Why Affluent Indian Families Are Choosing International Schools, Despite High Fees and University Concerns

A search for curiosity beyond the classroom

India had 972 international schools in January 2025, compared with 884 in 2019, according to ISC Research. That increase of about 10 percent placed the country second only to China in the number of international schools globally. Behind the growth are families willing to pay annual fees starting at 700,000 rupees for an education they hope will replace constant memorization with curiosity, research and broader personal development.

Neha Aggarwal, a mother living in Panipat, an industrial hub in Haryana, saw that choice become urgent when her 10-year-old son began losing interest in school. The sixth-grader was memorizing lessons, she felt, rather than enjoying learning. During a recent trip to look at schools in Gurgaon, about 129 kilometers from her home, Aggarwal described her concern:

He is losing all interest in school and learning. He is just cramming,

Aggarwal had limited options in Panipat. She began considering boarding schools offering the International Baccalaureate (IB) or Cambridge Assessment International Education, hoping to give her son what she called "a new experience of life." Her search captures the attraction of international curricula for affluent Indian parents who want their children to have choices within India and abroad.

Delhi, Mumbai and Bangalore are no longer the only centers of this demand. Families in smaller cities, described as Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities, including Madurai, Trichy and Udhampur, are also considering international education. Rising disposable incomes help make that possible, while dissatisfaction with memorization gives parents a reason to look beyond familiar school boards.

What parents want from an international education

Vinay Sharma, senior vice-president and regional director of Cambridge International Education for South Asia, described a change in how families judge schooling. Academic results still matter, but parents also want children to communicate well, think independently and adapt to unfamiliar situations.

Across South Asia, there is a clear and sustained rise in interest in international education. Today, parents are evaluating education through a wider lens. Beyond academic outcomes, there is increasing emphasis on skills such as critical thinking, communication and adaptability.

International curricula appeal to parents seeking skills their children can use across borders. Critical thinking means examining an idea and asking why it makes sense, rather than simply remembering it. Communication and adaptability help students explain their ideas and respond when circumstances change.

Harish Srinivasan, writing in a professional analysis of the trend, described the demand as a search for education with purpose beyond examination results.

Parents are asking for learning, not just schooling,

Srinivasan connected the choice of curriculum with the wish for a more individual approach to education.

When families choose an international curriculum, they are often responding to something deeper: a desire for personalised learning, meaning, and relevance outside exam walls.

Smaller classes, projects connected to real situations and work that brings different subjects together are part of the appeal. Supporters say such settings allow children to develop communication and collaboration alongside academic knowledge. For parents who experienced intense examination pressure themselves, that promise can carry considerable weight.

How teaching and assessment differ

India's Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE), Indian Certificate of Secondary Education (ICSE) and state boards remain largely driven by examinations. Final tests carry substantial weight and include objective questions, short answers and longer essays. Internal assessments and practical work have become more important, but standardized testing continues to shape the school experience.

IB and Cambridge programs combine internal assessment, research projects and examinations. Their appeal rests partly on learning through inquiry: students investigate a question, explore a concept and apply what they have learned through projects or practical situations. Examinations remain part of these programs, alongside other ways of assessing progress.

Anita Paul, former principal of Amity Global School in Noida, said India's National Education Policy (NEP) was pushing domestic boards toward change, although classroom practice was taking longer to follow.

The boards are changing due to NEP, but there are still many gaps. It is a very slow process, and training teachers to move away from the old system is slow,

The NEP aims to move education away from rote learning and toward skills and learning through experience. Paul's concern centers on implementation, especially the time required to prepare teachers for different methods. Families seeking an immediate change in their children's daily education are consequently looking to private schools offering international curricula.

The price of changing schools

International schooling comes with a substantial financial commitment. Schools offering these curricula often charge twice as much as schools following Indian boards. Annual fees start at 700,000 rupees, approximately S$9,480, and can climb considerably higher.

Affluent families may see that spending as an investment in broader development and the freedom to study or work across borders. For most Indians, however, the price places these schools beyond reach. Continued enrollment growth therefore reflects the choices of a segment of families able or willing to make an unusually large education commitment.

A parent discussing the expense on social media described paying about 80,000 rupees a month for two children attending international schools in Hyderabad. The parent explained the pressure on a household supported by earnings rather than substantial wealth:

I am not rich and am managing on a salary,

The parent questioned whether the education justified the expense or whether the money would be better invested elsewhere. That concern exposes the difficult calculation beneath the attraction of international schooling: parents must weigh their child's present classroom experience against the family's future financial needs.

The school bill is also only one part of a longer education journey. A family choosing an international curriculum may later face the cost of a university degree abroad, while a child who stays in India may need additional preparation for competitive entrance examinations.

School fees meet the cost of raising a child

Estimates in the book 100 Ways to See India put the cost of raising a child from conception through age 21 at approximately Rs 74.3 lakh. After accounting for inflation, the figure rises to Rs 1.16 crore or Rs 1.83 crore, depending on economic conditions. A lakh is 100,000 rupees, while a crore is 10 million rupees.

Education accounts for nearly 59 percent of the estimated total, taking a larger share than housing, healthcare and other necessities. That figure helps explain why a change of school can affect far more than a family's monthly budget: education is already the biggest component of the estimated cost of bringing up a child.

HSBC's Quality of Life Report 2024 found that nearly 90 percent of affluent Indian parents planned to fund their child's education abroad. Financing that education could consume up to 64 percent of their retirement savings. Some families expect scholarships or loans to close the gap, while others consider selling assets.

Education planners and financial advisers have emerged to help families manage these long commitments. Financial experts recommend beginning early, using Systematic Investment Plans (SIPs) in mutual funds, maintaining portfolios that balance equity and debt, and saving consistently from a child's birth. An SIP allows a person to invest regularly rather than contribute all the money at once.

Such planning can potentially build a fund of Rs 75 lakh to Rs 1 crore over 18 to 20 years. Education inflation, estimated at 10 to 12 percent annually in India, adds pressure even for families that save carefully. At that pace, costs can double every six to seven years, increasing the amount parents need for later stages of schooling and university.

A disagreement over academic rigor

Supporters of international education describe classrooms where curiosity drives learning instead of fear of examinations. They value teaching centered on the learner, opportunities to connect subjects and projects that encourage children to work together on questions relevant outside school.

Dr Ashani Dasgupta, who has worked with thousands of students since 2010, offers a sharply different assessment. Dasgupta argues that children from international schools often perform less well than students from state and central boards in motivation, focus and rigor, meaning sustained, demanding academic work.

The international schools produce a strange 'I am doing something valuable' effect,

Dasgupta also questioned whether the activities presented as projects were giving students substantial knowledge.

Students are immersed in a tonne of superficial activities (probably to entice rich parents). Students are made to believe that they are doing 'projects' of 'international' stature (while they actually learn almost nothing).

Critics argue that such activity can encourage students to undervalue demanding study. They also point to the social environment of schools whose pupils largely come from affluent backgrounds. In their view, children may have fewer opportunities to learn alongside highly motivated peers trying to overcome economic inequality through academic effort.

The disagreement reaches beyond whether children enjoy their lessons. Supporters value research, communication and a broader school experience; critics question the depth of learning and the habits of work students develop. Parents considering a transfer are weighing those competing views alongside fees and their child's response to the current school.

Why university choices complicate the decision

Most students from international schools continue their higher education within India. That creates a practical challenge for families attracted by education designed to prepare children for opportunities across borders.

The Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs), among India's most prestigious higher education institutions, require preparation for entrance examinations closely aligned with the Indian board system. The Joint Entrance Examination (JEE) demands intensive study and practice, creating tension with the school experience some families chose specifically to escape constant examination pressure.

Ritu Verma, a human resources consultant, moved her daughter to an international institution three years ago. Her daughter is now 13. Verma wanted to avoid the pressure she had experienced herself and did not want her child to "study like crazy." She explained her reasons for changing schools:

I wanted a more comprehensive development of the child and, secondly, the option to go anywhere if she pursues an international curriculum,

Her daughter now enjoys researching topics and broadening her interests. Verma nevertheless wants to keep Indian university routes open.

I want her to have options in India,

Parents in online discussions describe difficulties when students return to the Indian competitive examination system after completing international curricula in Class 10 or Class 12. Students accustomed to a different assessment experience can face demanding tests for Indian universities or, later, the Common Admission Test (CAT) for business schools. Families unable to finance overseas study may find their choices narrower, making university plans an important part of the school decision.

Saranya, Verma's daughter, described the difference she sees between her school experience and that of friends in local schools.

I see my friends (in local schools) only studying and studying and worrying about marks,

Saranya also expressed relief about her own assessment experience.

I am glad I do not have to sit a three-hour exam.

Government schools join the expansion

Some state governments are encouraging international curricula as they seek closer alignment with global education standards and the economic opportunities associated with education. The setting is a country of roughly 1.4 billion people, about half of whom are under 25.

Andhra Pradesh plans to introduce the IB curriculum in one additional class each year in every state school, reaching Class 10 by 2035. In Delhi, the Delhi Board of School Education partnered with IB in 2021 to implement programs in 30 government schools. These initiatives extend the story beyond families buying places in expensive private institutions.

Mahesh Balakrishnan, senior development manager of IB in India, described the organization's growth over 15 years.

The IB's presence in India has more than tripled in 15 years, reflecting India's rising investment in education and its embrace of educational approaches that prepare students for an interconnected world,

The expansion has developed across several years, with public school partnerships and private school growth forming different parts of the same movement.

• 2010: Dasgupta's work with students dates from this year, informing the criticism of international schooling.
• 2019: ISC Research counted 884 international schools in India.
• 2021: The Delhi Board of School Education partnered with IB for programs in 30 government schools.
• 2024: HSBC's Quality of Life Report recorded plans among nearly 90 percent of affluent Indian parents to fund education abroad.
• January 2025: India's international school count reached 972.
• 2035: Andhra Pradesh plans to have extended its proposed IB rollout through Class 10.

Delhi's partnership and Andhra Pradesh's plan show how governments are seeking to widen access to approaches usually associated with affluent families. Andhra Pradesh's extension through Class 10 remains a plan with a stated target year.

A British school looks beyond the biggest cities

Queen Elizabeth's School, a British grammar school with a history of 450 years, is preparing to open a campus covering 6.9 hectares in Manesar, an automobile manufacturing hub near Delhi. Its planned arrival illustrates the expansion of international education into places beyond the most familiar metropolitan school markets. No opening date was given.

Sonal Chatrath, founding head of the prep school, said her conversations with Indian parents had challenged her expectations about what families wanted from education.

My perception was always that parents in India are very much examination-focused, and it is all about the maths and the English and the sciences. The parents that I have had conversations with have a broader outlook,

Chatrath said families were looking for continuity between school and whatever came next, whether that meant staying in India or moving abroad.

I think parents want a consistent education, whether it is to continue in India or abroad. But I think a lot of them will probably go abroad.

Manesar, Panipat and the smaller cities where demand is growing give the trend a wider geographic reach. Affluent parents are seeking a different classroom experience, while school operators and governments are responding through new campuses and curriculum partnerships.

Families still face a demanding balance. International schooling can offer the research and broader development parents seek, but its fees compete with retirement saving and future university costs. For children who remain in India, the decision also needs to account for entrance examinations that may require a different style of preparation.

The Essentials

• India had 972 international schools in January 2025, up from 884 in 2019, placing it second globally behind China.
• Demand extends beyond Delhi, Mumbai and Bangalore to cities including Madurai, Trichy and Udhampur.
• International school fees start at about 700,000 rupees annually and often cost twice as much as Indian board schooling.
• Parents value research, communication and broader development; critics question academic depth, motivation and rigor.
• Education accounts for nearly 59 percent of estimated child raising expenses in the figures cited from 100 Ways to See India.
• HSBC's 2024 report found nearly 90 percent of affluent Indian parents planned to fund education abroad, potentially using up to 64 percent of retirement savings.
• Most international school students continue higher education in India, where competitive entrance examinations can require additional preparation.
• Delhi partnered with IB for 30 government schools in 2021, while Andhra Pradesh plans an expansion through Class 10 by 2035.
• Queen Elizabeth's School is preparing a campus covering 6.9 hectares in Manesar near Delhi.