Thoughts about the schools before R2I are jotted down here:
http://r2idiaries.blogspot.com/2011/09/todos-schools.html
Since this is an important factor for lots of folks, want to share the current experience with the schools in Bangalore. I am pretty sure this would be the status in other metros as well.
Some of the international schools to consider, in the Bangalore South area(i.e, Marathhalli, Sarjapur Road, HSR layout, Koramangala, Whitefield and vicinity):
Greenwood High International: Accessible from Sarjapur road/HSR Layout/Varthur/Marathhalli/Whitefield area. School pickup starts around 7:15am in the morning. Don't consider if you are going to stay in BTM Layout, Electronics city or KR Puram area. School bus may still be there but you are looking at long commute for kids. Offers ICSC and IGSC(after 8th grade) syllabus. Very good facilities and clean campus. In fact, my kid felt the school facilities are much better than the public school he went to in Bay area.
[Update on GW High (05/02/2014): At this time, would like to add a note of caution for R2I parents seeking admission to GWH - since the post above might seem like a green signal for R2I parents to pursue GWH. With the year to year fee increases, I personally think this school is at a stage where paying the level of fees is questionable. They do have good facilities etc but at a certain point, level of fees outweighs the advantages and I think they have reached that point. I would strongly recommend R2I parents to consider other school options as well. Recently, the focus seems to be shifting more towards the new IGSC campus that is being built and various ways of funding that seem to be the priority. Unfortunately, this is the trend with most of the schools here - fees increases are steep, especially as the school gets more and more established.]
Inventure academy: Access is same as Greenwood high. Don't have first hand or second hand feedback on the school quality.
TISB: Access is same as Greenwood high but much more expensive. Don't have first or second hand feedback on the school quality.
Primus/Prakriya: Accessible from HSR layout, Sarjapur Road areas. Much farther from Whitefield, Varthur areas. Much smaller schools even though cost is much lower. If your kids are already exposed to US school system, might be a good idea to not consider these for transition.
Delhi Public School(DPS East): Access is pretty much same as Greenwood but bit far from Whitefield area. Bit on the lower side for cost(in the range of Rs. 70K/year). May not be that easy to get in at first shot since they have entrance tests etc. Rated as the second best school in Bangalore with CBSE syllabus.
Oakridge International School: In the GWH, TISB belt, newer setup - got fully operational last year. Should be bit easier to get in now.
National Public School(NPS): NPS has openened a branch in HSR layout. Access is good from Bellandur, HSR layout, Electronics city, BTM layout etc but far from Whitefield, Marathhalli, Varthur areas. Cost is in the range of DPS but difficult to get in. Rated as the best school in Bangalore with CBSE syllabus.
Deans Acacdemy: Accessible from whitefield, Varthur, Marathhalli area. One of my friend's kid goes there and has good feedback on the school.
Ebenezer: Accessible from HSR layout, BTM Layout, Electronics city areas. Bit on the expensive side but have gotten good feedback about the school from a friend, whose kid goes there for LKG.
Bethany: Located in the Koramangala area.
If you are in Bannerghatta, Banashankari, JP Nagar area, you can consider BGS international, DPS South etc.
To give an idea on the school setup, here are some of the pics from DPS East:
http://r2idiaries.blogspot.com/2011/09/todos-schools.html
Since this is an important factor for lots of folks, want to share the current experience with the schools in Bangalore. I am pretty sure this would be the status in other metros as well.
Some of the international schools to consider, in the Bangalore South area(i.e, Marathhalli, Sarjapur Road, HSR layout, Koramangala, Whitefield and vicinity):
Greenwood High International: Accessible from Sarjapur road/HSR Layout/Varthur/Marathhalli/Whitefield area. School pickup starts around 7:15am in the morning. Don't consider if you are going to stay in BTM Layout, Electronics city or KR Puram area. School bus may still be there but you are looking at long commute for kids. Offers ICSC and IGSC(after 8th grade) syllabus. Very good facilities and clean campus. In fact, my kid felt the school facilities are much better than the public school he went to in Bay area.
[Update on GW High (05/02/2014): At this time, would like to add a note of caution for R2I parents seeking admission to GWH - since the post above might seem like a green signal for R2I parents to pursue GWH. With the year to year fee increases, I personally think this school is at a stage where paying the level of fees is questionable. They do have good facilities etc but at a certain point, level of fees outweighs the advantages and I think they have reached that point. I would strongly recommend R2I parents to consider other school options as well. Recently, the focus seems to be shifting more towards the new IGSC campus that is being built and various ways of funding that seem to be the priority. Unfortunately, this is the trend with most of the schools here - fees increases are steep, especially as the school gets more and more established.]
Inventure academy: Access is same as Greenwood high. Don't have first hand or second hand feedback on the school quality.
TISB: Access is same as Greenwood high but much more expensive. Don't have first or second hand feedback on the school quality.
Primus/Prakriya: Accessible from HSR layout, Sarjapur Road areas. Much farther from Whitefield, Varthur areas. Much smaller schools even though cost is much lower. If your kids are already exposed to US school system, might be a good idea to not consider these for transition.
Delhi Public School(DPS East): Access is pretty much same as Greenwood but bit far from Whitefield area. Bit on the lower side for cost(in the range of Rs. 70K/year). May not be that easy to get in at first shot since they have entrance tests etc. Rated as the second best school in Bangalore with CBSE syllabus.
Oakridge International School: In the GWH, TISB belt, newer setup - got fully operational last year. Should be bit easier to get in now.
National Public School(NPS): NPS has openened a branch in HSR layout. Access is good from Bellandur, HSR layout, Electronics city, BTM layout etc but far from Whitefield, Marathhalli, Varthur areas. Cost is in the range of DPS but difficult to get in. Rated as the best school in Bangalore with CBSE syllabus.
Deans Acacdemy: Accessible from whitefield, Varthur, Marathhalli area. One of my friend's kid goes there and has good feedback on the school.
Ebenezer: Accessible from HSR layout, BTM Layout, Electronics city areas. Bit on the expensive side but have gotten good feedback about the school from a friend, whose kid goes there for LKG.
Bethany: Located in the Koramangala area.
If you are in Bannerghatta, Banashankari, JP Nagar area, you can consider BGS international, DPS South etc.
To give an idea on the school setup, here are some of the pics from DPS East:
thanks for the great post
ReplyDeletegood work
ReplyDeleteHi,
ReplyDeleteIn your earlier blog, you said that your son goes to Greenwood high, does he like that? Do you have any feed back on that school.
Really apprecaite your help!
Anu.
About Greenwood high - yes, our kids like the school. As always, you get good teachers and average teachers but so far feedback has been very good from kids. GWH has very good facilites, good transportation, good food (breakfast, lunch) and well behaved teachers(for ex, no hitting the kids at any cost, as directed by the principal) who are used to dealing with returnee kids and smaller class sizes(in the range of 30 to 35). Specifically, if the kids are interested in sports, they offer a lot and have good facilities. Most of the kids being returnee kids, it is much easier for R2I kids to get along and adjust to the new setup.
ReplyDeleteOn the negative side, fees are on the higher side and increasing every year, kids won't agree to move a new school(say, you want them to move to CBSE), there will be a bit of peer pressure to move to IGSCE(offered from 6th grade) and kids will have bit of high-end peer pressure due to the type of school crowd...
hope this helps ...
Thank you very much for the quick response and for your valuable info.
DeleteAnu.
Hello sir, we are planning to return to Bangalore after living here for 9 years in 2014 for our daughter's second grade. I have heard good things about this school. Can you please tell me how much is the fee structure currently in Greenwood High? Also is it required for the child to take any interviews at the school in person before admission?
ReplyDeleteRe: Madhuri...
ReplyDeleteYes, GWH is a good school, specially for R2I kids. Second grader shouldn't have a problem in-general with any of the schools but GWH is well setup to handle R2I types. Fee structure is on the higher side here (and increasing every year!) - you can expect around 1.5 lakhs to 2 lakhs/year. School has a good campus, good buses, classes are not crowded, good teacher ratio, food etc.
Kid need not take the interview for admission but make sure you or one of the family members does the pre-work during Oct-Nov of this year, meeting one of the admin folks, filling up the application etc. There are many kids moving to GWH as seen last year and it is better to book in-advance. There will be a test before school starts but that is more of an evaluation to see where the kid stands.
Hope this helps ...
Hi,
ReplyDeleteI am trying to get admissions to my daughters for next school year in to 6th grade and 1st grade. I have submitted online enquiry for them and school came back and said grade 1 is on waiting list already. Did you have any experience with the waiting lists when you applied? How long does it take etc? Any suggestions?
For my elder daughter, they said she is under age for 6th grade as she is born in Nov. In Texas she is currently doing 5th grade (With private school till 2nd grade and age was not an issue after that in TX). I think it would help her in transition to repeat 5th grade in India. But my husband thinks it will demotivate her to repeat grade.Any advise on this front as you are familiar with the ICSE curriculum?
Thanks. I appreciate your response.
@Lakshmi:
ReplyDeleteAbout waiting list - no, I didn't go thru' that. School to which I send kids now had slots and we started with UKG. However, I have heard about this and this depends on the school. Normally, the international schools have enough capacity to absorb but 1st grade can become a bit of a challenge since schools tend to have few pre-school branches and all of these kids come to the main school for 1st grade. You might be better off trying few schools in the area. Or, send somebody from the family/friends to talk to somebody in school and find out what is the possibility of getting the seat - face-2-face discussion might help to get to know what is going on and how much they are back-up etc...
From our experience of transitioning to 6th grade ICSE, it was not difficult, from curriculum point of view, coming from CA. For ex, in subjects like maths, science were not an uphill task to catch up (however, my kid went to the GATE program back there). But, I wouldn't worry about repeating the grade - not sure which language you are opting for, but that can keep her busy. Also, most of the schools offer many extra cirricular activities, which she can get into + getting used to the school + building a friend circle + adjusting to India etc etc. Depends on the type of kid but some of them may need this kind of buffer to get used to the new atmosphere and not get bogged down by the syllabus. So, the first year would just go by without her even knowing what is happening !
Good luck with your move ...
Thank you so much for your quick response. I just realized that I didn't mention the school name that I am applying. It's Greenwood High school. I read very good reviews on this school from you and other R2iers. I really hope they both can get admission there. Thank you for your inputs. Will keep you posted.
ReplyDeleteOk. GWH is good but is getting crowded now. They have sections until G in 1st grade this year since two of their pre-schools feed into the main school. Contact Mrs. Ritu Singh (with the R2I background) and she might be able to provide some outlook about the waiting list.
ReplyDeleteIf that doesn't work out, Oakridge could be another option but I think they are CBSE. Also, there is another school next door, name of which I don't recall right now. Good luck ...
Thank you. I called Ms.Ritu yesterday and had couple of email exchanges with Principal. Now they asked us to apply for 6th grade for elder one and they will test her and finalize her grade once we get there. For my younger one she mentioned that if we can pay the admission fee right away, she can ensure us the seat. We are planning to arrange this on Monday thru our local contact. I assume you had to pay the admission fee as well from US when you took admission to your kids. What grade are your kids in now and are they continuing in ICSE or moved to IGCSE? Any feed back on IGCSE in terms of quality of the teachers and exposure to learning practically?
ReplyDelete@Lakshmi: Seems like things are working out, that's good. Yes, there is an admission fee that has to be paid. We are continuing with the ICSE option (main reason being keeping the same calendar for both kids). IGCSE didn't have many kids during last year but this year got good numbers - I think the quality of IGCSE is improving with more teachers etc. They do have more projects etc - it is difficult to get an honest opinion from the parents who have picked IGCSE yet since it is too early to say. GWH has started offering pre-IGCSE from 6th grade itself now...
ReplyDeleteMy name is Shree, My son is 4th grade in MN st.paul. We are planning to move back to india coming march. How is 5th std matriculation or CBSE IN CHENNAI. Do you have any details about school in Chennai.
ReplyDelete@Shree: Sorry, I don't have details about schools in Chennai. In general, I would assume the environment there wouldn't be much different than how it is in Bangalore though. But, my guess is school fees in Bangalore are most likely on the higher side. I have seen many of the schools in Bangalore having branches in Chennai as well..
ReplyDeleteHello Mohan,
ReplyDeleteYour blog is a really good source of information for those who are planning on R2I. Appreciate the time and energy you have put in to this.
I have a question. In one of your replies you said your kid started UKG in greenwood high. Was this based on his preschool in US or kindergarten? Since there is only one year of kindergarten in US, not sure if they consider the kids eligible for 1st grade.
My son will be 6.5 years old and finish his kindergarten when we R2I in 2015. His age will be appropriate for 1st grade but not sure about the rules India. Any information on this will be very helpful.
Thanks in advance,
Seema
@Seema:
ReplyDeleteThanks for the appreciation.
At 6.5 years, getting into 1st grade shouldn't be an issue at all. My kid had completed pre-school when we moved and he did one year of UKG here (since he was that age and not old enough to start 1st grade). However, it is best to talk to the school office in-advance and let them know of your situation - either directly over phone or send one of your folks to talk to them. Not sure which school you are selecting, but, I don't see any issue.
Hope this helps...
Great insights. How much was the increase in overall fee Year over year so far? Please clarify
ReplyDeleteI would say it has been in the range of 6-10% every year. School did give an option of paying upfront for 3 years and locking down the same fees - not sure how many parents took that option though.
ReplyDeleteHello Mohan
ReplyDeleteThanks for the valuable information on your blog. I am desperately looking for an honest feedback on GWH's PYP and MYP curriculum versus ICSE.
As the international curriculum is only as good as the teaching staff, am kinda sceptical in this age of high rates of attrition for teachers.
Also, what should be the most appropriate age for transition from ICSE to international curriculum weighing in all factors, in your opinion?
Thanks..would appreciate your take on this
Best
Swasti
@Swasti: I haven't looked at the PYP/MYP curriculum as compared to ICSE. As far as attrition is concerned, I haven't seen it happening that much @GWH. Definitely PYP/MYP attract higher fees and school wouldn't mind that!
ReplyDeleteThere are several factors to consider - if the kid is very particular on going abroad after 12, then IB makes more sense. (I have heard that even the grades can be transferred but note sure about GWHs though). If the kid is looking at both options (i.e. outside and inside India), then ICSE is a better choice. With IB, chances in India are not that great, AFAIK. If IB is the choice, transfer at 11th grade would be the right time (however, note that we didn't pay too much attention to IB. Hence, didn't do lot of background study).
Hope this helps a bit ...
Hi Mohan,
ReplyDeleteI am planning to R2I next year and my son will be in 7th grade. I am thinking of taking admission at Oak ridge international school, Bangalore with CBSE curriculum. I chose this school primarily because they are offering Spanish as second language and my son is already learning spanish in US. Do you have any feedback on Oak ridge school and any suggestion on CBSE? Currently, I have no plans for my kid going back abroad after 12th grade.
Hello Ramki,
DeleteI have received a good feedback about Oakridge from one of the parents whose kid goes to that school. If you want to have a chat with them, pls send me an e-mail and I will check with him to see whether he is ok to talk.
CBSE is fine if the plans are for continuing tech edu. in India (most of the competitive exams are based on CBSE content but ICSE covers that as well). However, this depends on your citizenship status - NRI kids are forced to take DASA quota, which needs SAT 1-2 scores.
Thanks Mohan. We are holding indian citizenship including my son. I'll send you a separate email.
Delete