Guide · Comparison
Chartwell or ISB?
Chartwell International School and The International School of Belgrade side by side on curriculum, admissions, what the fee covers and what neither school publishes.
Updated August 2026 · schools' own pages read 24 August 2026
Chartwell International School teaches Cambridge Primary, Cambridge Lower Secondary to ages 2-18 in Dedinje, Savski Venac. The International School of Belgrade teaches IB PYP, IB MYP to ages 3-18 in Senjak. The table below sets them side by side on everything either school publishes. Where a row says “not published”, that is the finding — it means the school does not put it anywhere public, and it is a good question to take to an interview.
Where they differ
| Chartwell | ISB | |
|---|---|---|
| Curriculum | Cambridge Primary, Cambridge Lower Secondary, Cambridge IGCSE, Cambridge AS and A Level | IB PYP, IB MYP, IB DP |
| Ages | 2-18 | 3-18 |
| Founded | 1998 | 1948 |
| Neighbourhood | Dedinje, Savski Venac | Senjak |
| Campuses | Reported campuses | Lower School, Secondary, Business Office |
| Students | 1,000-1,200 (sources disagree) directory figure | 500 |
| Nationalities | 40-60 (sources disagree) directory figure | 54 |
| Class size | average 16, max 18 directory figure | average 15 |
| Publishes fees | No | Yes, a full schedule |
| Billed on top | Meals — the school's own FAQ states meals are not included; a catering service offers a hot meal at a monthly menu; Transport, arranged and charged directly with the provider | School bus (optional, charged on top of tuition) |
| Entrance testing | All Secondary students take an oral English placement test. Placement is by age and school history. Primary and Foundation testing not described. | Taster day on campus, or online cognitive testing for applicants abroad. DRA, EAL, MAP, CAT and ALIS used as appropriate. |
| School bus | A directory reports that transport is arranged and charged directly with an outside provider rather than run by the school. Not confirmed with Chartwell. | Runs a service |
| Special needs support | Nothing published | Up to 150 minutes per week of additional support, counted across EAL and learning support together rather than 150 minutes of each. |
Rows where the two schools give the same answer are listed separately below, so that this table shows only what actually separates them.
Where they are the same
| Both schools | |
|---|---|
| Language of instruction | English |
| Inside the fee | Not published |
| Admission type | Rolling, year-round |
What stands out about each
- Chartwell: Largest international school in Belgrade by student numbers; Operates Green School by Chartwell as a feeder.
- ISB: Founded 1948 as the Foreign School — the oldest English-medium international school in Belgrade; Board partly appointed by the U.S. Ambassador, and an admissions priority order that reflects it; One of two private schools in Belgrade running the full IB continuum; Publishes what it can and cannot do for a child needing additional support, which no other school here does.
Chartwell: RSD figures for Chartwell circulating on directory sites are conversions of euro values, not fees the school published in dinars.
What to ask both
Questions worth asking both schools, because neither publishes the answer:
- Chartwell: ALL fee figures — the official page was unreachable
- Chartwell: Whether bands are labelled Year 1-6 / 7-13 or Grade 1-5 / 6-12
- Chartwell: Student numbers and nationality count
- ISB: Whether the returning-student capital fee already reflects the 50% loyalty discount or is reduced further
- ISB: CIS membership — Wikipedia lists it, the school's own accreditation page does not
- ISB: Recent IB results and university destinations; the most recent results the school publishes are from 2016
- Both: last year's actual leaver destinations and average results.
- Both: how many teachers in your child's year group were also there last year.
- Both: whether the bus covers the street you will live on.
Questions families ask
What is the difference between Chartwell and ISB?
Chartwell International School teaches Cambridge Primary, Cambridge Lower Secondary to ages 2-18; The International School of Belgrade teaches IB PYP, IB MYP to ages 3-18. They also differ on admissions process, what the fee covers and how much each publishes about itself. The full side-by-side is on this page.
Which is better, Chartwell or ISB?
Neither, in the abstract — and any source that answers that question is guessing about your child. The comparison that decides it is narrower: which one teaches the curriculum your child will finish in, has a place in the right year group, is reachable from where you will live, and can support your child's particular needs. This page is built to let you answer those four.