Brent International School Manila vs ISM: 2026–27 Fees, IB and Admissions

Brent International School Manila and International School Manila (ISM) both teach in English and both offer the IB Diploma, but they differ in three ways that decide most families’ choice: location (Brent is on a 10.6-hectare campus in Biñan, Laguna, south of Alabang; ISM is in Bonifacio Global City, Taguig), cost (Brent’s 2026–27 Upper School tuition is US$9,680 plus PhP 444,496 a year; ISM’s Grades 11–12 tuition is US$19,660 plus PhP 623,800) and one-time fees (US$3,300 at Brent vs US$9,700 at ISM for a new student) — from each school’s official fee schedule, checked 18 October 2026. Both schools bill tuition in two parts, a US-dollar amount plus a Philippine-peso amount, and you pay both; we do not convert the peso part because exchange rates move.

If you searched “Brent International School vs International School Manila”, you are probably preparing for a posting to Metro Manila and have narrowed the list to these two long-established schools. This page puts them side by side using only what each school publishes: curriculum and diplomas, grades, campus and commute, accreditation, admissions and English requirements, who can enrol, 2026–27 fees, buses and the school day — and it answers the question many families type next, “is Brent International School expensive?”. We already have a detailed page on International School Manila tuition and fees, so here ISM appears only as far as the comparison needs; the focus is on Brent and on how the two differ. For the wider city, see our guide to international schools in Manila. NIJIN GLOBAL ACADEMY, a different kind of option (an online school that opens in 2027), is included as the last column of the same table.

The short answer: which school suits which family

• Brent may suit you if you will live in Alabang or the south of Metro Manila, or in Laguna. Its own FAQ says the Alabang communities have a high population of Brent students because of the short distance.
• ISM may suit you if you will live or work in BGC, Makati or nearby. ISM’s campus has been in Bonifacio Global City since 2002.
• Brent may suit you if total cost matters: on 2026–27 official figures, Brent’s dollar tuition is roughly half of ISM’s at each comparable grade, its peso tuition is about 54–83% of ISM’s, and its one-time fees are about a third.
• ISM may suit you if you want a larger school with more course choice (over 2,200 students, the ISM High School Diploma with the full IB Diploma, IB certificates or limited AP) and if your family is an expatriate family — ISM has an Admissions Priority Policy for expatriate students.
• Brent may suit you if you want a published IB track record: Brent’s 2026–27 Upper School Profile lists IB results back to 2015 and its university acceptances for 2024–2026. ISM’s pages we checked do not publish IB results.
• Either may be a harder fit if your teenager is still learning English. Brent does not accept applicants who need EAL support in Grades 9–12, and ISM offers EAL only in Grades 1–10, with a minimum level of English for each grade.
• Neither is an option if your child would not live in the Philippines with a parent: both schools require the student to live with at least one parent.

Brent International School vs International School Manila at a glance (official data)

Every row below comes from the schools’ own websites and documents, checked 18 October 2026. Where a school does not publish something, we say so rather than estimate. NIJIN GLOBAL ACADEMY (NGA) is in the last column as a different kind of option — an online school, not a campus school in Manila.

Sources: Brent School Fees 2026–2027 (dated 4 March 2026), Brent Upper School Profile 2026–2027, Brent Admissions Criteria, Brent History, ISM School Fees SY 2026–27, ISM Admissions Process, ISM Accreditation and NGA’s curriculum and timetable page — checked 18 October 2026.

Brent International School tuition vs ISM tuition (2026–27, USD + PHP)

Both schools publish their 2026–27 fees as a dollar amount plus a peso amount. Brent’s fee schedule says plainly: “you will be billed for both the USD amount PLUS the PHP amount.” ISM’s schedule works the same way. Because the grade bands differ (ISM’s middle school starts at Grade 5, Brent’s at Grade 6), the fairest comparison is by your child’s actual grade.

One-time fees for a new student. Brent charges a US$300 application fee (non-refundable, needed to schedule admissions appointments) and a US$3,000 matriculation fee (once, for new students in Pre-Kindergarten to Grade 12; a child who starts in Nursery pays it on entering Pre-K). Accepted students pay a US$600 seat reservation (non-refundable) or a US$500 wait-pool payment (refundable), and both are applied to school fees, so they are not extra costs. ISM charges a US$700 application fee for applications from 1 August 2026, a US$4,500 matriculation fee and a US$4,500 facilities enhancement fee, both for students entering Kindergarten and new students in Grades 1–12. For the detailed ISM refund and re-entry rules, see our ISM fees page.

First year and four years of high school, worked out

These sums assume 2026–27 fees stay the same, which they rarely do; both schools set fees every year. They also leave out items each school bills separately: at Brent, IB exam fees for Grade 12 students sitting the external exams (billed at actual cost), an ESL fee of US$1,210 a year if a child in Grades 1–8 needs English support, uniforms (PhP 1,600–1,700 per regular set and PhP 1,200 per PE set, per the FAQ), lunch on a pre-loaded ID card and the bus. At ISM, EAL (US$1,625 per semester in the first year), learning support, evaluations and the third-party bus and canteen are extra.

Payment rules that differ

• Brent: tuition can be paid annually, by semester (7 August 2026 and 11 January 2027) or by quarter (7 August, 5 October, 11 January, 8 March); all other fees are due in full. Families who pay the full year before 7 August 2026 receive two school uniforms free. Tuition is non-refundable except when parents are transferred out of the region during the year or for a serious illness requiring treatment abroad; fees are not pro-rated for part of a quarter. The board “rarely grants discounts and there are no discounts for new students”; returning students may apply on proven financial need, never for matriculation or capital development fees. Late payment: 2% a month after 30 days.
• ISM: tuition by semester, due 10 July 2026 and 11 December 2026 (quarterly payment costs an extra US$100 a quarter); mid-semester entries are pro-rated, and withdrawal refunds are calculated by whole quarter. ISM’s scholarships are for Filipino citizens entering Grade 7 or 8; a general sibling discount or expatriate bursary is not published.

Is Brent International School expensive? A factual answer

It depends on what you compare it with. Against ordinary private schools in the Philippines, yes: a Brent Upper School student’s yearly bill is US$11,255 plus PhP 444,496 before buses, lunch and exams, which is far more than most Filipino private schools charge. Against the other international schools that relocating families shortlist, Brent sits at the lower end. At every comparable grade on the 2026–27 schedules, Brent’s dollar portion (including the yearly capital development fee) is 53–68% of ISM’s dollar tuition, and its peso portion is 54–83% of ISM’s. For a new Grade 11 student, the first-year difference is US$14,805 plus PhP 179,304 in Brent’s favour.

Why does Brent cost what it does? The school’s own materials point to what the money pays for: a 26-acre campus with eight science labs, a 25-metre pool, two gymnasiums, eight covered tennis courts, a 400-metre track and two full-size fields; its own fleet of 16 supervised buses; more than 100 after-school activities; and a full IB Diploma Programme that 64% of its students take. Whether that is “expensive” for your family is a judgement only you can make — but the official numbers show Brent is not the most expensive option among Manila’s IB schools. If you are also weighing a non-campus model, our guide to online vs in-person international school costs explains which costs sit outside the tuition line.

Curriculum, IB results and university placement

Brent. Brent describes an American-based curriculum (its “Brent Framework”) with MAP testing, a foreign-language programme from Grade 6 (French, Spanish, Mandarin or Filipino/Tagalog) and, in Grades 11–12, the IB Diploma Programme, which it has been authorised to offer since October 1986. Its US graduation requirements total 24 credits, including Theory of Knowledge, plus religious studies, computer studies, arts, health and community service. The 2026–27 course list includes IB subjects at higher and standard level across English, Filipino and Korean literature, Mandarin, French and Spanish, business management, economics, geography, history, digital society, psychology, biology, chemistry, physics, computer science, sports science, both IB maths courses, music and visual arts. We found no AP courses on Brent’s official pages; ask the school if AP matters to you.

Brent’s published IB results. The Upper School Profile states that 64% of Brent students are enrolled in the IB Diploma Programme and gives a Brent average score of 32 and a highest score of 43. Its results summary lists 61 Diploma candidates in 2026 with a pass rate of 81.97% (IB pass rate 82%; world average score 30.88), and pass rates between 77.1% and 96.55% from 2015 to 2025. The headline boxes on the same page show 57 candidates and 56 Diploma earners, so ask the school which group each figure refers to. The profile also reports a 2026 average SAT of 1209 (55 students tested).

Where Brent graduates go. About 100 students graduate each May; the class of 2027 has 113. The profile’s 2025–26 matriculation map shows 37% to Asia, 28% to the USA, 15% to the UK, 11% to Europe, 7% to Canada and 2% to Australia. Its 2024–2026 acceptance list includes, among many others, the University of California campuses, Boston University, Carnegie Mellon, King’s College London, the London School of Economics, University College London, the University of Toronto, the University of British Columbia, the University of Sydney, the National University of Singapore, Waseda, Sophia, Seoul National, Yonsei and, in the Philippines, Ateneo de Manila, De La Salle and the University of the Philippines.

ISM. ISM introduced the IB into its high school in 1976 and calls itself the first school in Asia to offer the IB Diploma. Students graduate with the ISM High School Diploma and can take the full IB Diploma or individual IB certificates in Grades 11–12, with external exams required at the end of each IB course; AP is offered on a limited basis. ISM’s academic programme page does not publish IB results or university placement statistics, so if outcomes are part of your decision, ask ISM’s counselling office for its school profile.

Admissions, English requirements and who can enrol

Brent’s process. You create an online account, submit one application per child with report cards, birth certificate, immunisation record and photo (plus passport pages for foreign applicants, or a government ID for parents of a Filipino applicant), and ask the current school to send confidential evaluations. Once the file is complete, you pay the application fee and book on-campus tests and an interview; at least one parent must attend. Kindergarten applicants do short maths and reading activities; Grades 1–2 take a short maths test, read 20 words and write a short sample; from Grade 3, fluent English speakers take 20-question computer-based maths and reading tests plus a writing sample. Decisions are Accepted, Wait Pool, Hold or Not Accepted, usually the same day or within a few business days, and you have five business days to pay the seat reservation. There is no deadline; the school recommends applying between mid-January and April, and accepts transfers during the year (often August, October or January) when seats exist. Companies paying tuition can send a Guarantee Payment Letter to hold a seat before testing.

Brent’s English rules are strict at the top. Beginners in English are accepted only into Grade 5 and below; Grades 6–7 need intermediate English and Grade 8 advanced English; and “students must be fluent in English with reading, writing, speaking and listening to be enrolled in Grades 9 – 12.” EAL support runs in Grades 1–8 only. Age guide: ideally 3 for Nursery, 4 for Pre-K and 5 for Kindergarten by October; Grade 1 normally uses an October cut-off, with 31 December sometimes considered.

ISM’s process. Rolling admissions with applications up to nine months ahead; online application with two to three years of records and teacher recommendations; entrance testing in English and mathematics plus a counsellor interview; and enrolment with payment at once to hold the place. An inquiry or application does not reserve a space. ISM offers EAL in Grades 1–10 for students who meet a minimum level for their grade.

Filipino citizens and nationality. Neither school publishes a numerical quota on the pages we checked. Brent states that qualified applicants compete for the same seats regardless of nationality, and its profile shows that 51% of its high-school students are Filipino. ISM states that its primary mission is to educate expatriate students and gives them admissions priority; it requires a valid temporary or permanent resident visa, and it runs a scholarship programme for Filipino citizens entering Grade 7 or 8. Both schools require the child to live with a parent in the Philippines.

Campus, commute and the school day

Location is the real decider. Brent’s campus is in Brentville Subdivision, Barangay Mamplasan, Biñan, Laguna — south of Alabang. Its families live mainly in Alabang, and also in Makati, Pasig, Tagaytay and Los Baños. ISM is in Bonifacio Global City, Taguig. If you will live in BGC or Makati, ISM is close; if you will live in Alabang or further south, Brent is. Brent runs its own buses north to Alabang, Makati, BGC, Pasig and Quezon City, each with a driver and an attendant (and a security guard on the longest routes), with CCTV, seatbelts and two-way radios; it does not publish bus fees. ISM’s buses are run by third parties.

Hours and calendar. Brent’s day runs 8:00am to 2:35pm for Kindergarten to Grade 12 (Nursery and Pre-K 8:00 to 11:20am), with a late start at 8:40am on Thursdays and a 2:00pm finish on Fridays; the year has 180 days on an eight-period rotating block schedule. Its 2026–27 calendar starts the first semester on 10 August 2026 and the second on 11 January 2027, with breaks for All Saints’ (2–6 November), Christmas (21–31 December), New Year (1–8 January) and Easter (22–26 March), and graduation on 28 May 2027. ISM’s 2026–27 year runs from 6 August 2026 to 4 June 2027, with middle and high school from 7:30am to 3:00pm.

Daily life at Brent. Students join one of three Houses (Azure, Emerald or Gold), wear a uniform, and can choose from a cafeteria with hot lunches, salad bar and other options paid for with the school ID card. Facilities include a theatre, a Media Center and a Lower School library, the pool, gyms, tennis courts, track and fields, and an Early Learning Center for Nursery to Grade 2. Religion classes are part of the curriculum for all students, with weekly chapel in the Upper School; the school describes its approach as non-evangelistic and welcoming to students of all faiths. For a sense of how an online school day compares, see how an online international school works.

Reviews and common concerns, answered honestly

“Is Brent or ISM better?”

Neither school is “better” in general; they are built for slightly different families. ISM is larger, in BGC, with more course options and priority for expatriate families. Brent is smaller, south of the city, less expensive on official fees, publishes its IB results and university lists, and has a strong Filipino and Korean community alongside American and other families. Visit both if you can, and choose the one whose commute and community fit your child.

“Why is Brent International School expensive?”

Brent’s fees pay for a large campus with extensive sports facilities, its own bus fleet and a full IB programme. On official 2026–27 figures it is still substantially less expensive than ISM at every grade, but the yearly US$1,575 capital development fee is easy to miss, and the board says it rarely grants discounts.

“How hard is it to get a seat?”

Neither school publishes acceptance rates. Brent has a refundable wait pool for accepted students waiting for a seat; ISM says places are offered only when there is space in the grade. Apply early (Brent suggests mid-January to April), and ask both schools about your child’s grade.

“My teenager is still learning English.”

This is where both schools are most demanding. Brent does not accept students who need EAL in Grades 9–12; ISM offers EAL up to Grade 10 with a minimum level. Families with an older child still building English should talk to both admissions offices early and look at options with bilingual support.

“Is Brent’s Laguna location too far?”

That depends entirely on where you live. For families in Alabang, Brent is the nearby school; from BGC or Makati, Brent’s buses run north, but the daily journey is longer than to ISM. Test the commute at school-run times before signing a lease.

Other options worth comparing

The British School Manila (BSM) — a British-curriculum school in BGC that lists the IB Diploma for its oldest students. We did not find its 2026–27 fees on the official pages we checked, so please see its official site.

Brent International School Baguio and Brent International School Subic — sister schools under the same Brent name, but incorporated separately since 1997 with their own boards and fee schedules. Families searching “Brent tuition fee” sometimes land on their figures, so make sure the fee sheet you read is from brent.edu.ph if you mean the Manila (Biñan) school.

NIJIN GLOBAL ACADEMY (NGA) — an online international school for ages 6–18 focused on Asia and Oceania, opening in September 2027 (planned), with a first cohort of 100 students. Classes are small live dialogue groups of about 8; subjects are learned in English with a bilingual (English–Japanese) mentor; English is taught by CEFR level; and an optional Cambridge IGCSE / A-Level pathway is listed on its curriculum page. There is no academic entrance exam and no English requirement, it can run alongside a local school or as the main school, and it travels with the family if they relocate. Its timetable is built for Asia–Oceania daytime, which fits Manila time. Tuition is not yet published; NGA says it will be far more affordable than a typical international school, with no enrolment, facility or uniform fees, materials included and sibling discounts. The honest limitations: it is not yet open, not yet accredited, has no graduates and no track record, and it is not a campus school — families who want daily in-person school life and an established IB Diploma in Manila should choose a school like Brent or ISM. NGA is operated by NIJIN Inc. in Japan, whose alternative school NIJIN Academy has more than 1,000 students.

If your posting could move elsewhere in Asia, our pages on UWCSEA tuition and Tanglin Trust School fees in Singapore, and Seoul Foreign School vs Seoul International School, use the same official-data approach. Our overview of online international schools compared explains how the online model works.

See how NGA admissions work →

FAQ

What is the difference between Brent International School and International School Manila?

Brent is a Nursery–Grade 12 Episcopal-affiliated school with an American-based curriculum and the IB Diploma, on a campus in Biñan, Laguna, south of Alabang, with over 1,000 students. ISM is a Preschool–Grade 12 international school in BGC, Taguig, with over 2,200 students, the ISM High School Diploma, the IB Diploma and limited AP, and admissions priority for expatriate students. ISM’s fees are higher on 2026–27 official schedules.

How much is Brent International School tuition for 2026–27?

From US$3,584 + PhP 164,120 a year for Nursery to US$9,680 + PhP 444,496 for Grades 9–12, billed in both currencies. Every student also pays a US$1,575 capital development fee each year, and new students pay a US$300 application fee and a US$3,000 matriculation fee (not in Nursery).

Is Brent International School expensive?

Compared with most Philippine private schools, yes. Compared with ISM, no: at each grade its dollar portion is about 53–68% of ISM’s and its peso portion about 54–83%, and its one-time fees for a new student are US$3,300 against ISM’s US$9,700 (2026–27 official schedules).

Does Brent offer the IB or AP?

Brent offers the IB Diploma Programme (authorised since 1986) within an American-based curriculum; 64% of its students take the Diploma. AP courses are not listed on its official pages. ISM offers the IB Diploma or IB certificates and limited AP.

Can Filipino students enrol at Brent or ISM?

Yes at Brent, which considers qualified applicants for the same seats regardless of nationality; about half of its high-school students are Filipino. ISM gives admissions priority to expatriate students and offers scholarships for Filipino citizens entering Grade 7 or 8. Neither school publishes a numerical quota.

What are the alternatives to Brent and ISM?

The British School Manila in BGC is the main British-curriculum alternative. For children aged 6–18 who need bilingual support or a flexible online option, NIJIN GLOBAL ACADEMY opens in September 2027 (planned); it is not yet accredited.

Choosing calmly before your move to Manila

Brent and ISM are both long-established, accredited IB schools, and many families would be well served by either. The choice usually comes down to three things you can check this week: where you will live (south near Alabang, or BGC and Makati), whether your child’s English meets the level each school requires for their grade, and what the first year costs in dollars and pesos once one-time fees are added. Email both admissions offices with your arrival date and your child’s grade, book a visit, and ask for the latest school profile. If your plans are still uncertain — a short posting, a teenager still growing into English, or a gap before a seat opens — it is worth keeping one flexible option in view too. You can read more about why families choose an online international school.

Tuition and admissions details were checked on the official websites on 18 October 2026. Schools revise fees every year — always confirm on the official site before applying.

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