Western International School

Western International School's headquarters (Stadium/Main Campus) is at

20, St. 598C, Phnom Penh Thmey, Sen Sok, Phnom Penh; the group also operates multiple campuses across Phnom Penh, Takhmao and a branch in Sihanoukville. For families new to the city, the campuses are in the Sen Sok/Toul Kork/Chamkar Mon areas and are reachable by local roads; several Phnom Penh city bus routes include stops near the school network.

WIS offers programs from Pre‑K/Kindergarten through Grade 12 (Pre‑K to Grade 12), following an academic structure that parallels North American standards. Instruction is English‑medium for half‑day classes, with English and Khmer used for full‑day classes.

Western International School is a private, co‑educational international school network with multiple campuses in Cambodia. The school website lists only day campuses; no boarding provision is described on the site.

The school's public pages describe a commitment to a “nurturing atmosphere” and support for individual students but do not provide a detailed Special Educational Needs (SEN) policy or an outlined learning‑support department. An external directory entry for the Stadium (main) campus mentions a large sensory room and specialised support programmes at that campus; parents with children who need assessed SEN support should contact the school directly to request details and documentation.

WIS is an independent Cambodian private school (no national/governmental affiliation is stated); its curriculum is described as closely aligned with North American (U.S.) standards and the school notes partnerships for international programmes.

The school does not indicate any religious affiliation on its website; it operates as a secular private international school.

Class schedules on the school website show staggered sessions: typical morning sessions start around 7:30am and finish about 11:30am; afternoon sessions commonly run from about 1:30pm to 4:30pm (younger grades) or to 5:30pm (older grades). Full‑day options are listed with start times around 8:40am and finishing in the mid‑afternoon (around 4:20pm), with a mid‑day break between sessions.

The school website lists campus addresses and contact numbers but does not publish detailed information about a school‑run bus service or routes; parents should contact the admissions office or central contact email (info@western.edu.kh) to ask about transport options or private shuttle arrangements. Public transport in Phnom Penh (municipal bus routes) includes stops serving the areas around the campuses, so local city buses are an additional option for families.

Western International School delivers a Pre‑K (Nursery/Kindergarten) to Grade 12 programme that it describes as closely paralleled to North American standards. Instruction is in English for half‑day classes and in English plus Khmer for full‑day classes. Kindergarten (Nursery–K3) subjects listed include English, math, library, art & crafts, song & dance, healthy habits and (K2–K3) science. The primary curriculum (Grades 1–6) includes English, Chinese (full‑day), math, science, Khmer, computer (Grades 4–6), English grammar, social studies (Grade 6), arts, music options and physical education. The secondary programme (Grades 7–12) covers English and math plus computer (7–8), physics, chemistry, biology, earth science (9–12), geography and history (9 & 12) and electives such as business/economics (Grade 10), accounting (Grade 11), home economics, guitar and PE. Students must complete compulsory courses and pass exit examinations to advance; the school also runs summer programmes for remediation or pre‑classes and offers international programmes in cooperation with partners in the USA.

The school's published mission says WIS provides “a nurturing atmosphere that is supportive of each individual student's needs, talents, and creativity,” which signals a general commitment to students' social and emotional development. The Admission page sets out behaviour expectations emphasising respect, responsibility and self‑discipline. The website does not describe a named SEL curriculum, SEL-specific staff (for example an SEL coordinator), or school‑wide SEL programmes. Job listings do include recruitment for “School Counseling Officers,” suggesting some pastoral support roles exist, but the site gives no further detail about how counselling links to an SEL programme.

The school's public website does not publish a Special Educational Needs (SEN) policy or a list of which types of additional needs it supports. While the site makes general statements about supporting individual students, it does not describe specialist SEN provision, specialist SEN staff, referral processes, or individual education plans. Based on the information available online, WIS does not present itself as a specialist SEN institution and does not publicly disclose further SEN detail on its website.

The Admission page states that Pre‑K and Kindergarten students are grouped according to English ability and that placement tests are used for older entrants; students whose English is considered below the required standard may be placed in Kindergarten. The Academic page states instruction is in English for half‑day classes and in English plus Khmer for full‑day classes. The website does not describe a named EAL programme, dedicated EAL staff, or published EAL curriculum on its public pages; support that is evident online appears limited to placement and grouping by English level.

The school's job listings include roles for “School Counseling Officers” and “Nurse,” indicating WIS recruits for counselling and health roles. The profile and admission pages emphasise a nurturing atmosphere and behavioural expectations of respect and responsibility as part of student support. The website does not publish a standalone mental‑health or wellbeing policy, nor does it detail counselling programmes, referral pathways, or external mental‑health partnerships. For specifics about the scope or availability of counselling and wellbeing services, those details would need to be requested directly from the school.

The public website does not publish a standalone child protection or safeguarding policy or identify named safeguarding leads. The Admission page includes safety‑related expectations (for example refraining from bringing anything that may compromise others' safety), but no comprehensive safeguarding policy is available online. Campus contact details are provided across the site, but the website does not set out reporting procedures, designated safeguarding contacts, or external safeguarding arrangements. Therefore, WIS does not publicly disclose detailed safeguarding/child‑protection policies on its website.

1. Initial enquiry and campus choice — Contact the school to start. (Contact details and campus list on the school website).

2. Obtain and complete the application form — The website links a “New Student” form (PDF) under Forms; parents should download or request this form, complete it fully, and check whether the campus they chose needs any additional local forms. Keep a scanned copy of every document you submit and confirm by email whether the campus received your application.

3. Prepare and submit required documents — The school's Admission page lists specific documentary requirements: a birth certificate (Grade 1 age verification), official transcripts, an official transfer certificate, and for Grade 10+ a junior high diploma. Parents should bring original documents for verification and provide certified or translated copies if originals are not in English.

4. Placement / admission testing and English grouping — Pre‑K and Kindergarten students are grouped by English ability and age and are not required to take an admission test; Grade 1 may require a placement test (and students with below‑required English may be placed back into Kindergarten). Students entering Grade 2 or higher must take and pass the school's Admission Test. Schedule the assessment in advance and ask what subjects and formats the test covers so your child can be prepared.

5. Age and grade placement decisions — The school enforces age rules (for example, Grade 1 minimum age of six) and uses test outcomes and previous school records to confirm appropriate grade placement; if the school determines a student's English or academic level does not meet the grade standard, the student may be placed into a different year group. Parents should confirm placement appeals or review procedures with the campus if they have concerns.

6. Fees, deposits and enrolment confirmation — Western publishes a School Fees page for the academic year (the site references 2024–2025); third‑party fee listings show that total annual tuition varies by grade (examples: approximately KHR 9.9 million–11.6 million per year depending on grade). Before confirming enrolment, ask the campus for the current fee schedule, whether there are one‑time registration or admin fees, payment deadlines, and refund/cancellation rules — get these in writing.

7. Finalise registration and practical arrangements — After fees and placement are confirmed you will typically sign an enrolment agreement, pay any required deposit, and receive start‑of‑term details. Note the school's semester dates (first semester typically runs 1 September–end of January; second semester 1 February–end of June) and ask about orientation, uniforms, transport, and extracurricular activity fees so there are no surprises at the start of term.

The school's Profile page describes academic awards given at the end of the year: each year the top seven students in every grade (Grades 1–11) are awarded discounts described as follows — 1st place: 100% off; 2nd place: 75% off; 3rd place: 50% off; plus 25% off for the top four students in specified subjects (mathematics, Khmer, English, and science/physics), with the note that a student receives only one subject award. These awards appear to be merit‑based end‑of‑year academic awards rather than need‑based or external scholarships. The Profile page does not provide further details about the duration of the award (one year vs multi‑year), which parts of school costs the discount covers, or the exact application/appeal process, so parents should ask the campus for the full scholarship/award policy, how the discount is applied, and any conditions or renewal requirements. (No other scholarship programs are described on the public site.)

The school's publicly available pages do not describe an explicit waitlist or central admissions pool for new applicants. The Admission and School Fees pages set out testing, document and fee information but do not state a published waitlist policy; if a campus is full, many multi‑campus schools handle overflow by offering placement at another campus or by maintaining a local waiting list, but Western's site does not specify this. Parents who need to know current vacancy status or any waiting‑list procedure should contact the specific campus (phone numbers and email addresses are listed per campus on the Contact page) and ask whether a waiting list exists, whether priority is given to siblings or returning families, and how long the list typically runs.