International schools in Accra

Accra has a well-established international school sector, serving diplomatic families, the corporate expatriate community, returning diaspora, and a growing number of Ghanaian families who choose it over the local private system.

It is expensive. Fees run roughly $8,000 to $25,000 a year, quoted in dollars, before the extras.

The curricula

British — IGCSE at 16, then A-Levels. The most common international offering in Accra, and the most familiar to Ghanaian parents, since the Ghanaian system shares British roots.

International Baccalaureate (IB) — PYP, MYP and the Diploma. Fewer schools, generally the most expensive, strong for families who will move again.

American — US curriculum, high school diploma, AP courses. Suits families heading to North America.

Ghanaian plus — several strong private schools teach the Ghanaian curriculum to a high standard while adding IGCSE, at a fraction of international fees. Worth considering seriously rather than dismissing.

Where they are

International schools cluster in the same neighbourhoods as the families they serve: East Legon, Cantonments, Airport Residential, Labone, Roman Ridge, Dzorwulu and out toward Tema.

Long-established names include Ghana International School, Lincoln Community School, the American International School, Tema International School, SOS Hermann Gmeiner International College, Association International School, Galaxy International, Roman Ridge and Alpha Beta — alongside a number of newer British-curriculum schools.

Rather than trusting any list, including this one, check current accreditation and results yourself. The sector changes.

Where to live in Accra

Choose the school, then the house

This is the single most useful piece of advice for a family moving to Accra. Traffic makes a school run across the city genuinely punishing, and it is far easier to move house than to move school. Pick the school, then rent within a sane radius of it.

What to check

Accreditation. CIS, COBIS, NEASC, IB authorisation — and registration with the Ghana Education Service. Ask for evidence.
Exam results, published and recent.
Teacher qualifications and turnover. High expatriate turnover is normal; high total turnover is not.
The full fee schedule. Tuition is the headline. Add capital or development levies, admission fees, deposits, buses, lunch, uniforms, trips, exam entry fees and technology charges.
What currency, and what happens when the cedi moves. Some schools bill in dollars and accept cedis at their own rate; that rate matters.
Refund policy if you leave mid-year. Read this before you pay.
Class sizes and support. Ask specifically about learning support and English as an additional language if either applies.
Waiting lists. Popular year groups fill a year ahead.
Transport. Does the bus serve your area, and how long is that route at 7am?

Fees, honestly

The advertised annual tuition is usually 70–85% of what you will actually pay. Build a full-year budget with every line before you commit, and ask directly: what did a family in this year group pay in total last year?

Many employers on expatriate packages cover school fees. If yours might, get it written into the contract before you arrive — it is the single largest line in most Accra relocation packages.

Employment contract checklist

The alternative worth considering

Ghana’s strong private schools produce excellent results at a fraction of international fees, and a child educated in one grows up inside Ghanaian society rather than alongside it. For a family staying long term — particularly returning diaspora — that is a real consideration and not merely a financial one.

The trade-off is portability. A child mid-way through the Ghanaian system does not transfer smoothly into a British or American one.

Schools in Accra