Ulaanbaatar - Post Report Question and Answers
What is the availability of international schools? What has been your general experience with them, if any?
There are several international schools here but only a few that pass muster. Most kids go to ISU and the rest go to ASU, BSU, and the French school. Our kids go to ISU and we feel that they are getting a great education. - Jan 2024
Most kids go to the International School of Ulaanbaatar as it is Embassy supported. Others to go to the French school or the American school. The French school is old but the kids seem to really love it. ISU is not particularly rigorous and reviews vary. They use a play by learning model for K-1 which basically means its daycare. They don't teach reading or math or really anything the kids don't feel like doing. I've been told it gets more like a traditional International School in 2nd. That being said, my daughter liked the school and her teacher and they had many extracurricular activities. - Sep 2020
ISU is a good IB option, good diversity of families. - Aug 2020
There are several international schools here: ISU, British, French, and more. American kids go to either ISU or the French school. - Jul 2019
All embassy kids go to the International School of Ulaanbaatar (ISU). My kids are elementary-school aged and we've been very pleased with the kids' education and their teachers. There are some logistical issues with the school administration that cause frustration (lack of communication; limited new arrival information) but hopefully the new school director (arriving Fall 2017) will address this. - Oct 2016
The International School of Ulaanbaatar (ISU), sadly, was our only really negative experience in Mongolia. Low teaching standards, an abysmal management more focused on building new facilities than children, poor discipline and questionable ethics are the unfortunate hallmarks of ISU. The American School of Ulaanbaatar, in contrast, gets positive reviews from parents - despite the name, the curriculum is actually Canadian. There is also a new British School of Ulaanbaatar, but it's still in formation, and hard to assess, although the signs are promising. - Feb 2015
Our first grader has had an excellent experience at ISU. The instruction started out very basic, but became much more rigorous after a few months. - May 2012
I don't have kids and don't have personal experience with the International School of Ulaanbaatar (ISU). I'm told that the school is highly accredited and the teachers are all capable. - Feb 2011
The school is very good through sixth grade. The new building for the ISU is very, very nice. - Jan 2009
ISU moved from a decrepit old Russian hotel to a brand new facility last year, a 100% improvement. - Oct 2008
