What's often not in the headline figure: Registration fee, capital levy, exam fees, EAL, learning support, transport, uniforms, compulsory trips
Annual fee increases: Budget 3-8% per year at most schools
What to do: Get a written, itemised total cost breakdown for your child's specific year group before committing to any school
The most common financial shock for families arriving in Jakarta is not the cost of housing, domestic help, or even the infamous traffic - it's the gap between the advertised international school tuition fee and the actual bill they receive in the first term.
This guide is designed to close that gap. It covers every cost you should expect when enrolling a child at a Jakarta international school, gives realistic total budget ranges for different school types, and explains what to ask for before you sign anything.
The Core Principle: The Sticker Price Is Not the Real Price
Every Jakarta international school publishes a headline tuition fee. This is the number on their website and in their brochure. At top-tier schools, the real first-year cost - including all additional items - is typically 20-35% higher than this headline number.
The headline tuition typically does not include any or all of: one-off registration or enrolment fees; annual capital or development levy; examination fees (IGCSE, IB, and AP are not included in tuition); EAL (English as an Additional Language) support if your child needs it; learning support or SEN provision; school bus transport; uniforms; compulsory school trips; and extracurricular activities charged separately.
None of these are hidden - they're all disclosed if you ask. But many families don't ask, and schools don't always volunteer the information prominently.
The rule of thumbAsk every school you visit for a written, itemised total cost breakdown for your child's specific year group, including all compulsory and likely optional charges. Reputable schools will provide this without hesitation. Schools that are evasive about this are telling you something about their culture of transparency.
Jakarta Intercultural School (JIS) is the clearest example - tuition runs from approximately $17,500 in the early years to $39,000 in senior grades. With capital levy, activity fees, exam fees, and transport, the all-in first-year cost for a family with two children at JIS can exceed $90,000 annually. This tier is typically viable only for families on full corporate expat packages where fees are employer-reimbursed.
What you get at this price point: world-class facilities, competitive teacher salaries that attract experienced educators, deep extracurricular provision, specialist support infrastructure, and strong university counselling.
Upper-Mid Tier: $9,500-$36,000 tuition per year
ISJ, BSJ, and AIS all sit in this range. Tuition starts from around $9,500-$11,500 in the early years and rises to $29,000-$36,000 in the senior years. This is still premium pricing in global terms - broadly comparable to international schools in Singapore or Hong Kong - but significantly below the JIS tier.
ISJ's published fee schedule is available at isj.id/tuition-fees. The school's fees are structured to be transparent - the headline tuition covers the core educational programme, with capital levy and uniforms charged separately. Bursaries are available for qualifying families.
What you get at this price point: qualified teachers, external accreditation, strong academic outcomes, and a genuine international school experience with excellent pastoral depth, particularly at ISJ where class sizes of 16-20 allow a quality of individual attention that larger schools cannot replicate.
Mid-Range Tier: $5,000-$15,000 tuition per year
A large number of Jakarta schools operate in this range - Nord Anglia Jakarta, NZSJ, and various smaller international schools. At the lower end of this range, the economics of employing fully qualified teachers from English-speaking countries are tight. Schools charging $5,000-$8,000 tuition are often staffed by a mix of internationally qualified and locally recruited teachers, with quality varying widely by school. New Zealand School Jakarta is a notable exception - genuinely good teaching at a more modest fee point.
Local-International Schools: $2,000-$6,000 tuition per year
A large number of Jakarta schools brand themselves as "international" while primarily serving Indonesian students seeking an internationally accredited curriculum. Schools in this category can be reasonable options for Indonesian-expat families, long-term residents, or families where one parent is Indonesian. They are generally less suitable for a child who has just arrived from the UK or Australia and needs a full English-language environment with QTS-qualified teachers.
Realistic Annual Budgets: Family of Two Children
These are estimates based on typical charges. Individual costs vary by school and year group. Always verify with the school directly.
One-time costs (paid at enrolment)Registration fee ($200-$1,500, sometimes non-refundable even if you don't proceed); enrolment or placement fee ($1,000-$3,500); initial uniform purchase ($200-$500).
Annual recurring costsTuition (re-invoiced each year, with annual increases - see below); capital or development levy; bus subscription if used; extracurricular activities.
Irregular but predictableSchool trips - day trips through to residential trips to other countries, budget $500-$3,000 per child per year depending on age and school. Examination fees when relevant - Year 10-11 for IGCSE, Year 12-13 for IB or A-Level, typically $100-$200 per subject. Uniform replacements as children grow.
Annual Fee Increases: What to Expect
Most Jakarta international schools increase fees annually. The typical range is 3-8% per year, though schools have periodically applied higher increases following currency fluctuations or significant campus investment.
If you're on a multi-year posting, model your total education cost over the full duration rather than just year one. A school at $25,000 today at 6% annual increases will be approximately $31,500 by year four. Over a four-year posting with two children, the compounding effect is substantial.
Ask each school directly: what has the average annual fee increase been over the past five years? The answer is informative both about the actual number and about how transparent the school is willing to be with prospective families.
Employer Packages and School Fee Remissions
Many multinationals operating in Jakarta provide school fee remission as part of expatriate packages. If you're on an employer-provided package, clarify before choosing a school:
Is the remission a fixed amount per child, or does it cover actual fees up to a cap?
Does it cover the capital levy, or only tuition?
Is there a cap per child or per family?
What happens if you switch schools - is the remission tied to a specific school?
Is the remission index-linked to fee increases, or does it stay fixed?
Remission packages that were set several years ago may no longer cover fees at the most expensive schools. A package covering "up to $25,000 per child" that was sufficient for JIS four years ago may now leave a significant gap. Know your gap before you commit to a school.
Bursaries and Financial Assistance
Most Jakarta international schools do not offer substantial bursary programmes comparable to UK independent schools. Some offer merit-based scholarships for Indonesian nationals, and a few have small hardship funds for existing families experiencing a sudden change in circumstances.
ISJ offers a limited bursary programme - worth enquiring about early in the process if financial assistance is relevant to your situation. See ISJ bursary information. The programme is not widely publicised; the best approach is to raise it directly with the head during a school visit.
Get the real number before you decide
ISJ publishes its fee schedule transparently at isj.id/tuition-fees. When you book a school tour, ask the head directly for a written, all-in cost breakdown for your children's specific year groups. We'll provide it on the day. Book a tour here →
