Chinese International School

What the school is

Language provision and the Hangzhou year

Primary classes are described as using English and Mandarin in roughly equal proportions, with two co-teachers. Secondary teaching shifts toward English while Mandarin remains part of the programme, including bilingual history and personal and social classes in Years 7–9. The school description lists its own primary curriculum, MYP in Years 7–9, school-developed study in Years 10–11 and the IB Diploma in Years 12–13. CIS does not offer the PYP. Language requirements depend on the entry grade.

Hangzhou CIS opened in 2013 as a residential programme for Year 10. The school describes the year as a required part of its education, focused on learning in China and developing independence. Ask about supervision, learning and medical support, communication with home, travel, additional costs, and how individual circumstances, exemptions or deferrals are handled.

CIS reports an alumni community of more than 6,000. It has also announced redevelopment of the adjacent former Hong Kong Japanese School site at 9 Hau Yuen Path for Years 2–6, targeting August 2028, a planned opening that will bring construction and transfers between sites.

Academics in practice

Reported results, assessments and financial assistance

Secondary sources attribute IB averages of 38.95 with a 99% pass rate in 2025, and 39.7 with a 98.4% pass rate in 2024, to CIS. They report 63% scoring at least 40 in 2024 and a bilingual-diploma share of roughly 28–30%. That bilingual figure has no stated cohort or year. A bilingual diploma records an academic achievement, not a guarantee of fluency for every graduate.

The Education Bureau records priority for Corporate Nomination Right holders, siblings and staff children, with some priority for alumni children. Third-party guidance describes Reception applications opening two years ahead with an October deadline, and primary applications from September to February. It lists age-dependent bilingual assessments, including observation and interviews for Reception, language and maths tasks in primary and IDAT with proctored tasks in secondary. Dates and fees are set for each entry cycle.

The Education Bureau records financial assistance for qualifying pupils aged 12 and above and for enrolled families experiencing financial hardship. Directories name university destinations including Harvard, Stanford, Oxford, Cambridge, HKU and Toronto, but complete cohort-level enrolment data is needed for a meaningful comparison.

Admissions and cost

Tuition, credited payments and nomination rights

Published 2026–27 annual tuition is HK$226,400 for Reception, HK$300,300 for Years 1–6, HK$354,500 for Years 7–11 and HK$359,200 for Years 12–13. Separate annual fees for resources and activities range from about HK$10,860 to HK$32,000 by year group. The school page describes ten monthly instalments from September to June. A new student’s HK$150,000 non-refundable reservation payment includes the Annual Capital Levy, with the balance credited to tuition. Do not add the entire payment again to annual tuition plus levy. Re-enrolling pupils are asked to pay the levy within seven days of confirming re-enrolment; verify current invoice instructions.

The reported Annual Capital Levy is HK$30,200 for pupils without qualifying nomination-right coverage. The school lists Personal Nomination Rights issued before 2012–13 and during 2012–13 to 2017–18, plus Corporate and Individual Nomination Rights. These classes have different terms. Secondary reports of HK$5–17 million transfer prices are indicative market accounts, not current quotations or evidence that an instrument is available.

Third-party reporting describes a Corporate Nomination Right priced at HK$15 million, non-refundable and expiring in value over five years. CIS does not publish the instrument itself, so the terms and nomination rights come from the school. Spread over five years, the reported amount is HK$3 million a year before tuition, and holding a right is a priority, not a guaranteed admission. CIS’s instrument is separate from CDNIS debentures and similarly named rights at other schools.

For a proposed nomination-right transfer, obtain the specific instrument, issue date, remaining term, transfer conditions and any fees from the school, along with which pupils can be nominated, whether levy relief applies and what happens if admission is declined or the child leaves.

The family experience

Braemar Hill life and the demand question

The campus is on Braemar Hill above North Point. Test journeys from shortlisted homes and confirm bus stops, pickup times and return arrangements after activities. The primary expansion announcement discusses neighbourhood traffic; ask how construction and the proposed 2028 opening would affect daily access. Visit the facilities relevant to your child’s age group.