Suppliers to the international schools market have long built strategy around a handful of established hubs. But the Curricula Global Overview 2026 from ISC Research suggests the centre of gravity is moving, and organisations still planning around yesterday’s curriculum assumptions risk missing where demand is accelerating.
Western Asia: The fastest growing international schools market
Western Asia recorded the strongest growth of any region across every major curriculum tracked in the report. Advanced Placement schools in the region have nearly doubled since 2021, up 99%, while UK, US, Cambridge and IB provision all expanded at double-digit rates over the same period.
This isn’t growth concentrated in a single pathway. It’s broad-based demand across the board, suggesting a market still actively defining which curricula will dominate, and one where early positioning could shape supplier relationships for years to come.
Africa: An IB growth story
While Western Asia dominates headlines, Africa recorded the highest growth rate of any region for several IB curriculum programmes, particularly the Middle Years Programme. Cambridge provision across Africa also continues to expand steadily, with the region now home to more Cambridge schools than any other.
Africa has historically received less commercial attention than markets in Asia or the Gulf. The data suggests that may be a strategic blind spot: demand is building in a region many international school suppliers have deprioritised.
Southeast Asia: Balanced Cambridge Growth
Southeast Asia stands out for the breadth of its Cambridge expansion: strong, balanced growth across primary, secondary and advanced programmes alike, rather than concentrated in one phase. The region also posted the fastest AP growth of any market outside Western Asia, up nearly 30% in five years.
For suppliers building K-12 solutions for the international education market, this balance matters. It points to a market investing in curriculum continuity across the full learner journey, not just at exam-critical stages.
Latin America: A cautionary tale
Not every region is following the same trajectory. AP and US curriculum school numbers in Latin America declined over the past five years, while Cambridge and IB growth remained modest. Shifting university destination preferences, driven by tighter visa policies, rising costs, and political uncertainty in traditional study-abroad markets, appear to be reshaping what schools invest in.
This isn’t necessarily a shrinking opportunity. It’s a market in transition, where schools may be recalibrating toward different pathways and progression routes. Suppliers who assume Latin America’s international schools mirrors historical patterns risk misreading a market that’s actively changing shape.
Europe: Slower growth in a mature market
Europe posted the most modest growth of any region across nearly every curriculum, including a 4% decline in AP schools and just 2.4% UK curriculum growth. This isn’t necessarily bad news; it likely reflects a mature, saturated market rather than falling demand. One exception stands out: the US curriculum grew by 15.3% here, and the IB’s Middle Years Programme grew by 39%, suggesting pockets of real momentum even as the broader market cools.
What Regional Divergence Means for Your Strategy
The pattern across every region tells the same story: growth is not evenly spread, and the assumptions that guided market entry five years ago may no longer hold.
- Prioritise where momentum is building, not just where your organisation has historically operated.
- Treat Africa and Southeast Asia as active opportunities, not secondary markets to revisit later.
- Reassess Latin America rather than writing it off. The pathways schools want may simply be changing.
- Use regional data to guide partnerships and product decisions, not just sales targets.
Getting international school market strategy right increasingly depends on understanding not just which curricula are growing, but where and why. The full regional breakdown, alongside analysis of hybrid curriculum models, AP’s rapid expansion, and K-12 pathway trends, is available in the Curricula Global Overview 2026.
