
This Serangoon-based school, which takes students on a learning path from two through to 18 years, describes itself as “globally focused and distinctly Australian”. As well as celebrating the diversity of Singapore’s expat community, AIS has a warm, welcoming, and friendly environment that is rooted in Australian culture. With its choice of international pathways, and enormous early years campus the school has plenty of international appeal. And, well-known for being strong in the pool and on the field, the all-through AIS also has the facilities, the sporty cohort, and the specialist programmes to make it one of Singapore’s top schools for sport.

Australian International School has an open doors policy. As well as being the only school in Singapore to offer both the IBDP (International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme) and the HSC (New South Wales Higher School Certificate) curricula, AIS offers opportunities for all students regardless of their academic abilities – and its outstanding results speak for themselves.
It offers an education that’s underpinned by Australian curriculum standards, and shares the very best of Australia from swimming through to indigenous art. There’s also a strong sense of community that shines through at AIS, which parents and teachers like to call the ‘AIS Spirit’.
First impressions
• Warm and friendly atmosphere
• Modern buildings
• Set within a quiet and tree-lined, residential neighbourhood
Australia has a reputation for being welcoming and friendly – and you’re given a warm Aussie welcome at AIS from the moment you walk through the door. From the artistic murals, kangaroo sculptures and messages of Distinctly Australia on the wall to the earthy decor of browns and greens, it feels relaxed and inviting. And there’s no mistaking which culture this school is so deeply rooted in. The campus feels modern, new and not too overwhelming, which is surprising for such a large school of more than 2,000 students.

The campus is located at the heart of a residential neighbourhood, surrounded by community facilities, luxury gated communities, and several local schools. There are three different entrances – for nursery, elementary and upper elementary/secondary – which helps to keep traffic flowing at drop and pick up times; is also helps to disperse the arrival of students. While 65% of students travel to AIS by school bus, it’s only a six-minute walk to the Lorong Chuan MRT station and there’s bus stop directly outside the school; students living locally are scootering or biking to school.
There are security guards and barriers at every entrance, and all students, staff and visitors must wear a pass around the campus. Once inside, students walk from one end of the school to the other under covered linkways.
Located next to the main campus, the AIS Early Learning Village enrols students from two months to six years and has capacity for 800 students. One of the world’s largest pre-schools, the Early Learning Village is a collaboration between Australian International School (AIS), Stamford American International School (SAIS), and Brighton College (Singapore) – all Cognita owned. Each school has its own section with the ELV, and they share a large indoor gymnasium and swimming pool. While some parents may prefer the intimacy of a smaller pre-school that has a genuine village feel, rather than one that is the size of a village, others will be drawn to the large-scale opportunities that this can offer.
The curriculum