Expensive but innovative: IB schools offer an alternative learning arc

In a world that's rapidly shifting from rote to reasoning, the International Baccalaureate (IB) programme stands out as a different education system, valuing questioning over memorising

School, Students, Class, Classroom, Education, Study — A child educated in the IB system may develop certain different types of skill sets. | Representational

8 min read Last Updated : Apr 10 2025 | 3:37 PM IST

If you are a parent with school-bound children, it is easy to be overwhelmed by something that used to fairly straightforward in a previous generation: picking a school. Now, it's a thicket of choices between schools and within that, the subset of different boards that are available: CBSE, ICSE, State Boards, IGCSE, and now the latest on the block, the International Baccalaureate (IB) that is rapidly becoming the board of choice for the well-heeled crowd in Indian metros.

Welcome to the world of Indian school education, governed by multiple boards, each with its own curriculum, assessment style, and administrative structure.

Among the oldest is the Central Board of Secondary Education(CBSE), a national-level board under the Ministry of Education, known for its strong science and math-oriented curriculum. Then there are the state boards, which are, as the name suggests, run by state governments, and where the syllabus is tailored to the local language and educational priorities.

Then there is the Indian Certificate of Secondary Education (ICSE), set up by the University of Cambridge Local Examinations Syndicate, and now run by the CISCE (Council for the Indian School Certificate Examinations). For long, ICSE has been the preferred board for private schools run by various missionary or church groups, and is famed for its comprehensive syllabus and emphasis on the English language and literature.

There are also the international systems that are increasingly making their presence felt. There is the International General Certificate of Secondary Education (IGCSE) offered by Cambridge Assessment International Education which prepares students for international higher education.

And then there is the International Baccalaureate (IB), designed to develop curious and critical learners. Headquartered in Geneva, the internationally-recognised board offers PYP (Primary Years), MYP (Middle Years), and IBDP (Diploma Programme).

According to the International Baccalaureate (IB) organisation, as of October 2024, India hosts over 220 schools offering more than 378 IB programmes. This puts India among the top countries globally in terms of the number of IB World Schools.

But what exactly sets it apart from other boards, and why are more Indian parents looking beyond CBSE, ICSE or state boards to opt for an IB school?

“I feel CBSE is more structured, the syllabus is fairly consistent, but sometimes rigorous especially when it comes to exams," says Dubai based Veer Tandon who studied at a CBSE school till Class 8 (DPS Dubai) but later switched to an IB school in Dubai. In his assessment, Tandon, who is currently pursuing his electrical and electronics engineering from Imperial College, London, says that “IB maintains a level of rigour that challenges students and provides them room to explore independently. It provides a more holistic learning journey that prepares you better for university and the real world.”

Devyani Jaipuria, one of India's leading educationists who runs both IB as well as CBSE schools, says there are differences between the boards. "CBSE and IB are great curriculums but different. I myself went to a CBSE school. When we were studying, the system was different – e.g. from our history textbook, we had to mug up a lot of answers. It was a tough curriculum, but the same CBSE students perform very well abroad."

She adds that both her children are at an IB school. "I find it comes with an emphasis on inquiry-based learning, research, and global awareness," she says. "In the IB system, there is not so much textbook involved or mugging up. With its focus on conceptual understanding, and emphasis on both academic rigour and emotional intelligence, IB prepares students not just for college, but for life. It makes them think on their own.”

Choose IB for the right reasons

It's important to pick an IB school for the right reasons. According to Aditi Misra, founder-principal of DPS Sector 45, Gurugram, a CBSE school, “You should know your child well enough. If you think your child is an independent thinker, can construct knowledge, has aspirations to go overseas, go for IB. But if s/he is very keen to do medicine and you don’t want to burden the child with two curricula and two different kinds of studies (as one has to read NCERT books for competitive exams) then opt for a board which is more aligned with competitive exams like the CBSE."

But before picking IB, evaluate whether it suits your pocket. The cost of attending International Baccalaureate (IB) schools in India varies significantly based on factors such as location, reputation, facilities, and the specific IB programme offered. On average, annual tuition fees range from Rs 4 lakh to Rs 10 lakh.

Then there's the location factor. If you pick a school which is far from home, then children tend to not get involved in co-curriculars as that involves staying back late, caution Misra.

She says the coming of international boards opens up options. “Parents have more choice now," says Misra. "Earlier it was just CBSE and state board but no one wants state board now as it is restricting. Then came ICSE, GCSE, IB. But please don’t be prejudiced by these biases such as IB is easy, ICSE is bulky, CBSE is only about memorising stuff. Choose according to the basic temperament of your child and your pocket.”

But is IB teaching methodology radically different? “If a CBSE teacher walks into a classroom, they walk in with a structured curriculum and specific learning objectives to be delivered. The focus is on preparing students for competitive exams and higher education in India," says Mumbai-based Bhuvi Modi, who has taught at IB schools in Mumbai such as Ecole Mondiale world school and Oberoi International School. "An IB teacher’s approach is different. The emphasis is on inquiry-based learning, thinking out of the box and developing holistic students. An effective IB teacher is a facilitator, mentor whose primary role is to foster internationally minded students.”

A child educated in the IB system may develop certain different types of skill sets. “Students in the IB schools are expected to be engaged in collaborative projects from their foundation years of PYP moving to MYP and finally the IB DP programme," points out Modi. "While the CBSE system may have fewer opportunities to do project-based learning, this may vary depending on the school and its approach." However, students from both boards excel in their own ways and these differences are not absolute and can vary depending on schools, teachers and individual students' aspirations, she says

That said, the IB curriculum can be intensive, demanding a high level of self-discipline from students and active involvement from parents. Add to that the limited availability of IB schools in India and significantly higher fees, and it’s clear the programme isn’t for everyone. The annual fees vary depending on the infrastructure, resources and quality of educators. Some IB schools even cater to a very niche market to justify their cost. For instance, DPS charges Rs 2 lakh per year, Pathways Gurgaon can go up to Rs 4-5 lakh annually, and the American School of Delhi costs as much as Rs 27.6 lakh a year.

Also, an IB education may not be suitable for all students. IB students need to balance coursework with other components of the programme such as writing an extended essay, completing the theory of knowledge, and participating in creative action service, making it fairly demanding for the child. For some students, particularly those who have little interest in global studies or prefer the conventional Indian style learning methods, IB may not be their best bet.

IB also doesn’t sync well with entrance tests like the IIT-JEE, NEET, or CUET. These exams demand speed, accuracy, and practice in MCQs (Multiple Choice Questions), while IB is focused on essays, projects, and analytical thinking. Students often need additional coaching to prepare for Indian exams. Indian history, culture, and values may not be covered in detail. Some parents feel this disconnects children from their roots — less focus on regional languages, Indian ethos, or local relevance. IB schools are mostly in metros or Tier-1 cities. Even in those places, only a handful are truly top-tier; many others are IB "in name", but don’t deliver the expected quality.

What also makes a difference to an IB school is who runs the school. Parents must check who the key administrators are and what their vision is.

“Among the 21st century skills for me the two most important are communication and collaboration," says Misra. "Both necessitate a human connection. Every morning, we have a circle time for children right from nursery to class 12 where we encourage the children to share their 'hurt stories'.... The ground rule is that these stories will not go out of the four walls of this room. And then we explain that people will hurt you, but one has to build resilience and get ready to face things. This was one of the tactics we had to employ post pandemic as we observed that children just went quiet, and were simply not speaking after being locked up indoors.”