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Last updated: September 2026
In Brief
A family whose children need English as well as Indonesian has two choices among schools in north Bali. Both are private primary schools in Sukasada district, and neither goes beyond primary. After that, families use the Indonesian state system, move south, or educate at home.
Singaraja Montessori School at Panji Anom runs three Montessori classes from age two and a half to twelve. North Bali Bilingual School at Panji is registered with the Buleleng Regency Education Office and teaches grades one to six on the Indonesian national curriculum. It uses both languages daily and teaches some classes entirely in English.
Of the international schools the International Schools Database lists for Bali, Singaraja Montessori School is the only one in Buleleng, and it stops at age twelve. The Indonesian education ministry's register lists the regency's registered schools. Check a school there before you visit it.
Schools in North Bali at a Glance
- Montessori, age 2.5 to 12: Singaraja Montessori School, Panji Anom, Sukasada
- Bilingual primary, grades 1 to 6: North Bali Bilingual School, Panji, Sukasada
- International schools in Buleleng: Singaraja Montessori School is the only Buleleng school on the International Schools Database list for Bali. The others on it are elsewhere on the island
- State schools: SD, SMP, SMA and SMK across Buleleng, all listed in the ministry register
- Verify any school: the ministry register at referensi.data.kemendikdasmen.go.id, searchable by name or NPSN
- Fees: each school sets out its own, so read the school's pages and not a figure quoted elsewhere
Two Primary Schools Teach in English and Indonesian
Both schools are private primaries in Sukasada district, and both teach in Indonesian first. The notes below follow the same order for each, so you can compare them.
Singaraja Montessori School, Panji Anom
Where it is: Banjar Dinas Lebahsiung, Desa Panji Anom, in Sukasada district, Buleleng.
What it is: The school is under the Bali Mandiri School Education Foundation (Yayasan Pendidikan Sekolah Bali Mandiri). It describes itself as an international school using the Montessori method with a bilingual system. The ministry register lists its primary section as SD Montessori Singaraja, NPSN 70010279, a private school.
Ages and classes: Three classes cover ages two and a half to twelve. There is a play group for ages 2.5 to 4, a kindergarten for ages 4 to 6, and a primary class for ages 6 to 12. The school sets out each group on its classes page.
Language: Bilingual, with Indonesian as the primary language of instruction and English as the second.
Curriculum: The Montessori method in collaboration with the Indonesian national curriculum, at the pre-school and primary levels.
Beyond the classroom: The school lists four activities:
- traditional and modern dance
- music
- speech and drama
- sport and swimming lessons
Admissions: Book a visit to see a classroom in action, or chat online. Then fill in the application form on the enrolment page to join the waiting pool. The school says a child can enrol at any time during the year.
The school also describes a subsidy system. It helps finance places for children from families who cannot meet the full cost.
Contact: montessori.one · Map
Best for: Younger children, and families who want Montessori practice.
North Bali Bilingual School, Panji
Where it is: Jalan Gunung Rinjani, Panji, Sukasada. The ministry register lists it there under NPSN 69754604.
What it is: A private primary school founded in 2012. It is registered with the Buleleng Regency Education Office as SD Dwi Bahasa North Bali Bilingual School. The school states that it is fully accredited at the highest rating, and it describes itself as what is commonly called a National Plus school.
Ages and classes: Grades one to six, run as a full-day school. Grade one has two classes.
Language: Both languages are used daily across the school, and the school says some classes run entirely in English.
Curriculum: The Indonesian national curriculum. The school says it implements it as a combination of the 2013 Curriculum and the national curriculum of 2022, with differentiated instruction and project-based learning. Its story page sets out its founding and its approach.
Beyond the classroom: Grades four to six choose from co-curricular clubs, and the clubs page lists the current choices:
- science
- dance
- art
- futsal
- newspaper and writing
- chess
The school also runs student guidance and counselling, an observation day for parents, and a basic special needs programme. That programme offers one-to-one support or a dedicated classroom, with an individual education programme.
Admissions: The registration page sets out who registers first:
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Siblings.
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Families from its affiliated kindergarten, Aura Sukma Insani Bilingual Kindergarten.
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Everyone else, at an open house.
Registration is first come first served, with no formal entrance test, and the school year begins in mid-July. Entry to grades two to six is at the school's discretion.
Contact: nbbs.sch.id · Map
Best for: Primary-age children staying long enough to work inside the Indonesian system, with English maintained.
State Schools Run From Primary to Upper Secondary, in Indonesian
Buleleng has the full Indonesian ladder: SD for primary, SMP for lower secondary, and SMA or SMK for upper secondary. The ministry register lists its schools by district, with hundreds of primary schools and dozens of secondary schools across the regency.
State schools teach the national curriculum, and the national education law makes Indonesian the language of instruction. A family who chooses this route is choosing Indonesian as the child's working language. The Indonesian curriculum, assessment and school year come with it, and a later move to a British or IB school means a transition.
Ask the school directly how it enrols a foreign child and what documents it needs. Registered state schools appear in the ministry register described below, with their address and status.
After Primary, Families Choose One of Three Routes
Neither English-friendly school in Buleleng goes beyond primary, and the International Schools Database lists no other school in the regency. Families with teenagers who want an IB, Cambridge or British pathway have three options, and each has a real cost.
Move south for school years. The International Schools Database listing for Bali is the place to compare curricula and ages across the island's international schools, from Ubud and Sanur to Canggu and Denpasar. From the north coast that is a drive over the mountains, so treat it as a relocation, not a commute.
Use the state system through SMP and SMA. This works when the family is settled, the child has Indonesian, and university plans allow for it.
Educate at home with an accredited programme. Settle two things before the move. The first is which programme will issue the qualification your child needs. The second is what your own country's education system requires of a child learning abroad.
Decide this before you commit to a house. Moving to north Bali covers the rest of the relocation, and long-term rentals in north Bali covers the housing side.
Check a School in the Ministry Register in Three Steps
Pasar Banyuasri in Singaraja. Photo: DayakSibiriak / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Indonesia gives every registered school an NPSN, a national school identity number, and the education ministry publishes the register online. Look a school up before you visit it.
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Open the ministry's Data Referensi Pendidikan and type the school's name or NPSN into the search. You can also browse by level, then province, then regency, then district to reach Buleleng.
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Read the district list. It gives each school's NPSN, registered name, address, village and status, which is negeri for state and swasta for private.
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Open the NPSN to see the full entry, including the foundation that runs the school and its operating permit.
Both schools on this page appear there, both in Sukasada. They are SD Montessori Singaraja (NPSN 70010279) and SD Dwi Bahasa North Bali Bilingual School (NPSN 69754604).
If a school you are considering is not in the register, ask it why before you enrol.
Practical Notes for Families
- Sort the visa before the school. The Bali visa guide covers the categories long-stay families use.
- Check the daily run. Both schools on this page are in Sukasada district, at Panji and Panji Anom. Work out the drive from where you plan to live before you sign a lease.
- Ask for the school calendar. North Bali Bilingual School's year begins in mid-July. Ask each school for its own calendar and holidays.
- Know where the medical care is. Healthcare in north Bali covers the clinics, the regional hospital and when families head south.
- Learn the language with the children. Both schools teach in Indonesian first. Balinese words and phrases covers the local layer on top of it.
- Know the village. How the banjar works explains the community association that organises ceremonies and village life around the school run.
FAQ
Are there international schools in north Bali?
Singaraja Montessori School at Panji Anom describes itself as an international school and is the only Buleleng school on the International Schools Database list for Bali. It teaches ages two and a half to twelve. North Bali Bilingual School, also at Panji, is a National Plus primary teaching the Indonesian curriculum in two languages.
What school options do expat families in Lovina have?
Two primary schools teach in English and Indonesian: Singaraja Montessori School for ages two and a half to twelve, and North Bali Bilingual School for grades one to six. The other routes are the Indonesian state system, a school in the south of the island, or education at home with an accredited programme.
Can foreign children attend Indonesian state schools in Buleleng?
Ask the school directly how it enrols a foreign child and what documents it needs. Teaching is in Indonesian, so it works best for children who will stay long enough to become fluent.
How do I check a school in Bali is registered?
Search the ministry's register at referensi.data.kemendikdasmen.go.id by school name or NPSN. The entry shows the registered name, address, district, status and the foundation that runs it.
When does the school year start?
North Bali Bilingual School's year begins in mid-July, and registration for grade one opens well before it. Singaraja Montessori School says a child can enrol at any time during the year.
What language will my child be taught in?
Indonesian is the primary language at both schools, with English as the second, and some classes at North Bali Bilingual School run entirely in English. State schools teach in Indonesian.
Sources
- Singaraja Montessori School, home, about us, our classes and enrolment (Banjar Dinas Lebahsiung, Desa Panji Anom; three classes from 2.5 to 12; bilingual instruction; Montessori method with the national curriculum; Bali Mandiri School Education Foundation; extracurriculars; visit, application and waiting pool; enrolment during the year; subsidy system), read September 2026
- North Bali Bilingual School, home, our story, system of student registration, co-curricular clubs and special needs programs (founded 2012, registered as SD Dwi Bahasa North Bali Bilingual School, accreditation, grades 1 to 6, 2013 and 2022 curricula, full-day, bilingual with some classes in English, registration order, school year from mid-July, clubs, special needs support), read September 2026
- Kementerian Pendidikan Dasar dan Menengah, Data Referensi Pendidikan, with the Sukasada primary-school list, SD Montessori Singaraja, SD Dwi Bahasa North Bali Bilingual School and the Buleleng counts for primary and lower secondary and upper secondary, Indonesian, read September 2026
- JDIH BPK, Undang-Undang Nomor 20 Tahun 2003 tentang Sistem Pendidikan Nasional (Article 33: Indonesian as the language of instruction in national education), Indonesian, read September 2026
- International Schools Database, international schools in Bali (the island's listed international schools, their curricula and ages; Singaraja Montessori School the only one in Buleleng), read September 2026
Next: moving to north Bali for the rest of the relocation, healthcare in north Bali for the medical side, and north Bali with kids for what children actually do here.
