← Back to the rankingInternational School of Stavanger
Stavanger, Norway · est. 1966 · Private
Illustration · Stavanger
The International School of Stavanger (ISS) is a private, non-profit international day school teaching in English and one of the largest international schools in Scandinavia. It was founded in 1966 for the families of the oil pioneers exploring the North Sea; in 1974 it became the third school in the world accredited by the Council of International Schools. The 6-hectare campus lies by Hafrsfjord on the western edge of Stavanger. In the 2025-2026 school year 478 children from 41 countries attended: 32 in early years, 187 in kindergarten and primary, 109 in middle school and 150 in high school; about 15% are Norwegian citizens, 19% US and 12% UK citizens. The school takes children from age one to 18: an early years programme (barnehage) following the Reggio Emilia approach, kindergarten and grades 1-8 following the school's own international curriculum, IGCSE examinations in grades 9-10 and the IB Diploma Programme in grades 11-12, which the school has offered for more than 20 years. All children learn Norwegian as a first or foreign language, and French or Spanish is added from grade 6. All graduates earn the ISS High School diploma, equivalent to a North American high school diploma, and nearly all also earn the IB Diploma.
Key facts
Tuition
≈ $28 852 a year
277 680 NOK
Programmes
IB · DP · Cambridge · IGCSE
Admits from
1 year · Pre-School
Languages of instruction
English
Languages taught
Norwegian, French, Spanish, Dutch, German, Italian
Students per teacher
1 to 9
Registration fee
≈ $520
5 000 NOK
About the fees Fee schedule for 2026-2027. Kindergarten to grade 12: the main rate (Category 1) is 277680 NOK per year; every new family pays it, whether sponsored by a company or paying privately, including expats and Norwegian citizens. A reduced rate (Category 2) for families without employer support and with limited means, on application and within a quota of places: 138900 NOK per year up to grade 9 and 257100 NOK in grades 10-12; 10% discount for additional siblings. Students in grades 10-12 whose fees are paid by their parents may apply for a Lånekassen grant: up to 117641 NOK in 2026-2027. Early years cost 1200 NOK per month (the national maximum, adjusted each January). Private families pay quarterly, a student starting mid-quarter is invoiced for the whole quarter; tuition is not refunded, and three months' notice is required to leave.
Admissions Admission is rolling throughout the year with no entrance tests: decisions are based on the application, previous school records, confidential recommendations and, if needed, a meeting with the principal; middle and high school students may sit placement tests in mathematics, English, French, Norwegian or Spanish, used only for class placement. English proficiency is not required: there is an English as an Additional Language programme. The school accepts students with mild to moderate learning difficulties if it can support them. The school says it serves expatriate families and Norwegian citizens who want an international education; all students may enter the IB Diploma. For the early years programme (children from 12 months to 5 years) families also apply through Stavanger Kommune; children from Stavanger, Randaberg, Sola, Sandnes and the surrounding area are accepted; priority order: children with disabilities with an expert assessment, children of ISS expat staff, siblings of students, children of international families moving to Stavanger for work, children from international or multilingual families, children who have followed an international curriculum, then local children wanting an international education. Places for children aged 1-4 are currently waitlisted.
Stages and year groups Five sections: early years 1-4 (from 12 months to 5 years, under the Norwegian Kindergarten Act and Framework Plan, Reggio Emilia approach); early childhood (Kindergarten from age 5 and grades 1-2); primary school (up to grade 5); middle school (grades 6-8); high school (grades 9-12). Up to grade 8 the school follows its own international curriculum with standards from European, North American and Australian systems, not tied to one national curriculum. In grades 9-10 students sit Cambridge IGCSE examinations (offered for more than 30 years): Coordinated Sciences (Double Award), English First Language, English Literature, English as an Additional Language, French, Spanish, Geography, History, Cambridge International Mathematics, plus IGCSE Art and drama when there is demand. In grades 11-12 the IB Diploma Programme (English, Norwegian, French, Spanish, geography, history, psychology, global politics, biology, chemistry, physics, environmental systems, mathematics, design technology, visual arts; online through Pamoja economics, business and others). Graduates earn the ISS High School diploma, equivalent to a US high school diploma (22 credits), and nearly all the IB Diploma, which grants Norwegian studiekompetanse. The school is a test centre for the SAT and Cambridge admissions tests.
Address Treskeveien 3, 4043 Hafrsfjord
Accreditations and programmes verified against official registries
IB · DP · authorised programmeCambridge · IGCSE · authorised programmeCOBIS · membershipNEASC · accreditationThe school is listed in the IB register and runs the Diploma Programme. The Cambridge register names the school as its centre: in Grades 9-10 students sit Cambridge IGCSE exams. Up to Grade 8 the school follows its own international curriculum. The school is an accredited member of COBIS. The school is accredited by NEASC.
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). IGCSE means exams at around Year 10 or 11, the British counterpart of a lower secondary leaving certificate.
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 →NEASCNew England Association of Schools and Colleges
An American accreditation working since 1885. For international schools it uses an approach where the visitors look first at live lessons rather than at folders of paperwork: the team works in the school for about a week. It is the only one here whose public directory honestly separates accredited schools from candidates.
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 →Exams and destinations from the school's official website
Average IB score
34 (world average 30.88)
Exam results IB Diploma 2025: 37 graduates took the full programme; average score 34, average of the top quarter 40.1, subject mean 5.3, 16.7% scored 40 points or more. 2024: average 35, top quarter 42.8, subject mean 5.5, 40 or more points 25%. 2023: average 34.7, top quarter 40.9, subject mean 5.5, 40 or more points 22.2%. Over the last decade 93% of students took the full IB Diploma. The school does not publish IGCSE results in figures, describing them as excellent.
Where leavers go: McGill University · University of Toronto · Copenhagen Business School · Trinity College Dublin · Luiss University · BI Norwegian Business School · Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) · University of Oslo · University of Stavanger · Delft University of Technology · Utrecht University · Erasmus University Rotterdam
and others, 23 universities in the school's list in allThe 2025-2026 high school profile lists universities where graduates of 2021-2025 enrolled in Canada, Cyprus, Denmark, Germany, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Norway, the Netherlands, Poland, Puerto Rico, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, South Korea, the UK and the US; some graduates go to Norwegian folk high schools (folkehøgskole), work or volunteer.
Facilities from the school's official website
·Swimming poolnot stated on the website
✓Sports hall
✓Laboratories
✓Theatre or assembly hall
✓Library
✓Catering
✓School transport
·Boardingnot stated on the website
Also on site: Sports ground or field · Playground · Makerspace
Clubs and activities: Football/soccer · Cross-country running · Volleyball · Basketball · Badminton · Swimming · Track and field · Taekwondo · Table Tennis · Indoor wall climbing · Baseball · Choir · Recorder Ensemble · Instrumental Music · Musicals/plays · Dance · Lego · Math club · Media Crew · Photography · Japan Arts · Student Council · Model United Nations · Board game / role-play group
Teaching staff from the school's official website
·Teachers listed by namenot published
✓Teacher qualifications
✓Number of teachers73
✓Students per teacher or class sizein the key facts above
What the listings show: 63% of teachers (46 people) hold a master's degree or doctorate; many IB teachers have been IB examiners, workshop leaders and accreditors. Teachers' qualifications must be approved in Norway.
The school has 120 staff of 24 nationalities, including 73 teachers of 17 nationalities. It states a teacher-to-student ratio of 1 to 9. A police certificate is required on hiring under Norwegian law.
Safety and wellbeing from the school's official website
·CCTVnot stated on the website
·Security staffnot stated on the website
·Access controlnot stated on the website
✓Nurse or medical room
✓Counsellor
✓Child protection policy
·Staff trainingnot stated on the website
·Anti-bullying policynot stated on the website
The school has a nurse: growth and development checks, vaccinations following the Norwegian programme, vision and hearing tests, medication during the day and first aid; staff are trained in CPR and AED use. A standing well-being committee is responsible for health, safety, security and the environment, keeps records of incidents and reports monthly to the Board of Trustees. There are counsellors for each section, an Advisory programme and peer mediation. Any allegation of risk to a student is handled under the child protection policies together with the authorities. All visitors check in at the main entrance.
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 data70 Accreditation and verifiability (10%)95 Teaching staff (10%) scored on disclosed data70 Facilities (10%) scored on disclosed data85 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