Age Requirements

Grade Placement

The International School of Kigali grade placement is based on the American system of education. Students enter ISK from a variety of educational backgrounds, and we consider factors such as age, previous educational system and academic success within that system when determining grade level.

Parents and applicants are responsible for providing all school records in English and grade placement cannot be determined without school records. Placement assessments may also be required, based on our evaluation of the applicant’s educational background and records.

Appropriate Ages for Grade Placement

ISK uses a September 15 cut-off date to determine the age-appropriate grade level for children. Please note that age is only one of several factors that are considered when determining grade placement, and ISK reserves the right, in consultation with the family, to make the final decision regarding grade placement.

Middle and High School Grade Placement

Grade placement for middle and high school applicants is determined based primarily on previous school records and the previous educational system in which the student was enrolled. Placement assessments may also be used to assist with the admissions process, to determine English level and/or math placement. Applicants coming from non-US based programs are encouraged to bring textbooks or examples of coursework from math, English and second language classes, in addition to the previous two years of school records.

For social and developmental reasons, ISK will not enroll students who are more than one year older or younger than the expected age for the grade in which they should be placed academically. ISK will also not accept students into grade 12 after the beginning of the academic year.

Students Transferring from Non-American Educational Systems

Education Systems with Alternate Calendars

Some national school systems (particularly in the southern hemisphere) have very different start/finish dates than ISK. ISK is conservative when placing students in such transfers. If a child has just finished the equivalent of our grade eight in one system in December, for example, and is transferring to ISK in January, we will not “skip” half of our grade nine year and enroll him/her in grade nine, in the middle of our school year. In most circumstances, the child will repeat the last of half of grade eight with us and then begin grade nine the next academic year.

British-Based Education System

There is a simple numbering difference between the British year system and the American system. We will use the scale below for purposes of grade level placement at ISK for students coming from British-based educational systems.

Years 10 and 11  are the equivalent of grades 9 and 10 at ISK. Years 12 and 13 (A-level years) are the equivalent of grades 11 and 12 at ISK.

Elementary School

Middle and High School