Account
Shortlist
Currency
International School of Phnom Penh logo

International School of Phnom Penh

Cambodia, Phnom Penh

Shortlist

· Reviewed by · B2C Marketing Manager

Managed by doris 👵🏼
The school at a glance
Instructs in English
Fees KHR 38,450,324 - 118,806,593
Ages 3 - 18 years
Pupil numbers 900
Type Co-educational
Opened 1989
Bus Service No
Academic offering
Curriculum IB (PYP), IB (MYP), IB (DP)
Taught languages English, Mandarin, Korean, French, Spanish
Typical class size 22
Strengths Service and Sustainability, Performing Arts, Outdoor Education
Clubs Arts and Creative, Community and Service, Academic and Intellectual
Stages Early Years, Primary School, Middle School, Secondary School, Sixth Form
Introduction

ISPP (International School of Phnom Penh) was founded in 1989 and serves students from age 3 through Grade 12. The school is an authorised International Baccalaureate World School offering the PYP, MYP and DP and is accredited by WASC and CIS. The whole school occupies a single, newer campus south of the city centre on Hun Neang Boulevard; the Secondary moved to the current campus in August 2014 and the Early Years and Elementary joined in 2015. ISPP publishes a whole-school Mother Tongue programme and an active Service Learning programme, and runs an After School Programme with activities including arts, choir, robotics, chess and a wide range of sports. Campus arts facilities include a 430-seat Black Box theatre and dedicated rehearsal and exhibition spaces. ISPP describes an average teacher:student ratio of 1:9 and reports more than 50 nationalities in the student body.

Hun Neang Boulevard, Phnom Penh 12302, Cambodia

The Essentials

International School of Phnom Penh has 900 pupils, typical class sizes of 22, instruction in English.

Location

ISPP's campus is on Hun Neang Boulevard, south of Phnom Penh city centre; the website includes a map and turn-by-turn directions. Two city bus lines (12B and 11C) stop within a short walk of the main gate; the school notes the nearest stop is about 200 m (≈4 minutes) away.

Stages

ISPP serves ages 3 through Grade 12 (Early Years / PYP in Elementary, Grades 6–10 in MYP, Grades 11–12 in the IB Diploma). The site gives age/grade placement guidance and a chart for entry.

Type

ISPP is an independent, non-profit, co-educational day school and an authorised IB World School offering PYP, MYP and DP; it is accredited by WASC and CIS. The school describes itself as parent-governed and reinvesting revenue into the campus.

Additional learning support

ISPP runs student support teams across Elementary and Secondary that include English as an Additional Language (EAL) programmes, targeted Learning Support (reading, maths, written language) and school counsellors; support can be in-class or in a Learning Support Centre. The site describes assessment on entry and exit criteria for EAL and collaboration with parents and external specialists as needed.

Country affiliation

ISPP is an international school without affiliation to a single country; its materials describe a multinational student body and parent-governed structure.

Religious affiliation

ISPP is non-religious / secular in its stated information; the school presents itself as an inclusive international community rather than a faith-based institution.

School day structure

The school year runs August–June with about 180 instructional days; division-specific daily start and finish times are not posted on the public pages, and may vary by year group. ISPP's office hours are listed (07:00–16:30), and the After School Programme operates into the afternoon with late-bus departures at 4:15pm and 4:45pm. For exact daily start/end times and break/lunch schedules contact Admissions or the relevant division.

Bus service

ISPP offers a limited paid daily bus/van service with seats allocated by route and priority for two-way riders and siblings; availability is not guaranteed for families outside established routes. The school publishes zone-based fees (Zone A / Zone B) and asks families to register at least five working days before service begins; the After School Programme also notes a late-bus option for activity participants. Check the school's bus page for current routes, zones and fees.

Academics

International School of Phnom Penh teaches IB (PYP), IB (MYP), IB (DP) for students aged 3 to 18.

Curriculum

International School of Phnom Penh serves students age 3 through Grade 12 and is an IB World School authorised to deliver the Primary Years, Middle Years and Diploma Programmes. Elementary (Early Years/Kindergarten–Grade 5) follows the IB Primary Years Programme, organised around transdisciplinary units with subject areas such as language, mathematics, personal/social/physical education, social studies, arts, and science & technology. Middle Years (Grades 6–10) follows the IB MYP framework in which students study two languages plus humanities, sciences, mathematics, arts, physical education and design, and complete a certificated personal project in the final year. Senior secondary (Grades 11–12) is the two‑year IB Diploma Programme: students choose six subjects across the IB groups (three at Higher Level and three at Standard Level) and complete the core components—Extended Essay, Theory of Knowledge and Creativity, Activity, Service. ISPP also awards an ISPP (US-style) high school diploma accredited by WASC and offers alternatives for students not taking the full IB Diploma, including IBDP certificate courses and ISPP High Courses.

Wellbeing

Social and Emotional Learning (SEL)

ISPP's strategic goals explicitly include formally identifying, implementing and embedding social‑emotional learning across the school. The Elementary school describes a “comprehensive social emotional curriculum” delivered through classroom guidance, individual and group programmes led by the Elementary Counsellor. In Secondary, two counsellors coordinate the Home Group Advisory programme and deliver weekly advisory lessons that support wellness and healthy living. The school also links extracurricular programmes, such as sports and after‑school activities, to social and emotional skill development.

Special Educational Needs (SEN)

ISPP operates a Learning Support programme that provides specifically designed instruction in reading, mathematics and written language and reaches younger learners for fine motor and early language needs. Support is delivered either within the classroom or in the Learning Support Centre, and staff work collaboratively with teachers, parents and, where necessary, external specialists to design interventions. The Secondary site also notes a Learning Support programme for older students. The school's published pages describe these provisions but do not state that ISPP is a specialist SEN institution, nor do they list specific medical or diagnostic categories supported.

English as an Additional Language (EAL)

ISPP's Elementary Student Support Services describe an EAL Programme for students whose first language is not English, with EAL support available from Grade 2 to Grade 5 and entry language assessment on admission. Elementary students new to English engage in experiences before Grade 2 and, when in the EAL programme, typically attend focused EAL classes (noting some timetable adjustments such as during foreign language or Khmer mother‑tongue lessons). The Secondary site states an EAL option is available in the Secondary School and that students are assessed and periodically reviewed. Exit from EAL is based on established EAL exit criteria.

Mental Wellbeing

ISPP employs counsellors in both Elementary and Secondary who provide individual and small‑group emotional support, classroom guidance sessions, parent workshops and specialist referrals to address students' personal and social needs. Secondary counsellors explicitly aim to normalise help‑seeking and provide personal, social and transition support, while the Elementary Counsellor delivers a social‑emotional curriculum and related programmes. The school's strategic priorities also identify Wellbeing, Care and Belonging as a formal area of focus and the Director's updates note a whole‑school Well‑being Coordinator role. These published pages indicate coordinated counselling and wellbeing initiatives across the school.

Safeguarding

ISPP's Safety & Security page describes campus security measures including ID cards for staff and students, visitor sign‑in, contracted security, CCTV and regular emergency procedures and drills. The Director's update states the Child Protection Policy and Safe Schools Procedures Handbook have been updated and that faculty and staff have completed child protection training. The Secondary Counselling Office page notes that counselling is confidential except where a student is judged to be at risk and that staff may refer students to outside specialists after consulting parents. These statements are taken from ISPP's publicly posted safety, governance and counselling pages.

Admissions

Admissions

1. Make an initial inquiry. Start by submitting the online Inquiry / pre-application through ISPP's admissions portal (OpenApply) so the school can confirm whether the grade you want is likely to have space and what the next steps will be. The Inquiry helps the admissions team provide grade-specific guidance and to tell you whether to proceed with the formal pre-application or tour.

2. Submit a pre-application and basic documents. If you decide to proceed, complete the Pre‑Application Form and pay the pre-application deposit (US$50). At this stage you should upload passport ID pages and recent passport-style photos and any reports related to learning needs; the pre-application places your family on the applicant list while you await confirmation of space.

3. Complete the full Application and pay the application fee once space is confirmed. When ISPP confirms a place is available you will be asked to finish the Application Form in OpenApply and pay the remainder of the application fee (total application fee US$250, which includes the US$50 pre-application deposit and a US$200 balance). Be prepared to provide at least two recent years of school reports in English, a copy of immunisation records, the completed ISPP immunisation form and, for Grades 2–5, a writing sample.

4. Provide school recommendation(s) and any additional documents requested. ISPP requires a confidential recommendation from the student's current school (submitted directly to ISPP) and may request extra documentation about academic history or support needs; recommendations must be provided by the current school via the specified contact method. Keep email contact details for the recommending teachers ready when you apply, since ISPP will not accept recommendations sent by other routes.

5. Expect staged assessment steps where needed. ISPP does not routinely require formal academic testing at admission but may request English language testing (for which a fee may apply) and/or an interview with the relevant Principal to confirm that the student can access the IB programme. Placement into EAL (English as an Additional Language) support will be used where appropriate and students exit EAL once they meet grade-level proficiency in listening, speaking, reading and writing.

6. Understand priority criteria and nationality limits. Applications are considered by priority (siblings of current students, enrolled students and children of diplomatic passport holders receive priority) and then by application date; ISPP also enforces nationality caps (Cambodian students are limited to 30% and other nationalities to 15% each) that can affect availability in many grades. Provide proof of nationality for the student and parents during the application process because the school uses that information to ensure compliance with the nationality limits.

7. Be clear about grade placement and age rules. ISPP places students by chronological age with specific September 1 cut-off ages (for example, Kindergarten = age 5 by September 1; Grade 6 typically age 11), and the school publishes a Dates of Birth / Grade Entry chart that you should check before applying. If a student's previous school calendar differs or there are other complexities, the Principal will make the final grade placement decision balancing age, academic continuity, language proficiency and social maturity.

8. Disclose any learning or support needs early. Parents must fully disclose any special education needs or learning-support history during the admissions process; ISPP reviews each case individually and may provide moderate learning support but may also decline or later ask a family to withdraw if the student's needs exceed the school's capacity. If your child receives therapies or specialist services, tell the admissions team and be prepared to provide formal reports so ISPP can assess whether it can meet those needs.

9. Receive an offer and attend to enrolment / entrance deposits and fees. If offered a place, you will be asked to pay an enrolment deposit or entrance fee (entrance fees are charged once for KG–Grade 12; an Early Years entrance deposit is applied if the child progresses to KG) and to complete final paperwork; parents or guardians are liable for fees on enrolment and for any re‑enrolment deposit required to secure a returning student's place. Review the school's tuition and fee schedule for payment options (annual, semester, term/quarter) and note that instalment plans incur a finance charge.

10. Know fee, refund and re-enrolment policies. Tuition fees are refundable only for full terms of non-attendance; other fees are non‑refundable, and late or non-payment can lead to penalties or de‑enrolment. Returning families must pay a re‑enrolment deposit (usually collected in the second semester) to hold a place for the next academic year—check the published timetable as the Board approves fee schedules in February and releases the following year's fee schedule in March.

Scholarships

ISPP operates a host-country scholarship programme that provides full scholarships to selected Cambodian students beginning at Grade 6 and continuing through graduation. The programme began in 2018–19 and each year ISPP has welcomed a new cohort into Grade 6; the school partners with community organisations (Cambodian Children's Fund and Indochina Starfish Foundation) to provide extra support to scholarship students and their families. Funding for the sustainable continuation of the scholarship programme is supported in part by the one-time application and entrance fees paid by new students, and the ISPP Board of Trustees has committed to maintaining these scholarships. The scholarship places are targeted to children from very low-income backgrounds and are selected in collaboration with the partner NGOs; the ISPP website lists current cohort counts and background on the programme.

Waitlist

ISPP uses waiting lists when applications exceed available spaces in a given grade. Applicants who cannot be offered immediate placement are put on a waiting list and considered according to the school's priority rules (siblings, enrolled students, diplomatic passport holders, then by application date). ISPP staff will provide a realistic assessment of chances and timing where possible but do not publish waiting-list length or guaranteed timing; applicants may remain under consideration throughout the current academic year and also for the beginning of the following academic year (but new-year priorities apply). If the school cannot place an applicant by August of the following academic year, families are notified and offered the option to remain on the waiting list for the next year for an additional, non‑refundable fee. Families can also use the Pre‑Application to enter the applicant pool up to one year in advance (pre‑application deposit US$50) while they wait for space to open.

doris
linked-in-logo facebook-logo instagram-logo
© 2026 doris Worldwide Ltd. All rights reserved.