Hong Kong International School

What the school is

American, Christian-rooted, two campuses on the south side

HKIS uses two sites: Lower Primary, R1–Grade 2, and Upper Primary, Grades 3–5, are at 23 South Bay Close, Repulse Bay. Middle School, Grades 6–8, and High School, Grades 9–12, are at 1 Red Hill Road, Tai Tam.

The school’s mission combines an American-style education grounded in Christianity with respect for pupils’ different spiritual lives. The Education Bureau records a Christian religious affiliation, and the school describes a multi-faith community. A 2017 guide lists compulsory religious studies. Families can discuss how spiritual development appears in the current timetable, including expectations for participation in their child’s division.

The Education Bureau profile lists 3,050–3,150 school places, average class sizes of 15–25 and mild-to-moderate special-educational-needs support. Listed capacity is not the number of vacant places. The school handbook describes WASC accreditation through a six-year cycle of self-study and visiting teams. EARCOS membership is separate from accreditation.

Academics in practice

The American curriculum and AP choices

The American curriculum includes play and inquiry in the early years and social-emotional learning through the school. High-school students can choose from the listed AP courses; HKIS does not offer the IB Diploma. Reported language provision includes Putonghua through Middle School and a Dual Language Immersion option in the lower years. Families planning a later school transfer or university application should check subject and qualification requirements for the intended destination.

The fee schedule lists Middle School PEAK experiential programmes at HK$3,000–12,500 and High School Interim programmes at HK$3,000–26,000. Pupils in Grades 6–12 must provide an Apple MacBook under the school’s device policy. Admissions Policy 3010 identifies English-language and special-needs support capacity as considerations in offers, so support is assessed child by child within the general mild-to-moderate description.

Admissions and cost

Fees, admissions categories and optional debentures

For 2026–27, tuition per semester is HK$115,800 for R1–Grade 5, HK$122,250 for Grades 6–8 and HK$136,300 for Grades 9–12. Annual totals are HK$231,600, HK$244,500 and HK$272,600 respectively. All pupils pay an annual HK$24,500 capital levy in two instalments, including those covered by a debenture. A non-refundable HK$2,000 application fee and HK$15,000 entry fee apply to new pupils; the entry fee is waived for those returning within two years. For a new High School pupil, tuition, levy, application and entry total HK$314,100 before programme, device and transport costs. The semester reservation payment covers that semester’s tuition and levy, so it is not another annual charge. For new pupils, written cancellation must arrive within ten calendar days after the payment due date or before the semester begins, whichever is earlier, to meet the stated refund window. The schedule also lists a 2% monthly late-payment charge.

Admissions Policy 3010 describes three categories. Category A covers debenture-supported applications in date order, with an additional priority provision for applications received at least 90 days before the semester begins. Offers remain subject to qualification and the policy’s capacity conditions. Category B includes faculty children, overseas applicants from US-accredited schools, siblings, returning pupils and alumni children. Category C covers other applicants. The latter categories form separate waiting pools, with selection considering class balance, academic profile and fit, and application date used as a tiebreaker. Published admissions material lists 1 October for primary and 1 November for secondary applications; confirm the applicable entry cycle.

The Family Debenture costs HK$3 million and supports multiple children in one immediate family. The HK$3 million Standard Corporate Debenture supports one child, while the HK$5 million Comprehensive Corporate Debenture supports multiple children from one family. All are optional and non-interest-bearing. They can be bought only through HKIS and cannot be sold on a secondary market. Only the Family Debenture is transferable, and only to the purchaser’s children or grandchildren. The brochure dated March 2020 describes redemption at face value after a minimum 15-year holding period, at the Committee of Management’s discretion. This is not an automatic refund on a child’s departure or on the fifteenth anniversary. Published material gives 1 November as the debenture-application deadline for the following school year; request the current agreement and timetable.

The ISF Academy’s Capital Note is a different school’s instrument. Published market reporting quotes it at HK$6.5 million direct and around HK$4.3 million on the secondary market; those figures do not describe HKIS. HKIS’s own documents rule out a secondary market for its debentures. Any proposed arrangement should therefore be checked directly with HKIS rather than compared with another school’s transferable capital note.

Applicants do not need a debenture to apply. Families in a Category B group should document the relevant relationship or overseas US-accredited school history; a US passport alone is not one of the listed categories. The donor-funded Black Kite Program, founded in 2020, supports local Hong Kong pupils with significant financial need entering Grade 7. Its published coverage includes tuition, fees, transport, meals, a laptop and trips through the six years to graduation, subject to the award terms. The programme page gives 1 November 2026 as the application deadline for 2027–28.

The family experience

School buses, campus life and availability

Kwoon Chung Motors has operated the school-bus service since 1971. The admissions FAQ describes 65 routes and mandatory bus travel for Lower and Upper Primary pupils. Listed arrangements include Kowloon Tong services, a Kowloon meeting point for New Territories pupils and Central Pier 3 pickup for Discovery Bay pupils. Families pay the operator directly. Current routes, journey times and after-activity services need to be checked against the child’s campus and proposed home.

Both campuses are in the Southern District of Hong Kong Island, with the primary site near Repulse Bay and the secondary site at Tai Tam. School activities include sports and service learning. Secondary reporting describes the Dragon Center athletics development at Tai Tam; families can confirm which facilities are open for their entry date. A campus visit and a trial of the actual school journey are more useful for assessing daily life than broad descriptions of the parent community.