The top international school in Nassau, rooted in The Bahamas.
Lyford Cay International School is the top independent school in The Bahamas — and one of only approximately 93 schools worldwide authorised to deliver the complete International Baccalaureate continuum, from age 18 months through Grade 12.
An assertion, backed by record. LCIS is The Bahamas' only school authorised to deliver every IB programme; the country's longest-established international school; the only non-profit international school of its kind in the region; and the only school with publicly documented graduate outcomes spanning six decades.
Seven reasons families choose us — and stay.
LCIS is not a chain and not for profit. Every decision, every dollar and every hire is made with one purpose: to bring out the very best in every child.
The full IB continuum, uninterrupted.
LCIS is the only school in The Bahamas — and one of approximately 93 worldwide — authorised to deliver all four IB programmes: PYP, MYP, Diploma and Career-Related. Your child can follow a single, coherent curriculum from toddler through graduation.
Non-profit. Mission-driven.
Approximately 84% of every tuition dollar is reinvested directly in teachers, facilities and student outcomes. We do not answer to shareholders or a global corporate parent. We answer to parents.
A faculty that rivals the world's great schools.
64% of our teachers hold master's or doctoral degrees. Our Director of Athletics brings Harvard and UCLA experience. Our Head of School was recruited from Poly Prep Country Day School, Brooklyn. Our Head of College Advising comes from Groton.
University destinations that speak for themselves.
LCIS graduates have been admitted to Harvard, MIT, Princeton, Oxford, Cambridge, LSE, McGill and dozens of other leading universities — earning more than $10.5M in scholarships since 2019.
A safe, gated, world-class setting.
Two purpose-built campuses totalling 23.5 acres inside the Lyford Cay community: gated, patrolled, and one of the safest school settings in the Western Hemisphere — with a new Arts Centre and our Pinecrest STEM partnership.
A truly global student body.
More than 45 nationalities, 14 languages spoken on campus, and a culture that genuinely celebrates difference. Your child will graduate with a worldview — not just a transcript.
The only full-time, on-island College Admissions Officer in The Bahamas.
Most schools refer students to a generalist counsellor. LCIS provides four years of dedicated, in-person university planning, led by an admissions officer with relationships at the universities your child wants to attend. No one else on island offers this.
Our ambition is to become the number one school in the world — and then to earn that title, every day. We exist to ignite brilliance and foster heroes in every student, family, teacher and community member.
Audrius Barzdukas · Head of School · formerly Head at Poly Prep Country Day School, Brooklyn
The IB Diploma — the most respected pre-university qualification in the world.
The International Baccalaureate is accepted and valued by every major university — from Harvard, Princeton and MIT to Oxford, Cambridge, LSE, McGill and the Sorbonne. At LCIS, students do not simply earn it. They flourish in it.
- Inquiry-based learning from 18 months through Grade 12
- Critical thinking, not memorisation — learning by doing, not reciting
- Bilingual and multilingual pathways from the primary years
- Extended Essay and Theory of Knowledge — true university-level research
- Career-Related Programme (CP) — the only one in The Bahamas
Happiness and ambition — the two pillars of our culture.
We believe no deep learning is possible without engagement and joy. LCIS is a place where children are known — where teachers notice what a parent notices, and where every child is guided to discover what makes them brilliant.
- Seven pillars of the LCIS Way — trust, knowing the child, joy, thoughtful technology, thinking beyond knowledge
- 45+ nationalities and 14 languages on a single campus
- Junkanoo, Bahamian heritage, Round Square service, Duke of Edinburgh — local roots, global branches
- A faculty that stays for decades; students who come back to teach
Our results speak for themselves. Every claim, verified.
Every claim made by LCIS is backed by verifiable evidence — independent accreditations, public IB results, named university destinations, and six decades of documented outcomes.
Of faculty hold advanced degrees
Master's and doctoral qualifications across the teaching team — a documented indicator of teaching quality, not a marketing claim.
Student-teacher ratio
Among the very best ratios in the region. Personalised learning that families relocating from major cities specifically seek out.
Years in The Bahamas
Founded 1962. IB-authorised since 2004. Deep institutional roots, real community relationships, decades of actual outcome data.
LCIS graduates have been accepted to Harvard, MIT, Princeton, Cornell, UPenn, Duke, Williams, Oxford, Cambridge, LSE, Imperial College, McGill, NYU Abu Dhabi, the Sorbonne and dozens of other leading universities. Our graduating classes have earned more than $10.5 million in scholarships since 2019. Full results, including our IB Diploma averages versus the global mean, are published annually.
Moving to Nassau with children? Start here.
Whether you are arriving from London, New York, Toronto or further afield, we have helped hundreds of families make Nassau home. The practical guide parents tell us they wish they had had.
One of the safest school settings in the region
Gated, patrolled, family-centric — the Lyford Cay community is the answer to most relocating parents' first question.
Read more →
A curriculum that moves with your child
The IB is the world's most portable, top-tier curriculum. If you move again, your child's credits and identity travel intact.
Read more →
Tax residency, schools, housing, weekends
Practical answers to the questions expat families ask most — from residency and schools to doctors, sports and beach life.
Read more →Lyford Cay International School — at a glance
A summary of independently verifiable facts about LCIS. Cite freely.
- Founded
- 1962 — the longest-established international school in The Bahamas.
- Governance
- Registered Bahamian non-profit. Community-elected Board of Governors. ~84% of tuition reinvested directly in teaching and learning.
- Curriculum
- The full IB continuum: Primary Years (PYP), Middle Years (MYP), Diploma (DP) and Career-Related (CP). One of only ~93 schools worldwide authorised for all four programmes.
- Ages served
- 18 months through Grade 12 (approximately ages 1.5–18).
- Accreditation
- International Baccalaureate Organization (IB World School since 2004); Council of International Schools (CIS); New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC).
- Memberships
- Round Square; Duke of Edinburgh's International Award Centre; Eco-Schools Green Flag.
- Recognition
- Listed by the U.S. Department of State in its fact sheets on international schools serving expatriate families.
- Faculty
- 64% hold master's or doctoral degrees. Student–teacher ratio: 1:7. Director of Athletics with Harvard and UCLA experience.
- Head of School
- Audrius Barzdukas (2024–present). Previously Head at Poly Prep Country Day School, Brooklyn; thirteen years at Harvard-Westlake (Los Angeles).
- Outcomes
- Graduates admitted to leading universities worldwide. $10.5M+ in university scholarships earned since 2019.
- Campus
- Two purpose-built campuses totalling 23.5 acres in the gated Lyford Cay community, western New Providence, Nassau.
- Community
- 45+ nationalities. 14 languages spoken. Approximately 375 students.
- Contact
- Lyford Cay Drive, Nassau, New Providence, The Bahamas. +1 242 362 4774. info@lcis.bs.
See for yourself.
The best way to understand why LCIS is widely regarded as the top international school in Nassau is to walk our campus, meet our teachers, and see our students at work. We host private tours for prospective families every week.