The Kinabalu International School has been in existence for 31 years. It was originally set up to provide an English type education for children of expatriates living and working in Sabah. Until this time, expatriate children had attended the local government schools where the medium of instruction was English. However, when the Malaysian Government decided that the medium of instruction in local schools was to be in Bahasa Malaysia, it was no longer feasible for expatriate children to attend these schools. Hence, the Kinabalu International School was born.

Initially, premises were rented from the St Johns Ambulance Association, and the teachers were parents of the pupils attending the school. Gradually, qualified teachers were recruited, and the school moved to rented premises in the former St. Agnes Hostel in Likas. KIS remained there for thirteen years until the lease on the buildings expired. The school then moved to a renovated house in Sunny Garden. It was at this time that the parent body took the decision to build its own school buildings at Bukit Padang.

After a tremendous amount of work and fund-raising by the parent body the school buildings were opened in 1995. KIS can proudly claim to be the only international school in Malaysia that owns its school freehold without any loans at all. This is testament to the commitment and support the school has traditionally enjoyed from the parent population throughout the school’s history.

Over the years the school has received recognition of its commitment to high standards by various educational organizations. The European Council of International Schools (ECIS), a world renown, educational body sanctioned KIS membership in 1993 after the school met its criteria. In 1988, KIS became a foundation member of the Federation of British International Schools in South East Asia (FOBISSEA), and has been able to maintain its membership though its commitment to educational excellence. 

In the year 2000, Year 10 & 11 classes have been introduced with the view of pupils studying for the International General Certificate of Secondary Education (IGCSE). This has  necessitated the building of a dedicated Secondary Department block of classrooms complete with Science Laboratories in 2001. At the same time the school updated all the textbooks and teaching resources throughout the whole Secondary department.   

The year 2001, has also witnessed the creation of an ICT Laboratory to ensure our students have every opportunity to develop high levels of computer literacy. In the year 2002, a commitment was made to opening a Sixth Form with the view of studying A Levels. This step has meant that KIS now offers the full range of educational programmes from Foundation stages through to A Levels.  

At its recent Annual General Meeting held in November 2004, the Parent Body has passed a motion to built the proposed Double Storey Multi-purpose Hall. The hall (60' x 60') should be expected to be built by August 2005.

Throughout its history, KIS has always been progressive in its commitment to educational excellence. Because Kinabalu International School is owned and managed by the parent body, it will continue to be innovative and sensitive to the needs of the whole school community.