It can be tough and overwhelming to find the right school for your family, especially being in a new country. That's why we've provided you with a comprehensive guide of international schools to assist you in finding the perfect school for your kids.
British International School Shanghai
Founded in 2004, BISS Puxi belongs to Nord Anglia Education, which is a Global Education group of over 34,000 students across 15 countries. They are the only integrated Dutch school in Shanghai, combining the best of Dutch and British education. BISS Puxi promises a personalized and challenging experience for each of its 1500 students, aged 2-18. Representing over 50 nationalities, BISS Puxi students are encouraged to step outside of their comfort zones and try new things.
Type: Early Years / Primary / Secondary / IB Diploma
Location: Minhang
Extra-curricular options: Over 80 activities including photography, sports, debate, gardening, newspaper editing, drama and science club.
Languages taught: English (including English as an EAL programme), Mandarin, Korean, Japanese, French, Spanish, Italian and Hebrew.
See listing for the British International School here. See official website.
Britannica International School Shanghai
Britannica International School is a British school centrally located in Shanghai. The English National Curriculum lies at the core of their educational program with students working towards the IGCSE in Year 11. With its 800 students ages 2-18 representing over 30 nationalities, Britannica is committed to creating leaders of tomorrow and teaching students about their responsibility to be effective global citizens.
Type: Early Years / Primary / Secondary / Sixth Form
Location: Gubei
Extra-curricular options: A variety of options which changes per term that often include sports, cooking classes, dance, homework club, drama club, public speaking club and many others.
Languages taught: English (including EAL), Mandarin, Korean, French and Spanish
See listing for the Britannica International School here. See official website.
Concordia International School Shanghai
Modeled after Christian values, Concordia International School Shanghai has developed a reputation for good character and a strong sense of fellowship. They embrace the concept of the Whole Child Philosophy, promoting the idea that education does not stop at the classroom door and provides a unique balance for each child. The school boasts over 1160 students from 29 different nationalities and an SAT mean score of 2050 (on the old scale). Concordia works to make the most of its location in China and helps students develop a deep interest in their cultural surroundings.
Type: Elementary / Middle / High
Location: Jinqiao
Extra-curricular options: Has over 175 options including a range of sports, entrepreneur club, journalism, drone club, Global Issues Network, math club, Model UN and a variety of singing and musical groups.
Languages taught: English, Mandarin, Spanish and French
See listing for the Concordia International School Shanghai here. See official website.
Dulwich College Shanghai
Dulwich College is one of the UK's oldest independent schools and their Jinqiao location in Shanghai was the first in the Dulwich family of schools to be established internationally. Their mission is to create “one college, many campuses," which fosters their vision to inspire students. With 70 percent British teachers, the College is recognized as a British School Overseas, offering both the IGSCE programme and the IB Programme to its over 1500 students from 44 nationalities. Their Minhang location opened in August 2016.
Type: Kindergarten / Junior / Senior
Location: Minhang and Jinqiao
Extra-curricular options: Has many activities including sports, performing arts, academics, film and technology.
Languages taught: English, Mandarin, French, German and Spanish
See listing for Dulwich College here. See official website.
German School Shanghai
The German School, founded in 1995, offers German-style education in Shanghai. As all classes are taught in German, a native speaking level is essential for students. Its Qingpu location is part of a combined “EuroCampus” with the French school. With a 1:9 teacher to student ratio, all 400 of the school’s students are sure to get individualized attention. Among other impressive facilities, the school features the largest German language library in China.
Type: Preschool / Kindergarten / Primary / Secondary
Location: Hongqiao and Pudong
Extra-curricular options: sports, drama, arts and craft, dance, music, science club, student magazine, computer class, book club
Languages: English, French and Chinese
See official website.
Harrow International School Shanghai
Harrow Shanghai is a co-educational day and boarding school providing a British independent style of education. Pre-Nursery to Year 8 became available in August 2016. Harrow has at the heart of its ethos and values the Leadership in Action programme, which seeks to discovr the leadership skills in every child, and stimulates and refines them, in preparation for adulthood. They place great emphasis on high standards of academic studies and varied extra-curricular activities.
Type: Early Years / Pre-Prep / Prep / Senior School
Location: Pudong
Extra-curricular options: A wide range of team and individual sports, music, art, drama, cultural and academic extension activities.
Languages: English, Chinese, French and Spanish
See listing for Harrow International School Shanghai here. See official website.
Hongqiao International School
An IB World School, HQIS provides a premier nursery to grade 8 experience for students in Hongqiao. They are strongly committed to their values of enriching the community and families in their school with a 1:8 teacher to student ratio. They offer half-day options for early childhood and full-day for primary and middle school students. All 60 HQIS lead teachers are certified overseas teachers with advanced degrees from accredited universities, with licensed Chinese teachers as assistant teachers.
Type: Early Childhood / Primary / Middle
Location: Hongqiao
Extra-curricular options: Offers a full after school program that ranges from book club to soccer. Each activity is categorized by age and offered on specific days after school.
Languages: English and Mandarin
See listing for Hongqiao International School here. See official website.
Lycee Francais de Shanghai
Established in 1996, Lycee Francais de Shanghai is a private international school for students of French nationality or those who have already been taught under the French system. At current enrollment, more than 800 of its 1200 students are French. It forms part of the international network of French schools managed by the French government. Its Qingpu location, one of two, is part of a combined “EuroCampus” with the German school. Parents can choose from dual language English and French, French and Chinese, or class French programs.
Type: Primary / Secondary
Location: Qingpu and Pudong
Extra-curricular activities: Wide range of programs including sports teams
Languages: English and Chinese
See listings for Lycee Francis de Shanghai. See official website.
Nord Anglia International School Shanghai
Established in 2001, Nord Anglia International School Shanghai is the original Nord Anglia Education school in Shanghai, its sister school being BISS Puxi. This location is in the top five percent of IB schools and promises the same personalized and challenging experience for its 900 students as their Puxi counterpart. The major difference between the two is the primary school curriculum, which follows the International Primary Curriculum in Pudong as opposed to the English National Curriculum.
Type: Early Years / Primary / Secondary / IB Diploma
Location: Pudong
Extra-curricular options: Has over 135 different activities outside of the academic curriculum for students to choose from.
Languages: English (including EAL), Mandarin, French, German, Spanish, Dutch and Korean
See listing for Nord Angila International School Shanghai here. See official website.
Shanghai American School
With 3,000 students, SAS is China's largest international school and also a private nonprofit and nondenominational school set on two campuses with an American core curriculum provided by teachers of 27 nationalities. They are deeply committed to their mission, which encourages all students to live their dreams. SAS takes pride in being a top-tier benchmark school in China with 98 percent of their graduates moving on to colleges and universities of their choice around the world.
Type: Pre-Kindergarten / Elementary / Middle / High
Location: Minhang and Pudong
Extra-curricular options: Has more than 150 after-school activities between the two campuses including sports, community service initiatives, robotics, dance and a variety of music programs.
Languages: English, Mandarin, French and Spanish
See listing for Shanghai American School here. See official website.
Shanghai Community International School
Shanghai Community International School (SCIS) is one of the first international schools in Shanghai to become fully authorized as an International Baccalaureate (IB) Continuum World School, a world class academic program aimed at rigorous critical thinking and global citizenship. This accreditation extends across all SCIS Campuses, including Hongqiao and Pudong, providing a seamless program for students aged 2-18, and comprised of the Primary Years Programme (PYP), Middle Years Programme (MYP), and Diploma Programme (DP). SCIS has a mission to provide its students with opportunities to pursue academic and personal excellence in a nurturing, international-community environment spanning three campuses.The school boasts an average IB score of 34. After being in China for over 18 years, SCIS has developed a school with over 220 teachers and 1,700 students, which represent more than 60 nationalities.
Type: Primary Years Programme (PYP)/Middle Years Programme (MYP)/Diploma Programme (DP)
Location: Hongqiao and Pudong
Extra-curricular options: Has over 60 after school activities in categories such as sports, arts, academics and games. They also provide a range of activities dedicated to Chinese culture and also clubs catered to students’ mother tongues in various languages including Dutch, Danish, Finish, German, Italian and Swedish.
Languages: English, Mandarin, French and Spanish.
See listing for Shanghai Community International School here. See official website.
Shanghai High School International Division
Formed out of the original Shanghai High School, which has been deemed the only UNESCO associated school in Shanghai, SHSID is an International Baccalaureate World School founded in 1995 for students ages 7-18. SHSID's mission is to improve students’ multi-lingual skills, encourage personal growth and emphasize the studies of math, science and technology. The school also provides an AP curriculum and boasts an average AP exam score of 4.6 across its two campuses. Within a teaching faculty of over 500, there are approximately 120 foreign teachers.
Type: Primary / Middle / High
Location: Xuhui and Pudong
Extra-curricular options: They have well- established programs mostly concentrated within the arts and sports.
Languages: English, Mandarin, Korean, Japanese and French
See listing for Shanghai High School International Division here. See official website.
Shanghai Jincai High School International Division
Founded in 1996, Jincai High School is one of Shanghai’s oldest, high standard boarding schools. Its mission is to educate students in a global context to emphasize the importance of responsibility, honesty, team-work, respect, confidence, optimism and a willingness to help those in need. Located in Pudong, the international division has more than 1700 students and a boarding capacity of 600. It boasts a 99% success rate across all its students for entry into Chinese colleges and universities.
Type: Primary / Secondary / Boarding
Location: Pudong
Extra-curricular options: The Experiencing China program provides opportunities for students to gain insights into Chinese history and culture by visiting various parts of China. International cultural fairs, art competitions and sports are offered to students of all year levels
Languages: English and Chinese
See official website.
Shanghai Singapore International School
Shanghai Singapore International School recently celebrated their 20th anniversary in Shanghai in 2016. Across two campuses, they work to instill their I4C values into each of their 1,300 students: inititave, care, communication, collaboration and commitment. The school believes in the holistic development of a resourceful, confident and independent learner within a caring and nurturing environment to become a global citizen. SSIS follows the IGCSE, IB Diploma Program and IB Career-related Program.
Type: Preschool / Primary / Senior / Intensive Support Program
Location: Minhang & Xuhui
Extra-curricular options: Offers a wide range of activities including their Aesthetics Program and Golf Program.
Languages: English and Chinese
See listing for Shanghai Singapore International Sschool here. See official website.
Wellington College International Shanghai
With over 150 years of royal English heritage, Wellington College Shanghai joined the Wellington community of schools worldwide in 2014. They are a co-educational day and boarding school for children aged 2 to 18 that follows a British curriculum. Their Wellington Aptitudes and Wellington Values hold that all students can achieve, succeed and thrive - and it is the mission of everybody at the College to ensure every opportunity is provided for this to happen for every student.
Type: Pre-Prep / Prep / Senior / Sixth Form / IGCSE / Boarding
Location: Pudong
Extra-curricular options: Their co-curricular activities form an integral part of the school day which run until 4.45pm everyday. They include cultural, sporting and arts activity options with more activities offered in the evenings and on weekends.
Languages: English, Mandarin, French and Spanish
See listing for Wellington College International Shanghai here. See official website.
Western International School Shanghai
Founded in 2006, WISS aims to send into the world brave, compassionate and internationally minded global citizens with the skill and intellect to help shape the future. They are small by design and don’t conduct themselves like a large public school intentionally, keeping classes to an average 1:6 teacher-student ratio. The IB curriculum defines their 780 students and helps create more students who are sensitive to the experience of others. Another unique feature of WISS is their Career-related Program, which instills more professional skills in their students.
Type: Nursery / PreK / Primary / Middle / full IB Diploma Program / Career-related Program
Location: Qingpu
Extra-curricular options: They have programs such as ISTA Performing Arts Academy Shanghai and Stoke City FC Academy.
Languages: English and Mandarin with language programs in Dutch, Japanese, Korean, French, German, Spanish, Finnish and Swedish
See listing for Western International School Shanghai here. See official website.
Yew Chung International School of Shanghai
YCIS is renowned for its unique multicultural and bilingual approach to education, with a focus on learning both English and Chinese. Established in 1993 as the first international school officially recognized by and registered with the Chinese government, the school now has four campuses in prime locations in Puxi and Pudong, with over 2,400 students. In addition to its reputation for excellent adademics, the school is also known for its sports, arts and music programs, and provides a truly international education that developes caring global citizens at all four of its locations.
Type: Early Childhood / Primary / Secondary
Location: Hongqiao, Gubei, Regency Park and Century Park
Extra-curricular options: Provides a wide range of activities for Year 1 and above including debate, sports, chess, Model UN, photography, science club and community service.
Languages: English and Mandarin
See listing for Yew Chung International Sschool of Shanghai here. See offical website.
