Thank you for your interest in Shinagawa International School (SIS) in Tokyo and Welcome to the Admission Section of our Website. Our vision is to foster passionate, independent, highly motivated learners who actively contribute to world peace.
In the following pages, you should find all the information you need to understand our policies and admissions procedure before applying to Shinagawa International School in Tokyo. If you have any questions, please contact admissions@sistokyo.jp or +81-3-6433-1531.
SIS Statistics
1. Admission Philosophy
SIS seeks a shared understanding of educational philosophy from parents. International mindedness is the bonding feature of our school community and it is vital for our prospective families to demonstrate this perspective as well.
SIS welcomes families from various cultures, countries, and linguistic backgrounds.
SIS not only takes the academic background of a child into consideration but also their disposition and their self-management, social, and communication skills, before making the final enrollment decision.
SIS expects families to share all the required and related information about the social, physical, emotional, and academic development of their child.
SIS expects families to be fully aware of the school rules and regulations and be supportive of and involved in, their child’s education journey.
2. Admission and Eligibility
2-1. Age eligibility
A child with the appropriate age for the grade level before September 1st of that academic year is eligible for standard admission.
Appropriate ages for the grades are:
| 2023-2024 Academic Year | |||
| Division | Grades | Age by August 31, 2022 | DOB |
| ELC | Preschool | 3 years old | 2019/9/1-2020/8/31 |
| PreK | 4 years old | 2018/9/1-2019/8/31 | |
| Kindergarten | 5 years old | 2017/9/1-2018/8/31 | |
| PYP (Primary School) | Grade 1 | 6 years old | 2016/9/1-2017/8/31 |
| Grade 2 | 7 years old | 2015/9/1-2016/8/31 | |
| Grade 3 | 8 years old | 2014/9/1-2015/8/31 | |
| Grade 4 | 9 years old | 2013/9/1-2014/8/31 | |
| Grade 5 | 10 years old | 2012/9/1-2013/8/31 | |
| MYP (Secondary School) | Grade 6 | 11 years old | 2011/9/1-2012/8/31 |
| Grade 7 | 12 years old | 2010/9/1-2011/8/31 | |
| Grade 8 | 13 years old | 2009/9/1-2010/8/31 | |
| Grade 9 | 14 years old | 2008/9/1-2009/8/31 | |
| Grade 10 | 15 years old | 2007/9/1-2008/8/31 | |
2-2. Admission Criteria
- Age
- Availability of places and the current makeup of the class
- English language proficiency
- Social maturity
- Academic level
- Suitability for SIS’s educational philosophy and IB philosophy
- Previous school records / international educational experience
- Ability to separate from parents
- Social maturity: Students possess or developing core social competencies such as self-regulation, empathy, and basic etiquette
- Self-help skills: Student can dress/undress and pack/unpack independently, and is responsible for one’s belongings
- Language ability: Student can understand simple instructions and communicate his/her needs in English
- Fine and gross motor skills: Students can manipulate objects with control and has age-appropriate penmanship
- Emerging academic ability: The student has an emerging understanding of literacy and numeracy
- Inquirer trait: Student enjoys learning through play to inquire into the nature of one’s self and the world
- Students must be able to toilet themselves independently in a school environment
- Recommendation form from a current teacher
- Screening assessment in language and mathematical skills
- Age-appropriate social skills
- The current makeup of the class
- Successful Interview with teacher
Students entering Grades 6 – 10 must generally have sufficient competency in English in order to benefit from our IB MYP academic program. Students take admissions tests for English Language Use, Mathematics, and Reading.
Depending on the English proficiency of the student, we may ask parents to provide supplementary English tutoring or shadow teachers at their own expense as a condition for admissions.
Eligibility for Admissions for MYP (Middle Years Programme) Grade 6 – Grade 10
- Social skills, language ability, academic ability, and the current makeup of the class.
- Students automatically progress to the next MYP year after the end of each scholastic year.
- Children with Special Education Needs (SEN) will be considered for admission depending on the school’s capacity and resources and the school’s capability of appropriate support, as indicated in the Inclusion Policy.
- Language support will be offered to students coming from PYP and throughout the MYP Years Grade 6 to Grade 10, as indicated in our Language Policy.
- For new admissions, a student must present a grade-level English sufficient enough to follow the mainstream classes. However, if this is not the case, language support will be provided if the capacity permits.
2-3. Parents Requirement
As all the communication is conducted in English, SIS requires at least one parent/guardian to be able to communicate effectively in English
2-4. Admission Criteria Policy
- SIS does not disclose the reason for acceptance/rejection/waiting pool
- The sibling of a current SIS student is required to meet the admissions criteria first to be prioritized to enroll
3. Applying to SIS
- SIS generally accepts the termly acceptance if there is a vacancy
- SIS accepts applications one year before the preferred enrollment time (i.e., If a student wishes to enroll in January 2023, SIS starts accepting applications from January 2022)
- Completed application form (online or offline)
- Student’s headshot
- Official copies of the past two years’ academic records from the student’s previous school in English, If parents are translating, please obtain the school stamp/signature after translation to certify.
- Grade 1 students must provide Kindergarten reports (or the equivalent)
- ELC students must submit a progress report if their school provides it
- A photocopy of the student’s passport or birth certificate
- The application fee of 20,000 JPY (non-refundable) is paid by bank transfer. Please attach the receipt with the application form*Please note that the remittance fee must be paid by the applicant
- Letter of Recommendation – provided after receiving the application form. It must be sent directly back to SIS from the student’s teacher by either email, mail, or fax
- The submitted application form and supporting documents will be first screened
- Students may or may not be invited to the trial lesson, assessment, and interview depending on the screening result
- Eligible students must go through a trial class or an individual interview in order to be accepted into SIS
*Due to the Covid-19 situation, we do not have a trial lesson at the moment. Students will be screened by individual assessment and interview
- Students will be assessed for their English level to determine whether they require EAL support or not
- All parents must sit the enrollment interview, which is to ensure the school’s philosophy and programs match the parent’s educational beliefs and expectations
- All student assessments and parent interviews will be held by Zoom
- For ELC applicants, additional supporting documents are required to submit
4. Admission Results
4-1. Acceptance
- Within one week of accepting the offer, one-time payments, and the enrolling term tuition must be paid
- Enrollment will be confirmed only after the receipt of initial payments has been received
- Students must be in full-time residence with at least one parent or a legal guardian to be accepted
4-2. Conditional Acceptance
- Students are accepted under certain conditions.
- Conditions must have been met in order to be accepted and to enroll.
4-3. Waiting Pool
- If a student is considered eligible for SIS but there is no vacancy available, he/she will be put in the waiting pool
- The waiting pool is not ranked or prioritized
- If spaces become available, the Admission Committee will reconsider the candidates based on the balance of the class in terms of gender, nationality, sibling status, social maturity, etc.
- SIS cannot estimate when the student will be accepted from the waiting pool
- All students need to meet our admission criteria first to be registered in the waiting pool
4-4. Rejection
- An applicant will be rejected if he/she does not meet one or more admission criteria based on either document or assessment screening
- SIS does not disclose the reason for the rejection
- No second assessment/interview chances are given to the rejected applicant.
5. Enrollment
- Students will be enrolled during the middle of each term (i.e. October in Term 1); however, there will not be any discount or prorate to the tuition.
- Students will be assessed for the English language test on the first day of school to determine the EAL level
- For Preschool and Prek grades, students must be fully toilet trained to start school at SIS
Shinagawa International School (SIS) in Tokyo now is an IB DP Candidate School and an authorized MYP school implementing the MYP/DP curriculum framework. We embrace a holistic approach to education by implementing the esteemed International Baccalaureate (IB) program, encompassing the Primary Years Program (PYP), Middle Years Program (MYP), and Diploma Program (DP). This internationally recognized curriculum empowers students to become critical thinkers, compassionate individuals, and lifelong learners, equipping them with the skills necessary to thrive in a rapidly evolving world.
We have students from more than 40 different countries including America, Korea, UK, Australia, China, Germany, Russia, Turkey, Peru, Taiwan, India, Philippines, Japan, etc.
- Preschool to Kindergarten – 8:30 am to 3:15 pm
- Grades 1 to 10 – 8:30 am to 3:15 pm
With the exception of Japanese classes, all subjects are taught in English. Hence, students must possess adequate English proficiency to effectively engage with their lessons. However, recognizing the diverse linguistic backgrounds of our students, we provide EAL (English as an Additional Language) support from grades 1 to 10, specifically tailored to assist those learning English as a second language.
We offer two Japanese language learning programmes: The Kokugo Programme, for students who are proficient speakers of Japanese, and The JAL (Japanese as an Additional Language) Programme. In the Kokugo programme students follow the national curriculum and learning objectives that are utilized in Japanese public schools. However, it is a modified version due to English being our main language of instruction. We offer Kokugo/JAL Japanese classes up to 5 times a week for Grade 1 – Grade 10.
We have more than 400 students from Preschool to Grade 10 (September 2023).
The teacher-student ratio is 1: 6
After students are enrolled, parents and guardians will need to be able to communicate with foreign teaching staff about their children, school events, etc.; however, no specific level of English ability is required of parents and guardians.
In order to maintain international diversity in our school, we keep the maximum ratio of 25 % for any nationality. Therefore, at Shinagawa International School (SIS), we accept children/students from a variety of nationalities and backgrounds.
We may accept students whose parents are both Japanese, however, the students must be eligible according to the Admissions Policy of SIS.
Since international schools accept students who may arrive in Japan from overseas at any time, applications for admission are accepted year-round. SIS, as well, does not set a fixed application deadline.
Additional expected costs include school uniform, a few of after school programs (for only the programs taught by outside experts), summer school (for only participants) and field trips/school trips, PTA contribution fee, annual stationary fee.
Yes, starting with your second child, a 20% discount is applied to the tuition fee.
SIS Tokyo accepts new students all year round. Since the new school year in Japanese schools starts in April, SIS may accept students then as well. The students will join the class appropriate to their age, according to our Admissions Policy.
No, we are a secular school and we welcome students from all races, religions, and cultures.
All class teachers are native English speaking teachers from UK, USA, New Zealand, Canada, and Australia. All teachers have education certificates and licenses from their countries and they are well-trained, experienced and committed to excellence.
SIS students in all grades wear the school uniform.
Yes, we currently run several bus routes throughout the city. The bus routes are designed to cater to families living in the wider Tokyo area. Please contact the school for more information.
We offer many After School Programs (ASP): Art, Sports, Drama, Music, Coding, Ballet, Languages, Science Clubs, STEM Clubs, and more. ASPs are run at the school by staff, instructors, and some outside experts.
Yes, we do. Please contact us for more information.
Fire, earthquake, and lockdown drills are held regularly throughout the year. The low student-teacher ratio contributes to close care and quick response during accidents.
We work with Kiwi’s Kitchen to provide school lunches for our students. Purchasing school lunches are optional and orders are placed in advance weekly and monthly.
They have 4 different main dishes every day including one vegetarian. They are available in 2 sizes: regular size: 650 yen and large size: 850 yen.