The definition
An IB school, formally an IB World School, is a school the International Baccalaureate has authorised to offer one or more of its four programmes: the Primary Years Programme, the Middle Years Programme, the Diploma Programme or the Career-related Programme. A school may offer a single programme, several, or the whole continuum.
The important word is authorised. Using IB language, or teaching some IB-style units, does not make a school an IB school; authorisation is a decision the IB makes after its own process. A school still going through that process is a candidate school, which is a different thing.
Which programme does the school offer?
This is the question parents should ask first, because IB school does not mean the Diploma. The PYP covers roughly ages 3 to 12, the MYP roughly 11 to 16, and the DP and CP roughly 16 to 19. A primary school with the PYP is an IB school, and so is a sixth form with only the Diploma.
The IB publishes a directory of authorised schools on its website, which is the authority for what a given school is actually authorised to offer. Check it rather than relying on a brochure.
What is different for students
The signature features are inquiry, concept-based learning, reflection and international-mindedness, developed through a learner profile common to all programmes. Students are asked to investigate questions, work on projects and reflect on their learning, and depending on the programme, complete components such as the exhibition, the personal project, the extended essay and CAS.
It can feel unfamiliar to families used to a syllabus-and-examination model, and the amount of continuous assessment surprises many.
What is different for the school
An IB school carries obligations that a non-IB school does not: written curriculum and collaborative planning, staff professional development, and periodic evaluation by the IB against its standards and practices. Those are real costs in staff time, and they are why the quality of IB implementation varies more than the label suggests.
Where skodle fits
This section names our own product, so weigh it accordingly. Nothing about being an IB school requires particular software.
For schools running IB programmes, skodle brings planning, assessment, portfolios, reporting, family communication and accreditation evidence into one platform, with programme-specific workflows for the PYP, MYP, DP and CP in the IB Engine. That matters because the coordination between those parts is where most of the work in an IB school sits.
The limits. skodle does not carry the official IB route for candidate registration and coursework submission, which stays in the IB's own systems. Accreditation evidence is modelled against the IB's standards and practices, and evidence is linked to a practice by a person rather than automatically. Being on skodle does not make a school an IB school or affect its authorisation, which the IB decides.
Questions for parents to ask
These separate a school that is well-implemented from one that merely holds the badge.
- Which IB programme or programmes is the school authorised to offer, and for which years?
- How long has it been authorised, and when was it last evaluated?
- What is the Diploma or programme results record, and how does it compare with the school's intake?
- How much of the staff has IB training, and how long do teachers stay?
- How are learning and progress reported to families?
If you are a school thinking of becoming one
Becoming an IB school is a multi-stage process with its own documentation and evidence, a candidacy period and a verification visit. The practical first steps are in the evidence checklist for IB authorisation, and a fuller account for schools in India is in how to start an IB school in India.
IB school and IB curriculum school
People also search for an IB curriculum school. The phrase means the same thing in practice: a school authorised to offer IB programmes and implementing the relevant framework alongside its local requirements. Its planning, assessment and reporting depend on which programme it offers.
