[5] ISB was founded in 1979 by Janet Galli, an American entrepreneur, as a response to a perceived need among expatriates for English-speaking schooling.

Student numbers grew rapidly, and at one point the School rented premises at 13 campuses in the Basel region.

In the 35 years since its inception, ISB has grown exponentially and today educates over 1400 students representing approximately 60 nationalities.

[10][11] The International School of Basel Region AG (known as ISB) is a not-for-profit, self-supporting company, acknowledged as a private school by the local authority Basel-Landschaft, registered under Swiss law and abiding by all local authority requirements.

The purpose of the ISBR AG is the operation of an English-speaking private day school for girls and boys.

[citation needed] The educational programs offered by ISB (see International Baccalaureate, below) are recognized and accepted by Swiss universities, subject to the usual academic requirements.

Typically, more than a quarter of ISB students go on to achieve an IB Bilingual Diploma at the end of their studies.