Kuala Lumpur · History
From Lake Gardens to Mont Kiara: Garden International School at 75
Founded in 1951 by a fire brigade chief's wife with 33 pupils and two teachers, Garden International School is now one of Malaysia's largest British international schools, educating 2,000 students across two Kuala Lumpur campuses.
Garden School was founded in 1951 by Mrs Sally Watkins, wife of Kuala Lumpur Fire Brigade Chief Lt. Col. F.F.C. Watkins, in the Lake Gardens of Kuala Lumpur. The earliest record in existence shows 33 students enrolled, taught by two full-time British teachers. It was one of the first international schools catering for expatriates in the Federation of Malaya.
Origins
The school was established to cater for the children of expatriates and began in the Lake Gardens of Kuala Lumpur. The country was still the Federation of Malaya, independence still six years away, and British families arriving for colonial postings needed somewhere to send their children. Watkins provided it. The school was co-educational from the start and followed a British model at every level.
Growth and Moves
Garden School combined its Kindergarten and Primary School and moved to 251 Jalan Bukit Bintang, Kuala Lumpur in 1955. The roll kept growing. In 1965, the school introduced a secondary section, transforming it into a through-school offering education from ages 3 to 18. By 1966, the secondary section relocated to Jalan Yap Kwan Seng in Kuala Lumpur, where it enrolled 36 students and became the first school in Malaysia to serve as an official examination centre for the University of London General Certificate of Education GCE 'O' Levels.
As the school expanded, so did its site, with the Kindergarten, Primary and Secondary students spanning three campuses by 1973. Garden School celebrated its Silver Jubilee in 1976, with Malaysia's first Prime Minister, Tunku Abdul Rahman Putra Al-Haj, invited as Guest-of-Honour. In 1982, Garden School moved into a purpose-built 4.5-acre site in Cheras, with 700 students aged 3 to 17 from over 30 nations. It was around this period that the word 'International' was added to the name, reflecting the diverse nature of the school and the international standard of education on offer.
After several moves, the school settled at its current address in Mont Kiara in 1996. GIS was one of the pioneers to locate in Mont Kiara, then a largely undeveloped area with lush landscapes. The decision opened up the space the school needed. The main campus at Jalan Kiara 3 has been its home ever since.
Curriculum and Identity
GIS offers the British National Curriculum, including IGCSE and A Levels examinations, and is accredited by both the Council of International Schools (CIS) and the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC). Garden International School was re-accredited by CIS on 6 January 2025. The school is also a member of the Federation of British International Schools in Asia, having joined FOBISIA by 2002 at the latest.
Cambridge Assessment International Education (CAIE) accreditation allows the school to offer Cambridge IGCSE and A Level qualifications, while GIS is also a centre for Pearson Edexcel qualifications, offering another route for IGCSE and A Levels. GIS has been recognised as an Apple Distinguished School for the 2025 to 2028 programme term.
The UK Guardian newspaper named Garden International School as one of 'The Best 8 International Schools in the World.' That recognition, published in 2006, pointed to what the school had built over five decades: a through-school British education in an increasingly multinational city, with a track record in University of London examinations dating to 1966.
Taylor's Education Group
The school is now part of the Taylor's Education Group. In 2021, the private equity firm KKR invested in a minority shareholding in the Schools division. Taylor's Schools owns and operates six award-winning international schools, including Garden International School, and KKR's investment positions Taylor's Schools to accelerate growth and regional expansion.
Present Day
GIS is located across two campuses: an Early Years Centre in Desa Sri Hartamas and a Primary and Secondary School in Mont Kiara, educating around 2,000 students aged between 3 and 18 years old from over 65 different countries. The school provides British-based education for students from Nursery to Reception at Early Years, Year 1 to Year 6 at Primary, and Year 7 to Year 13 at Secondary.
A new sports complex, spanning five levels and 200,000 square feet, was officially unveiled in November 2024 during a launch officiated by Hannah Yeoh, Member of Parliament for Segambut and Youth and Sports Minister. GIS is also investing another RM85 million for an upcoming Performing Arts Centre as Phase 2 of their GIS Campus Reimagined initiative. The school that started with 33 pupils in a colonial-era park now occupies one of the largest and best-resourced British school campuses in Southeast Asia.