DINDIGUL: One of the earliest institutions in the country to introduce the International Baccalaureate (IB), Kodaikanal International School (KIS) has completed 125 years, marking more than 50 years of IB education at its residential campus.
Founded in 1901 for the children of missionaries, the school gradually widened its intake. The adoption of the IB in 1975 marked a shift in structure, bringing in a broader mix of Indian and overseas students and placing the school within an international system.
Practices such as community engagement and work-based learning existed even before the programme was formally introduced. The school currently has fewer than 500 students.
Vice-Principal Cindy Beals said, “An early work-study and community engagement model at the school later fed into what became the IB's Creativity, Activity and Service (CAS) component. The idea was learning beyond the classroom and connecting education with real-world responsibility,” she said.
Principal Bradford Barnhardt said that admissions were based on merit, diversity and alignment with the school’s approach, with scholarships and financial aid used to widen access. “Diversity,” he opined, “is viewed beyond nationality and includes differences in background, perspective and socioeconomic experience.”
"The IB model emphasises inquiry, analytical thinking and applied learning rather than memorisation. Beals piped in that the ready availability of information has “shifted the focus of schooling towards how students question, interpret and use knowledge”, adding that student well-being and reduced academic overload were receiving increasing attention.
IB schools remain a small segment within India’s education system, though their numbers have grown steadily over the past 20 years. Teachers and academic staff note that the model’s focus on research, inquiry and skills has influenced wider discussions on curriculum design, even as high costs and the limited pool of trained IB teachers continue to pose challenges.
The school has introduced an internal programme combining values education, health and social engagement to help students understand identity, responsibility and decision-making. “The approach places the student at the centre of learning rather than focusing on exam outcomes. It’s easy for schools to lose sight of the student when the focus turns only to marks,” Barnhardt pointed out.
Community-linked initiatives continue through service and outreach work involving neighbouring areas, with students participating in field-based activities as part of their coursework. Physical education and outdoor learning remain integrated across grade levels. Teachers said assessment in sports focuses on individual progress rather than competition, with emphasis on long-term fitness and resilience.
With the number of IB schools in India increasing, the sector is becoming more competitive and academic staff at KIS believe schooling models are steadily moving towards skill-based learning and student wellbeing.