Schools in Indonesia
 

Expat parents will have a wide variety of schooling options to choose from in Indonesia. Most expats find the public school system in Indonesia to be unsuitable for their needs, but the country boasts an impressive array of private and international schools.

Public schools in Indonesia are overseen by the government and follow the Indonesian curriculum. The teaching language in public schools is Bahasa Indonesia, while other indigenous languages are still used in more remote parts of the country. Due to the language barrier and the poorer quality of public schools, expat children do not often attend public schools in Indonesia. 

Private schools in Indonesia tend to have higher standards but, like public schools, they teach the Indonesian curriculum. Some private schools teach in English, making them a more feasible option for expats.

While the majority of students at private schools are Indonesian, some expat parents choose to send their children to these schools due to the lower fees compared to international schools and the opportunity for cultural integration. 

There is a wide range of international schools in Indonesia, with schools offering the national curriculum of a number of countries, including the United Kingdom, the USA, France, Germany, India, Japan and Singapore. Many of these schools also offer the International Baccalaureate programme. These schools tend to teach in either English or in the national language of the school’s sponsoring country. Some international schools are bilingual.

Tuition fees can be extremely high in Indonesian international schools, and choosing the right school can be a daunting task for new arrivals. Road traffic can be a problem, particularly in Jakarta, so the location of a school is also something to take into consideration when deciding where in a city to live.