u/Equal-Outside186

I'm trying to understand if this is normal or if we're expecting too much.

My kid’s school runs both ICSE and IB on the same campus. The IB program has a much smaller number of students, while the ICSE section is much larger. Naturally, it feels like every operational decision is made keeping the majority in mind.

The biggest issue has been transportation.

Both curricula share the same fleet of buses despite having different academic calendars, exam schedules, holidays, and timings.

Whenever ICSE has exams, sports events, annual functions, or even different holiday schedules (like Dussehra or Diwali), the bus routes and timings for IB students are changed. Parents usually receive a last-minute email with revised routes and timings, leaving very little time to plan.

Unfortunately, the changes don't stop there.

• We've had new drivers and attendants who weren't familiar with the routes.
• Children have ended up on the wrong buses.
• Some kids have reportedly been dropped at incorrect stops.
• Bus tracking has often stopped working during these temporary route changes.
• On multiple occasions, non-AC buses have been used instead of the regular buses.
• Last year, one driver skipped our entire apartment complex, creating complete chaos for several families.

This wasn't a one-off incident, it happened repeatedly throughout the year.

What makes it more frustrating is that last academic year, after repeated complaints, the school assured parents that transportation would be improved for the next session. Instead, this year the fees have gone up by around 12%, but the same bus arrangement continues with the same recurring issues.

The concern isn't just about inconvenience anymore. It feels like when operational compromises become acceptable in one area, they slowly spill over into others. We chose and paid for an IB program expecting an experience aligned with that curriculum, but many day-to-day decisions still seem driven by the ICSE calendar because that's where the majority of students are.

I'm not naming the school because I'm genuinely looking for constructive advice rather than trying to shame anyone.

For parents whose schools run both ICSE and IB on the same campus:

• Is this common?
• How have you successfully gotten the management to address recurring operational issues instead of just making promises?
• Did escalating collectively as parents help, or is there a better approach?

Would really appreciate hearing from anyone who's dealt with something similar.

Just my two cents, speaking from having seen kids going through ICSE, IB, and CBSE in India, especially in Bangalore. I don’t think the 5 Lakh a year fee for first grade actually moves the needle in any meaningful way.

- For first grade, the delta in outcomes just isn’t there. Paying a huge premium feels like paying for a brand more than real, tangible benefits in the earliest years.

- A lot of schools run two curricula on the same infrastructure. For example, Greenwood High or Chaman Bhartiya School in Bangalore offers ICSE and IB on the same campus. The IB fee is around 5 L per year for Grade 1 (food and transport included in 2025). But the facilities you’re paying for—classrooms, labs, playgrounds—are shared between both streams.

- Most teachers are shared between the two curriculums. The principal and student coordinators tend to be the ones who are unique to each stream, and in some cases, they’re not particularly effective. In my view, the coordinators often create more confusion than real coordination.

- The school infrastructure doesn’t scale with the price tag. You don’t get dramatically better classrooms or facilities just because you’re in the IB stream, especially when you’re sharing almost everything with ICSE/CBSE.

- The IB teachers typically get a short in-house training (about two weeks) to adapt to the IB curriculum. That training doesn’t guarantee a noticeably different teaching approach or a better student experience, at least in practice.

All this makes me question whether the premium is worth it, particularly in the early years. If you’re prioritising long-term outcomes, it’s fair to weigh whether the added cost truly translates into better learning or simply a different branding.

Of course, there are families who value IB’s global recognition, the perceived rigour, or specific program quirks. But for many, the actual day-to-day on the ground—how the teachers interact, how well the school supports kids, and how smoothly things run—often tells a more honest story than the sticker price.

Would be useful to hear from folks with first-hand experiences at specific schools, especially how the two-curriculum model actually plays out in day-to-day learning.