If you want to live in Istanbul, and you have a family, one of your main concerns would be finding the right school for your children. If they do not speak Turkish, your options are limited to international schools. There are a bunch of international schools in Istanbul, but surely, you want to choose the best ones for your kids. Of course, what is best for you will solely depend on your needs and what you want for your children. But here is a list of top 5 international schools in Istanbul with some of their info. 
International Gokkusagi Schools 3-18 year old
This school has several campuses throughout the Istanbul. They use English to instruct their students, but also have extra languages to teach. The class sizes vary between 18 - 24 students. They have a school bus and also have a bunch of extracurricular activities for your kids. 20% of the students at this school are foreigners, the rest are Turkish. Most of their teachers are native English speakers as they claim. They also offer Spanish language lessons till grade 12. They have smart boards, Wi-Fi, and computers. However, students can not use their own cellphones during class. They can also switch to virtual classes if the need be. There is no obligatory religion courses of any kind.
In order for your kid to be admitted, they must pass an English language test.
Extracurricular activities: Archery, ballet, dance, e-sport, debating club, tennis, ping pong, charcoal drawing, volleyball, football, basketball, swimming, coding, STEM, journalism, MUN, Psychology, Creative Writing, Science, SAT Math club, mind games, creative writing, chess, drums, piano, martial arts, entrepreneurship, drama, brand design, science in action, Ping-pong, tennis, volleyball, basketball, football, archery, swimming, gymnastics, dancing, martial arts, badminton
Facilities: Library, dance studio, art studio, music studio, theatre, physics lab, biology lab, chemistry lab, computer room, STEM and Coding lab, auditorium, Tennis court, swimming pool, indoord sports hall which is suitable for football, gymnastics, running, basketball, volleyball, dancing, badminton.
How much do they cost? No clue, you must contact the school so they can tell you their prices themselves. Why? don't know.
Ihsan International School 3-18 year old
They have 2 campuses in Istanbul, one on the Asian side, one on the European side. The ratio of foreign students in this school is better compared to local ones. With 60% international students, your kid might not feel so out of place. Mostly they have native English speaker teachers. They also offer Arabic and Turkish classes. with 24 students per class, it might look a bit crowded. They are also very modern when it comes to facilities and technologies. All classes have smart boards, and students from grade 7 to 12 will receive Chromebook. They are ready to switch to virtual classes if need be. Unfortunately, religion is practiced in this school, Islam to be exact. So if you want to stay away from this one, it is understandable. But students of other religions are "allowed" to practice their own religion. They require a series of tests to admit your child. registration for the new academic year will end on august.
Extracurricular activities: Chess, music, drama, cooking, mind games, library, spelling pee, TEDx, sports, national trips, international day, MUN, science fairs, universities tours, pie day, pajama day, robotics, literacy, career planning, entrepreneurship program, twinning program with national and international schools. Swimming, Billiard, Tennis, Volleyball, Football and Basketball
Facilities: Library, theater, science labs, robotics labs, computer lab, canteen, food court, prayer rooms, nursery rooms, and gymnasium, Swimming Pool, 1 Tennis, 2 Volleyball, 1 Football, 2 Basketball, Ballet room, Tennis Table, Billiard Table, Football Table.
Yearly fees are around 46,000 to 61,000 TL. I love a school that is upfront about their prices.
Istanbul International Community School 3-18 and 3-9 years old.
They have 2 campuses, one in Hisar for kids aged 3-9. One in Marmara for kids 3-18 years old. They have an average of 15 students per class. Most of the kids are from US, UK, Germany and Korea in this school. They only admit non Turkish students. So it is only natural that they only hire native English teachers. They provide shared ipads for early year students. the higher level students receive shared macbooks and ipads. Classes also have smart boards and stereo systems. They are covid ready so they can switch to virtual learning. No religious classes are provided, however, your child is free to practice what they want, or what you want since you control your kids, right? Students for grade 7 and above will be tested upon admission.
Extracurricular activities: Athletics, basketball, cross-country, football, volleyball, badminton, arts, sketching club, secondary school production, orchestra, choir, poetry club, a ceramics studio, drama, Model United Nations, speech and debate, student newspaper, science club, virtual reality, running
Facilities: Libraries, computer station, tech lab, amphitheater, arts building, cafes, cafeteria, PE room, basketball court, football pitch, climbing wall, playground.
They cost from 300,000 to 600,000 TL a year.
Aljazari International School of Science and Technology
Very official name, The school has 2 campuses. Both cater to the 3- 18 year old students. they average 15 student per class. they have 1280 students, with ratio of local to non local ones are 1:1. they have both native and near native teachers. They offer Arabic, Turkish, French and German languages. They have evaluation for students for entry purposes.
They lack on the extracurricular activities: Jeagles Sports Club, School trips and Competitions, Swimming, Archery, Football, Basketball, Tennis, Taekwondo, Volleyball, and Gymnastics
Facilities: Science labs, Robotics labs, Computer labs, 2 Swimming Pools, 2 Basketball Courts, Handball Court and Football Court.
They cost... we don't know. They require to be contacted to reveal their secrets. Which by that sentence alone, i drop them from my consideration list. I don't know about you.
Milestone International School
They have one campus in Istanbul's Asian side. They do not have Turkish students, But most of their students are from middle east. They do hire native English teachers, and they offer Turkish and Arabic classes as well. They have 18 students per class. They boast about their fiber optic internet in school. They also have smart boards and computers for teachers. They are ready for covid as well. They have optional Islamic faith classes. They will test your child for admission.
extracurricular activities: The school offers a variety of clubs: Debate Club, Chess Club, Photography Club, Art Club, Drama Club, Science Club. Basketball, Soccer, Swimming
Facilities: Gym, Soccer Field, Swimming Pool.
International Gokkusagi Schools 3-18 year old
This school has several campuses throughout the Istanbul. They use English to instruct their students, but also have extra languages to teach. The class sizes vary between 18 - 24 students. They have a school bus and also have a bunch of extracurricular activities for your kids. 20% of the students at this school are foreigners, the rest are Turkish. Most of their teachers are native English speakers as they claim. They also offer Spanish language lessons till grade 12. They have smart boards, Wi-Fi, and computers. However, students can not use their own cellphones during class. They can also switch to virtual classes if the need be. There is no obligatory religion courses of any kind.
In order for your kid to be admitted, they must pass an English language test.
Extracurricular activities: Archery, ballet, dance, e-sport, debating club, tennis, ping pong, charcoal drawing, volleyball, football, basketball, swimming, coding, STEM, journalism, MUN, Psychology, Creative Writing, Science, SAT Math club, mind games, creative writing, chess, drums, piano, martial arts, entrepreneurship, drama, brand design, science in action, Ping-pong, tennis, volleyball, basketball, football, archery, swimming, gymnastics, dancing, martial arts, badminton
Facilities: Library, dance studio, art studio, music studio, theatre, physics lab, biology lab, chemistry lab, computer room, STEM and Coding lab, auditorium, Tennis court, swimming pool, indoord sports hall which is suitable for football, gymnastics, running, basketball, volleyball, dancing, badminton.
How much do they cost? No clue, you must contact the school so they can tell you their prices themselves. Why? don't know.
Ihsan International School 3-18 year old
They have 2 campuses in Istanbul, one on the Asian side, one on the European side. The ratio of foreign students in this school is better compared to local ones. With 60% international students, your kid might not feel so out of place. Mostly they have native English speaker teachers. They also offer Arabic and Turkish classes. with 24 students per class, it might look a bit crowded. They are also very modern when it comes to facilities and technologies. All classes have smart boards, and students from grade 7 to 12 will receive Chromebook. They are ready to switch to virtual classes if need be. Unfortunately, religion is practiced in this school, Islam to be exact. So if you want to stay away from this one, it is understandable. But students of other religions are "allowed" to practice their own religion. They require a series of tests to admit your child. registration for the new academic year will end on august.
Extracurricular activities: Chess, music, drama, cooking, mind games, library, spelling pee, TEDx, sports, national trips, international day, MUN, science fairs, universities tours, pie day, pajama day, robotics, literacy, career planning, entrepreneurship program, twinning program with national and international schools. Swimming, Billiard, Tennis, Volleyball, Football and Basketball
Facilities: Library, theater, science labs, robotics labs, computer lab, canteen, food court, prayer rooms, nursery rooms, and gymnasium, Swimming Pool, 1 Tennis, 2 Volleyball, 1 Football, 2 Basketball, Ballet room, Tennis Table, Billiard Table, Football Table.
Yearly fees are around 46,000 to 61,000 TL. I love a school that is upfront about their prices.
Istanbul International Community School 3-18 and 3-9 years old.
They have 2 campuses, one in Hisar for kids aged 3-9. One in Marmara for kids 3-18 years old. They have an average of 15 students per class. Most of the kids are from US, UK, Germany and Korea in this school. They only admit non Turkish students. So it is only natural that they only hire native English teachers. They provide shared ipads for early year students. the higher level students receive shared macbooks and ipads. Classes also have smart boards and stereo systems. They are covid ready so they can switch to virtual learning. No religious classes are provided, however, your child is free to practice what they want, or what you want since you control your kids, right? Students for grade 7 and above will be tested upon admission.
Extracurricular activities: Athletics, basketball, cross-country, football, volleyball, badminton, arts, sketching club, secondary school production, orchestra, choir, poetry club, a ceramics studio, drama, Model United Nations, speech and debate, student newspaper, science club, virtual reality, running
Facilities: Libraries, computer station, tech lab, amphitheater, arts building, cafes, cafeteria, PE room, basketball court, football pitch, climbing wall, playground.
They cost from 300,000 to 600,000 TL a year.
Aljazari International School of Science and Technology
Very official name, The school has 2 campuses. Both cater to the 3- 18 year old students. they average 15 student per class. they have 1280 students, with ratio of local to non local ones are 1:1. they have both native and near native teachers. They offer Arabic, Turkish, French and German languages. They have evaluation for students for entry purposes.
They lack on the extracurricular activities: Jeagles Sports Club, School trips and Competitions, Swimming, Archery, Football, Basketball, Tennis, Taekwondo, Volleyball, and Gymnastics
Facilities: Science labs, Robotics labs, Computer labs, 2 Swimming Pools, 2 Basketball Courts, Handball Court and Football Court.
They cost... we don't know. They require to be contacted to reveal their secrets. Which by that sentence alone, i drop them from my consideration list. I don't know about you.
Milestone International School
They have one campus in Istanbul's Asian side. They do not have Turkish students, But most of their students are from middle east. They do hire native English teachers, and they offer Turkish and Arabic classes as well. They have 18 students per class. They boast about their fiber optic internet in school. They also have smart boards and computers for teachers. They are ready for covid as well. They have optional Islamic faith classes. They will test your child for admission.
extracurricular activities: The school offers a variety of clubs: Debate Club, Chess Club, Photography Club, Art Club, Drama Club, Science Club. Basketball, Soccer, Swimming
Facilities: Gym, Soccer Field, Swimming Pool.