The Rankings — 2026/27
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Independent · Unpaid · Editorial
World's Top Schools, Ranked.
Every ranked and candidate school in the directory, one continuous list from #1 down. Use this view when you want the full picture without switching between tiers.
This ranking is locked. The next ranking update will be on September 1, 2027. How the ranking cycle works · Why this ranking exists
Penny's picks
Norway · Vestland
United World College Red Cross Nordic
On a remote Norwegian fjord, every IB diploma comes paired with a mandatory Red Cross humanitarian diploma.
76.7
Score
Norway · Akershus
Oslo International School
Six decades in a Baerum suburb, where IB Diploma scores average nearly seven points above the global mean
68.0
Score
Norway · Innlandet
NTG Lillehammer
Built into Lillehammer's 1994 Olympic ski halls, pairing the Norwegian curriculum with elite biathlon, cross-country and ski jump training.
65.1
Score
Norway · Vestland
International School of Bergen
Fifty years on from its American School roots, PYP and MYP learners trade classrooms for Bergen's fjord-side countryside.
57.1
Score
Norway · Vestfold
Skagerak International School
Norway's only full-continuum IB school, run from a restored shipyard office on the Sandefjord waterfront.
54.7
Score
Norway · Rogaland
British International School of Stavanger
Born in 1977 to educate North Sea oil families, this Stavanger day school still turns fjords and woodland into open-air classrooms.
51.7
Score
Norway · Trøndelag
Trondheim International School
Inquiry-driven IB learning unfolds beside a hilltop fortress in Norway's tech capital, drawing families from over 40 nations
50.7
Score
Methodology
How we rank
Our composite weights eight categories. Each is scored 0–100 by our editorial panel and audited against 30 sub-criteria drawn from school records, university placement audits, alumni surveys, campus visits and parent interviews. Schools cannot pay for placement or preview scores.
Weighting
- Academic Outcomes20%
- University Placement17%
- Prestige & Heritage13%
- Alumni Network13%
- Facilities13%
- Transparency & Communications8%
- Peer & Industry Review10%
- Admissions Selectivity & Demand8%
Score key
Reading the scores
Bands out of 100
Every category, sub-criterion and composite total across this issue uses the same six-band editorial palette. Bands are calibrated against the full 300-school cohort — a "Distinguished" mark is meaningfully harder to earn than a "Strong" one.
- Exceptional90–100
Top of cohort
- Distinguished80–89
Elite tier
- Strong70–79
Consistently high
- Solid60–69
Reliable performer
- Average50–59
Room to grow
- Below par< 50
Underperforming
The same colour bands are used inside each school profile, on category chips, radar charts and the annual score-history line — so a colour glimpsed on the Rankings page always means the same thing everywhere else.