← Back to the rankingAmerican International School of Budapest
Nagykovacsi, Hungary · est. 1973 · Private
Illustration · Nagykovacsi
The American International School of Budapest (AISB) is a private, non-profit international day school for ages 3 to 18 on a large forest campus in Nagykovácsi, just outside Budapest. It was founded by the United States Embassy in 1973 to serve U.S. Government families; today it serves expatriate, diplomatic and Hungarian families, 965 students from 68 countries. The school is governed by a Board of Trustees drawn from the parent community. The curriculum follows an American model with an international perspective: a Reggio Emilia inspired Early Childhood program, Elementary, Middle and High School, where graduates earn the American AISB Diploma and may add the IB Diploma or the Global Impact Diploma; since 2025 the school has offered their combination, the Dual Diploma. Around 80% of each cohort takes the full IB Diploma. AP courses are taken mostly online through Virtual High School. English is the language of instruction except in World Languages courses, as the school states directly. The school reports CIS and Middle States Association accreditation and IB authorisation and is a member of CEESA.
Key facts
Tuition
$15 500–29 750 a year
Programmes
IB · DP · American programme
Admits from
3 years · Pre-School
Languages of instruction
English
Languages taught
Hungarian, French, German, Spanish
Class size
15 students on average; at most 16 in EC3 and EC4, 18 in Kindergarten, 20 in Grades 1-12 pupils
About the fees Annual tuition for 2026-2027: EC3 and EC4 15500 dollars, Kindergarten and Grades 1-5 25900 dollars, Grades 6-8 27650 dollars, Grades 9-10 28900 dollars, Grades 11-12 29750 dollars. All students also pay an annual Building Fee of 3500 dollars, for a total of 19000 to 33250 dollars. Middle and High School fees include Fall Trips, Elementary fees include school trips. Wrap-around care until 17:30 for EC and Kindergarten is included in the fee.
Admissions The school admits students throughout the year when space is available; the latest start date for new students is the first week of May. Families submit an online inquiry, then an application with documents and an admissions assessment, followed by a decision. Students with no English are accepted from Early Childhood 3 to Grade 6 (Grade 6 requires a language assessment); Grades 7-12 require increasing English proficiency on the school's assessment. To preserve the international character, no country may exceed 20% of a grade, and EAL students are capped at 30% per grade. Age is counted on 1 September: 3 for EC3, 5 for Kindergarten, 6 for Grade 1; High School applicants must be able to graduate before age 20. Students with limited learning needs are admitted if the school can support them (up to 30% of time in learning support). A medical form in English and immunisations under Hungarian requirements are required. The school accepts foreign students: children of expatriates and diplomats from dozens of countries attend.
Stages and year groups Grades EC3, EC4, Kindergarten, 1-12. Early Childhood (EC3 and EC4, from age 3) and Kindergarten (age 5) follow the school's own English-language program inspired by Reggio Emilia; Elementary covers Kindergarten and Grades 1-5, Middle School Grades 6-8, High School Grades 9-12. Graduates earn the American AISB Diploma (24 credits plus CAS) and may add the IB Diploma (Grades 11-12) or the Global Impact Diploma (formerly the Innovation Diploma, Grades 10-12); since 2025 there is a Dual Diploma combining GID and IB. AP courses are mostly online through Virtual High School; Global Online Academy and IB Online Pamoja courses are also offered. The school does not run the IB PYP or MYP, and there is no Hungarian program or érettségi.
Address Nagykovácsi út 12, 2094 Nagykovácsi
Accreditations and programmes verified against official registries
IB · DP · authorised programmeCIS · accreditationMSA · accreditationCEESA · part of the associationThe IB register lists the Diploma Programme at the school. It is accredited by CIS (Council of International Schools) and MSA (Middle States Association) and is a member of CEESA, the Central and Eastern European Schools Association. Alongside the IB the school awards its own American high school diploma.
school is in an official registryconfirmed by a school document, by membership or by taking part in a networkclaimed by the school, no confirmation, not counted in the scoreGuide to all organisations → What stands behind each entry
IBInternational Baccalaureate
A Swiss non-profit, working since 1968. Its programmes are among the most widely recognised school programmes in the world. Authorisation is granted stage by stage, so a school with the final stage does not necessarily run the younger ones; which stages this school holds is set out in the line below.
What the badge means for this school. The school is allowed to run this programme and to award its certificate. This is a confirmation of the programme, not a judgement on the school as a whole. The entry stands in the organisation's public register - anyone can check it. At this school: DP (ages 16-19). DP is the final stage, ages 16 to 19: six subjects plus a compulsory core of theory of knowledge, an extended essay and CAS. The diploma is accepted by universities all over the world, and in a number of countries it counts for admission on the same footing as the local leaving certificate.
Register to check for yourself, and the full guide →CISCouncil of International Schools
It accredits international schools and is a paying association at the same time. It examines governance and ownership, the curriculum, teaching, student wellbeing, staff and premises; a team of volunteers from other CIS accredited schools visits the school. Membership and accreditation are different things here, and schools confuse them more often than anything else.
What the badge means for this school. The school has been through this organisation's accreditation. It was judged as a whole: governance, safeguarding, staff, premises, teaching. The entry stands in the organisation's public register - anyone can check it.
Register to check for yourself, and the full guide →MSAMiddle States Association of Colleges and Schools
One of the oldest American accreditations, working since 1887 in more than a hundred countries and linked to the Office of Overseas Schools of the US State Department. It judges the school as an institution across twelve areas, including finances, governance, premises and student support.
What the badge means for this school. The school has been through this organisation's accreditation. It was judged as a whole: governance, safeguarding, staff, premises, teaching. The entry stands in the organisation's public register - anyone can check it.
Register to check for yourself, and the full guide →CEESACentral and Eastern European Schools Association
About thirty international schools in the region. It runs conferences, teacher development and competitions between schools: robotics, football, volleyball, debating. An accreditation from CIS, NEASC, MSA, WASC or Cognia is a condition of entry here, not an outcome.
What the badge means for this school. The school belongs to the association. CEESA runs no inspection of its own, but a school is not admitted without somebody else's accreditation - so the school holds one, and that is what to look at. The entry is confirmed in the organisation's open directory.
Register to check for yourself, and the full guide →American programme
The American school programme, with the High School Diploma at the end. It usually comes together with AP courses, which the College Board stands behind, and with an American accreditation - MSA, NEASC or Cognia.
What this means for this school. The diploma is written out by the school itself: the American programme has no common leaving exam, and the content of the senior years is set by the school. Outside checking therefore rests on two things here - the accreditation of the school, and the AP exams if the school runs them.
Exams and destinations from the school's official website
Average IB score
34.5 (world average 30.88)
AP scores of 3 and above
100%
Exam results IB Diploma, 2026: 67 graduates took IB exams and 53 pursued the full Diploma; 94% of candidates passed, with an average score of 34.5 against a global average of 30.88, 21% scored 40 or higher, and three students earned the maximum 45 points. All students who took AP exams in 2026 scored 3 or higher. The Class of 2025 average SAT was 1311 (Math 667, English 644). In 2025 the average IB score was 34 and 94% of 64 candidates passed.
Where leavers go: Imperial College London · University College London · King's College London · University of Edinburgh · University of Toronto · McGill University · Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich · Bocconi University · Delft University of Technology · University of Amsterdam · IE University · Central European University
and others, 13 universities in the school's list in allThe list shows universities that admitted graduates in 2023-2025; each senior may submit no more than 12 applications. The Class of 2025 matriculated mostly in the USA (24.4%), Spain (15.1%), the Netherlands (14%) and the UK (10.5%). According to the school, 92% of students gain admission to one of their top 5 choices.
Facilities from the school's official website
✓Swimming pool
·Sports hallnot stated on the website
·Laboratoriesnot stated on the website
·Theatre or assembly hallnot stated on the website
✓Library
✓Catering
✓School transport
·Boardingnot stated on the website
Also on site: Sports ground or field · Art studio · Playground · Makerspace
Clubs and activities: Model United Nations · Robotics · Science Club · Coding Club · Speech and Debate · Knowledge Bowl (quiz competition) · Math Counts · Global Issues Network · Choir · Drama · Rock Band · Yearbook club · Animation Design · Art Club · Chess · Bug Club
Teaching staff from the school's official website
·Teachers listed by namenot published
✓Teacher qualifications
✓Number of teachers125
✓Students per teacher or class sizein the key facts above
What the listings show: 70% of faculty hold post-graduate degrees (78 educators with a Master's or PhD); hiring includes background checks and reference checks with safeguarding questions
The school has 125 educators, with 8 students per educator. 49% of faculty are American, 12% Canadian, 10% British and 29% from 14 other countries; 64% have taught at AISB for more than six years. School Director Brett Penny holds an MA in Private School Leadership from Columbia University and an MBA in Education from Keele University. Elementary students have specialist teachers in art, music, drama, PE and STEAM, as well as counsellors, EAL teachers, learning support specialists and an occupational therapist.
Safety and wellbeing from the school's official website
✓CCTV
✓Security staff
✓Access control
·Nurse or medical roomnot stated on the website
✓Counsellor
✓Child protection policy
✓Staff training
·Anti-bullying policynot stated on the website
The campus has 24-hour security, a single secured entrance with ID checks, CCTV, emergency protocols and drills. The school has child protection policies aligned with international practice and CEESA; staff receive regular training, and hiring includes background and safeguarding-specific reference checks. There is a Safeguarding Lead, a form for reporting concerns and a whistleblower channel. School counsellors support students academically and emotionally.
Reviews
No reviews yet. The community rating counts towards the score once a school has five verified reviews - until then we do not show a zero, so as not to mislead.
Criteria breakdown criterion weight in brackets
Academics and programmes (16%)84 Community rating (16%)no dataparent reviews are needed: the criterion switches on at the fifth verified one Exams and destinations (12%) scored on disclosed data80 Safety and wellbeing (12%) scored on disclosed data90 Accreditation and verifiability (10%)95 Teaching staff (10%) scored on disclosed data70 Facilities (10%) scored on disclosed data75 Clubs and activities (8%) scored on disclosed data78 "Scored on disclosed data" stands where we count only what the school has written about itself on its own site: exams and destinations, safety and wellbeing, teaching staff, facilities, clubs and activities. A low score here means the school does not write about this, not that the school does not have it: a school with good security and a sparse site will score low. A school can fill in its profile, and the score will be counted again.
The score is counted from 8 of the 9 criteria.Only those with checkable data count: programmes and accreditations from official registers, the fee from a published price list. Where it says "scored on the median", the school has no data and the middle of the list is put in its place, so that a gap gives no advantage. Admissions, teaching staff and reviews come in as their data arrives.
The full methodology → Similar schools in the country