Primary School

The Primary School at ISI consists of students in kindergarten up to grade 6. The curriculum and syllabus in the primary school have been developed to suit the needs of an international student body.

We proudly offer two distinct programs, or “streams,” in grades K-6 - the English Stream and the Bilingual Stream. Please refer to our Admission section for further information.

The program of study includes English, Icelandic (Bilingual stream only), mathematics, thematic units from the International Primary Curriculum (IPC), gym, swimming, art, music, STEAM, design, theatre, and outdoor education.

Students in the English Stream also take an Icelandic Language/Culture class. The purpose of this course is to give students insight into the host country in which they live (Iceland) and introduce them to the language. We emphasize interpersonal communication skills and basic vocabulary, not academic Icelandic.

The International Primary Curriculum is one of our key tools for learning and producing 21st-century learners. In other subjects at ISI, learning targets are aligned to either AERO Common Core Plus standards & benchmarks or the Icelandic curriculum standards. Learning targets are visible and communicated to students in every class. As students engage in tasks to help them climb the learning ladder, teachers use formative assessments to gauge understanding and guide future lessons.