International schools in Malaysia

Search for the best international schools in Malaysia; you can find a list of selected schools at the bottom of this page. Use the search filters to select only girls' or boys' schools, prep schools, senior schools or sixth forms; or you can search for schools that offer a particular curriculum, such as the International Baccalaureate, the UK national curriculum, a US-style model or the International Primary Curriculum. 

Multi-ethnic and multi-cultural, Malaysia has a rapidly-growing, industrialised, market economy and ambitious development goals. The country hosts a large and diverse international education sector with schools centred on Kuala Lumpur, Penang and Johor and a handful of campuses in East Malaysia. 

There are 35 IB World Schools in Malaysia, of which 19 offer the International Baccalaureate Diploma, and four are authorised to teach all three stages of the IB curriculum.

International schools in Malaysia cater to local families and expatriates. A 40% cap on enrolment of Malaysian citizens was lifted in 2012. Many schools have adopted the National Curriculum of England and Wales, with Australian and American curriculums offered in others. There are a number of religious foundations including Islamic and Methodist schools. 

Coeducational, day schools predominate but a significant minority of schools offer boarding options. In addition to locally-owned establishments, the British independent schools Epsom College and Marlborough College have set up branch campuses with a strong focus on boarding at new “regional education hubs” sponsored by the Malaysian government over recent years. 

Primary education is compulsory, with children attending primary school from age seven for six years, followed by seven years of secondary education divided into lower, upper and senior schools. 

Most public schools teach in the official language Malay, but there are also Chinese-medium and Tamil-medium schools serving the country’s minority-language communities. 

Malaysia has some 21 public universities, 32 polytechnics and 44 private universities, including 10 international branch campuses set up by overseas institutions, mainly British and Australian universities. The latter were attracted to the country’s growing education hubs in Kuala Lumpur and Johor, across the strait from Singapore. 

If you are looking specifically for International Baccalaureate World Schools in Malaysia, you can find selected schools on our sister website: www.ibyb.org.