
Number of pupils in international schools in Brussels
Annual Report 2025-2026

Internationalschools.brussels (formerly internationalschoolsinbrussels.be) has been tracking the number of pupils enrolled in international schools in the Brussels region since 2015 as part of its annual publications.
Starting with this 2025–2026 edition, this tracking is now published in open access as a structured report, with a documented methodology and exclusive statistical indicators. Previous editions of this report were until now reserved for private use. Internationalschools.brussels has chosen to make them public in order to contribute to better information about the international education sector in Brussels.
The goal is to provide relocating families, international mobility specialists, researchers and journalists with the most reliable and comprehensive overview available on this topic.
Unlike publicly available rankings that rely solely on school websites, this report combines official institutional statistics with data collected directly from school management and admissions teams whenever possible.
Methodology
Internationalschools.brussels collects and documents the number of pupils in international schools in the Brussels region for over ten years as part of its editorial work. This report presents the past five years as a structured series; earlier data is retained in our internal archives and may be published in future editions.
Data was collected between May and June 2026 using three levels of sources, ranked by reliability:
- Direct confirmation – figures provided by school management or the admissions office during the annual update of the school profile on Internationalschools.brussels, or through direct contact.
- Official school website – figures published by the school on its own website, verified in May–June 2026.
- Official institutional source – for the European Schools, data comes from the official document Facts and figures at the beginning of the 2025-2026 school year in the European Schools, published by the Office of the Secretary-General of the European Schools on 11 May 2026.
Some figures in this report are estimates provided by schools in rounded form. When a school indicates “approximately 300 pupils” or “300+”, this figure is reproduced as communicated. Only the European Schools data represents precise official figures, drawn from an institutional document. For all other schools, enrolment figures are reliable orders of magnitude but should not be considered exact to the unit.
International school enrolment figures are by nature fluid: expatriate families arrive and depart throughout the year. The figures presented here represent a snapshot taken at the end of the 2025–2026 school year.
| School | Pupils | Source | Verified |
|---|---|---|---|
| European School Brussels I (Uccle + Berkendael) | 4,434 | Office of the SG | May 2026 |
| European School Brussels II (Woluwe + Evere) | 3,780 | Office of the SG | May 2026 |
| European School Brussels III (Ixelles) | 3,181 | Office of the SG | May 2026 |
| European School Brussels IV (Laeken) | 3,253 | Office of the SG | May 2026 |
| Lycée Français Jean Monnet | 2,650 | School | June 2026 |
| The International School of Brussels | 1,300+ | School | June 2026 |
| The British School of Brussels | 1,200+ | School | June 2026 |
| Brussels International Catholic School | 683 | School | June 2026 |
| Deutsche Schule Brüssel | 600+ | School | June 2026 |
| Bogaerts International School | 550+ | Official website | June 2026 |
| St. John’s International School | 500+ | School | June 2026 |
| Agnes School | 450+ | School | June 2026 |
| European School of Argenteuil | 400+ | School | June 2026 |
| International Montessori Schools | 350+ | School | June 2026 |
| British Junior Academy of Brussels | 300+ | School | June 2026 |
| BEPS International School | 300+ | School | June 2026 |
| Japanese School of Brussels | 285 | Official website | June 2026 |
| Brussels Unit School | 257 | Official website | June 2026 |
| ISF Waterloo | 220 | School | June 2026 |
| The Courtyard International School of Tervuren | 210 | School | June 2026 |
| Montgomery International School | 210 | School | June 2026 |
| Tutti Frutti School | 120 | School | June 2026 |
| Stepping Stones Bilingual School | 105 | School | June 2026 |
| Montessori Kids | 100 | School | June 2026 |
| British International School of Brussels | 100 | School | June 2026 |
| ISF Tervuren | 85 | School | June 2026 |
| Ace of Brussels | 80 | School | June 2026 |
| Montessori House Brussels | 60 | School | June 2026 |
| Root and Wing Primary School | 57 | School | June 2026 |
| Total | 25.820 |
Exclusive statistical indicators
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Number of schools listed | 29 |
| Total pupils | 25,820 |
| Average enrolment per school | 890 pupils |
| Median enrolment | 285 pupils |
| Largest school | 4,434 pupils (ESB I) |
| Smallest school | 57 pupils (Root and Wing) |
| Ratio between largest and smallest | ×78 |
| Schools with fewer than 150 pupils | 6 schools — 21% |
| Schools with more than 1,000 pupils | 7 schools — 24% |
| Share of top 5 schools in total enrolment | 67% |
| Share of European Schools in total | 57% |
| Average enrolment excluding European Schools | 447 pupils |
| Average enrolment — Montessori schools | 170 pupils |
| Average enrolment — British-curriculum schools | 533 pupils |
Size classification — Brussels International School Size Index
| Category | Threshold | Schools 2025-2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Mega Campus | 3,000 pupils and above | ESB I, ESB II, ESB III, ESB IV |
| Large International School | 1,000 to 2,999 pupils | Lycée Jean Monnet, ISB, BSB |
| Medium School | 400 to 999 pupils | BICS, Deutsche Schule, Bogaerts, St. John’s, Agnes School, European School of Argenteuil |
| Small-Scale School | 150 to 399 pupils | International Montessori Schools, BJAB, BEPS, Japanese School, Brussels Unit School, ISF Waterloo, Montgomery International School, Courtyard |
| Human-Scale School | Under 150 pupils | Tutti Frutti, Stepping Stones, Montessori Kids, BISB, ISF Tervuren, Ace, Montessori House, Root and Wing |
5-year evolution (2021–2026)
| School | 2021-22 | 2022-23 | 2023-24 | 2024-25 | 2025-26 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ESB I | 4,288 | 4,237 | 4,364 | 4,444 | 4,434 |
| ESB II | 3,312 | 3,787 | 3,824 | 3,833 | 3,780 |
| ESB III | 3,520 | 3,313 | 3,237 | 3,202 | 3,181 |
| ESB IV | 3,111 | 3,149 | 3,182 | 3,201 | 3,253 |
| Lycée Jean Monnet | 2,650 | 2,626 | 2,626 | 2,650 | 2,650 |
| BSB | 1,350 | 1,350 | 1,320 | 1,200 | 1,200+ |
| ISB | 1,350 | 1,350 | 1,350 | 1,300 | 1,300+ |
| BICS | 600 | 633 | 633 | 683 | 683 |
| Deutsche Schule | 560 | 580 | 580 | 590 | 600+ |
| St. John’s | 500 | 525 | 500 | 520 | 500+ |
| Bogaerts | 320 | 400 | 450 | 550 | 550+ |
| Agnes School | 325 | 350 | 350 | 450 | 450+ |
| European School Argenteuil | — | 250 | 310 | 400 | 400+ |
| International Montessori Schools | 300 | 310 | 330 | 340 | 350+ |
| BEPS | 270 | 280 | 290 | 300 | 300+ |
| Japanese School | 290 | 290 | 290 | 285 | 285 |
| Brussels Unit School | 289 | 289 | 289 | 257 | 257 |
| BJAB | 170 | 170 | 240 | 300 | 300+ |
| Montgomery | 150 | 180 | 190 | 200 | 210 |
| ISF Waterloo | 200+ | 200+ | 200+ | 220 | 220 |
| Courtyard Tervuren | — | — | 200+ | 200 | 210 |
| Tutti Frutti | — | 120 | 120 | 120 | 120 |
| Stepping Stones | — | — | — | 100 | 105 |
| Montessori Kids | 120 | 120 | 120 | 100 | 100 |
| BISB | 155 | 150 | 155 | 100+ | 100 |
| ISF Tervuren | — | — | 80 | 85 | 85 |
| Ace of Brussels | 90 | 90 | 80 | 80 | 80 |
| Montessori House | 60 | 60 | 60 | 60 | 60 |
| Root and Wing | — | — | — | 55 | 57 |
| Total listed | ca. 24,455 | ca. 24,744 | ca. 25,241 | ca. 25,705 | ca. 25,820 |
Fastest growing schools (2021–2026)
- British Junior Academy of Brussels | +76%
- Bogaerts International School (new campus) | +72%
- European School of Argenteuil | +60%
- Montgomery International School | +40%
- Agnes School (new secondary school) | +38%
Analysis
The European Schools network is overwhelmingly dominant. The four European Schools in Brussels together account for 14,648 pupils – 57% of total enrolment. This reflects the historical concentration of EU institutions in Brussels and the priority access granted to EU civil servants and their families.
Steady but moderate growth over five years. The sector grew from approximately 24,455 to 25,820 listed pupils between 2021–2022 and 2025–2026, a growth of roughly 6% over five years. This growth remains modest compared to the broader demographic expansion of the Brussels region, suggesting a largely stable rather than rapidly expanding sector.
Some schools show remarkable growth. British Junior Academy of Brussels grew from 170 to over 300 pupils over five years (+76%). Agnes School (+38%), European School of Argenteuil (+60%) and Montgomery International School (+40%) confirm this growth dynamic. It should be noted that some of these increases partly reflect the opening of a new campus, with figures aggregating all sites of a given school group.
Other schools show a decline worth monitoring. The British School of Brussels saw enrolment fall from 1,350 to over 1,200 pupils, and British International School of Brussels experienced a marked drop, from 155 to 100 pupils. Brussels Unit School, formerly known as American School of Brussels, which officially changed its name in 2025, also saw its enrolment decrease from 289 to 257 pupils. These variations may reflect multiple factors, competitive pressure, strategic repositioning, or school-specific circumstances.
The international school landscape in Brussels is characterised by a wide diversity of institution sizes, ranging from under 60 to over 4,400 pupils, a ×78 ratio between ESB I and Root and Wing. The median of around 285 pupils, far below the mean of 890, confirms that most schools are small, with the overall total pulled upward by the European Schools.
Montessori schools form a coherent and growing segment. International Montessori Schools Tervuren has grown steadily from 300 to over 350 pupils over five years, reflecting increasing demand for this pedagogical approach among international families in the Brussels region.
What these figures mean for families
School size is not an indicator of quality, but it directly shapes the daily school experience.
Mega Campus and Large International Schools offer a wider range of programmes, languages and extracurricular activities, major sports and cultural facilities, and a highly diverse international community. They suit families looking for a school with a strong community life and broad academic options.
Human-Scale and Small-Scale Schools offer more personalised support, smaller classes and a closer relationship between families and teaching staff. They are often chosen by parents who value an intimate atmosphere, an alternative pedagogy or continuity with a specific national curriculum.
FAQ
Conclusion
Internationalschools.brussels will update this report every year to provide families, relocation specialists, researchers and journalists with the most reliable overview of international school enrolment in the Brussels region.
These figures may be freely quoted provided Internationalschools.brussels is credited as the source.
