Choosing an international school in Prague? Start with the campus

For many expat parents, that first school tour in Prague feels like stepping into a storybook. Ornate staircases, high ceilings, and sunlit villas tucked along quiet streets make it easy to picture your child thriving in what feels like a Czech version of Hogwarts.

The city has done an amazing job of reclaiming old buildings for new purposes, but realistically, most of these places were never meant to function as schools. Narrow corridors and smaller rooms can limit flexible layouts. Thick walls and older infrastructure can restrict technology upgrades, and outdoor space is often minimal. 

While they appeal aesthetically, such setups can constrain how modern, collaborative education is delivered. It’s part of why schools across the city are starting to align their campuses with 21st-century standards. You can already see this mindset in action at the International School of Prague (ISP), where purpose-built design and a long-term campus vision are shaping not just what students learn, but how and where they learn it.

The quality of a learning environment is deeply tied to student engagement. This, of course, includes social dynamics and classroom instruction, but just as important in this equation is a school’s physical space. Natural light, air quality, acoustics and access to outdoor areas matter, and can significantly affect students’ concentration, wellbeing, and academic performance.  

As the oldest and largest international school in Prague, International School of Prague brings students ages three to 18 together on one campus, rather than splitting them across multiple sites. The unified model builds continuity and a stronger sense of community. 

ISP is the only school in Prague that offers the full International Baccalaureate Continuum across all divisions from Pre-K to Grade 12, allowing younger students to see what lies ahead, older students to mentor and lead, and teachers to collaborate smoothly across grade levels. 

Its expansive purpose-built campus is located in Nebušice's quiet neighborhood, providing the ideal setting for ISP’s Outdoor Learning program. Bordering the Divoká Šárka nature reserve, students have access to natural surroundings for planting vegetables, caring for campus chickens, and exploring ecosystems firsthand. 

Younger students study forest life, both flora and fauna, observing how it changes over time. Older students explore ecosystems, biodiversity and landforms in greater depth. The forest also supports creative work such as building, writing poetry and natural art, while diverse playgrounds and outdoor spaces encourage experiential learning.

Even within its expansive forest setting, ISP prioritizes child protection and safety. It was the first school in the Czech Republic to host a full-scale emergency response exercise with integrated rescue services and continues to strengthen its safety framework.

Programs like this show how thoughtfully designed spaces and programs can expand what’s possible in the classroom, an insight that has directly shaped ISP’s plans for the next phase of its campus development.

After more than 20 years without a major redesign, ISP conducted a four-year audit of its campus and curriculum. The aim was to see how improving the quality of learning spaces could better reflect how students learn today.  

Working with internationally known architects and educational design experts, the school came up with a multi-phased, sustainable Campus Facilities Roadmap designed to keep pace with rapidly evolving modern education trends.  

The first phase includes a new STEM Design and Innovation Center. As a hands-on hub for science, technology, engineering, and mathematics, it will house robotics labs, laser cutters, 3D printers, and other advanced scientific tools. The building will maximize natural light and use eco-friendly materials to support wellbeing and environmental awareness.

An Elementary School Cafeteria and Multipurpose Space is also underway. This flexible indoor-outdoor environment will be used for eating, creating, performing, and collaborating. Furniture and layouts are adaptable, supporting the kind of interdisciplinary, student-centred learning that defines today’s IB education.

Future phases envision flexible, tech-enabled classrooms for Middle and Upper School students and a new Activity and Welcome Centre.

If this sounds ambitious, there is already proof this sort of future-ready thinking works on the ISP campus today. One standout example is the Anatomage Table technology more commonly found in medical universities. ISP is currently the only high school in Central Europe leveraging this technology. It allows students to explore detailed 3D models of the human body, conduct virtual dissections, and pursue highly popular electives in forensic science.

At ISP, students from Grade 5 through Grade 12 use the Anatomage Table across subjects. It is embedded in daily learning, helping students connect theory to real-world application and preparing them for future pathways in medicine, science, and technology.

This approach reflects what families can see in ISP’s Annual Report: a community of nearly 1,000 students from more than 60 nationalities, and more than 75-year history in Prague provide a stable foundation, with strong academic outcomes, including ISP’s Class of 2025 receiving the highest IB results ever.

The Campus Facilities Roadmap builds on this strong foundation, evolving the environment to meet the needs of today’s learners and tomorrow’s leaders. Prague’s historic charm will always be part of its appeal. But when it comes to education, aesthetics alone are not enough. Modern learning demands a future-oriented mindset, flexibility, technology, outdoor access, and capacity for  growth.

At ISP, that reality has shaped both its current campus and its future plans. For families weighing their options, the question is not just what their child will study, but if their campus is also part of the curriculum.