This is a list of the top ten international schools in Nairobi. The list is based on the school’s education system, co-curricular activities, and the state of its facilities.
International School of Kenya
The International School of Kenya was
established in 1976 through a partnership between the governments of the United
States and Canada. The school lies on a 40-acre piece of land located on the
outskirts of Nairobi. ISK has over 950 students from more than 65 countries. It
is currently the largest international school in Kenya. Students can study for
the North American high school diploma or the International Baccalaureate
Diploma. The school was ranked 7th out of the top 100 best high
schools in Africa.
Greensteds International School
Greensteds International School was
established in 1936. It offers both day and boarding school. It is located 16km
from Nakuru and 140km away from Nairobi. It uses the British curriculum for
teaching. Approximately 60% of the students are Kenyan with the remainder
coming from 20 different nationalities. The school caters to different stages:
Stage three for Year 7 to Year 9, Stage four for Year 10 and 11 and Stage 5 for
Year 12 and 13. Year 12 and 13 cover International General Certificate for
Secondary Education (IGCSE) in Kenya while years 12 and 13 cover A-levels which
guarantees them entry into universities worldwide. In Stage 5, students take up
four courses and drop one in Year 13. Passing the three subjects is a
requirement for entry into any foreign university.
Riara Group of Schools
Riara Group of Schools origin traces
its origin back to the Balmoral Kindergarten which existed on Riara Road that
was owned by an English lady before Kenya's Independence. The Balmoral
Kindergarten was initially for expatriate children only. Gachukia acquired The
Riara road property in 1974. The school had 20 pupils then since there were no
African children as during the colonial period Africans would not have been allowed
into the school. When the Gachukia took over the property, it comprised a
residential house and the Kindergarten. In 1984, three graduates from Riara
Kindergarten decided they wanted to stay at Riara and thus Riara Primary School
started.
Brookhouse International School
Brookhouse was established in 1981. The school offers
both day and boarding on two Nairobi campuses located in Karen and the most
recent one Runda which was opened in 2017. It is a British curriculum day and
boarding school offering early years, preparatory and secondary schooling. It
has an enrolment of about 750 students. The school has an extensive
extra-curricular activities program with activities such as Round Square, Model
UN, Orchestra, Horse-riding, archery, and martial arts, aerobics and gym. Upon
completion of A levels, most of their students join foreign universities all
around the world.
Hillcrest International School
Hillcrest School is a British curriculum
school situated on a 35-acre site in Karen. It has about 440 students most of
them of Kenyan and British origin. It caters to children between the age of 18
months to young adults aged 18 years. The school has 32 classrooms, two
laboratories, a library, two art rooms, a multipurpose hall, a swimming pool,
an open-air amphitheater, two computer laboratories, and a design and
technology center. The school will be merged with Gems Cambridge Education,
another well-known international school with the move expected to be effected
as from next year.
Braeburn International School
Braeburn offers holistic education based on the British
curriculum and also the Kenyan 8-4-4 system. The school was started in 1982 at
a 25-acre campus outside Nairobi called Garden Estate. In 2003, the high school
moved to the Lavington Campus. It also has schools in Thika, Nanyuki, Kisumu,
and Mombasa.
Banda School
The Banda School offers British
curriculum education. The school was founded in 1966 and is situated on a
32-acre site in Karen. It offers education to boys and girls between the ages
of 2 and 13 years old. It has children from 34 nationalities represented in the
school. Their students proceed to join leading secondary schools in the UK,
Kenya and South Africa.
Kenton College Preparatory School
Kenton College
Preparatory School is situated in a 35-acre site in Kileleshwa. The
school was founded in 1924 as an all-boys boarding school. It caters for
children between the ages of 6 and 13 years old. It is organized into 2 parts:
Junior School (Year 2-4) and Senior school (Year 5-8). The school has great
facilities including 3 science labs, 2 ICT and Computing labs, 3 art rooms (1
Junior and 2 Senior), a swimming pool, music rooms, and a grass pitch for
netball, hockey football, rugby, and cricket games.
Peponi School
Peponi School was established in 1989 on a
45-acre piece of land situated along the Nairobi-Thika Highway near Ruiru. The
school offers school leaving education at age 16 IGCSE (International General
Certificate of Secondary Education), at 17 (Advanced Subsidiary) and 18+
(Advanced Level). In 2017, the school started offering US-based CollegeBoard
examinations including the SAT. The school has a wide array of sports
activities including cricket, swimming, tennis, squash, water polo, rounders
and cross country. The school has been sending its students to renowned
universities around the world such as Stanford University, Yale University,
University of Toronto, the University of Manchester among many others.
Pembroke House
The school which has been in existence for over 90 years is in the RiftValley area, two hours away from Nairobi. The school is a member of the Independent Association of Prep Schools (IAPS). Their pupils come from remote parts of Kenya as well as the rest of East Africa. Most of their students gain admission into top global schools with one third achieving scholarships or awards.