A guide for parents
How to choose a preschool in Phnom Penh
Eight questions worth asking on every tour — with our own answers in full, so you have something concrete to compare against.
Before you read it
Who wrote this, and why it is not a review
This guide is written by Orange Crest Preschool — a Montessori and IEYC school in Toul Kork, Phnom Penh. We are one of the schools a parent might be comparing.
So this is not a review site, and it does not rank anybody. We have not assessed another school and we are not in a position to. What we can do is answer every question on the list ourselves, with real numbers, and hand you the list to ask elsewhere.
Every figure here is our own published figure for 2026–2027, read straight from the same source as our fee page. Where we have not published something — our ratio and our maximum class size — the page says so instead of reaching for an adjective.
The list
Eight questions to ask on every tour
What ages does the school take, and when can my child start?
Preschools here start anywhere from 12 months to three years. A school that has a place for your child now may have no class for them next year.
Our answer
We are a Montessori and IEYC preschool in Toul Kork, Phnom Penh, for children aged 15 months to 6 years — the nursery and kindergarten ages. Bunny Class 15 months – 2 years, Panda Class 2 – 3 years, Giraffe Class 3 – 6 years.
Term 1 of 2026–2027 begins 24 August 2026.
What are the class hours — and are they the same as the office hours?
Many schools quote the hours the gate is open rather than the hours a class is taught. The gap between the two decides your working day.
Our answer
Class hours are 08:00–15:30 for a full day, and 08:00–11:30 for a half day in Bunny Class and Panda Class.
Our office hours are different and longer: Monday – Friday 07:30–17:00 · Saturday 07:30–12:00. The office opens before class starts; it is not extra teaching time, and we do not present it as such.
Can I see the daily timetable before I enrol?
A timetable shows how a day is really divided — how long children are outdoors, when language is taught, when they nap. "Play-based learning" tells you none of that.
Our answer
All three of ours are published hour by hour, cell for cell, as they appear on the school’s own sheets — not as a summary of them.
What curriculum is taught, and who accredits the school?
Montessori and international are not protected words in Cambodia. Ask which body accredits the school, and whether the membership is current.
Our answer
We teach Montessori and the International Early Years Curriculum (IEYC), and we are registered with the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport (MoEYS). Our Giraffe Class is led by a member of the International Montessori Council (IMC).
Lessons are taught in English and Khmer, timetabled every week in every class.
How many children are there per teacher, and what is the maximum class size?
Ask for the number, per class — not the adjective. "Small classes" and "low ratio" cannot be checked, and every school says them.
Our answer
We do not publish a ratio or a maximum class size yet — so do not take one from us either. Ask us on a tour, and hold every school you visit to the same standard: a figure, for that class, in writing.
What does a full year cost once every charge is added?
Tuition is rarely the whole price. Capital fees, enrolment fees, uniform, lunch and materials are usually billed on top, and often only appear after you have said yes.
Our answer
The cheapest full year a family can actually pay here is $5,900: $4,900 tuition for a half-day nursery, paid yearly, plus the $1,000 annual capital fee that every child pays. We do not quote the tuition figure on its own, because nobody pays it on its own.
New families also pay a one-time $800 enrolment fee. Uniform is $30 a set or $10 an item; lunch is $6 a day. Siblings are discounted 10% for the second child and 15% for the third.
When do fees fall due, and what happens if a payment is late?
A yearly price can hide a payment schedule you cannot meet. Ask for the due dates and the late rule before you sign, not after.
Our answer
Paid yearly, fees are due 31 July. By semester: 31 July and 30 November. By term: 31 July, 30 September, 30 November, 28 February.
Late payment is $5 a day, and attendance is suspended after 12 school days overdue. We pay by bank transfer or cash at reception.
Can we try the school before committing to a year?
A tour shows you the building. A month shows you the teachers. Ask whether a trial exists, and whether what you pay is credited against fees or simply lost.
Our answer
Ours is $699 for one month, in a real class, and it is offset in full against your fees when you enrol.
Our figures
Orange Crest, 2026–2027, in one table
Everything a parent usually has to ask for twice. Copy it, and put the same rows beside any other school you are considering.
| Ages taken | 15 months – 6 years |
|---|---|
| Classes | Bunny Class (15 months – 2 years) · Panda Class (2 – 3 years) · Giraffe Class (3 – 6 years) |
| Class hours, full day | 08:00–15:30 |
| Class hours, half day | 08:00–11:30, Bunny Class and Panda Class |
| Office hours | Monday – Friday 07:30–17:00 · Saturday 07:30–12:00 |
| Curriculum | Montessori and the International Early Years Curriculum (IEYC) |
| Languages of instruction | English and Khmer |
| Accreditation | International Early Years Curriculum (IEYC) — full member · International Montessori Council (IMC) · Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport (MoEYS) |
| Student-to-teacher ratio | Not published |
| Maximum class size | Not published |
| Published daily timetable | Yes — hour by hour, on each class page |
| Annual tuition, from | $4,900 (half-day nursery, paid yearly) |
| Annual capital fee | $1,000, every child, non-refundable |
| One-time enrolment fee | $800, new families |
| Cheapest full year, all in | $5,900 |
| Lunch | $6 a day, charged monthly |
| Trial month | $699, offset in full against fees |
| Term 1 begins | 24 August 2026 (2026–2027) |
The two rows marked not published are ours to fix, and we would rather leave them empty than fill them with a number we have not measured. Ask us for them on a tour — and ask every other school on your list for theirs.
On the day
Take the list with you
- What ages does the school take, and when can my child start?
- What are the class hours — and are they the same as the office hours?
- Can I see the daily timetable before I enrol?
- What curriculum is taught, and who accredits the school?
- How many children are there per teacher, and what is the maximum class size?
- What does a full year cost once every charge is added?
- When do fees fall due, and what happens if a payment is late?
- Can we try the school before committing to a year?
Ask for figures, not adjectives
"Small classes" is not an answer. A number, for the class your child would be in, is.
Ask what is billed on top
Say the words: what else will I be invoiced this year that is not in the tuition line?
Ask to see a timetable
A school that teaches to a plan can show you the plan for a Wednesday.
Visit while children are there
An empty building tells you about the building. Go during class hours and watch a room.
Come and ask us
Bring the list. We will answer all eight.
Visit during class hours, watch a room, and ask anything on this page — including the two we have not published.