Kuching has five private and international schools worth comparing for an English-medium education: Lodge, St. Joseph’s International, Tunku Putra-HELP, Borneo International, and the government-funded YSISS. All five teach towards Cambridge IGCSE, and four carry on to A-Level. At the foreign-student rate, annual fees for 2026 run from about RM7,700 for a Lodge kindergarten place to about RM34,000 for Tunku Putra-HELP’s international secondary years. YSISS charges far less, but only Sarawakian families can apply, so most expat readers can cross it off.
Part of our guide to Schools & Education in Kuching.
I don’t have school-age kids of my own, so I won’t pretend I’ve sat through parent-teacher nights. This guide is built from each school’s own fee table where it publishes one, the International Schools Database where it doesn’t, and news coverage for the newer schools. I rechecked every fee and date in October 2026. Fees change every year and most schools charge foreign students more than Malaysians, so confirm with the school before you commit.
Key Takeaways
- Five English-medium options: Lodge (est. 1953), Tunku Putra-HELP (1996, joint venture with HELP from 2018), St. Joseph’s International (2017), Borneo International (2017) and YSISS (government-funded, Sarawakian families only).
- All five teach Cambridge IGCSE. Lodge, St. Joseph’s, Tunku Putra-HELP and Borneo International also offer A-Levels; St. Joseph’s adds AUSMAT.
- 2026 foreign-student tuition runs from RM7,720 a year (Lodge kindergarten) to RM34,030 (Tunku Putra-HELP international secondary).
- Budget for one-off costs in year one: up to RM7,350 at Borneo International (RM3,000 of it a refundable deposit), RM2,000 at Lodge.
- YSISS is closed to expat children unless the child or one parent is Sarawakian.
- Kuching has no public transport you’d rely on for a school run, so the school’s location matters as much as its fees.
How I Chose These Schools
I included every school in Kuching that teaches in English towards an international qualification and published fees or admission rules I could check. That gave five. I left out the private Chinese-medium and national schools because they teach mainly in Mandarin or Bahasa Malaysia, and I left out Woodlands International (Sibu) and Knewton Global Schools (Miri), which turn up on Sarawak-wide lists but are hours away by road.
For each school I took fees from the school’s own 2026 fee table where one exists (Tunku Putra-HELP, Borneo International, YSISS) and from the International Schools Database where it doesn’t (Lodge, St. Joseph’s). Dates and history come from the schools’ own pages and dated news reports in the Borneo Post, Dayak Daily and Utusan Sarawak. I checked every figure again in October 2026. Where a source contradicted another, I’ve said so in the entry, and where I couldn’t confirm a figure, such as current student numbers at Lodge or Borneo International, I left it out.
What this list can’t give you is a ranking by teaching quality. None of the five publishes independently audited results, so I haven’t ranked them. They’re listed oldest first, and the “best for” line under each one is my read of who it suits, based on what it offers and costs.
How do private and international schools differ in Kuching?
In Malaysia, “private school” and “international school” are not the same thing, though people use them loosely.
A private national school follows the Malaysian national curriculum and sits for national exams (SPM), but is privately run and fee-charging. Instruction is mostly in Bahasa Malaysia, with English as a subject, and fees are a fraction of the international rate. An international school teaches a foreign curriculum, almost always Cambridge International in Kuching, in English, and charges more.
Most relocating expat families look at the international side because the curriculum travels with you if you move countries again. Families staying long-term, or with a Malaysian spouse, sometimes pick the national route for the language immersion and the lower cost. One school here lets you do both under one roof, which I’ll come to.
The five schools, compared honestly
These are the five schools that teach in English towards an international qualification in Kuching. I’ve listed them by founding date, oldest first: Lodge, Tunku Putra-HELP, St. Joseph’s International, Borneo International, then YSISS.
Lodge International School
Location: Tabuan Desa
Curriculum: Cambridge International from primary through IGCSE and A-Level. The Malaysian national curriculum is taught at the separate Lodge National Primary and Secondary schools.
Established: 1953
Ages: 3 to 18
2026/2027 annual fees (foreign-student rate): RM7,720 (ages 3 to 4) to RM31,640 (Grades 11 to 12), plus a one-off RM2,000 registration fee. Malaysian rates differ and are not published.
Lodge is the oldest name on this list. It opened in 1953 to teach the children of British expatriates in Kuching and moved to its present site in 1984. Its international stream now follows the Cambridge pathway from primary to A-Level, and the subject lists on its site include Malay, Mandarin and Korean. French is not listed, so if you need a European language, ask before you enrol.
The downside is cost at the top end. Lodge’s kindergarten fee is the lowest on this list, but by Grades 11 and 12 you are paying RM31,640 a year, close to the most expensive school here. Lodge does not publish exam results with a date and an independent source, so I have nothing to compare it on beyond history and fees. Ask for its last three years of IGCSE and A-Level results when you visit.
Best for: a family that wants one school from age 3 to 18 and values a long history over a new building.
Tunku Putra-HELP School
Location: The NorthBank, Kuching-Samarahan Expressway, Tabuan Jaya
Curriculum: two tracks. National (Malaysian curriculum, priced for Malaysian students) and International (International Primary Curriculum, then IGCSE, then an 18-month Cambridge A-Level).
Established: 1996 by Cahya Mata Sarawak Berhad. In 2018 CMSB, HELP Education Group and Ibraco formed Tunku Putra-HELP.
Ages: kindergarten (from 4) to pre-university
2026 annual fees: kindergarten RM10,565; international primary RM21,555 to RM23,655; international secondary (Years 7 to 11) RM34,030. National track RM10,695 to RM18,965 (Malaysian students). International published rates are the same for Malaysian and foreign students. A-Level, registration, admission and deposit amounts are not published.
Of the five, only Tunku Putra-HELP runs a Malaysian national track and an international track within one school. A family unsure whether it is staying three years or fifteen can keep both options open, and a child can start in kindergarten and stay to A-Level.
It is also the most expensive school on this list. International secondary costs RM34,030 a year for every year from 7 to 11, and the school does not publish its registration, admission or deposit fees, so you will only learn the full first-year bill when you ask. The NorthBank campus suits you if you live in or near Tabuan Jaya, and adds a daily drive if you don’t.
Best for: families who want the option to switch between the national and international systems.
St. Joseph’s International School
Location: Padungan, near the city centre
Curriculum: Cambridge IGCSE and A-Level; the pre-university department also offers AUSMAT (Western Australian matriculation)
Established: January 2017, run by the Marist Brothers. St. Joseph’s School itself dates to 1882.
Ages: 11 to 18, entry at Year 7. No international primary section.
Students: about 360 (school’s own figure, 2023)
2026/2027 annual fees (foreign-student rate): RM14,800 (Year 7) to RM21,400 (Grades 9 to 10); the final pre-university year is listed at RM9,600. One-off fees: RM500 registration and RM100 assessment.
If you need a primary place, St. Joseph’s International is the wrong school: it teaches secondary and pre-university only. The international school opened in 2017, but the St. Joseph’s name has been in Kuching education since 1882. The Marist Brothers run it, and the campus sits in Padungan, close to the city centre.
Its distinctive offer is the AUSMAT route alongside A-Levels, which suits a student heading for an Australian university. At secondary level it sits at the cheaper end with Borneo International: RM14,800 to RM21,400 a year, against RM34,030 at Tunku Putra-HELP. The catch for a younger sibling is that there is no primary section, so a family with a child under 11 will be running two school runs.
Best for: a secondary-age child aiming at Australia, or a family that wants to live in or near the city centre.
Borneo International School
Location: Saradise, Jalan Setia Raja, Tabuan Laru
Curriculum: Cambridge Primary (Years 1 to 6), Lower Secondary with Checkpoint (Years 7 to 9), IGCSE (Years 10 to 11), 18-month A-Level (Years 12 to 13). Accredited Cambridge exam centre.
Established: June 2017. The school says it moved to its purpose-built Saradise campus in 2022.
Ages: Year 1 to Year 13 (about 5 to 18). No kindergarten.
2026 fees (foreign-student rate): RM11,616 a year (Years 1 to 3) to RM22,652 a year (Years 10 to 11). The A-Level programme is listed at RM33,300. Malaysian rates run RM9,680 to RM27,750. One-off fees: RM200 application, RM150 assessment, RM4,000 admission (RM2,000 for a second child, RM1,500 for a third), and a RM3,000 security deposit refunded if you give a full term’s notice.
Founded in 2017, the same year as St. Joseph’s International, Borneo International now teaches on a purpose-built campus in Saradise with science and ICT labs and a library. It follows the Cambridge pathway from Year 1 right through to A-Level and is a full Cambridge exam centre.
Watch the first-year bill. On top of tuition, a foreign family pays RM4,350 in non-refundable application, assessment and admission fees and a RM3,000 deposit, so Year 1 costs about RM19,000 in total. Along with St. Joseph’s, it also has the shortest track record of the schools open to expat families, and I couldn’t find dated, published university-placement data.
Best for: a family with two primary-age children who wants a Cambridge pathway and newer facilities, since the second child’s admission fee is half the first.
Yayasan Sarawak International Secondary School (YSISS)
Location: two Kuching campuses: Petra Jaya (opened April 2022) and Mile 12, Jalan Kuching-Serian (classes from March 2024)
Curriculum: Cambridge curriculum to IGCSE, taught in English. No A-Level programme.
Funded by: Yayasan Sarawak (the Sarawak Foundation)
Ages: secondary only, entry at Year 7
Fees: income-based. B40 households pay nothing, M40 pay RM1,200 a year and T20 pay RM4,200 a year, covering tuition, textbooks and daily meals.
Who can apply: the child must be Sarawakian or have at least one Sarawakian parent, and pass an entrance assessment.
Unlike the other four, YSISS is state-funded: Yayasan Sarawak set it up to bring Cambridge education to Sarawakian students, especially rural and lower-income ones, and fees are set by household income, from nothing for B40 families to RM4,200 a year for T20.
For most readers of this site, the important line is the admission rule: the child must be Sarawakian, or have at least one Sarawakian parent. If neither applies, your child cannot enrol, whatever you are willing to pay. If one parent is Sarawakian, note that entry is by assessment at Year 7 only, and that the 2027 intake has already closed (the assessment is on 14 October 2026).
Best for: Sarawakian families, including mixed families where one parent is from Sarawak.
How Much Do Kuching’s International Schools Cost in 2026?
| School | Annual tuition, foreign-student rate | One-off fees | Curriculum | Ages |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lodge International | RM7,720–31,640 | RM2,000 registration | Cambridge to A-Level | 3–18 |
| Tunku Putra-HELP | RM10,565–34,030 | Not published | National + international | 4–18 |
| St. Joseph’s International | RM14,800–21,400 (final pre-U year RM9,600) | RM500 registration + RM100 assessment | IGCSE, A-Level, AUSMAT | 11–18 |
| Borneo International | RM11,616–22,652; A-Level listed at RM33,300 | RM4,350 + RM3,000 refundable deposit | Cambridge to A-Level | 5–18 |
| YSISS | RM0–4,200 (income-based) | None stated | Cambridge IGCSE | Years 7–11 |
Sources: Lodge and St. Joseph’s from the International Schools Database (updated 17 September 2026); Tunku Putra-HELP and Borneo International from the schools’ own 2026 fee tables; YSISS from the school and the Borneo Post. YSISS is open only to Sarawakian children or those with a Sarawakian parent. Malaysian rates are lower at Borneo International (RM9,680–27,750) and are not published by Lodge or St. Joseph’s. All figures checked October 2026; fees are reviewed every year, so confirm with the school.
What about the national private route?
If you’re considering the Malaysian national curriculum, the Lodge group runs separate Lodge National primary and secondary schools, Tunku Putra-HELP runs a national track priced for Malaysian students, and Kuching has long-established private national schools where students sit national exams. Fees are a fraction of the international rate, and your child comes out fluent in Bahasa Malaysia and woven into local life.
The trade-off is portability. The curriculum and exams are Malaysian, so a mid-school move to another country can mean an awkward transition. If you already know you’ll relocate again, that’s a real cost to factor in, not a footnote.
Practical advice for choosing
Visit in person, and visit more than one. A website can’t show you whether the staff actually engage with the kids or just walk you past a trophy cabinet. Two tours back to back will tell you more than ten brochures.
Ask about waiting lists before you fix a moving date. Each school sets its own intake dates, and a small school has few places per year group. St. Joseph’s International was already taking applications for its 2027 Year 7 intake in May 2026.
Plan the school run before you sign a lease. Kuching has no metro and no school bus network you’d rely on, so you’ll be driving. A school 20 minutes away in light traffic can be 40 in a downpour, and the monsoon afternoons are not gentle. Where you live and where the school sits are the same decision.
Ask each school what it does for a mid-year arrival. If your child is switching curriculum or country, the specific transition support matters more than any glossy stat.
Talk to other expat parents directly. The community is small enough that a single honest conversation in a Kuching parents’ Facebook group is worth more than a dozen review sites. Ask parents there which school they left and why; review sites rarely tell you that.
Check the full pathway. St. Joseph’s International starts at Year 7 and Borneo International has no kindergarten, so a family with children of different ages may need two schools. YSISS stops at IGCSE.
Questions Parents Ask About Schools in Kuching
Which is the cheapest international school in Kuching?
For a foreign student, Lodge has the lowest single fee at RM7,720 a year for ages 3 to 4. At primary level Borneo International (RM11,616) and Lodge (RM12,440) are cheapest, and at secondary level Borneo International (RM14,464 to RM22,652) and St. Joseph’s International (RM14,800 to RM21,400) cost least. YSISS is cheaper still but only takes Sarawakian families.
Can expat children go to YSISS?
Not unless the child or one parent is Sarawakian. That is the school’s published admission rule for the 2027 intake. A child of two foreign parents, or of Malaysians from outside Sarawak, is not eligible.
Is there an international primary school in Kuching?
Yes, three: Lodge, Tunku Putra-HELP and Borneo International all teach primary years. St. Joseph’s International and YSISS start at Year 7.
Which schools offer A-Levels in Kuching?
Lodge, St. Joseph’s International, Tunku Putra-HELP and Borneo International. St. Joseph’s also offers AUSMAT, the Western Australian matriculation. YSISS stops at IGCSE.
Do foreign students pay more than Malaysians?
At Borneo International, yes, by about 20% in every year group. Lodge and St. Joseph’s publish only the foreign-student rate, so ask for the Malaysian rate if one parent is Malaysian. At Tunku Putra-HELP the published international rates are the same for both.
Are any new international schools opening in Kuching?
Sarawak’s first Islamic international secondary school is under construction in Petra Jaya, but it has no published opening date, fees or admission rules yet. Separately, St. Joseph’s Private School (not the international school) has announced a new campus in Kota Samarahan for 2030.
The honest bottom line
If a friend who’d just landed asked me, I’d point them by need. A child aged 3 who you’d like to keep in one school to 18: Lodge, or Tunku Putra-HELP if you want a national-track option too. A secondary-age child heading for an Australian university, or a family living near the centre: St. Joseph’s. A primary child and a preference for a newer campus: Borneo International. And before anyone falls for the YSISS fees, check whether you or your partner is Sarawakian, because that decides it. None of it is “sorted”, as I’d say back in Manchester, until you’ve toured the place yourself.
The thing nobody tells you until you’re here is how small the pool is. Four schools open to most expat families means that if your child has a specific need, a particular special-education profile, a sport the school doesn’t run, a subject combination only offered at the bigger international schools, you can run out of local options fast, and the next real choice is a flight to KL. It’s worth knowing the ceiling before you move, not after.
Choosing a school and a neighbourhood are the same decision here, because the school run is a daily drive, so check the areas families actually settle in before you sign a lease. If none of these five fits your child, the Chinese independent and national school routes are the next places to look.