American Global Prep School vs Southbridge International School Cambodia

	A American Global Prep School Phnom Penh, Cambodia	S Southbridge International School Cambodia Phnom Penh, Cambodia
Snapshot	Snapshot
Fees / year	Fees / year KHR 18,765,929 - 33,201,259	Fees / year KHR 19,445,056 - 38,890,112
Age range	Age range 2½ - 18 years	Age range 2½ - 18 years
Type	Type Co-educational	Type Co-educational
Curriculum	Curriculum Bespoke Curriculum, Cambridge (Primary)	Curriculum IEYC (International Early Years Curriculum), Cambridge IGCSE, Korean Curriculum, Cambridge (Primary)
Pupils	Pupils —	Pupils —
Typical class size	Typical class size 15	Typical class size —
Instruction language	Instruction language English, Khmer	Instruction language English, Khmer
Opened	Opened 2016	Opened 2000
Bus service	Bus service No	Bus service No
Essentials	Essentials
Location	Location American Global Prep School's Phnom Penh campus is in Phnom Penh Thmey, Khan Sen Sok, listed as #615 Street 1015, Phnom Penh, Cambodia. The school website includes English, Khmer and Korean contact numbers for directions and enrolment enquiries. For precise driving directions or public-transport options contact the school directly.	Location Southbridge International School Cambodia is in the Chbar Ampov area of Phnom Penh, sited within the Borey Peng Huoth Polaris residential development (Building No. 367, Polaris Street, Sangkat Nirouth, Khan Chbar Ampov). The school is in the south-east of the city and is accessed from major local roads serving that housing estate; the website also lists additional campuses (Chroy Chongva and other sites) as ‘coming soon'.
Stages	Stages AGPS is an all-through school: Preschool (Nursery, Kindergarten 1–2), Elementary (Grades 1–6), and Middle & High School (Grades 7–12). Individual program pages describe age bands and sample daily activities.	Stages SISC serves Early Years through Grade 12 (students aged from about 2 years up to 18), with Nursery/K1–K3 in Early Years and Primary and Secondary years up to Grade 12. The school offers both a Khmer General Education pathway and international (IEYC/Cambridge) pathways through IGCSE and AS/A Levels.
School type	School type AGPS is a private day school registered with the Cambodian Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports and the Ministry of Commerce. It teaches a dual curriculum (an International General Education Program alongside the Khmer public curriculum). The school do not advertise any boarding provision.	School type SISC is a co-educational day school offering bilingual/integrated Khmer and international programmes (IEYC and Cambridge). The school's public materials describe campus facilities and day programmes but do not list boarding provision on the website, so families should confirm directly with admissions if they need boarding or residential options.
Pupil nationality mix	Pupil nationality mix —	Pupil nationality mix —
Additional learning support	Additional learning support The school provides dedicated support for students with special learning needs, offering both inclusive support (teacher assistant and personal assistant in class) and an ‘exclusive' option (one-to-one work in a separate room with a SPED teacher), and access to an educational psychologist is included. Parents with specific requirements should contact the school to discuss assessments, individual plans and current on-site resources.	Additional learning support The school operates a Learning Support Department and a Student Affairs office to support learners with different needs; the admissions information specifically names a Learning Support Department. External school listings note that SISC provides EAL/ESL support and works with external specialists for assessments when required. For individual SEN provision and formal assessments (IEPs, specialist referrals), contact the school's admissions or learning support team to discuss specific needs.
Country affiliation	Country affiliation AGPS is a Cambodian private school registered with the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports. It operates an American-style international curriculum and promotes preparation for study in U.S. universities but is not presented as formally affiliated to another country's government.	Country affiliation SISC is a Cambodian school offering the Khmer General Education (MoEYS-accredited) programme alongside international Cambridge pathways; it does not state an affiliation to a particular foreign country.
Religious affiliation	Religious affiliation The school does not have any religious affiliation or faith-based programme.	Religious affiliation The school's published materials present SISC as a multi‑cultural, non‑religious educational provider; no religious affiliation is listed on the website.
School day structure	School day structure The school states AGPS runs a full‑day schedule and notes a 12‑month school calendar and 230 school days per year.	School day structure Published timetables and school listings show a typical start in the early morning (around 07:20–07:30 for morning assembly/lessons) with lessons and morning breaks scheduled mid-morning and the day finishing in the mid‑afternoon (external listings give a finish time around 16:15); grade-specific timetables (breaks, lunch) are published for each year group. Families should request the current grade-specific timetable from admissions because start/end times and break patterns can vary by year and by academic year.
Bus service details	Bus service details AGPS operates a school bus service and also offer supervised before/after care. If you need school transport for relocation planning, contact the school to confirm available routes, pick‑up/drop‑off points, costs and any age limits or registration requirements.	Bus service details The school's contact and admissions pages do not advertise a school bus service, and third‑party school listings indicate that a school bus is not provided; the site instead highlights that it is located within a large residential development (Borey Peng Huoth). If a daily transport arrangement is important, contact the admissions office to confirm current transport options or to ask whether private providers or parent-run shuttle arrangements are available.
Fees	Fees
Fee details	Fee details Application / Registration Fees - Registration: KHR 200490. Tuition fees by year group (published annual totals and per-term amounts) - Kindergarten 1–3 (Ages 3–5): Annual: KHR 18,765,929. Per quarter (calculated): KHR 4,757,510. - Grade 1–3 (Ages 6–8): Annual: KHR 21,652,995. Per quarter (calculated): KHR 5,481,698. - Grade 4–6 (Ages 9–11): Annual: KHR 23,577,706. Per quarter (calculated): KHR 5,964,490. - Grade 7–9 (Ages 12–14): Annual: KHR 28,389,483. Per quarter (calculated): KHR 7,171,469. - Grade 10–12 (Ages 15–17): Annual: KHR 33,201,259. Per quarter (calculated): KHR 8,378,448. Note: the school's published figures are given as annual totals; the per-term amounts shown above are calculated by dividing the published annual fee by four because the school's fees policy refers to payment by quarter. This per-quarter breakdown is an inference based on the school's published billing terminology. Billing schedule and payment terms - Payments must be made by the due dates stated by the school; all outstanding balances must be settled before report cards or academic records are issued. - Full tuition payment is required for the quarter in which enrollment occurs; partial quarterly payments are not allowed. Late payments two weeks past due incur a 5% penalty, with an additional 1% per week on any outstanding amount thereafter. - Withdrawal requires completion of the school's standard withdrawal form and submission at least two months before the student's last day to ensure the refund policy is applied. Boarding fees (where applicable) - A boarding option is offered under the AGPS Elite / Boarding School program; the school states boarding packages include dormitory, meals, transportation between dormitory and school, one set of textbooks and two sets of uniforms. Specific numeric boarding fees are shown in the school's separate boarding fee table (not published as numeric values on the pages reviewed). Other costs and fees - Sibling discounts: second child 5%, third child 10%, fourth child or more 15%. - The AGPS Elite description notes that in some packages tuition includes one set of textbooks and two sets of uniforms; other campuses/packages may list uniforms, books, exam or activity charges separately. Specific uniform or book charges are not listed as standalone numeric items on the published pages reviewed. Refund information - Refunds on paid tuition are granted at 90% value only for full quarters not attended (for students leaving during the school year) and all refunds are subject to a 10% transaction fee. Fee payment options - Accepted methods: cash (to the school accountant), bank transfer to the school's bank account, or US-dollar check drawn on a bank. Transferring party is responsible for bank transfer charges; the school does not accept payments from sanctioned accounts/territories. Any fraudulent cash notes must be replaced by the payer. (Amounts above are taken from the school's published fees table and the school's tuition & fees pages; per-term figures have been calculated from the published annual totals because the school's policy references quarterly payments.)	Fee details Application / one‑time fees - Registration / application fee: a one‑time registration charge is applied at first enrolment (example shown for Nursery 2: KHR 2,807,000). Capital / development fee is also charged in the first year (example Nursery 2: KHR 2,005,000). Tuition fees by year group (published annual totals; per‑term figures shown as annual ÷ 3 and marked as calculated) - Nursery 2 (age 2): Annual tuition total KHR 19,448,501 · Per term (calculated) KHR 6,482,834. - Kindergarten 1–3 (ages 3–5): Annual tuition total KHR 23,097,601 · Per term (calculated) KHR 7,699,200. - Grades 1–5 (ages 6–10): Annual tuition total KHR 28,390,801 · Per term (calculated) KHR 9,463,600. - Grade 6: Annual tuition total KHR 36,250,401 · Per term (calculated) KHR 12,083,467. - Grades 7–8: Annual tuition total KHR 37,252,901 · Per term (calculated) KHR 12,417,634. - Grades 9–12 (Years 9–12): Annual tuition total KHR 38,897,001 · Per term (calculated) KHR 12,965,667. - Example first‑year total (Nursery 2) including one‑time registration and capital fees: KHR 22,255,501. Billing schedule and payment terms - The school's published admission notes state that school fees must be paid in full before a child may start. The publicly available fee schedule lists annual amounts; per‑term payment details are not itemised in the accessible schedule. (Per‑term figures above are calculated by dividing the published annual total by three; that division is an inference, shown as “calculated”.) Boarding fees - No boarding provision or boarding fees are listed in the school's published fee information. SISC is presented as a day school in the published materials. Other costs and concessions - Capital/development fee is charged (example amounts shown above) and typically covers school development/materials. A sibling discount policy (10% for third child and above, applied to the younger sibling's tuition) is indicated in the published schedule. Specific line items for uniform, meals or transport are not itemised in the publicly available fee table. Refunds and payment methods - The published fee documents available through public listings do not include an explicit refund policy or a detailed list of accepted payment methods. The school's admissions notes require full payment before start; other refund/payment terms are not published in the accessible schedule. Note: I used the school's published fee schedule summarized by a third‑party school‑fees directory to extract numeric values and the school's admissions page for payment terms; where the school's schedule published annual totals only, per‑term numbers above were calculated (annual ÷ 3) and are explicitly flagged as calculated.
Diving deeper	Diving deeper
Boarding arrangements	Boarding arrangements —	Boarding arrangements —
Uniform requirement	Uniform requirement —	Uniform requirement —
Food options	Food options —	Food options —
House system	House system —	House system —
Governance and ownership	Governance and ownership —	Governance and ownership —
Academics	Academics
Curriculum details	Curriculum details AGPS operates a dual curriculum: an International General Education program patterned on the U.S. Common Core and a National Cambodian (MoEYS) basic-education curriculum; both are taught concurrently. Preschool offers Nursery (ages 2.5–4), Kindergarten 1 (4–5) and Kindergarten 2 (5–6) with Montessori-style delivery, Sing, Spell, Read and Write techniques and bilingual instruction in K2. The Elementary program is a six‑year course covering English, mathematics, science, social studies, civics and values, music, arts and physical education, with after‑school enrichment options. Middle School is vertically and horizontally scaffolded and emphasizes project/problem‑based learning across humanities, language arts, math (Pre‑Algebra and Algebra I), life and physical sciences, intensive Mandarin, arts electives, life skills and PE. High School is organized under humanities, STEM and life‑skills strands (including robotics and a problem‑based math sequence) and follows the AAAS‑recommended science sequencing (physics in Grade 9, chemistry in Grade 10, biology in Grade 11 with senior electives). Khmer‑program students follow MoEYS requirements and sit national examinations at Grade 6, Grade 9 and Grade 12; the school website describes the international program as Common Core–based but does not list a specific external international credential such as IB or AP.	Curriculum details Southbridge International School Cambodia runs an International pathway using the International Early Years Curriculum (IEYC) in Nursery–K3 and the Cambridge Pathway from Years 1–13, and also offers an Integrated pathway that combines Cambridge with the Cambodian national (Khmer) curriculum. The Early Years programme uses the IEYC for young learners (around 2.5–5 years), while integrated classes also follow the National Early Years Curriculum (NEYC) for Khmer subjects. Primary (Years 1–6) follows Cambridge Primary with subjects such as English, mathematics, science, global perspectives, ICT, music, art, PE and swimming, with English as the main language of instruction and Khmer and Chinese offered as additional languages. Secondary is split into Cambridge Lower Secondary (Years 7–9) and Upper Secondary (Years 10–13), where students progress to Cambridge IGCSE (typically for ages 14–16) and then Cambridge International AS & A Levels (typically for ages 16–19). Qualifications available therefore include the Cambridge Primary/Lower Secondary frameworks, Cambridge IGCSE and Cambridge AS & A Level certificates, and — for students on the integrated national pathway — Khmer General Education credentials including a High School Diploma equivalent to the Bac II accredited by the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport (MoEYS).
Student teacher ratio	Student teacher ratio —	Student teacher ratio —
Exam results	Exam results —	Exam results —
Higher education progression	Higher education progression —	Higher education progression —
Gifted and talented	Gifted and talented —	Gifted and talented —
Academic calendar	Academic calendar —	Academic calendar —
Wellbeing & support	Wellbeing & support
Social & emotional learning	Social & emotional learning —	Social & emotional learning —
Special educational needs (SEN)	Special educational needs (SEN) —	Special educational needs (SEN) —
English as an additional language	English as an additional language —	English as an additional language —
Mental wellbeing	Mental wellbeing —	Mental wellbeing —
Safeguarding	Safeguarding —	Safeguarding —
Safeguarding policy	Safeguarding policy —	Safeguarding policy —
Facilities	Facilities
Facilities overview	Facilities overview —	Facilities overview —
Sports facilities	Sports facilities —	Sports facilities —
Academic facilities	Academic facilities —	Academic facilities —
Extra curricular facilities	Extra curricular facilities —	Extra curricular facilities —
Parent experience	Parent experience
History	History —	History —
Community	Community —	Community —
Parent teacher association	Parent teacher association —	Parent teacher association —
Extra-curricular	Extra-curricular
Academic & intellectual	Academic & intellectual —	Academic & intellectual —
Arts & creative	Arts & creative —	Arts & creative —
Cultural & language	Cultural & language —	Cultural & language —
Social & hobbies	Social & hobbies —	Social & hobbies —
Community & service	Community & service —	Community & service —
Leadership & professional	Leadership & professional —	Leadership & professional —
Lifestyle & wellbeing	Lifestyle & wellbeing —	Lifestyle & wellbeing —
Language provision	Language provision
Language provision	Language provision —	Language provision —
Bilingual teaching	Bilingual teaching —	Bilingual teaching —
Immersion programs	Immersion programs —	Immersion programs —
Reputation	Reputation
Awards	Awards —	Awards —
Accreditations	Accreditations —	Accreditations —
Admissions	Admissions
Admissions	Admissions 1. Contact Admissions & Visit the School: Contact the Admissions Office to ask questions and schedule a campus visit or tour. Confirm the campus, language track (English/Khmer), and whether you are applying for day school or boarding. Collect the registration form and the latest admissions requirements. Entry at the beginning of the school year is recommended, though registration is ongoing. 2. Complete the Registration Form: Fill out the official AGPS registration form with student and parent/guardian details and previous school information. Prepare required documents such as a birth certificate, passport (for international students), school reports/transcripts, and custody documents if applicable. Indicate any special programs (ESL, boarding) to ensure correct placement and fees. 3. Submit Form & Pay Registration Fee: Submit the completed form as instructed and pay the registration (application) fee. The AGPS Elite program requires a one-time, non-refundable $500 registration fee payable on submission; confirm the fee for non-Elite programs with Admissions. Keep all payment receipts. 4. Assessment & Placement: Students may be required to sit for admission or placement assessments (English, math, or subject-based). Transfer students are placed based on prerequisites, especially for STEM subjects. Students needing English support should ask about the Intensive English Program and how assessments affect placement. 5. Admission Offer & Contract: If accepted, Admissions will issue an offer, contract, and tuition/fee schedule. Review payment deadlines, refund and late-payment policies, what tuition includes, and available sibling discounts (5% for a second child, 10% for a third or more). 6. Final Payment & Start Confirmation: Settle all required fees and submit remaining forms (medical, transport, dormitory if applicable). Confirm the student’s start date, class placement, timetable, uniform collection, and school calendar. Keep copies of all signed documents and receipts. 7. Orientation & Mid-Year Entry: Attend orientation or request orientation materials. Mid-year transfers are accepted, but beginning-of-year entry is recommended. Confirm support for missed coursework, ESL needs, and—if applicable—boarding, airport pickup, and visa-related arrangements.	Admissions 1. Initial enquiry and campus visit. When you arrange the visit, ask which pathway (bilingual, International Pathway, or Integrated Curriculum) you are interested in and whether staff available at that time can discuss language support or learning‑support needs. Parents should bring the child's identification (birth certificate/passport) and any recent school reports to the visit if available. 2. Submit an application and required documents. Complete the school's application form (available from admissions) and submit required documents: typically proof of identity (birth certificate or passport), previous school reports or transcripts, immunisation records, and any assessment reports (e.g., SEN statements) that are relevant to support needs. Confirm with admissions whether there is an application or registration fee and whether those fees are refundable or credited toward enrollment — the school's materials note document review as part of progressing the application. Keep copies of everything you submit and ask for a receipt or confirmation email. 3. Placement assessment and interview. SISC requires students to complete a placement test and may hold an interview; the content and format vary by age (early years observations for younger children; English and mathematics assessments for older pupils). Parents should clarify whether the assessment is in‑person or can be done remotely, what material the child should prepare (if any), and whether an interpreter is permitted for non‑English speakers. If your child needs learning support or English language support, disclose this at application so the admissions team can plan the appropriate assessment and supports. 4. Offer letter and confirmation. After assessment, the school will inform parents of the outcome and — for successful applications — issue an Offer Letter that details the place, programme, and fees due. Read the Offer Letter carefully for deadlines (signature, deposit, registration) and any conditions (e.g., required vaccinations, additional assessments, or language support). If an offer is time‑limited, return the signed acceptance and required payment by the deadline to secure the place. 5. Submit final documents and settle fees. The admissions page states that once admitted parents must submit all required documents for review and that all school fees must be paid in full before a child can start school; confirm the school's accepted payment methods and whether there are instalment plans or early‑payment discounts. Ask for a written invoice that itemises registration/one‑time fees, tuition, capital/annual fees and any optional charges (transport, lunches, weekend classes). If your employer will pay fees, provide company invoicing details early so the school can liaise with them directly. 6. Class allocation, materials and start date. After payment and paperwork are completed the admissions/academic team will confirm class assignment and the student's official start date and will arrange for study materials and handover information to the homeroom teacher. Parents should check induction arrangements (orientation sessions, uniform purchase, timetable for the first week) and confirm drop‑off/pick‑up procedures and school hours. If your child requires transport, ask admissions about the availability, routes, and fees for school bus services. 7. Ongoing communication and follow up. Keep in regular contact with the admissions office and the assigned homeroom teacher during the first term to monitor adjustment and any additional support needs; the school's learning support and student affairs teams can be involved if required. Ask how progress and behaviour will be reported (parent meetings, written reports, online portals) and note any probationary or review periods referenced in the Offer Letter. If your plans change, notify admissions immediately — policy on withdrawals, refunds or deferrals will be specified in the school's fee schedule or Offer Letter.
Scholarships	Scholarships AGPS states on its AGPS Elite page that it “offers scholarships to high achieving students”.	Scholarships —
Waitlist	Waitlist The school's public Admissions pages do not describe a formal waitlist or admissions pool.	Waitlist No explicit waiting‑list policy is published on the school's admissions pages. The SISC admissions and contact pages describe the application, assessment and offer process but do not state a formal waitlist procedure or how places are prioritised when classes are full. Because many international schools manage limited places differently by grade and by campus, I recommend contacting SISC's admissions office directly (info@sisc.edu.kh or the numbers listed on the website) to ask whether they operate a waitlist, whether they accept completed applications to hold a place, and whether there is a fee to hold a space — the school's admissions team can confirm current practice for the specific grade and preferred start date.
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