Chatsworth International School: Tech & Innovation Gold, Early Years Silver 2026!

Getting To Know This Award Winning School?

What type of school is it, and who is it for?

Chatsworth is a community-focused IB school, founded in 1995, for ages 3 to 18. Kindergarten 1 starts at 3. The pathway is one IB line: Primary Years Programme, Middle Years Programme, and Diploma Programme. The school is non-selective and says every student can access the Diploma.

Early years sit in a purpose-built Early Childhood Centre, then children grow up next to older peers on the same campus. See the Little Steps guide to preschools and kindergartens in Singapore for how that first stage sits next to other options.

Where is it, and what does the community feel like?

One campus at 72 Bukit Tinggi Road, beside Bukit Timah Nature Reserve. A shuttle runs from Sixth Avenue MRT. The Head of School page lists about 55 nationalities. Teaching staff come from more than 20.

The school calls size, by design, its advantage. Families get a close-knit campus rather than a large split site. Kindergarten children share a village feel, then join the wider school for sport, performance and community events.

What's the philosophy, in a nutshell?

Dedicated educators, students and families work toward a more peaceful world through education. The school says it lives IB values every day, and that a child who is known can move through PYP, MYP and Diploma with less friction.

Admissions are non-selective and year-round, subject to space. Placement follows age as of 1 September.

Key points for parents

• Ages 3 to 18, Kindergarten 1 through Year 13
• One IB pathway: PYP, MYP, Diploma
• About 55 nationalities, on the Head of School page
• Non-selective. Year-round applications, subject to space
• 2026-27 Kindergarten tuition S$30,554, GST and FPS included

What Makes This Award-Winning School Stand Out?

What do they wish more families knew?

That the small campus is the point. The school says students hold more leadership roles, get more teacher time, and build resilience because they are known. Kindergarten is a formal school start, not a separate childcare site, so the youngest children grow beside older peers.

Inclusivity starts early. The school says every child takes part in sport and performance, rather than a selective showcase culture. Kindergarten 1 children can join CCAs from Session 3 of the year.

What tipped the scales for the judges and readers?

For Early Years, the school points to play-based, inquiry-driven rooms that pull Reggio Emilia into the IB Primary Years Programme. For Tech & Innovation, digital citizenship starts in Kindergarten. Early years classes use iPads, iMacs and robotics. Students keep ePortfolios from Kindergarten.

From Year 3 there is a 1:1 device programme. Secondary students use MacBooks. The school also runs a makerspace with coding, robotics and digital fabrication, and a Design Thinking path for later years. That mix is what readers voted Gold.

Key points for parents

• Play-based IB PYP, with Reggio Emilia brought into the early years
• Purpose-built Early Childhood Centre, then one campus through Year 13
• Digital citizenship from Kindergarten, plus robotics and ePortfolios
• 1:1 devices from Year 3. Makerspace coding and digital fabrication later
• IB Diploma 2026, school-published: average 35, 100% pass

What's Next For Chatsworth International School?

What's on the horizon?

Early childhood is often a family's first step into an international school. The school wants parent-school collaboration to get more immersive, with regular updates on what a child is discovering. Educators will keep working inside play-based, inquiry-driven rooms.

How will the award shape what comes next?

The Early Years Silver is treated as momentum, not a finish line. The school says teachers will keep bringing Reggio Emilia into the IB PYP so the first years are richer than either approach alone. The Tech Gold is read as a thank you to families who voted, and a reason to keep building the programme.

What did the recognition mean to the community?

The school calls it rewarding that the Little Steps community and judging panel recognised both the early childhood work and the technology programme. The thank you goes to the families who voted and who show up every day.

For families touring now, the practical questions are Kindergarten 1 or 2 by age on 1 September, whether a place is open this semester, and whether the Sixth Avenue shuttle fits the morning. Admissions is on +65 6463 3201.