Indian school acquires US Academy for $10 mn

The Indian Public School (TIPS), headquartered in Coimbatore, has flagged off a new trend. It has become the first Indian school chain to buy a US Academy for $10 million. With a vision to create a global network of international schools that can offer true global experience to students, TIPS is already planning its campuses in China, Malaysia and Qatar.

TIPS has floated a 100% subsidiary to own and operate South Hill Academy located in Los Angeles. The Academy was established in 1957 and was handpicked after considering a lot of factors such as its location, administration, demographics of students and its match with TIPS in terms of value and spirits. Read more

Being one of the few Indian schools to follow International Baccalauerate (IB) education system, TIPS will find the transition easy. The South Hill Academy currently follows the California state curriculum, which is closely aligned to the Baccalaureate system. The IB system emphasizes on well-rounded learning experience, which includes a lot of focus on non-academic activities as well.

Some of the other Indian schools that follow International Baccalaureate systems are Doon School, Sarala Birla Academy and Aditya Birla World Academy. More about it

TIPS currently has 10 campuses in India, spread across Tamil Nadu and Kerala. Some of its campuses are in Coimbatore, Chennai, Erode, Karur, Tirupur, and Kochi. All the schools of the group offer classes from kindergarten to Class XII. TIPS is planning to open up 20 more schools in India and 10 abroad in the next five years. It will spend Rs 30 crore per campus.

At present, the school charges fees to the tune of Rs 1-1.5 lakh for day scholars and Rs 2-3 lakh for residential students. See details

Another Indian school having presence in seven countries, including a campus in the US, is Global Indian School (GIS). International schools like GIS and TIPS eye expatriate communities in other countries and migrants from one country to another as their target customers. 

Putting kids in a school with a global footprint and a common curriculum makes it easier for people to move from one place to another. 

Having a US school campus, allows TIPS to offer an opportunity for real world interaction with students from abroad, which is often not possible in student exchange programmes with partner institutions abroad or through virtual exchange programmes. The students in Indian campuses of TIPS will be able to choose to study in the US for two or three months each academic year without any disruption in the continuity of their education.