I just finished 'How Global Capital is Remaking International Education - The Emergence Of Transnational Education Corporations' by Hyejin Kim.

Here are some interesting things from the book:

Asia has had the biggest growth in International Schools in the past decade. 54% of International Schools are in Asia and 60% of students (meaning also that the schools are larger on average than others).

One growth factor was the shift in many Asian countries in the late 90s to knowledge based economies which relied on greater education And encouraged more private Universities and schools.

The catalyst for many English private schools to set up profit making Asian branches (Harrow, Dulwich College, Wellington, Shrewsbury etc.) was a change in the UK charities act which reduced their income.

The first schools that were the forbearers of International Schools were founded by the Dutch and British, followed by mostly American Missionary schools in the late 19th century

The biggest school groups are GEMS, Nord Anglia and Cognita. All have revenues over USD 500 million/year.

As an example of growth Singapore had 11 international Schools in 1990, growing to 35 in 2019. Of these only 7 are single campus non-profit schools.

The first country to decentralise the education system and allow private companies to run schools was actually Sweden with the 'free school policy' in 1992.

The 2 largest school groups Nord Anglia and Cognita were both founded in the UK by former teachers. Nord Anglia originally operated language schools.

All Asian countries have had different approaches to restricting local families access to Int schools to a greater or lesser extent. In S. Korea the government restricted local families access but this lead to many children being sent abroad which lead to the policy bring relaxed.

Asian countries policies have driven the int. school landscape into a commercial sector, as a response to competitive pressures to attract foreign businesses and develop a knowledge economy that can compete internationally.

Most Transnational Education Corporations (TEC's) are now owned by private equity groups. A minority are controlled by families or small groups, the largest being GEMS.

Most British schools with overseas satellite campuses effectively operate a franchise model. A local partner or group will pay to run the school(s) and the school will mandate everything from uniforms and building design to menus.

The costs to launch or acquire a new international school are huge. Typically USD 100-300 million.

Around half of International Schools use the IB curriculum. IGCSE and IPC are also popular.