Below table can be a ready reconer for parents to make a comparison of CISCE and CBSE curriculum

	CISCE	CBSE
Medium	English	English or Hindi
Pattern	10+2+3	10+2+3
Pass Mark	35% in ICSE in each subject. 40% in ISC in each subject	33% in each subject
Books	Allows schools to select textbooks except for languages and other resource materialDefines Scope of Syllabus	NCERT books
Candidates	Only Regular candidates are permitted to take the examination.  Private candidates not permitted.	Regular and Private candidates permitted.
Course of Study	Education aimed at enabling students to acquire comprehensive knowledge leading to enhance performance in competitive examinations.	Examination based Curriculum
Assessment	Has an effective evaluation which adapts to external changes (Flexible)	Has a traditional exam pattern (Rigid)
Curriculum	It is adapted to provide compatibility with international curriculums, aiming at higher studies in foreign universities	It is aimed at further studies in India
Course contents	More weightage is given to language studies, course is designed to develop analytical skills and thinking	Science & Maths are core focus areas, while language studies are functional, course is objective and prepares students for Indian competitive examinations for higher studies.
Switch over	It is easier to switch to CBSE at any point of time.	It is difficult to switch over to CISCE at later date.

 

Albeit this is short and objective comparison. There are about 16 subjects offered by the two boards. Parents, while selecting schools should be aware of the Board Examinations, their scope, limitations and their differences.

Courtesy: various sources