Silicon Valley International School

Silicon Valley International School, which calls itself INTL for short, is a bilingual school for preschool through grade 12 with two campuses in Palo Alto and one in Menlo Park. Students learn in English and one of three partner languages: Chinese (Mandarin), French or German. The school is authorized to teach all three International Baccalaureate programmes, from the Primary Years Programme to the IB Diploma. Many longtime residents still know it by an older name, the International School of the Peninsula, or ISTP.

This page covers the school's history, its campuses and language tracks, admission steps for fall 2027 and the tuition it lists for 2026 to 2027. It goes deeper than the short entry in our private schools guide. We do not rank schools or report test results.

From nine students to a merged school

INTL began in 1979 as the Peninsula French-American School, a French immersion school started by Charlotte de Géry with a small group of parents and friends. According to the school's history page, it opened with nine students. Random House gave it permission to use Arthur, the nephew of the children's book elephant Babar, as its mascot.

Key steps since then, as the school tells them:

• 1996. A Mandarin Chinese program and an international middle school were added and the name changed to the International School of the Peninsula.
• 1999 to 2000. The school bought its Cohn Campus on Laura Lane in Palo Alto and moved in.
• 2019. Authorization to offer the IB Primary Years Programme, followed by the Middle Years Programme.
• January 2020. The name changed to Silicon Valley International School after a multi-year rebranding project.
• January 1, 2021. A legal merger with Alto International School, a German and English school in Menlo Park.

The German side of the family

Alto had its own long history. It began in 1988 as the Deutsch-Amerikanische Schule San Francisco, founded by Stephen Kispersky with German and American families in three rooms in Portola Valley. It moved to Elliott Drive in Menlo Park in 1991 and became the German American International School in 2002. In 2015 it moved to Pope Street, now the Willows Campus. The next year it rebranded as Alto and opened a high school. Its IB Diploma Programme was fully authorized in 2018. The two schools had first discussed merging in 1993. The pandemic sped up plans to merge within a year. After the merger INTL adopted a dragon mascot named INDY, in part to honor Alto.

Campuses

The Cohn Campus sits off East Bayshore Road near US 101, across from the area's main post office. The school asks visitors not to park in the post office lot. The Willows Campus is in a residential part of Menlo Park next to Willow Oaks Park, with its entrance at Elm and Pope streets.

The school runs a free pilot bus program, with one northbound and one southbound route for each campus group. Northern stops are in San Mateo and Redwood City. Southern stops are in Mountain View and Sunnyvale. Each bus has 80 seats, first come, first served. Because city permits limit car trips onto the campuses, upper school families are strongly urged to walk, bike, carpool or ride the bus.

Language tracks and the IB

INTL is an IB World School authorized for the Primary Years Programme (PYP), Middle Years Programme (MYP) and Diploma Programme (DP). The school says it is the only full IB continuum school in the Bay Area.

Bilingual tracks

From the Early Years Center through high school, students learn in English and either Chinese, French or German. In the elementary grades, units of inquiry built on global themes such as "Who We Are" and "How the World Works" link subjects across both languages. The middle school blends American practice with the French national curriculum and curricula influenced by China, Taiwan and Germany.

Upper School Language Acquisition

Students with no immersion background can enter in grade 6 or grade 9 through the Upper School Language Acquisition program. They study a new language as a subject while taking other classes in English. Entry in grades 7, 8, 10 or 11 requires some prior study of the language.

High school

Grades 9 and 10 follow the MYP, ending with a Personal Project. Grades 11 and 12 follow the IB Diploma, with Theory of Knowledge, a 4,000-word Extended Essay and community service through Creativity, Activity and Service. Most bilingual students aim for the IB Bilingual Diploma by taking literature in two languages. Some online Diploma courses, such as economics and film, come through the IB-approved provider Pamoja.

Beyond class, the school belongs to Round Square, an international network of about 200 schools. It also offers the Duke of Edinburgh's International Award. High school students take annual service trips to Costa Rica or Guatemala with Dream Volunteers, covered by tuition. Middle schoolers compete in the Small Schools Intermediate League in sports from volleyball to flag football.

Families weighing public options can compare PAUSD's free Mandarin dual immersion at Ohlone Elementary, covered with other programs in our choice programs guide. Bowman School also uses the IB framework, for grades 6 to 12.

How admission works

Applications for the following school year open each September through Ravenna. The admission process page lists these dates for fall 2027:

The steps for every grade include a tour, a virtual information session and a $100 application fee. Children applying for preschool to grade 1 come to a playdate assessment in January or February. Older applicants attend a student visit day. Students entering grades 1 to 11 in the bilingual tracks take a one-on-one language assessment. Preschool and kindergarten have no language requirement. The school recommends children be 3 for preschool, 4 for pre-kindergarten and 5 for kindergarten by September 1. Preschoolers must be potty trained.

Admitted families return an enrollment agreement and deposit within seven days. After March, the school admits students on a rolling basis wherever seats remain. It accepts international applicants and can sponsor I-20 student visas for grades 2 to 12.

Tuition and variable tuition for 2026 to 2027

The school's tuition page lists these figures for 2026 to 2027:

• Preschool and pre-kindergarten: $39,970, including before and after care from 7:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. and nine weeks of break and summer camp.
• Kindergarten to grade 5: $42,630, including extended care and a school-issued iPad.
• Grades 6 to 8: $44,750, including a school-issued laptop.
• Grades 9 to 12: $49,130, including a laptop and the annual service trip.

New students pay a one-time $2,000 enrollment fee. Lunch is optional, at $7.25 to $11.50 a meal in 2026 to 2027. Families can pay in one installment by May 1, in two installments or in eight. A tuition refund plan is required for installment plans and for families receiving aid. Fall 2027 tuition had not been posted in late October 2026.

INTL calls its need-based aid variable tuition. Families apply through Clarity by January 21, 2027. The school also runs a high school scholarship program that it says can cover up to 85% of tuition.

Visiting for tours

Tours and student visit days run through the fall and winter, often on two campuses. Families flying in can stay between the Palo Alto and Menlo Park sites. You can compare hotels in Palo Alto and Menlo Park or read our guide to staying in Menlo Park or Mountain View.

Frequently asked questions