← Back to the rankingKristiansand International School
Kristiansand, Norway · est. 2008 · Private
Illustration · Kristiansand
Kristiansand International School (KIS) is a small private, not-for-profit international school in the Lund district in the east of Kristiansand for grades 1 to 10, ages 6 to 16. It opened in January 2008 with five teachers and 15 students to serve international professionals in the region's oil, chemical, energy and education sectors; it started as a municipal school and later became private. According to the school, about 200 students from more than 30 countries and 28 staff from 9 countries are there now. Since 2011 the school has offered the IB PYP in grades 1-5 and the MYP in grades 6-10; the language of instruction is English, Norwegian is compulsory for all, and French is taught in the middle school. The school is supported by its foundation and by Kristiansand Kommune, which covers the running costs, so fees are nominal. Its programmes are designed as preparation for the IB Diploma after grade 10.
Key facts
Languages of instruction
English
Languages taught
Norwegian, French
About the fees There is no current fee schedule on the website: under the 2022 parent terms the fee for the 2022-2023 school year was 3500 NOK in 10 instalments, and 4500 NOK per year was announced for 2023-2024; sibling discount 30% for the second child and 50% for the third and further children. The fee covers some of the extra costs of being an IB school, while Kristiansand Kommune covers the running costs. Trips, including residential trips, are charged separately, with help from the school or the parent association in cases of hardship. Three months' notice is required to leave, otherwise three months of fees are invoiced.
Admissions Admission is non-selective and possible at any point in the year when there is a place; a student from a local school normally transfers at the start of a school year. The application and signed terms are sent by email. Priority under the 2022 terms: children of overseas parents working in Norway; children of Norwegian parents whose company will send them to work abroad; children of families interested in an international education. Grade placement follows age under the Norwegian system (grade 1 in the year the child turns 6), and early or delayed school start is not allowed. Families living outside Kristiansand Kommune need their municipality's agreement to reimburse schooling costs. English is assessed on entry, with extra instruction if needed. Students have no statutory right to free transport or special education, but the school refers children to PPT for evaluation and tries to provide support.
Stages and year groups Grades 1-10. The IB Primary Years Programme in grades 1-5 and the IB Middle Years Programme in grades 6-10, authorised in 2011; in grade 10 students take external MYP assessments (eExams and ePortfolios) and the personal project for IB certificates. The school follows the Norwegian national curriculum in religion and ethics and in Norwegian; Norwegian is compulsory for all students, as a first or learned language, but with fewer hours than in state schools. French is taught in the middle school, and primary students have home language sessions. The programmes are designed as preparation for the IB Diploma; in grades 9-10 students take part in the municipality's careers activities. There is no upper secondary section; the school does not mention Cambridge programmes.
Address Kongsgård Allé 20, 4631 Kristiansand
Accreditations and programmes verified against official registries
IB · PYP, MYP · authorised programmeThe school is listed in the IB register and runs the Primary Years and Middle Years programmes.
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: PYP (ages 3-12), MYP (ages 11-16). PYP is the primary stage, ages 3 to 12. It is not a set of subjects but a frame for the whole school: learning is built around lines of inquiry, and there are no exams at the end. MYP is the middle stage, ages 11 to 16. There are no exams here either; at the end an optional electronic assessment of pupils' work is possible.
Register to check for yourself, and the full guide →Exams and destinations from the school's official website
The school publishes nothing about where its leavers go: no share going on to university, no exam results, no list of universities.
Facilities from the school's official website
·Swimming poolnot stated on the website
·Sports hallnot stated on the website
·Laboratoriesnot stated on the website
·Theatre or assembly hallnot stated on the website
✓Library
·Cateringnot stated on the website
·School transportnot stated on the website
·Boardingnot stated on the website
Campus: The school is in the Lund district in the east of Kristiansand, on a campus shared with a reception school for new migrants and the adult education centre Kongsgård skolesenter. The 2022-2023 parent handbook describes a library with books in English, Norwegian and students' home languages where students can do homework after school, swimming lessons and outdoor breaks in all weather. The school has no after-school care of its own: younger children attend the SFO at Lovisenlund School or the sports-based IFO Gimletroll, which collects children by bus. Children bring lunch from home. It is a day school with no boarding.
Clubs and activities: Student Council · Green Flag
Teaching staff
The school publishes neither the number of its teachers nor their qualifications.
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 policynot stated on the website
·Staff trainingnot stated on the website
✓Anti-bullying policy
The Student Support Services Team (leadership, learning support coordinator, school counsellor and nurse) coordinates academic, social and medical support. The counsellor teaches social emotional learning in grades 2-10. The municipal school nurse meets every new student and runs the health programme: check-ups, vaccinations following the Norwegian programme, talks on health and puberty. Any bullying is unacceptable, and there are behaviour and anti-bullying policies; the school works with outside agencies in Kristiansand on child welfare.
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%)72 Community rating (16%)no dataparent reviews are needed: the criterion switches on at the fifth verified one Exams and destinations (12%) scored on disclosed data55 Safety and wellbeing (12%) scored on disclosed data70 Accreditation and verifiability (10%)85 Teaching staff (10%) scored on disclosed data55 Facilities (10%) scored on disclosed data65 Clubs and activities (8%) scored on disclosed data64 Value for money (6%) scored at the median95 "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 7 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