Modern English School Cairo vs The British School in Cairo

	M Modern English School Cairo Cairo, Egypt	T The British School in Cairo Cairo, Egypt
Snapshot	Snapshot
Fees / year	Fees / year EGP 80,000 - 185,000	Fees / year EGP 70,000 - 141,700
Age range	Age range 3 - 18 years	Age range 4 - 18 years
Type	Type Co-educational	Type —
Curriculum	Curriculum British Curriculum, Cambridge IGCSE, Cambridge International AS Levels, Cambridge A Levels, American Curriculum, IB (DP)	Curriculum EYFS (Early years foundation stage), British Curriculum, Cambridge (Primary), Cambridge (Secondary), Cambridge IGCSE, Cambridge International AS Levels, Cambridge A Levels
Pupils	Pupils 2,400	Pupils 1,000
Typical class size	Typical class size 20	Typical class size 22
Instruction language	Instruction language English	Instruction language English, Arabic
Opened	Opened 1990	Opened 2004
Bus service	Bus service No	Bus service No
Essentials	Essentials
Location	Location New Cairo, South of Police Academy, Cairo, Egypt. The campus is in the New Cairo suburb and is purpose-built with green spaces, open atriums, fish ponds and an aviary. The Primary school is based around a pod layout with year groups clustered in a common corridor, with a shared pod-space connecting all classrooms. A central 400-seat theatre is used for meetings, assemblies and performances.	Location The school is located on the D3 Ring Road in Maadi, Cairo, Egypt.
Stages	Stages Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS); Key Stage 1 (KS1); Key Stage 2 (KS2); British Secondary; American Secondary; IB Diploma Programme.	Stages —
School type	School type —	School type —
Pupil nationality mix	Pupil nationality mix —	Pupil nationality mix —
Additional learning support	Additional learning support Students with identified exceptionalities may access additional support via Primary LDD and Secondary LDD teams. Provision includes authoring of Individual Education Plans (IEPs), outsourcing to community agencies and exam/testing modifications.	Additional learning support —
Country affiliation	Country affiliation —	Country affiliation —
Religious affiliation	Religious affiliation —	Religious affiliation —
School day structure	School day structure —	School day structure —
Bus service details	Bus service details School bussing is available for students and staff to/from most locations in greater Cairo. Our school buses are well maintained to ensure safety and comfort of the highest standard.	Bus service details —
Fees	Fees
Fee details	Fee details Application and registration fees - A non‑refundable registration (application) fee is charged for new enrolments; a re‑enrolment deposit equal to 10% of the annual tuition is collected to secure places for continuing pupils. Tuition — annual and typical instalment amounts (2025/26 fee levels) - Foundation stage / KG1: EGP 80,000 per year. Typical payment if spread in four instalments: EGP 20,000 per instalment. - Foundation stage / KG2: EGP 93,000 per year. Typical four‑instalment amount: EGP 23,250 per instalment. - Primary (Years 1–2): EGP 119,000 per year. Typical four‑instalment amount: EGP 29,750 per instalment. - Primary (Years 3–6): EGP 131,000 per year. Typical four‑instalment amount: EGP 32,750 per instalment. - Secondary — American diploma (middle/upper secondary exam years and related grades listed): EGP 161,000 per year. Typical four‑instalment amount: EGP 40,250 per instalment. - Secondary — British/upper‑secondary exam years (A‑level/IB/UK senior years listed): EGP 185,000 per year. Typical four‑instalment amount: EGP 46,250 per instalment. (Fees above are shown as annual tuition with a commonly used school instalment structure; the school issues billing and instalment schedules as described below.) Billing schedule and payment terms - Tuition is billed as the annual fee but may be paid in instalments. The school's standard instalment plan requires an early re‑enrolment payment (10% of the annual fee) and staged payments through the year (historically shown as further instalments in August, November and March). Transport charges are required in full before the start of the academic year. No student is admitted on the first day of term without settlement of due fees. - Registration fees for new students are non‑refundable at enrolment. The school operates sibling fee concessions: a reduced registration charge for the second child and additional reductions for third/fourth siblings, and percentage reductions on tuition for multiple children. Boarding - The school is a day school; no boarding fees apply. Other costs and recurring charges - Transportation: school bus service is charged in addition to tuition; published listings for the 2025/26 year show transportation charges reported at EGP 10,400 (charged separately and payable in advance). Transport must be paid in full before the start of the academic year (exact amount may vary by route). - Examinations and external exam fees (IGCSE/GCSE/A‑level, SAT/TOEFL, IB) are billed separately and are not included in tuition. - Books, activity fees and similar consumable or programme costs are not included in the published tuition figures and are charged separately. - Uniform: official school uniform is required. Uniform items are available from the school uniform shop and may be purchased online via the parent portal; uniform costs are charged separately. The school maintains a published uniform policy listing required items by year group. - Other potential additional charges include specific trips, optional extracurricular activities that require extra payment, learning‑support or EAL services if applicable, and exam administration fees. External exam charges and some activity costs are billed separately from tuition. Refunds and withdrawal terms - The school operates an explicit re‑enrolment and withdrawal policy: parents are required to notify the school in writing by stated deadlines to be eligible for any partial refund of re‑enrolment payments; a historical example of the policy requires written notice before the school's published cut‑off date (example given as July 1 in earlier documentation) to qualify for a refund of the re‑enrolment payment less an administrative charge; beyond the deadline re‑enrolment fees may not be refundable. Parents are bound by the school's written terms and conditions when enrolling or withdrawing a pupil. Fee payment options and instructions - Accepted payment methods include bank transfer to the school's accounts, card payments (Visa/MasterCard), and electronic instalment plans through third‑party finance partners (valU has been offered as an option). Cheques are not accepted. The school publishes account details and an accounts e‑mail contact for fee queries and payment confirmations. Quick practical points for parents - Tuition amounts shown above are annual figures; the school issues invoices and an instalment schedule. Typical instalments are calculated by splitting the annual fee over the school's accepted number of instalments (the school's standard plan has historically used four instalments). - Transport, uniforms, books, exam fees and many trips/activities are additional to tuition and must be budgeted for separately. - There are sibling discounts and reduced registration terms for second and further children.	Fee details Application fees - No distinct, consistently published application or admission fee for The British School in Cairo (BSC) was available in the sources consulted. Contact details are listed for the school should you need direct confirmation. Tuition fees (annual) by year group - Pre‑Nursery (Pre‑KG): EGP 70,000 per year. - FS1–FS2 (Foundation Stage 1–2): EGP 88,480 per year. - Year 1: EGP 112,000 per year. - Year 2: EGP 116,000 per year. - Year 3: EGP 120,500 per year. - Year 4: EGP 124,000 per year. - Year 5: EGP 128,000 per year. - Year 6: EGP 133,360 per year. - Year 7: EGP 141,700 per year. - Year 8: EGP 140,000 per year. - Years 9–12 (Secondary / High School): fees are published on a per‑subject basis at EGP 15,000 per subject (per annum per subject). Tuition per term (approximation) - The school's published figures are presented as annual amounts. A per‑term figure is not directly published; as an approximation, dividing the annual tuition by three gives an estimated per‑term amount (example: Year 1 approx. EGP 112,000 / 3 ≈ EGP 37,333 per term). This per‑term figure is an arithmetic estimate only and not an official billing schedule. Billing schedule and payment terms - No clear, published billing schedule, term instalment plan, due‑date policy, late‑payment penalties, or formal payment‑terms statement was available in the consulted sources. The published figures above are annual tuition figures; specifics on instalments or deadlines were not provided. Boarding fees - No boarding provision or boarding fees are listed for BSC; the school is presented as a day school with on‑site facilities and bus service. No boarding charges were published. Other costs and typical additional charges - Bus / transportation: the school lists a bus service among its facilities; a published bus tariff tied to these tuition figures was not available in the consulted sources. - Books, activities, uniforms and materials: no consistent, school‑published line‑item amounts for mandatory book fees, activity fees or uniform costs were found for the academic year figures above. Some directories note that schools often charge separately for books, supplies or activities, but no specific amounts for BSC were published in the sources consulted. - Examination or per‑subject charges for high school: high‑school tuition is listed per subject (EGP 15,000 per subject per year). Additional exam or examination‑entry fees (if any) were not published. Refund information - No formal refund policy or withdrawal/refund schedule (for deposits, registration or tuition) was published in the consulted sources. No specific refundable deposit amounts or refund deadlines were available. Fee payment options - No explicit list of accepted payment methods (bank transfer, credit card, cash, online payment portal, etc.) was published in the consulted sources. Summary of findings and remaining items not published - Available: clear annual tuition figures by year group (amounts listed above) and the high‑school per‑subject rate. Contact details and the school's listed facilities (including bus) were also published. - Not published / not available in the consulted public listings: a definitive application or registration fee specifically attributed to BSC; a formal billing schedule or term instalment plan; published per‑term billing; explicit bus tariff tied to routes; uniform, book or activity fee line items; a formal refund or withdrawal policy; and the school's accepted payment methods. If you will publish these figures in an external database, use the annual tuition amounts listed above for each year group and note that high‑school fees are charged per subject at EGP 15,000 per subject per year. The items noted as not published above were not available in the consulted sources at the time of this review.
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 Early Years follows the Early Years curriculum with an emphasis on play, early childhood development and interpersonal skills. They progress to KS1 and then KS2, where the National Curriculum of England underpins learning with adjustments for local context and international culture. In Secondary, students choose between the British Secondary pathway (a 2-year KS3 programme with GCSE/IGCSE, followed by AS/A Levels) or the American Secondary pathway (a 2-year Middle School Programme followed by a 4-year High School Diploma Programme). At the completion of Year 10/Grade 10, students can pursue graduation via the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme if they prefer. All pathways lead to graduation and university access.	Curriculum details The School broadly follows the English National Curriculum in all age groups, alongside the Egyptian National Curriculum for Arabic and Religion from Year 1 onward, and the Egyptian Social Studies curriculum from Year 4 onward. A Cambridge international curriculum is followed in core subjects in Primary and Key Stage Three, with Cambridge Checkpoints in Years 6 and 8. Arabic is studied from Nursery (Foundation Stage One) and Religion in Arabic from Reception, with a third language (French or German) introduced from Year One. From Year 9, pupils join the Senior School/IGCSE section with Pre-IGCSE or IGCSE Core studies and external exams under the British Council in five core subjects, followed by subject choices for IGCSE O Levels, AS and A2/A Levels.
Student teacher ratio	Student teacher ratio —	Student teacher ratio Class sizes are typically between 20 and 25 pupils, with a teacher and a bilingual co-teacher in all year groups up to and including Year 8.
Exam results	Exam results A-Level results: 2024 - A-A 40%, A-B 58%, A-C 85%; 2023 - A-A 30%, A-B 57%, A-C 78%. IGCSE results: 2024 - A-A 42%, A-B 64%, A-C 78%; 2023 - A-A 33%, A-B 61%, A-C 83%.	Exam results Pupils' attainment levels have remained strong across the different age groups, evidenced by end-year test results, with very strong performance in some areas.
Higher education progression	Higher education progression Our Secondary Leadership Team provides university counselling and information on virtually any university destination worldwide, including Egypt, with visits by reputable tertiary institutions throughout the academic year. Students are encouraged to utilise school resources to support their university planning, and not outsource to third parties.	Higher education progression The school has a Partnership Agreement with the British University in Egypt offering a full scholarship to the top graduates of the IGCSE section.
Gifted and talented	Gifted and talented For Gifted and Talented students there is an opportunity to take an additional two subjects, PE and Global Perspectives.	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 Admission priorities: First consideration is given to students who already have siblings registered in MES Cairo. Second consideration is given to students who apply from schools which offer similar academic programmes or follow a similar academic syllabus. Third consideration is given to students with the most academic ability, keeping in mind space availability and the date when the application was first processed. All other considerations may or may not play a major role in the admission process depending on the individual case. Application steps: 1. Complete MES Cairo Application Form online. 2. Visit MES Cairo to sign the application and submit the required documents. Your application is not submitted into the system until step 1 and step 2 are both completed. 3. Assessment results are announced within two weeks from the assessment date. If accepted, a deposit will be required within seven days of receiving the acceptance call to secure the student's place. Required documents: Part I – The required documents for the admission process: Original birth certificate – computer generated (Egyptian students); Copy of student's passport and residence visa valid for no less than six months – this should not be a tourist visa (non-Egyptian students); Two recent passport-size photos of student; Copy of mother and father's ID (National Number) and passport copies of non-Egyptian parents; Original academic report from previous school for last two academic years; Stamped attendance statement from previous school starting from Year 1; Letter of good conduct from previous school for students in Year 6 and above; Copy of parents/guardian's education certificates. Part II – Additional documents required for those transferring within Egypt: Attendance statement or progress report for last academic year stamped by the Educational District; Transfer request stamped from both the school the student is transferring from and the Educational District; Electronic transfer request from previous school. Part III – Additional documents required for students transferring from abroad: Attendance statement from previous school stamped by the Ministry of Education of the country the student is transferring from, as well as by the Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs; Last school report stamped by the Ministry of Education in the country the student is transferring from, as well as by the Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs; Issuing a letter of admission from the Educational District for both Egyptian and non-Egyptian students transferring from abroad.	Admissions —
Scholarships	Scholarships —	Scholarships —
Waitlist	Waitlist —	Waitlist —
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