Numerous international educational institutions and schools have established links to Bahrain. One prominent institution is DePaul University of the United States.

Quranic schools (Kuttab) were the only form of education in Bahrain at the beginning of the twentieth century. They were traditional schools aimed at teaching children and youth the reading of the Qur'an. Many people of Bahrain had felt that this type of education did not fulfil the academic efficiency that match with the spirit of age. After the First World War, things changed and Bahrain became widely open upon the modern western renaissance. Political and social changes have occurred in the country that caused the rise of social and cultural awareness among people.

Due to all these, a demand for modern educational institutions different from Kuttab has appeared in terms of system, curricula and objectives.

1919 marked the beginning of modern public school system in Bahrain. Al-Hidaya Al-Khalifia school for boys was opened in Muharraq. In 1926, the Education Committee had opened the second public school for boys in Manama.

In 1928 the first public school for girls was opened in Muharraq.

Currently, Bahrain boasts an advanced educational system. In 2004 King Hamad bin khalifa Al-Khalifa introduced a new project that uses information communication technology (ICT) to support K-12 education in Bahrain. This project is named King Hamad Schools of Future. The main objective of this project is to connect and link all schools within the kingdom with the internet and introduce the idea of education everywhere, every time.

In addition to various British intermediate schools, the island is served by the Bahrain School (BS). BS is a United States Department of Defense school that provides a K-12 curriculum including International Baccalaureate offerings.

There are many private schools as well that offer either the International Baccalaureate (IB) program, or the A levels. In 2007, St Christopher's School Bahrain will become the first school in Bahrain to offer a choice of IB or A-Levels for students.

Schooling and related costs are entirely paid for by the government, and, although not compulsory, primary and secondary attendance rates are high. Bahrain also encourages institutions of higher learning, drawing on expatriate talent and the increasing pool of Bahrain's returning from abroad with advanced degrees. University of Bahrain has been established for standard undergraduate and graduate study, and the College of Health Sciences – operating under the direction of the Ministry of Health – trains physicians, nurses, pharmacists, and paramedics. The national action charter, passed in 2001, paved the way for the formation of many private universities. The first private university was Ahlia University, situated in Manama. The University of London External has appointed MCG as the regional representative office in Bahrain for distance learning programs. MCG is one of the oldest private institute in the country.

Many Asian institutes have also been opened which guarantee good quality education to Asian students. The Pakistan Urdu School is one the best and highly recognized Asian schools in all of Bahrain and is the leading school in the Asian community. The Indian School Bahrain is also a highly recognized Indian institution which is the educational facility of thousands of children whose parents are expatriates in Bahrain from India.

Recently, The Guardian named St Christopher's School as one of the top 10 schools in the world outside the United Kingdom.