deduction from the ISS invoice.
The FAQ gives the day as 08:30–15:15 and the year as mid-August to mid-June. There is no uniform. Ten school-bus routes serve the wider Stavanger area, but the school does not publish the current fare in its fee policy. Local buses 2 and 3 stop at Ragbakken. Ask separately about meal, activity and trip charges.
ISS is a strong fit when a family needs an established English-medium day school, can sustain the Category 1 budget, and wants IGCSE followed by the IB without changing campuses. It is less convincing if the decision depends on an unconfirmed Category 2 place, substantial one-to-one support, or a published total for transport and extras. Older pupils should also compare St. Olav’s public IB route: the lower cost may matter, but its entry point, language environment and curriculum before the Diploma are different.
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.
St. Olav offers an English-medium IB Diploma in Vg2–Vg3 and a separate international Vg1 class. Prior study, language readiness and accepted residence in Rogaland matter more than the international label.
BergenA public upper-secondary school in central Bergen offering English-taught Pre-IB and IB Diploma routes. The pupil and parent or guardian must live in Vestland. Direct MYP entry has exact grade, project and two-year conditions.
TrondheimBirralee provides an English-medium route from Year 1 to IGCSE in central Trondheim. It receives state support and publishes modest monthly fees, but pupils must move elsewhere for upper secondary school and the IB Diploma.
SageneChoose DENOSO for sustained German–Norwegian education, not an English-medium international curriculum. The complete Grade 11–12 route, after-school costs and absence of a school bus matter before committing to Sagene.
International School of Stavanger offers an English-medium route from the early years through IGCSE and the IB Diploma. St. Olav is a county upper-secondary school whose IB Diploma begins after Vg1. Age, language and fee structure make these complementary rather than equivalent options.
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.