New international school to open in Tallinn this fall
The International School of Tallinn (IST), an English-language school to operate on the internationally recognized International Baccalaureate (IB) curriculum as of 2021, is scheduled to open in Tallinn's Ülemiste City this fall.
"Foreigners residing in Estonia have three expectations with regard to an international school: a curriculum recognized across the globe, a multinational school environment and affordable tuition fees," school director Olavi Otepalu said according to a press release, noting that the school intends to build itself a good reputation among Estonia's international community by offering quality education.
The school hopes to have at least 150 students by the end of its fifth year of operation.
Margus Nõlvak, chairman of the management board of Mainor Ülemiste, developer of the Ülemiste City campus, sees the need for an increasing number of foreign employees in Estonia. In order to lure them here, however, it is critical that their children have access to internationally-recognized English-language education offered on reasonable terms.
"In Ülemiste City alone there are more than 8,000 employees of more than 50 nationalities," Nõlvak cited. "The opening of the new school is a very important development for them."
According to the press release, the International School of Tallinn will offer English-language education based on the Estonian national curriculum during its first three years of operation, following which it will switch over to the internationally-recognized IB curriculum. Annual tuition will be €7,500, which will include all study materials, study tours, field trips and school lunches.
The school's language of instruction will be English, with French, German and Russian offered as a first foreign language and Estonian taught as the second foreign language.
By 2021, an entirely new school building will also be completed on the Ülemiste City campus which will accommodate the new international school as well as the campus' already established Emili School and Kalli-kalli kindergarten.
Editor: Aili Vahtla