Canadian International School of Phnom Penh

CIS's main campus is on Koh Pich (Diamond Island) at Elite Town Street in central Phnom Penh; two additional early-years campuses are Bassac Garden (Tonle Bassac) and Olympia City. The Koh Pich campus is linked to the city by the Rainbow, Swan and Naga bridges and is close to neighbourhoods such as Tonle Bassac and BKK1, with Aeon Mall and riverside areas within reasonable commuting distance.

CIS runs programs from nursery through Grade 12: Early Years (nursery to junior kindergarten), Elementary (Senior Kindergarten to Grade 6), Middle School (Grades 7–9) and High School (Grades 10–12). The school offers Alberta curriculum pathways and the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme in the senior years.

CIS is a privately operated, co-educational international day school that serves nursery through Grade 12 across its campuses. The website also lists a boarding programme (full and weekly) for students in Grades 4 and above on its services page, though the general admissions page states students must live with a parent or guardian — you should confirm current boarding availability with admissions.

The school publishes an Inclusive Education overview: universal classroom strategies plus targeted supports such as Learning Support teachers, an EAL (English as an Additional Language) programme, speech‑language services and social‑emotional counselling in Elementary, Middle and High School. The site also states it cannot provide some specialist on‑site therapies or psychological assessments and that EAL places and some specialist services may incur extra fees.

CIS teaches the Alberta (Canada) provincial curriculum and is accredited by Alberta Education; students may graduate with an Alberta High School Diploma (with options to combine IB courses or the IB Diploma).

The school website does not indicate any religious affiliation; CIS is presented as a secular international school.

Timings vary by campus and age group. For example, the Bassac Garden preschool lists drop‑off 8:00–8:30 a.m., a first session 8:30–11:30 a.m., and full‑day pick‑up at 3:30 p.m.; other year groups follow different schedules, so confirm exact start/finish and break times for your child's year level with the school.

The school offers a school bus and local buggy service for students (buses and open‑air electric buggies) that operates throughout central Phnom Penh for children aged 4 and above; children under 4 may be registered if accompanied by a sibling aged 10 or older. Vehicle types listed include buggies (4 seats) and passenger vans (up to 10 seats). Routes, fees and registration are managed by the school, so contact Admissions or Transport for current route maps, pick‑up points and costs.

CISP's Early Years Program (Nursery–Junior Kindergarten) follows Flight: Alberta's Early Learning and Care Framework and is inspired by the Reggio Emilia approach, using play‑based, child‑centred learning. Elementary (Senior Kindergarten–Grade 6) follows the Alberta curriculum delivered through the IB Primary Years Programme (PYP); students receive weekly instruction in Khmer, Mandarin, or French and may join French or Mandarin bilingual streams. Middle School (Grades 7–9) follows Alberta Grade 7–9 curricula with specialist teachers in core subjects and complementary courses such as art, Career & Technology Foundations, drama, music, Khmer, Mandarin and French. High School offers two pathways: the Alberta High School Program (Grades 10–12), accredited by Alberta's Ministry of Education and leading to an Alberta High School Diploma (minimum 100 credits, with varied course sequences), and the two‑year IB Diploma Programme for Grades 11–12, which includes six subject groups plus Theory of Knowledge, the extended essay and CAS. Across all stages students can access specialist services and programs such as English as an Additional Language, inclusive education, fine arts, sports, design and academic counselling.

CIS provides social-emotional counselling across Elementary, Middle and High School to support students' emotional regulation, conflict resolution, and social skills. Counsellors offer individual and group support, respond to crises, and work with teachers and parents to build supportive classroom environments. The school describes these services as part of a continuum that aims to reduce barriers to learning and promote student well‑being. Staff implement schoolwide initiatives to develop social-emotional skills and refer families to external resources when needed.

CIS offers learning support teachers and speech‑language services to assist students with diverse learning and communication needs, providing targeted instruction, progress assessment, and classroom collaboration. A speech‑language pathologist is listed as providing assessment, individualised support plans, and therapy to improve communication and classroom participation. The school states it cannot provide specialised or highly individualised interventions (for example on‑site physical therapy, medical care, psychological assessments, one‑on‑one therapies, or assistive technologies). CIS presents these services as a continuum rather than as a specialist SEN institution.

CIS operates a specialised EAL programme and reports a skilled team of EAL teachers who support speaking, listening, reading and writing in small groups or through one‑to‑one targeted instruction. The admissions page specifies that specialist EAL support is provided for students in Grades 1–9, that students exit the programme once they demonstrate grade‑level proficiency, and that EAL placement may incur additional fees. EAL instruction is described as focused on both academic and social language needs and is integrated into the school's continuum of supports. For Grade 10–12 applicants the school requires demonstrated grade‑level English proficiency.

CIS lists social‑emotional counselling as a core part of its supports, with counsellors providing individual and group work, crisis response, and skill development in areas such as emotional regulation. Counsellors collaborate with classroom teachers and parents and may refer students and families to external mental health resources when appropriate. The school frames these services as part of a broader collection of supports intended to maximise academic success, wellbeing, and a sense of belonging. The admissions and inclusive‑education pages explicitly include social‑emotional counselling among the school's published supports and services.

CIS states it recognises its child‑protection responsibilities and maintains a Child Protection Team with designated leads in each school section; staff are required to report suspected abuse via the school's referral process. Teaching staff must complete Level 1 safeguarding training and teaching assistants, after‑school coaches and other support staff must complete Awareness‑level safeguarding training through child­safeguarding.org. The school uses a risk‑assessment matrix adapted from the UN Rights of the Child and displays information and a QR link to the referral process around campus. CIS emphasises that safeguarding is the responsibility of all staff and that student welfare is paramount.

1. Complete the online application: Start by creating and submitting an application through CIS's online platform (gibbon.cisp.edu.kh). Parents should save progress if they cannot upload everything at once; the school says you can return later and the Admissions Team will contact you after submission to confirm receipt and next steps. Be prepared to provide accurate birth and passport details because these determine grade placement and residency checks.

2. Pay the application fee: The application fee must be paid (in person or by bank transfer) before CIS will consider the application or schedule an assessment. The site states the fee is non-refundable — plan for that cost when you apply and keep payment confirmation to avoid delays. If the fee is not paid, the school will not proceed to the assessment or interview stage.

3. Submit required supporting documents: CIS lists documents required for all applicants (recent school reports, completed online recommendation forms, standardized test results if available, passport ID pages for student and parents, birth certificate or family book, vaccination records, signed CIS Parent Agreement, and a signed student health questionnaire). Additional, grade-specific recommendations or extra report cards are required for different year levels (for example, Grades 10–12 require three years of report cards plus multiple teacher recommendations). Parents should collect original or certified copies and be ready to upload them to the online platform; recommendations are submitted online by the referees.

4. Assessment, interview and English requirement: After documents are reviewed, CIS may request an interview and/or academic assessments (these can be online or in person). Students from Senior Kindergarten through Grade 12 may need an English-language proficiency assessment; Grade 10–12 applicants must show grade-level English proficiency (via prior records from an accredited English-instruction school or an assessment). If your child will require EAL (English as an Additional Language) support, note that CIS provides EAL for Grades 1–9 but enrolment in the EAL program carries additional fees.

5. Offer, deposit and fee arrangements to confirm enrolment: If CIS offers a place, parents must accept the offer and pay the required deposits to confirm enrolment — the school specifically states deposits and the ability to meet school fee requirements are conditions of enrolment. CIS publishes a 2025–2026 Fee Guide and offers multiple payment plans (annual, semesterly, quarterly); the school also runs specific discounts and referral/voucher programs (for example, an early-enrolment discount, sibling discounts, and referral vouchers). Before accepting an offer, review the fee guide and confirm which payment plan and any applicable discounts you will use.

6. Placement, first day and orientation: Grade placement is determined by year of birth for Nursery–Grade 6 and by a combination of birth year and prior education for Grades 7–12; parents are expected to accept the school's placement decision. CIS accepts applications on a rolling basis and the Admissions Team can schedule personalized campus visits; they also provide information to prepare families for the student's first day and run a New Family Orientation.

The CIS Phnom Penh admissions and fees pages do not describe a scholarship program for incoming students; the school's published fee information focuses on payment plans, an early-enrolment discount, sibling discounts, referral vouchers, and a forthcoming loyalty discount. CIS's community page also notes partner discounts (for example, a Canadia Bank junior account offers a tuition discount). Because other schools in the wider ‘CIS' network (for example, CIS branches in Vietnam) do run named scholarship or talent programs, be careful not to assume those apply to the Phnom Penh campus. If you want a definitive answer about scholarships, hardship assistance, or merit-based awards for the Phnom Penh campus, request that information directly from admissions@cisp.edu.kh — they can confirm whether any scholarships or internal assistance programs exist and explain eligibility, application windows, and documentation required.

CIS does not publish a detailed public waitlist policy on its website; the General Requirements page instructs prospective families to contact the Admissions Team for information about waiting lists. That wording implies a waiting-list or vacancy-management process exists but that specific places and prioritization rules are handled case-by-case by Admissions. If you need to know whether your child will be placed on a waitlist, the likely next vacancy date, or how long wait times are, contact admissions@cisp.edu.kh — they are the official source for current waitlist status and any documentary steps required to remain on a list.