International School Saigon Pearl (ISSP) is an IB school for preschoolers (18 months – 4 years old) and elementary students (5 – 11 years old) in Binh Thanh District, Ho Chi Minh City. Our teaching and learning approaches follow the IB framework and align with the American standards. This supports the development of the whole child and provides a balanced education.
Our students have opportunities to transfer to prestigious secondary schools such as International School Ho Chi Minh City (ISHCMC) or ISHCMC American Academy (Cognita school groups) or any other secondary school in the world.
ISSP Mission
ISSP is a caring IB World School where young children gain foundational knowledge and skills; building self-belief and empowering individuals to succeed.
ISSP Vision
ISSP achieves its Vision through personalized, authentic learning opportunities that cultivate a lifelong love for learning.
Our Values which are Honesty, Respect, Responsibility, Caring, and Wisdom are aligned with the IB Learner Profile with an overriding imperative to develop well rounded humans who have the skills and attributes to contribute to society and thrive in their future.
Our IB Learner Profile
• Reflective
• Balanced
• Open-minded
• Knowledgeable
• Risk-takers
• Caring
• Principled
• Inquirers
• Communicators
• Thinkers
| Number of students |
405 |
| Number of nationalities represented in the school |
20+ |
| Most common nationality |
Vietnamese; American; Australian, Canadian, Korean & Chinese |
| Ratio of local students to international students |
25% is international students, 52% hold dual passport. |
| Native English speaking teachers |
Yes. All homeroom teachers are also required to have pedagogical qualifications. |
| Language support for students not fluent in English |
Yes |
| Additional language classes offered by the school |
Mandarin and Vietnamese |
| Max. number of students per class |
22 |
| Average number of students per class |
17 |
| Does the school employ teaching assistants? |
Yes |
| Use of technology in the classroom |
Yes. We have a wide range of digital equipment |
| Is the school ready to use virtual classrooms when needed? (e.g. teaching lessons online if the school is closed, e.g. during COVID-19 closures) |
Yes |
| Do students practice religion at the school? What religion? |
No |
| External examinations or assessments available |
MAP Test (Measurement of Academic Progress) - NWEA |
| Results in these examinations |
80%+ of students achieve above grade level Mathematics, compared to worldwide results in MAP® testing |
| Do teachers assign homework to their students? |
Yes |
| Approximate hours of homework given |
20-30 mins depends on grade level |
| Dedicated staff/programs for students with special learning needs |
Yes |
| Learning support offered |
Special Education Needs, Language Support, Designated Safeguarding Supervisor, School Counselor |
| The school supports gifted, able and talented students |
Personalize learning. Talented students will be considered and evaluated in case by case basis. |
| Student access to education psychologist |
Yes |
| Entry evaluation for students |
Yes |
| Brief description of entry evaluation required |
Language test, SENs test (Special Education Needs), Medical Check-up, Immunization records, etc. |
| Waiting list |
No |
| Deadline for registration (new academic year) |
Accepting new families all year round |
| Students can join after academic year begins |
Yes |
| School start time |
8AM |
| School finish time |
3.15PM |
| Supervised care before/after school |
Yes. From 7.30AM and until 5.00PM |
| School bus service available |
Yes |
| School provided lunches |
Yes & snacks |
| Food alternatives for special dietary needs (ie. vegan, kosher, halal etc) |
Yes |
| Uniform required |
Yes |
| Extracurricular activities or clubs offered |
50+ clubs for elementary students and 15+ clubs for preschoolers |
| Sports activities included |
Swimming, basketball, ballet, football, etc. |
| Sports teams or sport competitions available for students |
Yes |
| Facilities at the school |
Library, ICT and Green studio, multi-purposed room, swimming pool (preschool), soft-play room (preschool), smart-steps room (preschool), playground, soccer field, arts room, and music room |
| Sports facilities at the school |
Multi purpose room, football field, swimming pool, playground, ... |
| Qualities and characteristics best defining the school |
Respect - Wisdom - Caring - Honesty - Responsibility |
| Teaching approach of the school |
International Baccalaureate (IB) |
Your child’s first experiences of school are the key to laying the foundation for a successful learning journey. It is therefore crucial that these early experiences are positive and developmentally appropriate.
Run by our highly specialized teachers, the Early Years program in ISSP delivers a balanced curriculum that focuses on the development of both the interpersonal and academic skills of the child. It is well-aligned with our dominant pedagogy which is the IB PYP Framework, the Reggio Emilia-inspired teaching and learning approach bespoke to our school.
At ISSP, our international curriculum (that follows IB PYP) for children 6 to 11 years old is designed to provide students with a seamless transition into our secondary schools, ISHCMC or ISHCMC – American Academy, which has a 100% acceptance rate for students who apply to overseas universities.
Our education program is aligned with American Standards and is designed to strike an effective balance between academic excellence and guiding students in their creative, physical, emotional, and social goals. This curriculum ensures our elementary students’ transdisciplinary learning across mathematics, science, music, language arts, and social studies is benchmarked against American Standards.
From 2023, International School Saigon Pearl has become International Baccalaureate Primary Years Programme (IB PYP) School. We are applying the IB framework to the curriculum of early years and elementary students. The IB framework includes three pillars: The learner, learning and teaching, and the learning community. This framework shapes the school curriculum and guides the school to achieve authentic conceptual inquiry-based learning that is engaging and challenging for students. Through the units of inquiry, students can build the typical attributes of the IB Learner.
A Reggio inspired classroom is a nontraditional learning environment where there are no assigned seats. Children have easy access to supplies and learning material, and are consistently inspired and encouraged to direct their own learning. Because students learn directly from their learning environment, a Reggio inspired classroom is set up in a way that is meant to be a reflection of the culture that the child lives in.
Our superb learning environment includes a Library Media Center with over 14,200 English books, digital learning resources and a full-time librarian.
All our elementary students participate in our extensive swimming program, where specialist instructors teach children to refine stroke proficiency and build their strength and core stamina to swim with ease and efficiency over greater distances.
The latest in our classroom technology and IT infrastructure includes iPads, interactive whiteboards, a dedicated IT specialist and ICT lab help us to deliver a 360° integrated technology program allowing enhanced and individualized learning for all students.
The Arts are also amply cultivated in our school with specialist rooms for Visual Art, Music and Dance.
We recognize the importance of sports participation and regular physical activity, not only in improving strength and fitness, but also for its positive effects in increasing self-esteem, mood, and concentration.
It is our aim to make the application process as seamless as possible and a positive experience to families wishing to join the ISSP community. We accept applications from children of all nationalities throughout the year to join our international environment and who would benefit from our educational program. It is strongly encouraged that applications are submitted as early as possible to avoid being placed on a waitlist.
