Last reviewed: 19 October 2026
Nova Pioneer Athi River International is the international stream of the Nova Pioneer campus at Athi River, Machakos County. It runs from Early Years 1 to Year 9, and its fee sheet lists Cambridge Primary and Lower Secondary Checkpoint exams. Unlike the campus’s CBE (CBC) stream, which follows the January-to-December school year, this stream runs from September 2026 to July 2027. The figures below are from Nova Pioneer’s Athi River International 2026/2027 School Fees Schedule (PDF), published on 21 August 2026 and linked from the group’s fees page. This page is accurate as of October 2026.
On this page
Tuition and Meals per Term, 2026/2027, KSh
| Class | Tuition per term | Meals (Term 1 / Terms 2–3) | Year, termly option | Year paid in advance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Early Years 1 | 100,700 | 22,700 / 24,300 | 373,400* | 336,060 |
| Early Years 2 | 117,400 | 22,700 / 24,300 | 423,500 | 381,150 |
| Year 1 | 136,400 | 22,700 / 24,300 | 480,500 | 432,450 |
| Year 2 | 142,200 | 22,700 / 24,300 | 497,900 | 448,110 |
| Year 3 | 153,600 | 22,700 / 24,300 | 532,100 | 478,890 |
| Year 4 | 157,200 | 22,700 / 24,300 | 542,900 | 488,610 |
| Year 5 | 163,200 | 22,700 / 24,300 | 560,900 | 504,810 |
| Year 6 | 184,500 | 22,700 / 24,300 | 624,800 | 562,320 |
| Year 7 | 225,500 | 22,700 / 24,300 | 747,800 | 673,020 |
| Year 8 | 230,500 | 22,700 / 24,300 | 762,800 | 686,520 |
| Year 9 | 240,000 | 22,700 / 24,300 | 791,300 | 712,170 |
Tuition is the same in all three terms. Meals cost KSh 22,700 for the September term and KSh 24,300 for the January and April terms, so meals come to KSh 71,300 for the year. The January price matches the CBE stream’s 2027 meals charge.
Two slips on the sheet. We checked every row. For Early Years 1, the sheet prints the termly-option year total as KSh 372,400, but its own figures add up to KSh 373,400 (302,100 tuition plus 71,300 meals). We have shown the corrected figure with an asterisk. For Early Years 2, the sheet prints the year’s tuition as KSh 373,400. Three terms of KSh 117,400 make KSh 352,200, which is the figure its other columns use, and the printed year total of KSh 423,500 is correct. Every other row adds up.
The annual option has closed for this year. Paying the whole year in advance takes 10% off both tuition and meals, even though the sheet only mentions tuition. You save KSh 48,050 on Year 1 and KSh 79,130 on Year 9. The deadline, though, was 12 August 2026. Term 1 was due on 19 August 2026. Families joining now pay termly: Term 2 by 2 January 2027 and Term 3 by 20 April 2027.
The steepest step is from Year 6 to Year 7, where tuition rises by KSh 41,000 a term as children move into lower secondary. Plan for it early if you have a child in Year 5 or 6.
Other Costs, KSh
| Item | Who pays | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Caution fee (refundable with one term’s notice; transfers to other Nova Pioneer schools) | New students | 10,000 |
| Enrolment fee (not repeated on transfer within Nova Pioneer) | New students | 5,000 |
| Administration fee | All students | 1,040 a year |
| PTA fee | All students | 500 a term |
| Day field trip (one calendared trip a year) | All students | 2,500 |
| Club fees (optional) | Those who sign up | from 4,000 |
| Checkpoint exam fees (English, Maths and Science, per subject) | Year 6 and Year 9 | Advised by the school |
| Commencement fee (gown, ceremony, gift, photos) | Early Years 2, Year 6 and Year 9 | 4,000 |
| End-of-year class party | Classes not graduating | 1,000 |
The fixed yearly extras are small, about KSh 5,040 a year for admin, PTA and the trip. Checkpoint exams are the cost you can’t see yet, because the sheet only says the school will advise the per-subject fee. If your child is in Year 6 or Year 9, email info.athiinternational@novapioneer.com for the amount early in the year. The class party list also includes Year 9, even though Year 9 has its own commencement fee, so ask the school whether a Year 9 child pays both.
Transport per Term, KSh
| Zone | Example estates | Two way | One way |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1A | Pine City, Sunset Boulevard, River Park, Greatwall Gardens, Pridelands, Wema Villas | 13,500 | 9,400 |
| 2A | Gimu Estate, Athi River Town, Green Park, Lukenya Hills Apartments, NHC Athi River | 28,800 | 20,100 |
| 3A–3C | Muthama Heights, Elan Park, Mlolongo, 102 South Park, Syokimau, Katani Road, Gables Park | 36,900 | 25,800 |
| 4A | Kitengela, Peniel Estate, Chuna Estate, Milimani | 38,900 | 27,200 |
| 5A–5B | Utawala, Fedha, Nyayo Embakasi, Imara Daima, Villa Franca, Amara Park | 48,600 | 34,000 |
One thing to check: this table is headed “For Terms between Jan 2026 to Dec 2026”, even though the rest of the sheet covers September 2026 to July 2027. The same campus’s 2027 CBE sheet already lists higher prices for the same zones, for example KSh 14,600 for Zone 1A. Before you budget for the January and April terms, confirm the rate with transport.athi@novapioneer.com.
A First-Year Example
A new Year 1 child from Syokimau (Zone 3C, two way, if the bus rate shown holds all year): 480,500 tuition and meals + 10,000 caution + 5,000 enrolment + 1,040 admin + 1,500 PTA + 2,500 trip + 1,000 class party + 110,700 transport = KSh 612,240. This is our own arithmetic. It leaves out uniform, clubs and books. The KSh 10,000 caution fee is refundable.
How to Pay
- M-Pesa paybill 818319, using the six-digit account number shown at the top right of your statement.
- Bank: Nova Pioneer Collections Account, Stanbic Bank Chiromo, 0100004237042; or Nova Pioneer Kenya Limited, I&M Bank Sarit Centre, 00301817421250. The school does not accept cash or cheques. Fee questions go to payments.athi@admin.novapioneer.com.
How It Compares
On the same campus, the international stream costs noticeably more than the CBE stream. A Year 1 child pays KSh 136,400 a term in tuition, compared with KSh 109,200 for Grade 1 in the CBE stream. At Year 7 it is KSh 225,500, against KSh 156,200 for Grade 7. Tuition from Early Years 2 to Year 9 is identical to that of the group’s Tatu City International stream.
Compared with other Cambridge schools on this site, Athi River sits near the lower end. Makini Cambridge Runda charges KSh 168,991 a term for Year 2, with lunch included. Riara International charges KSh 178,500 for Year 1, also with lunch. Rusinga charges KSh 264,000 for Year 1 tuition alone. Families on the Mombasa Road corridor following the CBC can also compare Blessed Assurance Academy in Syokimau. More schools are on the fees hub.
Source
- Nova Pioneer, Nova Pioneer Athi River International (Early Years 1 – Year 9) 2026/2027 School Fees Schedule (PDF, published 21 August 2026), from the novapioneer.com fees page, accessed 19 October 2026.