Seoul Foreign School

What the school is

History, primary choices and the IB transition

SFS traces its founding to Ethel Van Wagoner Underwood and a class of 18 pupils at Kyungsung Foreign School in 1912. It moved to Yeonhui-dong in 1957 and took its current name in 1964. The British School dates from 1981. The school reports British Schools Overseas inspection for that section; BSO is an inspection scheme, not an Ofsted school grade.

In primary, the British School uses the English National Curriculum for English and maths alongside the International Curriculum, while the Elementary School uses the IB PYP. The school explanation says pupils join a unified IB route from Grade 6. IB authorisation dates to 1980. An undated homepage figure gives an average Diploma score of 36; ask for the examination year, candidate count, pass rate and full distribution before using it in a comparison.

SFS describes its Christian heritage and ACSI membership separately from its WASC accreditation. Its homepage reports around 1,600 students from 55 nationalities. Ask how Christian education and worship appear in the weekly routine and how pupils of other faiths or none participate. In April 2026, the British School announced recognition as South Korea’s first Forest Schools Development Centre; ask which activities are included for your child’s age group.

Fees and the real cost

2026–27 fees in won and US dollars

A Seoul Metropolitan Government publication reproduces an education-office table dated September 2024, listing SFS with 1,958 pupils and an annual fee range expressed as US$40,990–49,610. These are historical figures. They should not override the school’s current invoice, be combined with its separate US-dollar tuition portion or be treated as a current enrolment total. The difference from the homepage’s roughly 1,600 pupils needs its date and scope understood.

The 2026–27 school year runs from 10 August 2026 to 11 June 2027. Tuition has two payable portions, one in KRW and one in USD. The Elementary schedule lists partial-day Pre-K at ₩18,280,000 plus US$7,185; full-day Pre-K 2 at ₩26,990,000 plus US$8,625; full-day Pre-K 3–4 at ₩26,740,000 plus US$12,960; and Kindergarten–Grade 5 at ₩27,285,000 plus US$13,500. Non-refundable application, registration and entrance charges are ₩450,000, ₩650,000 and ₩5,500,000 respectively. The British School charges the same rates (partial-day Foundation for 3-year-olds; full-day Foundation at ₩26,740,000 plus US$12,960; Years 1–6 at ₩27,285,000 plus US$13,500). Middle School (Grades 6–8) is ₩27,930,000 plus US$14,625, and High School (Grades 9–12) ₩33,370,000 plus US$14,955.

Keep both currency portions in the budget until you know the payment arrangements. At the listed Kindergarten–Grade 5 rate, tuition and the three new-student charges total ₩33,885,000 plus US$13,500. Adding the annual round-trip bus fee of ₩4,200,000 brings that subtotal to ₩38,085,000 plus US$13,500, before any other applicable charges. The schedule also lists a ₩450,000 Grade 12 senior fee and ₩100,000 per early exam sitting. Older converted fee tables do not show how either currency portion has risen.

Admissions and eligibility

Eligibility documents and available places

Korean law lets a foreign school admit children of foreign nationals, Korean nationals who have lived abroad for a total of three years or more, and children of naturalised citizens whom the local school’s principal judges unable to continue there (for example, because of limited Korean). Korean nationals admitted on overseas residence may not exceed 30% of a school’s enrolment capacity; dual nationals count as Korean. SFS applies this as three categories: A, at least one parent holds a non-Korean passport; B, both parents are Korean and the child has 1,095 days outside Korea since birth or six semesters of schooling abroad, subject to the government cap; C, a naturalised parent with the local principal’s letter confirming its Operations Committee’s deliberation.

Primary applicants submit the online application with the non-refundable ₩450,000 fee, passport copies for the child and both parents, and a birth certificate translated into English and notarised (or a Certificate of Family Relations where a parent holds a Korean passport). Foreign-passport families add a Residence Card, and Korean families a Certificate of Entry and Exit from birth. Ages 2–5 (Pre-K 2 to Kindergarten; Foundation to Year 1) send any report cards and attend an SFS Learner Readiness Session. Ages 6–10 (Grades 1–5; Years 2–6) send three years of report cards and one teacher recommendation, and sit the SFS Admissions Test, which may include an English-language evaluation; applicants abroad can submit a standardised score from the past 12 months plus a writing test. Applications for a school year usually open the November before, with decisions from early spring and a wait pool when a grade is full.

The relocation of US Forces Korea from Yongsan to Camp Humphreys and the closure of Seoul American High School in 2019 provide historical context for local schooling.

The family experience

The campus and journey from home

The forested campus is at 39 Yeonhui-ro 22-gil in Seodaemun-gu. Its setting features in The Good Schools Guide’s review and the school’s Forest School announcement. Compare the journey from shortlisted homes with the route to work, then confirm bus stops and pickup times.