St. John's International School

"St."

John's International School is a private international day school serving students from early childhood through Grade 12, offering families in the greater Brussels area a rigorous, globally minded education rooted in the values of the International Baccalaureate. With a mission centered on developing curious, compassionate, and internationally aware young people, St. John's has built a reputation as one of the region's most respected English-language schools for expatriate and internationally mobile families. Founded in September 1964, St. John's has more than six decades of experience educating the children of diplomats, multinational professionals, and globally connected families who call the Brussels area home. That deep institutional history brings with it a maturity of program and community that newer international schools often lack — a sense of continuity and tradition that coexists comfortably with a forward-looking educational philosophy. Academically, St. John's is a fully authorized IB World School, delivering all three core International Baccalaureate programmes across its grade range. The Primary Years Programme serves the youngest learners, fostering inquiry-based habits of mind from the earliest stages of schooling. The Middle Years Programme carries students through early adolescence with an interdisciplinary, concept-driven curriculum designed to build both academic skills and personal resilience. At the senior level, students pursue the IB Diploma Programme, one of the most widely recognized and university-respected qualifications in the world. Advanced Placement courses are also available, giving older students additional pathways to demonstrate academic achievement to universities in North America and beyond. Instruction at St. John's is conducted primarily in English, reflecting the school's identity as an English-medium institution and its strong appeal to Anglophone expat families. French is also a language of instruction, an appropriate and valuable feature given the school's location in a bilingual country at the heart of European institutions. This bilingual dimension means students graduate not only with strong academic credentials but with meaningful exposure to one of the world's major languages — an advantage that resonates well beyond their years in Belgium. The school is situated in Waterloo, a leafy suburban municipality just south of Brussels, well known among the international community for its concentration of expat families and its proximity to NATO, the European Commission, and a wide range of multinational headquarters. The campus setting reflects the character of the area — accessible, well-resourced, and embedded in a community that understands and embraces international mobility. What ultimately distinguishes St. John's is the combination of its longevity, its comprehensive IB framework, and the genuine international texture of its student body. Families relocating to Belgium — whether for a two-year assignment or a longer stay — will find a school that has spent over sixty years welcoming students from around the world and building the kind of inclusive, multilingual community where children can thrive academically and feel genuinely at home. For parents seeking a stable, academically ambitious, and internationally oriented education for their children in the Brussels region, St. John's International School merits serious consideration.