RENZO DIAZ — Reference library
International Schools in Milan: Which Offer the IB Diploma
2 min readBy Renzo DiazLast reviewed October 7, 2026
Ten schools in and around Milan are authorised by the IB to teach the Diploma Programme. Six are in the city: the British School of Milan, St Louis School, the Canadian School of Milan, Collegio San Carlo, ICS Milan and Andersen International School. Two are just outside it: the International School of Milan in Baranzate and the American School of Milan in Noverasco di Opera. The other two are the international schools of Monza and Como. All ten teach the Diploma in English, after either Cambridge IGCSE or the IB's Middle Years Programme. Milan's other international schools lead to different qualifications: the German Abitur, the French Baccalauréat, a Swiss-school Maturità or A-levels.
Families arriving in Milan, or choosing a secondary school within it, usually meet the same question in two forms: which schools offer the IB Diploma, and how they differ in what comes before it and what Mathematics and Physics they teach. This guide answers both from the IB's own directory of authorised schools and from each school's own website, read on 7 October 2026. It names no rankings or fees, and sets no results side by side: the schools that publish an IB average do not publish their number of candidates, so the figures cannot be compared.
I teach IB Mathematics and Physics online from Milan, and students I have taught attend or attended five of these ten schools: the British School of Milan, St Louis School, the American School of Milan, the International School of Milan and the International School of Como. Three of them have a page of their own: the British School, St. Louis and the American School.
The question is rarely which school is best; it is which route into the Diploma, and which Maths course, a school actually offers.
Key takeaways
- Ten IB Diploma schools: six in Milan, two just outside the city, one in Monza and one in Como.
- Two routes into the Diploma: IGCSE at three schools, the IB Middle Years Programme at four.
- Both Maths courses everywhere: the IB's directory shows students at all ten registered in Analysis and Approaches, Applications and Interpretation and Physics.
- Four schools publish their Maths courses: the American School, the British School and Andersen with their levels, Como without.
- Other routes: the German Abitur, the French Baccalauréat with ESABAC, a Swiss-school Maturità, and A-levels at Bloom.
The ten IB Diploma schools in and around Milan
Every school below appears in the IB's directory of IB World Schools as authorised for the Diploma Programme. The year is the year of that authorisation.
| School | Location | IB programmes (Diploma authorised) | Before the Diploma | Language of instruction |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| American School of Milan | Noverasco di Opera | Diploma (1983) | The school's own programme, with an ASM diploma as an alternative | English |
| British School of Milan | Milan, Lambrate | Diploma (2008) | Cambridge IGCSE | English |
| St Louis School | Milan, centre | Diploma (2013) | Cambridge IGCSE | English |
| Canadian School of Milan | Milan, centre | Diploma (2019) | Not confirmed; an Ontario diploma is also offered | English |
| Collegio San Carlo | Milan, centre | Diploma (2016) | Not stated | English |
| ICS Milan | Milan | Middle Years and Diploma (2023) | Cambridge IGCSE | English and Italian |
| Andersen International School | Milan | Diploma (2023) and Middle Years | Middle Years Programme | English and Italian |
| International School of Milan | Baranzate | Primary, Middle Years and Diploma (1987) | Middle Years Programme | English |
| International School of Monza | Monza | Primary, Middle Years, Diploma (2017) and Career-related | Middle Years Programme | English and Italian |
| International School of Como | Fino Mornasco | Primary, Middle Years, Diploma (2018) and Career-related | Middle Years Programme | English and Italian |
Sources: the IB's "Find an IB World School" directory (programmes, authorisation dates, language of instruction) and each school's own website (the stage before the Diploma), read 7 October 2026. The Canadian School of Milan's site did not load; its entry comes from the IB directory and archived copies of its own pages. Three more IB schools nearby teach only the Primary Years Programme: the Bilingual European School, GIS Monza and YIESCHOOL.
Mathematics and Physics in each Diploma
The IB's directory lists, for each school, the subjects its students are registered for. At all ten, those include Mathematics: Analysis and Approaches (AA), Mathematics: Applications and Interpretation (AI) and Physics. That is a registration list, not a published offer, and it gives no levels. Four schools publish their Mathematics courses on their own sites.
| School | Mathematics | Physics |
|---|---|---|
| American School of Milan | AA and AI, each at HL and SL | HL and SL |
| British School of Milan | AA and AI, each at SL and HL | SL or HL |
| Andersen International School | AA and AI, each at SL and HL | SL and HL |
| International School of Como | AA and AI; levels not stated | Offered; levels not stated |
| St Louis School | Listed as Mathematics SL and HL, without naming AA or AI | Offered |
| The other five schools | Not published on their sites | Not published |
Sources: the American School of Milan's Grades 11–12 Programs of Study (2025–2026), the British School of Milan's academic faculties page, Andersen International School's subjects list, the International School of Como's high school page and St Louis School's IB page; read 7 October 2026.
Ask the school
Which Maths course runs at HL
For engineering, physics or computer science, the course matters: Cambridge, Edinburgh and TU Delft ask for AA at Higher Level. Before choosing a school, ask which Mathematics courses it runs at HL in the Diploma years, and whether Physics HL runs alongside. The university side is in IB Math AA or AI: what universities require.
Before the Diploma: IGCSE or the Middle Years Programme
The ten schools reach the Diploma by two routes. The British School of Milan, St Louis School and ICS Milan teach Cambridge IGCSE in Years 10 and 11; the British School teaches IGCSE Mathematics (0980) aiming at the Extended tier, and offers Additional Mathematics (0606) to its strongest mathematicians. The International School of Milan, Andersen, Monza and Como teach the IB's own Middle Years Programme up to the Diploma.
For Mathematics, the IGCSE route has a documented gap: Cambridge IGCSE Mathematics (0580) leaves out logarithms, the number e and radians, which Analysis and Approaches meets in its first year, while Additional Mathematics covers them. The comparison is in From IGCSE to the IB Diploma.
International schools with other qualifications
Several of Milan's international schools lead to a national qualification of another country, or to a dual Italian diploma, rather than the IB.
| School | Upper-secondary qualification | Languages |
|---|---|---|
| Deutsche Schule Mailand | The German International Abitur (DIA) | German and Italian, with English from Class 5 |
| Lycée Stendhal | The French Baccalauréat, ESABAC (Italian and French diplomas from one exam) and an international option | French |
| Scuola Svizzera Rahn Education Milano | A liceo ending in a Maturità | German, Italian and English taught |
| Bilingual European School | A bilingual liceo scientifico with an Italian and an Ontario diploma | Italian and English |
| Bloom International School | Cambridge IGCSE and AS and A Levels | Not stated |
| Collegio Rotondi, Gorla Minore | A liceo scientifico with the Italian diploma and an American high school diploma | Not stated |
Sources: each school's own website, read 7 October 2026.
How to compare IB schools in Milan
Five questions to ask each school
Is it authorised for the Diploma?
Check the IB's directory: it lists every authorised school, its programmes and the date of authorisation.
What comes before the Diploma?
IGCSE or the Middle Years Programme, and, on the IGCSE route, whether Additional Mathematics is offered.
Which Mathematics courses run at Higher Level?
AA HL is the course several engineering and physics degrees ask for; ask whether it runs every year.
Does Physics run at Higher Level?
Engineering and physics degrees usually ask for it alongside Mathematics.
Where do its students apply?
For Italian universities, the IB Diploma counts with at least 24 points, 12 of them at HL, and the core passed; for German ones, the International School of Como is the one Italian school on the German list whose SL Mathematics opens every degree.
Terms used in this article
- IB World School
- A school the IB has authorised to teach one or more of its programmes; the IB's directory lists them.
- Diploma Programme (DP)
- The IB's two-year programme for students aged 16 to 19, leading to the IB Diploma.
- Middle Years Programme (MYP)
- The IB's programme for students aged 11 to 16, which some schools teach up to the Diploma.
- Career-related Programme (CP)
- The IB's alternative to the Diploma for the last two years, combining IB courses with career-related study.
- ESABAC
- A joint Italian and French qualification that awards both national diplomas from one exam.
Questions about international schools in Milan
Which schools in Milan offer the IB Diploma?
Ten, in and around the city. In Milan: the British School of Milan, St Louis School, the Canadian School of Milan, Collegio San Carlo, ICS Milan and Andersen International School; nearby: the International School of Milan, the American School of Milan and the international schools of Monza and Como.
Is the IB Diploma taught in English in Milan?
Yes, at all ten schools. The IB's directory lists English for every one, and Italian as well for ICS Milan, Andersen, Monza and Como.
Which Milan schools teach IGCSE before the IB?
The British School of Milan, St Louis School and ICS Milan. The International School of Milan, Andersen, Monza and Como teach the IB Middle Years Programme instead.
Does the IB Diploma give access to Italian universities?
Yes, under the Italian ministry's rule. It asks for at least 24 points in six subjects, 12 of them at Higher Level, with the core passed; students from the Italian system must have joined the IB after completing the third year of upper secondary school.
Which international schools in Milan do not offer the IB?
Among others, Deutsche Schule Mailand, Lycée Stendhal and Scuola Svizzera. They lead to the German Abitur, the French Baccalauréat and a Maturità; Bloom International School offers A-levels.
Written by
Teaching IB since 2016. Seven years of IB reviews you can check on Google — and named results with the documents behind them.
Last reviewed October 7, 2026
Sources
The list of IB schools, their programmes, authorisation dates, languages and registered subjects come from the IB's directory of IB World Schools; everything else from each school's own website, read on 7 October 2026. No rankings or fees are given, and no results are compared, because the schools do not publish them in a comparable form. The Italian rule comes from the ministry's procedures for 2026/27 and 2027/28.
- IB — Find an IB World School (Italy)
- American School of Milan — Grades 11–12 Programs of Study, 2025–2026
- British School of Milan — Academic faculties
- St Louis School — IB Diploma
- Collegio San Carlo — IB Diploma Programme
- ICS Milan — High school
- Andersen International School — IB subjects
- International School of Milan — High school
- International School of Monza — High school
- International School of Como — High school
- Deutsche Schule Mailand — The path to the Abitur
- Lycée Stendhal — ESABAC
- Italian Ministry of University — Procedures for international students 2026/27, Annex 1