Relocating to Jakarta with Kids | Schools, Neighbourhoods & What to Expect | The International Schools Guide

TL;DR (box component)

• Pick your school before you sign a lease. In Jakarta, the commute determines your quality of life.
• Most expat families land in South Jakarta - Pondok Indah, Kemang, Cipete, or Cilandak.
• Start the school search three to six months before you arrive. Popular year groups fill up.
• Annual tuition ranges from around $4,800 to $27,000. First-year costs are typically 20-30% higher than advertised tuition.
• Curriculum continuity matters. If your child will return to a British school, keep them in a British system.

CONTENTS

1. Start with the school, not the house
2. Which school is right for your family?
3. Understanding fees - the real cost
4. Where to live in Jakarta
5. The admissions process
6. Arriving and settling in
7. Frequently asked questions

BODY COPY

Start with the school, not the house

Most families relocating to Jakarta with children make the same mistake: they find the house first. They sign a lease in a nice area, and then they start looking at schools. In Jakarta, that's the wrong order.

Traffic in this city is severe. A 5-kilometre drive during the school run - between 6:30 and 8:00am - can take 45 minutes to an hour. Google Maps will tell you a school is ten minutes away; your car will tell you a different story. The afternoon pickup is often worse. Families who chose their home around their school commute consistently report enjoying Jakarta more than those who had to trade a punishing school run on top of everything else that comes with a new city.

Do this in order: choose your school first, then find housing within a 15-20 minute radius. In practice, for most expat families, this points to South Jakarta - the cluster of neighbourhoods that includes Pondok Indah, Kemang, Cipete, and Cilandak. That's where the main international schools are concentrated, and it's where most internationally-minded families end up.

One family who relocated from France via Shanghai put it plainly: before Jakarta, their life had been spontaneous - bikes, the kids, somewhere close for pizza. Jakarta doesn't work that way. Every outing requires planning. Once you accept that and organise your life around school proximity, the city becomes far more manageable.

Which school is right for your family?

Jakarta has over 70 international schools. The realistic shortlist for most expat families is considerably shorter - perhaps eight to twelve schools that are well-established, accredited, and genuinely suited to internationally mobile children. The rest range from good to adequate to best avoided.

Three questions narrow the field quickly.

1. Which curriculum?

The curriculum question is about more than academic style - it's about what happens next. Globally mobile families move. If your child will return to a British school in two or three years, keeping them in the English National Curriculum makes the transition back far easier. The same logic applies to families who know they're heading to an American school or an IB school next. Curriculum continuity reduces disruption and protects your child's academic progress.

The main curriculum tracks in Jakarta:

• English National Curriculum (British): ISJ, NAS Jakarta, NZSJ at early years, some SPK schools
• IB continuum (PYP → MYP → DP): JIS (IB Diploma), BSJ (MYP and IB), SPH, AIS, Global Jaya School, ACG
• American curriculum / AP: JIS (AP option in senior years), ACS Jakarta
• Cambridge (IGCSE / A-Level): ACS Jakarta, ACG, some SPK schools

For more on the differences between these tracks, see our guide to British vs IB vs American curriculum in Jakarta.

2. Where's the school?

This comes back to the commute. The main schools cluster in South Jakarta, but their specific locations matter.

• JIS (Jakarta Intercultural School) - two campuses, Kebayoran Baru and Pondok Indah/Cilandak
• ISJ (The Independent School of Jakarta) - Pondok Indah, convenient for most of South Jakarta. Currently Pre-Nursery to Year 8, with a new secondary campus opening September 2028 that will take pupils through to A-levels
• AIS (Australian Independent School) - Pejaten, south of Kemang
• BSJ (The British School Jakarta) - Bintaro, south-west of central Jakarta. A genuinely good school, but the location is a real factor. If you choose BSJ, plan to live in Bintaro and avoid the commute from Pondok Indah or Kemang.
• NAS (Nord Anglia Jakarta) - Kemang. Kinder and primary only.
• NZSJ (New Zealand School Jakarta) - top of Kemang. Affordable fees, friendly community, early years to primary.

3. What size of school does your child thrive in?

JIS is enormous - a small university in its scale, with everything that implies. Outstanding facilities, dozens of extracurriculars, a buzzing social environment. Some children thrive in that. Others get lost. ISJ is built around a different philosophy. It is targeting a roll of around 500 pupils - a size educationists consider prime for balancing individual care and attention with a genuinely rich extracurricular programme. It's large enough to field competitive sports teams, sustain specialist teachers, and offer real breadth; compact enough that staff know every child. A new secondary campus opens in September 2028, and the school is expanding to offer A-levels, so families with younger children now have a credible through-route to 18. AIS sits between the two models in scale, with a strong community feel and an excellent learning support programme.

There's no right answer, but it's worth being honest about what your child needs, particularly if they are shy, new to English, or have additional learning needs.

QUIZ COMPONENT (developer to implement interactive version - midway through article)

Which Jakarta international school is right for your family? Five questions. Instant result. Two minutes.

Q1. Which curriculum does your child currently study? [British / IB / American / Unsure] Q2. How old is your child? [Under 5 / 5-11 / 11-13 / 13-18] Q3. How important is school size? [Small and personal / Medium / Large and well-resourced / No preference] Q4. Where do you expect to live? [Pondok Indah / Kemang / Bintaro / Not yet decided] Q5. Does your child have additional learning needs? [Yes / No / Unsure]

Result logic: ISJ for British/Pondok Indah/individual attention + extracurricular range. JIS for large/American/IB. BSJ for British/large/Bintaro. AIS for inclusive/Kemang/learning needs.

Understanding fees - the real cost

International school fees in Jakarta are substantial. The headline tuition figure is where many families start - and stop. It shouldn't be.

Annual tuition across Jakarta's international schools ranges from around $4,800 to $27,000 depending on the school and year group. Older children are generally more expensive than younger ones. But tuition is one of several costs.

On top of tuition, expect:

• Registration or enrolment fee: one-off, non-refundable, typically $900-$3,500
• Capital or development levy: annual, not optional. At ISJ this is IDR 52,270,000 ($3,267) per year. Other schools charge similar or higher amounts.
• Materials fee: typically annual, around $500-$1,000 at most schools
• EAL support: if your child needs English as an Additional Language support, budget separately. At JIS, the one-off EAL programme fee is IDR 71,318,000 (approximately $4,460)
• Exam fees: IGCSE, IB Diploma, and AP exams are not included in tuition. Budget $800-$1,000 per exam sitting
• School transport: buses are available but optional
• Uniforms, trips, and extras: variable, but real

At the top-tier schools, your actual first-year cost can be 20-30% higher than the advertised tuition. The figure that matters is the total cost for your child's specific year group, including all mandatory fees. Ask every school for that number in writing before you commit.

For a full breakdown of how fees are structured, see our Jakarta international school fees guide.

Exchange rate: IDR 16,000 = $1 USD (February 2026). Verify fees directly with each school before relying on any figure shown here.

Where to live in Jakarta

Once you've narrowed your school shortlist, the neighbourhood question largely answers itself. Almost all of the schools that matter to expat families are in South Jakarta, so that's where you'll want to be.

The four neighbourhoods most internationally-minded families end up in are adjacent and overlapping. They each have a distinct character.

Pondok Indah is the most established expat area in the city. Wide streets, large houses, tree-lined compounds, and close proximity to JIS and ISJ. Also home to Pondok Indah Mall, the golf course, and some of the city's best hospitals. Quieter and more suburban than Kemang - good for families who want space and calm. Housing is expensive but high quality.

Kemang has a more cosmopolitan, social feel. Restaurants, cafés, bars, boutique shops. It's where you end up when you want a sense of life on the street, not life inside a compound. NAS, AIS, and NZSJ are all in or near Kemang. Housing is a mix of standalone houses and compounds; some areas flood in heavy rain, which is worth checking before signing anything.

Cipete sits between Pondok Indah and Kemang and has grown significantly as an expat-friendly area. Quieter than Kemang, more affordable than Pondok Indah. Good access to most South Jakarta schools. The Lycée Français is here, which matters to French families.

Cilandak is a broader, more sprawling area. Connects well to the toll road for families who need to reach BSJ in Bintaro. Some large family compounds with good community facilities.

What to expect to pay: compound housing with four or five bedrooms and a pool runs from around $3,000 to $6,000 per month in these neighbourhoods. Apartments run from around $2,000 to $4,000 for a three or four-bedroom unit. These figures reflect early 2026; rental prices in South Jakarta have been rising.

A note on compounds: living in a gated community of houses with shared security and often shared facilities is the norm for families with children. Security is good, and it creates a ready-made community for both children and parents. The tradeoff - as one long-term expat put it - is that your children's world can become narrow, bounded by the compound and the school. Worth thinking about, particularly for older children.

For more on these areas, see our guides to living in Pondok Indah and living in Kemang (coming soon).

The admissions process

Start early. That's the single most important piece of advice.

The popular year groups at the best schools - Nursery, Reception, and Year 7 (or Grade 6 equivalent) - fill up. Families who try to organise a school place in the final weeks before a move often find their first choice full.

Three to six months before your planned arrival is the right window to start. Some schools accept preliminary expressions of interest up to two years ahead - worth doing if your relocation is on the horizon even if dates aren't confirmed.

The general process at most Jakarta international schools:

1. Initial enquiry - contact the admissions team, state your child's age and intended start date, and ask about current space in that year group
2. School tour - virtually all schools encourage this before applying. The difference between a school that looks good on paper and one that feels right in person is real
3. Application - submit the application form, school reports from the last two years, passport copies, and vaccination records. For children with learning support needs, include any assessments or education plans
4. Assessment - some schools hold informal assessments, particularly for older children. Not high-stakes, but worth preparing your child for the idea
5. Offer and acceptance - on receiving an offer, schools require a deposit to hold the place. At ISJ this is IDR 15,700,000 (~$981), refundable when the student leaves subject to conditions

Most Jakarta international schools accept rolling admissions and will take students throughout the year if space is available. For a full list of what to ask when you visit a school, see our school tour questions guide.

Arriving and settling in

The first month in Jakarta is usually the hardest. The city is big, the traffic is disorienting, and the humidity is real. Most families who give it time find that Jakarta becomes genuinely enjoyable - excellent food, a warm social scene, an active expat community. But the first few weeks ask something of you.

A few things that help:

Get a driver. Not a luxury in Jakarta - close to a necessity for families with children. Navigating the school run, errands, and afternoon pickup across a city with unpredictable traffic is significantly easier with someone who knows the roads and the patterns.

Expect domestic help. Most expat compounds are set up around the assumption that families will employ household staff - a housekeeper, a nanny, or both. This is affordable by Western standards and normal within the community. Take time to hire carefully; recommendations from other expat families are the most reliable route.

Join the community early. The expat community in South Jakarta is well-established and welcoming. School parent communities are usually active. Jakarta expat Facebook groups and Internations events are good starting points. The social infrastructure of the expat community is one of the things that makes the city liveable, particularly for partners who aren't working.

Prepare for outdoor life to look different. Green space is scarce in central Jakarta. Life in South Jakarta revolves more around the compound, the school, the mall, and the café than around outdoor public space. Children adapt quickly; parents sometimes take a little longer.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Can I enrol my child mid-year? Usually, yes. Most Jakarta international schools accept rolling admissions and will take students throughout the year if space is available. Contact schools early - popular year groups can fill quickly even mid-year.

Do I need to speak Bahasa Indonesia? No. The international school community in South Jakarta operates almost entirely in English. Most service providers, restaurants, and shops in Pondok Indah and Kemang have English-speaking staff. Learning some Bahasa will enrich your time here, but it's not a practical requirement for daily life.

Are the schools safe? Yes. Jakarta's international schools have good security - gated campuses, ID checks, and in most cases camera systems. Jakarta as a city is generally considered safe for expats, particularly in the South Jakarta neighbourhoods where most families live.

What if my child has additional learning needs? Some schools are significantly better equipped than others. AIS has one of the strongest learning support programmes in the city. ISJ has a SEN coordinator and, with a targeted roll of around 500, a scale at which staff know individual children well - which matters for children who need more consistent pastoral attention. See our article on best Jakarta schools for SEN and learning support (coming soon).

Should I visit before the move? If at all possible, yes - particularly for school tours. If a visit isn't possible, most schools are happy to do virtual tours.

How long until my child settles in? Younger children usually adapt faster than older ones. Most families report that within six to eight weeks, their children have found a social group and feel comfortable at school. For children joining in the middle of secondary school, it can take longer.

RELATED ARTICLES (cards)

• Best International Schools in Jakarta (2026 Rankings)
• International School Fees in Jakarta - Full Guide
• Living in Pondok Indah - An Expat's Guide

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AUTHOR BIO

Mia Windsor is Managing Editor of The International Schools Guide. She covers international school markets across Asia, with a focus on Jakarta, Singapore, and Kuala Lumpur. All articles by Mia Windsor | Follow on Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/mia-isg.bsky.social

RELATED SCHOOL PROFILE CARDS

• The Independent School of Jakarta (ISJ)
• Jakarta Intercultural School (JIS)
• The British School Jakarta (BSJ)
• Australian Independent School (AIS)
• Nord Anglia School Jakarta (NAS)

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