There are now over 12,000 English-medium international schools around the world. This includes 132 brand new international schools and campuses which have opened their doors for the first time this calendar year (from January 2020 onwards). These may be Early Years, Primary, and Secondary international schools, or schools offering any combination of these age phases.
Since August, 31 new international schools have opened in China, 7 in the UAE, 5 in Sweden, 5 in Thailand, 4 in Qatar, and 3 each in Malaysia, India, France, Portugal, Vietnam and Egypt.
Maple Bear is the most prominent brand opening international schools since August with 6 international schools and pre-schools in a range of countries spanning Peru, Brazil, Morocco, Vietnam, Bulgaria and Thailand. Harrow has opened four new schools in China, and Nord Anglia has opened three in China.
The entire 2020 year has been a challenging one for education globally, and the international school sector has faced many impactful challenges, particularly related to staffing and recruitment of expatriate teachers. However, it has also been a sector that has led many new initiatives related to remote learning, campus safety, and student and staff wellbeing practice, and this has given many parents reassurance in the capabilities of international schools during the most challenging of times.
It may be another two years before we see the full impact of COVID-19 on school choice and staffing but for now, the emergence of new schools, and the market reputation gained through the pandemic, indicates healthy progress for the sector.
More detailed data, intelligence and datasets regarding the international school market this year, as well as historic trends, are all available from ISC Research. Get in touch at [email protected] if we can help you.
