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
The British International School Shanghai follows the UK national curriculum from Early Years through to (I)GCSE and on to the International Baccalaureate, and has a long pedigree of academic excellence that enables students to enter the finest universities around the world. In partnership with Juilliard and MIT, their programs allow students to make the most of world class facilities to prepare them perfectly for lives as confident and creative professionals.
Type: Early Years / Primary / Secondary / IB Diploma
Students: 2,000, age of 2-18, over 50 nationalities
Location(s): Minhang
Curriculum: IGCSE, IB
Extra-curricular options: Over 120 activities including photography, sports, debate, gardening, newspaper editing, drama and science club.
Languages taught: English, Mandarin, French, German, Spanish, Dutch and Korean
See listing for the British International School here. See official website.
Britannica International School Shanghai
Britannica International School, Shanghai is a centrally located British school with the English National Curriculum at the core of its education program. Students work towards IGCSE qualifications in Year 11 and can study A Levels leading to worldwide university entrance. Britannica is committed to creating leaders of tomorrow and helping students realize their potential in a supporting, collaborative and inclusive international community.
Type: Early Years / Primary / Secondary / Sixth Form
Students: 800, age of 2-18, over 40 nationalities
Location(s): Gubei
Curriculum: IGCSE, A Levels
Extra-curricular options: Offers over 100 after school activities and a range of options each term, including sports, music, dance, cooking classes, homework clubs and many more.
Languages taught: English (including specialist English as an EAL programme), Mandarin, French, Spanish, Korean, Japanese, Hebrew and Italian.
See listing for the Britannica International School here. See official website.
Concordia International School Shanghai
Concordia International School Shanghai is a co-educational day school for students aged 3 to 18, located in the heart of Jinqiao - one of Shanghaiís largest international communities. Concordia is recognized for its dedication to academic excellence and for providing well-developed sports, arts, service and cultural learning programs. Their caring, passionate and award-winning faculty deliver a comprehensive American curriculum and pioneer programs that guide individual students towards achieving their educational goals. The vibrant and caring community at Concordia creates the ideal foundation for the entire familyís success.
Type: Elementary / Middle / High
Students: over 1200, 29 nationalities
SAT mean score: 2050
Location(s): Jinqiao
Curriculum: AP, Applied Learning
Extra-curricular options: More than 175 co-curricular activities, including competitive sports, fine arts, technology and service offerings, provide additional opportunities for enrichment.
Languages taught: English, Mandarin, Spanish and Latin
See listing for the Concordia International School Shanghai here. See official website.
Dulwich College Shanghai
Dulwich College Shanghai provides top quality education for over 1,500 students from toddler to Year 13. The college draws on 400 years of excellence in education from its connection with Dulwich College London and combines this with the best of modern teaching based on the English National Curriculum and the International Baccalaureate programme. Their mission is to create "one college, many campuses," which aims to foster their vision to inspire students to succeed.
Type: Kindergarten / Junior School / Senior School
Students: over 1500, 45 nationalities
Teachers: 70% British teachers
Location(s): Jinqiao
Curriculum: IB
Extra-curricular options: More than 300 activities on offer each term including sports, performing arts, academics, film, debating and robotics.
Languages taught: English, Mandarin, French, German and Spanish
See listing for Dulwich College here. See official website.
Harrow International School Shanghai
Harrow International School Shanghai is a co-educational day and boarding school for students aged 2 to 18. The teaching is based on the English national curriculum, culminating in IGCSEs for Years 10 and 11, and A Levels at Sixth Form. Renowned for its rich heritage of educational excellence, its inspiring Leadership in Action programme and unique traditions, Harrow boasts a state-of-the-art campus with outstanding facilities located within the innovative Sunland project.
Type: Early Years / Pre-Prep / Prep / Senior School
Students: 320, age of 2-18
Year Founded: August 2016
Location(s): Waigaoqiao and Pudong
Curriculum: English National Curriculum, IGCSE, A levels
Extra-curricular options: Students from different age groups are offered a wide range of team and individual sports, music, art, drama, cultural and academic extension activities
Languages taught: Mandarin, Spanish, French and German
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. They offer half-day options for early childhood and full-day for primary and middle school students. All HQIS teachers are certified overseas teachers with advanced degrees from accredited universities, with licensed Chinese teachers as assistant teachers.
Type: Early Childhood / Primary / Middle
Students: age of 18mo-14y
Expat Teachers: 60
Teacher-Student Ratio: 1:8
Location(s): 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.
Nord Anglia International School Shanghai
Offering the very best of the British education system in China for children aged 12 months to 18 years, NAIS introduces a global learning experience through a rigorous, contemporary and global focused curriculum that enhances quality learning. As well as academic results that consistently exceed world averages, they collaborate with the UK Space Academy, MIT and the Juilliard-Nord Anglia Performing Arts Programme to further develop studentsí individuality and specialties.
Type: Pre-Kindergarten / Kindergarten / Primary Years / Secondary Years
Students: over 50 nationalities, top 5% of IB students
Location(s): Pudong
Curriculum: IB
Extra-curricular options: Has over 135 different activities outside of the academic curriculum for students to choose from
Languages: Chinese, French Spanish, German, Korean and Dutch
See listing for Nord Angila International School Shanghai here. See official website.
Shanghai American School
As Chinaís largest and one of Asiaís most respected international schools, Shanghai American Schoolís challenging academic curriculum helps pave the path to some of the top universities around the world. Offering over 150 activities, they take pride in their award-winning clubs and trophy-rich sports teams. SAS is also the city's most established international schools with a history dating back to 1912. As a nonprofit independent school, all revenue of SAS goes right back into improving the school by creating dynamic learning environments and facilities that are at university-level. Their integrated learning culture welcomes students from 46 countries and they have a faculty with an average tenure of six years.
Type: Pre-Kindergarten / Elementary / Middle / High
Students: 3, 000, 49 nationalities
History: More than 100 years
Activities: over 150
Location(s): Minhang and Pudong
Curriculum: EAL, IGCSE, AP Capstone, IBDP
Extra-curricular options: Has over 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)
Students: 1, 700, age of 2-18
Number of Campuses: 3
Location(s): Hongqiao and Pudong
Curriculum: IB
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, 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 is the only UNESCO associated school in Shanghai, SHSID is an International Baccalaureate World School founded in 1995. Its mission is to improve studentsí multilingual skills, encourage personal growth, and emphasize the study of math, science and technology. Within a teaching faculty of over 500, there are approximately 120 foreign teachers.
Type: Primary / Middle / High
Students: age of 7-18
Number of Campuses: 2
Avg AP Exam Score: 4.6
Location(s): Xuhui and Pudong
Curriculum: IB
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 Singapore International School
With 20 years of educational excellence, Shanghai Singapore International School (SSIS) provides multiple pathways for their students to be successful in every aspect of their development. The school works to instill its "I4C" values into every single student: Initiative, Care, Communication, Collaboration and Commitment. SSIS believes in the holistic development of a resourceful, confident and independent learner within a caring and nurturing environment to become a valued, global citizen.
Type: Preschool / Primary / Senior / Intensive Support Program
Students: over 1, 400
Number of Campuses: 2
Year Founded: 1996
Location(s): Minhang and Xuhui
Curriculum: IGCSE, IB Diploma Programme and IB Career-Related Programme
Extra-curricular options: Offers a wide range of activities including the Aesthetics Programme and Golf Programme.
Languages: English and Chinese
See listing for Shanghai Singapore International Sschool here. See official website.
Wellington College International Shanghai
Wellington College International Shanghai is a co-educational day and boarding school for children aged 2 to 18. Embracing the ethos of its prestigious and forward-thinking partner Wellington College in the UK, the college upholds Wellington values and seeks to fully develop the ëWellington Identityí in every child, encouraging them to be inspired, intellectual, independent, individual and inclusive. Boasting a state-of-the-art campus, Wellington has built a vibrant community where all pupils strive to reach academic excellence and engage in a comprehensive wider range of opportunities in music, performing arts and sports.
Type: Pre-Nursery / Prep / Senior / Sixth Form / Boarding
Students: over 950, over 40 nationalities
Year Founded: 2014
Location(s): Pudong
Curriculum: IGCSE, IBDP
Extra-curricular options: The co-curricular activities form an integral part of the school day, which runs until 4.45pm daily. They include cultural, sporting and arts activity options with more activities offered in the evenings and on weekends.
Languages: English, Mandarin, French, Spanish
See listing for Wellington College International Shanghai here. See official website.
Western International School of Shanghai
With an aim to send into the world brave, compassionate, internationally minded citizens with the skill and intellect to help shape the future, WISS cultivates healthy, balanced, confident and ethical individuals. As an IB World School, WISS applies learning to real life situations from early years through to graduation. They are the first and only full continuum World IB School in Mainland China offering the Primary Years, Middle Years, Diploma Programme and the Career-related Programme (2.5-19 years old). In addition, WISS offers a wide variety of interesting and enriching opportunities for growth including impressive and highly developed visual arts, performing arts, music, sports and service learning programs.
Type: Early Year / Primary / Secondary
Students: around 800
Teacher-Student Ratio: 1:6
Year Established: 2006
Location(s): Qingpu
Curriculum: IB
Extra-curricular options: They offer a wide variety of activities. Some highlights include MUN, Student Government, Robotics, the Duke of Edinburgh's International Award, and world-renowned academies such as the ISTA Performing Arts Academy Shanghai and Stoke City FC Academy.
Languages: English, Mandarin, French, Spanish, German, Dutch, Japanese ,Swedish, Finnish, Korean and other languages
See listing for Western International School of Shanghai here. See official website.
Yew Chung International School of Shanghai
YCIS was established as Shanghaiís first independent international school in 1993, and it is the only school in all of Asia to have been honored with the Cambridge Award for Excellence in Education. The school supports a diverse student body of more than 50 nationalities, and it has a unique multicultural and bilingual learning environment that helps develop confident scholars with a truly global mindset. In addition to the schoolís reputation for excellent academics and top IGCSE and IB results, YCIS is also known for its sports, art, design and technology, music and service learning programs, as well as itís warm, inclusive community.
Type: Early Years / Primary / Secondary
Students: over 2, 200
Teacher: 2 qualified co-teachers in all Kindergarten and Primary classrooms
Numer of Campuses: 4 (There will be a new one in January 2018)
Location(s): Puxi and Pudong
Curriculum: IGCSE, IB Diploma
Extra-curricular options: Over 80 activities, including robotics, individual and team sports, model United Nations, music, print and television media, drama and science club.
Languages: English, Chinese, and Spanish
See listing for Yew Chung International Sschool of Shanghai here. See offical website.
