Comparing 4 schools side by side in USD.
The Australian International School Manila is at 8428 Dr Arcadio Santos Ave (Sucat Rd), Parañaque City, 1720, Philippines. It sits in the BF Homes area of Parañaque in southern Metro Manila and is accessible via the city's main roads serving the south. The campus is embedded in a residential neighbourhood with nearby commercial areas and road links to parts of Metro Manila.
Preschool through Year 12; senior years include the Victorian Certificate of Education (VCE) through the Haileybury partnership.
Co-educational, day school.
There is no public listing of specific Additional Learning Needs (SEN) provisions.
Australia; the school delivers the Victorian Curriculum via Haileybury (VCAA) and is DepEd-accredited.
No religious affiliation is listed.
The school day is reported to run from early morning to late afternoon, with typical start times around 7:30–7:45 am and end times around 4:30 pm.
No publicly published details list a dedicated AIS Manila bus service; transport arrangements should be confirmed with the school.
AIS Manila is independently governed and owned by a family of three generations of educators and operates as a standalone school. It delivers the Victorian Certificate of Education (VCE) through a partnership with Haileybury Melbourne, with Haileybury staff providing training and oversight for AIS teachers. The school is accredited by the Philippine Department of Education (DepEd) and by Haileybury's Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority (VCAA) through this partnership.
AIS Manila is accredited by the Philippine Department of Education (DepEd) and recognized by the Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority (VCAA) through a formal Haileybury partnership to deliver the Victorian Certificate of Education (VCE). This arrangement enables AIS Manila to offer a dual senior-secondary pathway with two high school certificates: the Philippine DepEd High School Certificate and the Victorian Certificate of Education. The VCE is delivered on a northern hemisphere timetable and is overseen by Haileybury to align assessments and curriculum with Victorian standards. Senior years include Grades 9 through 12, with these certificates earned upon completion of the corresponding requirements; the Esteban Scholarship confirms Grades 9–12 as part of the senior pathway. The VCE subject scope covers English, Mathematics, Sciences, Humanities, Languages and the Arts, consistent with VCE offerings described by Haileybury.
The Australian International School Manila does not publicly disclose information regarding Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) provision, staff, or specific SEL initiatives.
The Australian International School Manila does not publicly disclose information regarding Special Educational Needs (SEN) support, including the types of needs supported, whether it is a specialist SEN institution, or staff qualifications.
The Australian International School Manila does not publicly disclose information regarding English as an Additional Language (EAL) provision, programmes, or staff.
The Australian International School Manila does not publicly disclose information regarding mental wellbeing provision, programmes, staff, or dedicated wellbeing initiatives.
The Australian International School Manila does not publicly disclose information regarding safeguarding and child protection policies.
1. Admissions Process
Step 1. Initiate contact and arrange a campus visit or virtual tour. The school's physical address is 8428 Dr. A. Santos Ave., Parañaque City, and you can use this to plan your visit. If you have specific needs (e.g., learning support), you can raise them when you book the meeting.
Step 2. Access admissions forms and begin the application. The admissions page provides a link to a drive where application forms and related materials can be accessed; use this to start submitting required information and documents. Follow the on-page guidance to locate the forms and submit them as part of your initial application. You should also plan to provide information about your child's background and any special considerations.
Step 3. Submit supporting information and complete the placement assessment. After submitting the initial materials, the school conducts an entry evaluation to assess your child's readiness. The assessment is not a pass/fail exercise; it evaluates Math, English, and Reading against the expectations for the grade you are applying for. If there are specific learning needs, discuss them with the admissions team via the admissions link so they can plan appropriate support.
Step 4. Waitlist/pool and admission decision. There is no published waitlist system; the school notes that there is no waiting list at the moment. Admissions decisions depend on available places and the assessment results.
Step 5. Enrollment deadlines and next steps. AIS Manila indicates open enrollment for Preschool through Grade 10, with Grades 11–12 enrollment closing around the 8th week after the first day of school. If an offer is made, you'll follow the onboarding steps to confirm enrollment, complete any required fees, and prepare for the start of the program.
Step 6. Fees and payment (structure and where to find figures). The admissions page provides a Schedule of Fees link where the fee schedule is published; the exact amounts are year-specific. The AIS site indicates that a formal fee schedule exists, but the 2025/2026 fees are not publicly published. For precise numbers, refer to the Schedule of Fees document linked from the admissions page.
2. Waitlist/Pool
- The school does not publish a waitlist or pool system. Publicly available materials indicate that there is no waiting list at the moment. Admission capacity depends on current enrollment and seat availability.
3. Scholarships
- AIS Manila offers scholarships, including the Esteban Scholarship Awards for Grades 9–12. The Scholarships section of the school's site references the Esteban Scholarship Awards G9-12, indicating there is a formal scholarship program; details such as eligibility criteria, application process, and award amounts are not publicly posted and require contacting the admissions office for specifics.
Notes and context
- AIS Manila is accredited by the Philippine Department of Education and has a Haileybury partnership delivering the Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority (VCAA) framework, which underpins its Australian curriculum alignment. This context can be relevant to admissions and scholarship considerations.
If you'd like, I can summarize these points into a printable checklist for families or tailor a step-by-step timeline based on a specific grade level and your intended start date.
- The AIS Manila Scholarships page lists the Esteban Scholarship Awards for Grades 9–12 as an active scholarship program. Specific eligibility criteria, application steps, and award amounts are not publicly published; interested families should contact the admissions team for full details.
- The school does not publish a waitlist or pool system. Publicly available materials indicate there is no waiting list at the moment; admission depends on seat availability and enrollment capacity.
Gov. Cuenco Avenue, Banilad, Cebu City, Philippines 6000. The campus is located on a main avenue in Banilad, Cebu City. It is accessible by local transport and serves as the combined site for Play House Preschool and BRIGHT Academy.
BRIGHT Academy offers Grade School, Junior High School, and Senior High School. Play House Preschool provides the early-years program. BRIGHT Academy and Play House share a single campus that includes the upper levels and senior high programs.
Private, non-sectarian, and co-educational. No boarding facilities are listed.
No publicly published details about Additional Learning Needs (SEN) provisions are listed on the school pages.
Philippines. The school is recognized by the Department of Education (Region VII) and is authorised to accept foreign students.
Non-sectarian; there is no formal religious affiliation disclosed.
First Bell is at 7:55 am and Last Bell is at 2:25 pm.
A school bus service operates with three routes. Route One, Route Two, and Route Three start from Silver Bay and make 15-minute-interval stops at Woodsmith, Campus Bay, and San Anders Point. Morning pickups occur around 7:30–8:15 am depending on the route.
The school is private and non-sectarian. It is recognized by the Philippine Department of Education in Region VII.
Bright Academy combines Play House Preschool (Nursery 1–2; Kinder 1–2) and BRIGHT Academy (Grade School through Senior High) at Banilad, Cebu City. It provides Grade School (Grades 1–6), Junior High (Grades 7–10), and Senior High School (Grades 11–12). The school is DepEd-recognized, with the Elementary Course (Grades 1–6) recognized on 12 March 2007 and the Secondary Course (Grades 7–12) recognized on 27 December 2007; a Senior High School Permit was granted on October 29, 2015. The curriculum follows a Balanced and Values-integrated approach aimed at total development and to foster critical and creative thinking. Online learning is delivered through Google Classroom as the learning-management system for Play House and BRIGHT Academy.
Bright Academy supports social and emotional learning by enhancing emotional intelligence and self-confidence through curricular and co-curricular activities, within a warm environment created by caring and competent teachers and staff.
The school does not publicly disclose information regarding Special Educational Needs (SEN) provision or whether it is a specialist SEN institution.
The school does not publicly disclose information regarding English as an Additional Language (EAL) provision.
Mental and physical well-being are emphasized as part of the school's safety measures and curricular approach.
The school does not publicly disclose information regarding safeguarding and child protection policies.
1. Complete the Admissions Form. Provide accurate information about the student and guardians. Submit the form to initiate the process and allow the Admissions Officer to review your application.
2. Submit the necessary documents. Provide all documents as requested by the Admissions Officer. Missing items can delay the processing of your application.
3. Wait for Confirmation from the Admissions Officer. The Admissions Officer will review your submission and communicate next steps. You may be asked for additional information or to schedule a conversation.
4. Fill Out the Online Enrollment Form. Complete the enrollment form once you have confirmation. Review your child's intended grade placement and enrollment terms. Sign or submit any required confirmations as instructed.
5. Pay Enrollment Fee. Pay the enrollment fee to finalize enrollment. If needed, confirm the accepted payment methods with the Admissions Officer. You will receive an enrollment confirmation after payment.
The site does not publish current scholarship programs. There is a note about fee concessions and discounts in older pages (2020-2021), indicating temporary relief measures during the pandemic, but no ongoing scholarship program is described.
There is no published waitlist or pool system for Bright Academy Cebu on the admissions pages. The site describes a direct application process and steps but does not mention a waiting list or pool.
The school is located at 339 Robinson Circle, Capt. Henry Javier Drive, Oranbo, Pasig City, 1600 Philippines. The Pasig City location places it within the greater Manila area, along a residential-urban corridor. The campus address is the main point of contact for inquiries and visits.
VCIS offers preschool, elementary (grade school), high school, and college preparatory education. The school began a Homeschool Program two years after its 2010 rebranding to Victory Christian International School.
VCIS is a co-educational day school. There is no boarding facility advertised for any year group.
Public information about Additional Learning Needs (SEN) provisions is not listed on VCIS materials. The school emphasizes Christian character, academic excellence, and leadership development rather than publicly detailing SEN support.
No formal country affiliation is listed. The school operates in the Philippines as VCIS.
Religious affiliation is Christian (non-denominational). The school is founded and operated within a Christian framework.
The school day typically runs from around 7:00–8:00 AM to 4:00 PM; some listings show 8:00 AM–5:00 PM. Exact start and end times vary by grade level and campus.
VCIS does not publish a dedicated school bus service. Families should plan transport through local public options; the campus is accessible by nearby public transit, including jeepneys and bus routes in the area.
The school was founded in 2000 as Victory Christian School by Victory, a non-denominational Christian church, under Bishop Manny Carlos. In 2010 it became Victory Christian International School and began offering its Homeschool Program.
Victory Christian International School offers basic and college preparatory education with an emphasis on Christian character, academic excellence, and leadership development. The curriculum is Biblically integrated and framed by a Biblical worldview, with Bible incorporated across subjects and a strong focus on character formation. VCIS Online provides a full virtual campus anchored on that Biblically integrated curriculum, with synchronous and asynchronous learning, daily homeroom mentorship, and structured student engagement. Integrated Hybrid offers weekly in-person activities alongside online classes to balance online learning with hands-on work. The Excellence Track provides after-school programs in arts, music, sports, and languages, including Mandarin, keyboard, dance, taekwondo, violin, and vocal technique. VCIS serves primary through high school levels and began offering a Homeschool Program in 2012.
VCIS Online includes daily homeroom meetings to target mentorship, student engagement, and relationship building. The online and hybrid programs also feature a calendar of virtual and face-to-face activities and student clubs with leadership opportunities through the student council. The school's mission emphasizes Christian character, academic excellence, and leadership development, which underpin social-emotional growth through values-based education. The integrated VCIS Online and Integrated Hybrid formats provide interactive, group-learning experiences designed to balance academics with social development. A standalone SEL program is not described in publicly available materials; the described provisions function to support social-emotional development.
The school does not publicly disclose information regarding SEN support. Public materials describe Christian character, academic excellence, and leadership development rather than specific SEN services. VCIS is not described as a specialist SEN institution on publicly available pages. There is no explicit mention of staff such as learning support specialists or SEN coordinators in the available materials. The school does not publicly disclose information regarding accommodations for various learning needs.
The school does not publicly disclose information regarding EAL support. Mandarin is listed as a language program, and English is the language of instruction, but there is no explicit EAL program described. The materials emphasize Biblical principles and Christian education rather than EAL-specific provisions. EAL-specific provisions cannot be confirmed from publicly available sources. Therefore, EAL support details are not publicly disclosed.
VCIS Online includes daily homeroom meetings to target mentorship, student engagement, and relationship building, which supports student wellbeing. The school's mission—emphasizing Christian character and leadership development—contributes to students' wellbeing and resilience. There is no explicit description of a dedicated mental health program or school counselor on publicly available pages. Social connectedness is supported through student clubs and leadership opportunities. A standalone mental wellbeing program is not publicly disclosed on the available pages.
The school does not publicly disclose information regarding safeguarding and child protection policies. Public materials do not provide safeguarding policy details. The contact and program pages do not present safeguarding-specific information. The school presents a Christian leadership framework rather than explicit safeguarding provisions. Therefore, safeguarding details are not publicly disclosed on publicly accessible pages.
Aguinaldo International School Manila is located at 1113-1117 San Marcelino Street, Ermita, Manila 1000, Philippines. The campus sits in the central Ermita/Paco area, a densely built urban district with ready access to public transport and local amenities.
The school offers Pre-School, Elementary and High School, including a Senior High School program, with an SPED department available for students with additional learning needs.
Aguinaldo International School Manila is a private, international day school.
AIS opened a SPED program in 2015 to cater to students with special needs, and it maintains a dedicated SPED department; the Senior High School program began in 2016.
AIS does not have a formal country affiliation; it operates as an international school in Manila, Philippines.
No religious affiliation is listed for the school.
The school day runs from 7:00 am to 4:00 pm, with operation including Saturdays.
AIS offers a school bus service; fares start from 4,000 PHP per month for two-way transportation, with the bus arrival at 7:15 am and departure at 4:00 pm.
AIS uniforms consist of a red AIS polo shirt, navy socks, and black shoes with a flat sole; boys wear beige pants or shorts and girls wear beige skirts. Uniforms must be purchased from the school bookstore. Fridays are school spirit days when students may wear jeans with a 'We Y AIS' shirt.
Students may bring healthy lunches to school or avail hot nutritious meals in the dining hall. The hot lunches include rice, vegetables, fruit and meat.
AIS Manila runs Pre-School, Elementary, and Senior High School. Pre-School levels are Nursery (3-4), Kinder (4-5) and Prep (5-6), with a curriculum covering language, arts, math, science and geography and an emphasis on early reading, writing and social development. Elementary curriculum centers on digital literacy, inventive thinking, interpersonal skills and the six facets of understanding (explaining, interpreting, applying, shifting perspective, empathizing, self-understanding) and extends the national curriculum with international standards to prepare students for American colleges and local universities. Core subjects Civics, English, Math and Science are taught in English in an in-house curriculum with small class sizes and differentiated instruction; non-core subjects include Filipino, Mandarin, Art, Music, ICT, PE and Home Economics, assessed by quizzes and performance tasks. The school follows the National K-12 grading system (A, P, AP, D, B) and recognizes achievement with merit certificates and medals. Senior High School offers a General Academic Strand under the DepEd Academic Track.
AIS Manila supports social and emotional learning (SEL) through the Guidance Department, which provides counseling, classroom observations, values education, career planning, and university guidance, and runs anti-bullying campaigns; advisory classes use developmentally appropriate modules to support wellbeing, and Wellness Week activities promote emotional wellbeing.
AIS Manila opened a SPED program in 2015 to serve students with special needs, featuring four SPED tracks (Mainstreaming, Academic Self-contained, Adaptive Self-contained, Functional Academics) and partnerships with occupational therapists, speech therapists, pediatricians and other providers; individualized education plans (IEPs) are developed with regular team meetings to tailor support.
The ESL program is open to non-native English speakers, with Beginners placed in full-time ESL, Intermediates integrated into mainstream classrooms with pull-out support, small class sizes, and a curriculum targeting listening, speaking, reading, writing, grammar, vocabulary and pronunciation.
Mental wellbeing is supported by the School Counselor and Guidance Department through counseling, social skills support and advisory wellbeing content, and is complemented by Wellness Week activities to promote healthy lifestyles and emotional wellbeing.
Safeguarding is addressed via an Anti-Bullying Policy, in loco parentis supervision, and incident reporting; health measures include new-student medical checkups and annual dental checkups, with emergency treatment at Medical Center Manila, all within a closed campus supervised by staff.
1. Initial eligibility and document requirements. Aguinaldo International School (AIS) accepts students from all nationalities. Official transcripts and/or official report cards are required depending on the student's country of origin. Slots can be reserved online and followed up later with the completion of an application form and an entrance exam. Payment of school fees is required for official enrollment.
2. Application materials to submit. The forms required are the Application Form, the Student's Background Information Sheet, and the Parent Interview Form. These forms collect background information and help schedule necessary interviews. After you submit these forms, AIS reviews the materials to determine the next steps in the process. Make sure transcripts and other official documents accompany your submission if requested.
3. Entrance exams and grade placement. AIS administers an external aptitude test and an in-house Math/English test to determine grade placement. There is also a get-to-know-you component that assesses personality, learning style, creativity, and interests. The combined entrance exams take about two hours and can be scheduled between 8am–3pm, Monday through Saturday, in advance.
4. Enrollment payments and discounts. Payment of school fees is required for official enrollment. An early payment discount applies to payments made before June 1. An additional 10% discount is available for cash payments. A sibling discount is applied on the youngest child's tuition: 2 kids = 25%; 3 kids = 50%; 4 kids = 75%; 5 kids = 100%.
5. Scholarships available. AIS offers scholarships to new and/or continuing students beginning in Grade 7. There are two kinds of scholarships: Athletic (for competitive swimmers) and Academic (for valedictorians). To apply, request a scholarship application form at the admissions office.
6. Final steps and inquiries. After completing the required steps and being informed of placement, families proceed with enrollment and fee payment to secure the place.
AIS offers two scholarships beginning in Grade 7: Athletic (for competitive swimmers) and Academic (for valedictorians). Scholarships are available to new and/or continuing students, and applicants should request a scholarship application form at the admissions office.
AIS does not publish a waitlist or pool policy in its admissions materials. There is no publicly described waitlist process on the admissions page. Prospective families should contact the admissions office to confirm current waitlist status and availability.
