Kodaikanal International School

Welcome to Kodaikanal International School.  KIS is a unique school with an extraordinary history, tradition and set of opportunities for all who come here, whether students, staff or parents.  KIS focuses on the students, is committed to quality in teaching and learning programmes, and is dedicated to continuous improvement in policies and procedures and systems which empower and enable people.  

KIS was established in Kodaikanal in 1901 as a school for missionary children.  Over the years it has grown and evolved into a world-class International Baccalaureate (IB) School and was the first school in India to offer the IB Diploma Programme.  Kodaikanal International School is fully accredited by the Middle States Association and is a member of the Council for International Schools.

KIS has always been an academic school. Since 1930 our graduates have been admitted to prestigious, quality universities in North America and increasingly around the world. As the first IB world school in India in 1976, KIS now has an outstanding and enviable internationally benchmarked 28-year track record of International Baccalaureate Diploma and certificate results. These have consistently been 20-30% above world means in overall scores and individual subject areas. Our students leave KIS committed, accomplished, and confident to achieve beyond graduate and postgraduate arenas. The KIS global network of alumni is evidence of this. 

KIS is also a Christian school.  That means, amongst other things that it has a defined special character.  Christian values and Christian teachings should and do permeate and guide the way we do things.  We teach about and abide by these principles.  It's what we do - and we believe that it promotes dignity and self-respect. We also welcome students of other faiths. 

KIS is unique in its setting in South India and the Palani Hills. This beautiful location gives us access to a unique set of learning opportunities related to our physical environment expressed in the longstanding Hiking & Camping program and our Wilderness campus at Poondi. KIS is also a school with a clear commitment to multiculturalism. The variety of our student and staff bodies means that just being at KIS is an education in culture and language. KIS is proud of the 30 diverse nations that come together to create our rich atmosphere. We are an inclusive school. We welcome diversity and we welcome students and staff from all cultures and religions to our community.  Unity through diversity is a reality here at KIS.

KIS is unique in many ways.  It begins when you come into a school and you see the children are happy.  The school is busy and you see a lot of activity in the classrooms and out in the playground, where there is a lot of involvement of the community in classroom events and in sports and activities.  The learning is dynamic, exciting and expectations are high.  We celebrate our students.  Above all you will see KIS students that are excited, confident, involved and wanting to learn.  That is our school.