Sarajevo - Post Report Question and Answers
What is the availability of international schools? What has been your general experience with them, if any?
Our children were small so I'm only familiar with the daycare/preschools but we were very happy. They are very affordable and most teachers/admins speak English. Classes were a good mix of local and international children. - Apr 2021
Our kids have gone to QSI for middle school and junior high. It's not the best nor the worst they've been to. They're happy overall, but wish there were more kids (it's pretty small). There's also a French school, but I know nothing about it. - Dec 2017
There is the French school, and QSI. If you have high school or middle school children, you should probably use the school allowance for a boarding school or consider another post if you are unwilling to be separated from your children during your tour. - Sep 2017
QSI and French School. QSI was good for our small children, parents with teengers didn't seem to be very happy. It is a small school, options are very limited. Also the school is in Vogosca, 20-60 min drive from Sarajevo, depending on your location and traffic. - Feb 2017
There is a branch of Quality Schools International, which is the largest international school. We don't have experience there, as we have pre-school age kiddos. Most people with small kids are very happy with QSI. The school lacks a lot of what older kids need, and a lot of high school kids are in boarding schools in Europe. There is also an excellent French school and a German school. The other option is Blooming Child, it's a K-12 Montessori School all in English. - May 2016
There are two used by the Embassy community. The French School, and QSI of Sarajevo. I did not have children old enough to attend either but had friends who used each. Both have their pros and cons. QSI is a bit outside of town but there is a bus. - Aug 2014
QSI is said to be very good for younger grades. - Nov 2012
QSI was great for us. Elementary-school parents often raved about it, while HS parents had issues. The school tried hard, but the upper grades are not big enough to offer what many people expected. QSI did offer scholarships for local Bosnian kids to increase the size of the HS grades, which helped, I think, but it is difficult to be all things to all people. And, even in the elementary grades, some parents were not happy. But some people are never pleased. I think any child going to school there got more individual attention than any public school in the U.S. could provide. - Aug 2011
I have no kids, but I heard that elementary was okay. The high School is small. - May 2011
QSI has about 150 students from around the world. Parents seem to like the elementary school, but some are concerned with the quality of education and lack of variety in the high school. - May 2010
QSIS (Quality Schools International of Sarajevo) is the school that everyone sends their kids to. They expect to have about 150 kids total registered next year. There are kids from approximately 30 different countries, which makes for a good experience. I did not have any experience with the lower school. The complaints I did hear from there tended to be about the QSI system more than the quality of the actual instruction. The director is easily approached and very responsive, in my opinion. The Upper School has grown from 12 students in all four grades during our first year to about 22 this year. Next year there will be a few more. They cannot offer everything that a large highschool can, obviously, but they do have very personal attention. AP courses are available, along with good prep for SAT exams, and the students develop wonderful relationships across the grades and with their instructors. I wouldn't trade it for a large highschool. I had two children graduate from QSIS, and both went on to university. There is a lot of assistance provided with college applications, choosing a college, and so forth. National Honor Society and Model United Nations are available as well. - Jun 2009
QSI and a few pre-schools including Montessori. You generally hear good comments about QSI. The school is kind of far away though (about 35 minutes drive from the City depending on traffic). - Mar 2009
The QSI and the French school get good critiques by parents. However, there are only a few high-school students here. The options for childen in that age-group are limited. - Dec 2008
