Harrow International School Hong Kong

What the school is

Houses, boarding and school organisation

The House system provides pastoral care for day pupils and boarders. The school profile lists four boys’ and three girls’ Prep Houses, and four boys’ and four girls’ Senior Houses, including Day Houses. Daily routines include House roll calls and lunch. Weekly boarding starts in Year 6 and runs from Sunday at 7pm to Friday at 4.30pm. School materials report that just under half of Upper School pupils board.

The school describes itself as a not-for-profit organisation receiving no operating or capital grants from the Hong Kong government. Its levy, certificates and debentures fund construction, maintenance and facilities. The levy is charged by the sponsoring body, Harrow International School (Hong Kong) Limited, on the school’s behalf.

Secondary reporting also lists Harrow Little Lions, a K1–K2 kindergarten at Uptown East, 55 Kwun Tong Road, Kai Tak. Families considering that site should confirm its admissions arrangements, fees and progression to the Tuen Mun school. A place or fee schedule at one site should not be assumed to cover the other.

Academics in practice

IGCSE, A levels and reported results

The school’s 2025 results report gives GCSE grade shares of 59% at grade 9, 79% at 9–8/A* and 90% at 9–7/A*–A. At A level, 33% of grades were A*, 70% were A*–A and 90% were A*–B. The corresponding 2024 A-level figures included 36% A* and about 71% A*–A. These are shares of examination grades, not percentages of pupils achieving each combination. Reported language provision includes compulsory Mandarin in Lower School and French and Spanish in Senior School.

The school’s published leavers’ destinations include Oxford, Cambridge, Imperial, LSE and UCL; Princeton, Columbia and the University of Pennsylvania; and HKU and Tsinghua. A dated review reports teacher-to-student ratios of 1:22–1:24 in Lower School and about 1:11 in Sixth Form. Ratios are not class sizes, which vary by subject and cohort.

The application fee is reported as HK$1,500. A directory also lists a one-off HK$20,000 entry fee, which does not appear on the school’s own fee page. Published secondary reporting gives sibling tuition discounts of 5% for a third child, 10% for a fourth and 15% for a fifth or subsequent child.

Admissions and cost

Tuition, boarding and capital-certificate terms

Official annual tuition for 2026–27 is HK$182,493 for Nursery and Reception, HK$208,964 for Years 1–5, HK$238,687 for Years 6–11 and HK$248,155 for Years 12–13. Payment is termly. The HK$60,000 annual capital levy is non-refundable and non-transferable, and applies unless the pupil has qualifying certificate or debenture coverage. Weekly boarding from Year 6 adds HK$135,672. For a Year 7 boarder paying the levy, these three charges total HK$434,359, before application, any entry fee and other extras.

The school’s capital page records the first HK$600,000 individual debenture issue as fully subscribed when the school opened in 2012. Individual and Corporate Capital Certificates are also fully subscribed, with no further issue expected in the near future. Existing instruments can change hands through school-administered transfers. Mid-2026 secondary reports place Individual Capital Certificate prices around HK$3.0–3.3 million; these are indicative figures, not current offers or assured resale values.

The Individual Capital Certificate refund provision applies to registered holders who subscribed directly from the Foundation. The school expressly excludes certificates acquired through secondary-market transfer from that refund provision. A transferred certificate may retain levy exemption and nomination priority under its terms, but it does not carry the original subscriber’s refund right. This distinction concerns repayment by the school; it is separate from any permitted later transfer, whose price and availability are uncertain.

The school notice gives 10 October 2026 as the transfer-application deadline for a new holder to exercise Capital Certificate nomination priority for 2027–28 entry. The date was still upcoming at the time of writing. Transfer fees, processing time and admissions conditions should be confirmed before agreeing a purchase. The regulatory explainer discusses Education Bureau approval and reporting under Circular 15/2023; a particular instrument’s rights remain governed by its own terms.

The family experience

School journeys and weekly boarding

The main campus is at 38 Tsing Ying Road near Gold Coast in the western New Territories. Day families need to test the school run from their proposed home. Weekly boarding reduces weekday journeys, while requiring a plan for Friday collection, Sunday return and school holidays. It does not provide seven-day residential care.