← Back to homeVerdala International School
Pembroke, Malta · est. 1976 · Private
Illustration · Pembroke
Verdala International School is a private international school in Pembroke, from preschool to the final Grade 12. It was founded in 1976 as a day school for the children of expatriate families working in Malta, initially sponsored by an American oil company; in 1985 it became a non-profit foundation, and in 1987 it moved with 110 students to the historic Fort Pembroke, a British coastal fort of the nineteenth century. Today the school has 522 students from more than 50 countries. Teaching is in English, as stated in the admissions policy and on the English language support page. The school follows International Baccalaureate programmes: the Middle Years Programme (MYP), the Diploma Programme (since 1995) and the Career-related Programme (CP), and the elementary school is a candidate for the Primary Years Programme (PYP). Besides the IB, graduates can earn the school's own US-style VIS High School Diploma. On its home page the school gives an average IB Diploma score of 34 and a 93% diploma award rate. There is no boarding house: for Grade 9-12 students who do not live with their parents, the school arranges government-licensed host families (Host Family Programme). There is no uniform: "Our students do not wear a uniform". The campus closes in summer for maintenance and there are no summer programmes.
Key facts
Tuition
≈ $11 636–17 737 a year
10 300–15 700 EUR
Programmes
IB · MYP, DP, CP · American programme
Admits from
3 years · Pre-School
Languages of instruction
English
Languages taught
French, Italian, Spanish, Maltese
Class size
16 in Pre-K, 18 in Grades 1-4, 20 in Grades 5-12 pupils
Registration fee
≈ $339
300 EUR
About the fees Annual tuition for the 2026-2027 school year: Pre-Kindergarten 1 and 2 - 10300 euros, Kindergarten - Grade 5 - 11700, Grades 6-8 - 13500, Grades 9-10 - 15400, Grades 11-12 - 15700 euros. Separately: the Learning Support Education Programme - 35000 euros a year, the Residency Programme - 16000 euros a year. Fees can be paid for the full year or in three instalments (end of August, early December, end of February). Discounts for families with several children: 300 euros for two, 900 for three, 1200 for four.
Admissions The school is open to children of any nationality: "Admission ... shall be open to elementary and secondary level students of any gender, nationality, creed and ethnicity". The condition is legal residency status in Malta for the whole period of study. Priority goes to US Embassy children, then to siblings of current students, children of diplomatic mission staff, students transferring from English-medium schools and relatives of staff. The grade is set by age on 31 August; Pre-K1 takes children who have turned 3, and they must be fully toilet-trained. From Grade 3 there is a computer-based entrance assessment; Grade 3-12 applicants whose first language is not English take an English test. Students whose English would not allow them to study in Grades 11-12 are not admitted to those grades. Admission is rolling throughout the year except for IB Diploma classes; when a class is full, applicants go into a waiting pool. Documents must be in English or come with a certified translation. Children with special needs are admitted depending on the school's resources; severe learning disabilities cannot currently be accommodated.
Stages and year groups Grades Pre-K1 - Grade 12. Early Years (Pre-K1 and Pre-K2, ages 3-5) and Elementary School (Kindergarten - Grade 5, ages 5-11); the elementary school is a candidate for the IB Primary Years Programme. Middle School (Grades 6-8) and Grades 9-10 of the High School follow the IB Middle Years Programme. In Grades 11-12 there are three pathways: the IB Diploma Programme, the IB Career-related Programme or the VIS High School Diploma (the school's US-style diploma).
Address Fort Pembroke, Pembroke PBK 1641, Malta
Accreditations and programmes verified against official registries
IB · MYP, DP, CP · authorised programmeMSA · accreditationThe IB register lists three programmes at the school: the Middle Years Programme, the Diploma and the Career-related Programme. The school is accredited by MSA (Middle States Association), listed as Active in its directory.
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: MYP (ages 11-16), DP (ages 16-19), CP (ages 16-19, with a vocational slant). 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. 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. CP is the final stage with a vocational slant, ages 16 to 19: some of the DP subjects plus an applied qualification. It is meant for those heading into a trade or an applied degree rather than an academic one.
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 →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 (world average 30.88)
Exam results On its home page the school gives an average IB Diploma score of 34 and a 93% IB diploma award rate, without naming the graduating class. The IB Diploma Programme page shows the results of the class of 2025 as an image.
Where leavers go: École Polytechnique · Erasmus University Rotterdam · Hotelschool The Hague · Les Roches · The Hague University of Applied Sciences · University of Groningen · University of Vienna · Binghamton University · Gustavus Adolphus College · Michigan State University · Point University · Purdue University
and others, 19 universities in the school's list in allThe list shows universities where 2026 graduates enrolled; in addition, the school names offers of admission from the University of Malta, Delft University of Technology, KU Leuven, Leiden University, University of Amsterdam, Università Bocconi, IE University, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, New York University and other universities in Europe, the UK, Ireland, the Americas, Asia and Oceania.
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
✓LibraryLibraries with 9849 books
·Cateringnot stated on the website
·School transportnot stated on the website
·Boardingnot stated on the website
Campus: Six acres inside Fort Pembroke, a British coastal fort built in 1875-1879; the Middle and High Schools in the former barracks, the High School in the fort's hexagonal centre; a new building for Early Years and Kindergarten
Clubs and activities: Model United Nations · Robotics · Junior Achievement Young Enterprise · Language classes · Sports and Wellbeing · Mini Mystery Science
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: Every teacher has international experience, a university degree and teaching credentials meeting the standards of the Maltese Teacher's Warrant; 50% of teachers hold a Master's degree. All staff are fluent in English and trained in first aid.
The school has more than 150 staff of various nationalities. Teachers typically stay two to six years, and many stay long-term. There is an annual performance evaluation cycle with a professional growth plan. Maximum class size: 16 students in Pre-K, 18 in Grades 1-4, 20 in Grades 5-12.
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 roomA School Nurse handles daily health needs and emergency care and liaises with parents and external health services.
✓CounsellorA team of school counsellors provides individual and group counselling on referral from teachers, parents or students themselves; there is an Inclusion Department.
·Child protection policynot stated on the website
·Staff trainingnot stated on the website
✓Anti-bullying policyThe PSHE programme (personal, social and health education) covers bullying, social media, mental health and child protection.
The school states zero tolerance for discrimination. All staff are trained in first aid.
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%)93 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%)90 Teaching staff (10%) scored on disclosed data55 Facilities (10%) scored on disclosed data65 Clubs and activities (8%) scored on disclosed data76 "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