← Back to the rankingCambridge School of Bucharest
Voluntari, Romania · est. 1994 · Private
Illustration · Voluntari
Cambridge School of Bucharest (CSB) is a private, fee-paying British international day school in Voluntari, on the northern edge of Bucharest, in Băneasa forest, for children aged 3 to 18. The school was founded in 1994 and since August 2020 has occupied a purpose-built campus; it is run by the Fundația Mateas. It teaches the National Curriculum of England from Nursery to Year 11 with Cambridge IGCSE exams, and in Years 12-13 students choose one of two tracks: Cambridge AS and A Level or the IB Diploma Programme. The language of instruction is English, which the school names as its main language directly. Students represent more than 40 nationalities. The school is a British School Overseas inspected by ISI, a COBIS and AoBSO member, an IB World School and a Cambridge International examination centre; the Romanian agency ARACIP recognises it as an international school, and its leavers' diploma holds equivalence to the Romanian Baccalaureate.
Key facts
Tuition
≈ $14 574–24 176 a year
12 900–21 400 EUR
Programmes
IB · DP · Cambridge · IGCSE, A-Level
Admits from
3 years · Pre-School
Languages of instruction
English
Languages taught
Romanian, French, German, Spanish, Chinese, Turkish
Class size
16 to 26 students per class
About the fees Annual fees for 2026/2027, regular programme: Nursery 12900 euro; Reception and Year 1 14950 euro; Years 2-3 17600 euro; Years 4-6 18500 euro; Years 7-9 19500 euro; Years 10-11 20500 euro; Years 12-13 21400 euro. Long programme: Nursery 14700 euro, Reception and Year 1 16100 euro, Years 2-3 18800 euro, Year 4 19500 euro. Full payment discounts: 5% before end March, 4% before end April, 3% before end May; 5% for each younger sibling. Fees include student insurance, targeted academic support, most after-school clubs, a digital library and school online platforms; books, uniform, transport, catering and activities by external providers are extra.
Admissions The school states that it accepts students from all over the globe and admits students throughout the year if a place is available and requirements are met. Families first submit the web enquiry form and meet the Admissions Team in person or by video call. Nursery and Reception accept children with all English capabilities, provided they can use the toilet and wash their hands independently. Years 1-2 require basic English, Phonics and Numeracy, decided case by case. Years 3-9 take a Cognitive Ability Test and a writing sample; Years 10-11 take the same test, possibly written papers in chosen IGCSE subjects, and an interview with the Head of Secondary. AS and A Level require IGCSE or GCSE grades of C or higher in all subjects (or mock results) and an interview; the IB Diploma requires subject-specific entrance assessments. Assessment for Years 3-11 costs 400 RON. Parents confirm the place within 48 hours of the decision. Student and parent documents are required, for non-Romanian nationals the passport and residency permit if applicable, plus immunisation records and previous school transcripts. When places are limited there is a waiting list, with priority for siblings.
Stages and year groups Grades Nursery, Reception, 1-13 (Year 1 - Year 13). British stages: Early Years Foundation Stage (Nursery from age 3, Reception), Primary - Years 1-6, Secondary - Key Stage 3 (Years 7-9) and Key Stage 4 (Years 10-11, Cambridge IGCSE, at least seven subjects), Sixth Form (Years 12-13). Years 12-13 offer two parallel tracks: Cambridge AS and A Level (at least four subjects in Year 12 and three in Year 13) or the IB Diploma Programme with Theory of Knowledge, the Extended Essay and CAS. The school maps British years to Romanian grades: Year 1 to clasa 0, Year 13 to clasa a XII-a. There is no separate Romanian national curriculum track.
Address Strada Erou Iancu Nicolae 126C, 077190 Voluntari, jud. Ilfov
Accreditations and programmes verified against official registries
IB · DP · authorised programmeCambridge · IGCSE, A-Level · authorised programmeBSO · accreditationCOBIS · membershipHMC · part of the allianceThe IB register lists the Diploma Programme at the school, and the Cambridge register names it as its centre. It is inspected under the British Schools Overseas scheme (listed under the name of the Mateas Foundation) and is a member of COBIS and HMC. In Years 12-13 the IB Diploma runs alongside A Level.
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 →CambridgeCambridge International Education
Part of the University of Cambridge. It allows a school to teach the Cambridge programmes and to enter pupils for the exams. There are four stages and they are authorised separately: primary, lower secondary, IGCSE and A Level. If the stages are known they are named in the line below; if that line is missing, the school does not publish them, and the Cambridge registry does not show stages either - it gives only the name of the centre, the country and whether private candidates are accepted. Cambridge calls what it does registration rather than accreditation, and the network holds about ten thousand schools.
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: IGCSE (ages 14-16), A-Level (ages 16-18). IGCSE means exams at around Year 10 or 11, the British counterpart of a lower secondary leaving certificate. A-Level is the senior years, and their results are what British and many other universities admit on.
Register to check for yourself, and the full guide →BSOBritish government inspection of schools overseas
A scheme of the UK Department for Education: a school abroad is inspected against the standards for independent schools in England, including safeguarding and the standards for boarding. The inspections are done by independent inspectorates approved by the department, and the inspectorates themselves are monitored annually by Ofsted. The reports are published in full on the government website.
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 →COBISCouncil of British International Schools
An association of British schools abroad with a quality inspection of its own. It has nine membership categories, and the word "accredited" appears in seven of them, although COBIS does its own inspection in one: in the rest it recognises an accreditation granted by somebody else.
What the badge means for this school. The school belongs to this organisation but has not been through its accreditation. The difference matters: membership is usually paid for and has no external inspection behind it. The entry is confirmed in the organisation's open directory.
Register to check for yourself, and the full guide →HMCConference of heads of British independent schools
It is a head who becomes a member of this conference, not a school: membership is offered to the head, and in some categories the logo is marked as personal. A badge on a school's website means its head belongs to the conference. For full international membership there is a check - two people, two days - but no live external inspection is required.
What the badge means for this school. The school belongs to this network. That is not a quality inspection: a network is something a school joins, while an accreditation is something a school goes through. The entry is confirmed in the organisation's open directory.
Register to check for yourself, and the full guide →Exams and destinations from the school's official website
Exam results A Level: 41% of grades A-A*, 95% A*-C, 100% pass rate. IGCSE: 55% of grades A-A*, 94% A*-C, 98% pass rate. The school does not state the exam year; IB Diploma results are not published on the site.
Where leavers go: University of Cambridge · London School of Economics (LSE) · University of Glasgow · Newcastle University · Cardiff University · Stanford University · Emory University · University of Groningen · University of Amsterdam · Delft University of Technology · Erasmus University Rotterdam · Bocconi University and others, 18 universities in the school's list in all
Facilities from the school's official website
·Swimming poolnot stated on the website
·Sports hallnot stated on the website
✓Laboratories
·Theatre or assembly hallnot stated on the website
·Librarynot stated on the website
✓Catering
✓School transport
·Boardingnot stated on the website
Clubs and activities: Drama Club · Art Club · Duke of Edinburgh's International Award · Model United Nations · Student Union
Teaching staff from the school's official website
·Teachers listed by namenot published
✓Teacher qualifications
·Number of teachersthe school does not say
✓Students per teacher or class sizein the key facts above
What the listings show: predominantly native English speakers or teachers who have lived and worked extensively in English-speaking environments; all Primary class teachers are native English speakers
The school says its teachers are predominantly native English speakers or people who have lived and worked extensively in English-speaking environments, and all Primary class teachers are native English speakers. IGCSE courses are taught by subject specialists. There are SEND coordinators, a More Able, Gifted and Talented programme and EAL specialists.
Safety and wellbeing from the school's official website
✓CCTV
·Security staffnot stated on the website
·Access controlnot stated on the website
·Nurse or medical roomnot stated on the website
✓Counsellor
✓Child protection policy
·Staff trainingnot stated on the website
·Anti-bullying policynot stated on the website
The school publishes child protection, video surveillance, health and safety policies and visitor guidance. Designated Child Safeguarding Officers are appointed for each stage, from EYFS to Year 11. A school counsellor supports students and parents, every student has a form tutor, and PSCHEE lessons teach staying safe on and offline. The campus has secure premises.
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%)89 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 data75 Accreditation and verifiability (10%)95 Teaching staff (10%) scored on disclosed data55 Facilities (10%) scored on disclosed data70 Clubs and activities (8%) scored on disclosed data73 "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.
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