Shanghai Jianping High School International Course Centre vs The SMIC Private School Shanghai

	S Shanghai Jianping High School International Course Centre Shanghai, China	T The SMIC Private School Shanghai Shanghai, China
Snapshot	Snapshot
Fees / year	Fees / year RMB 60,000 - 180,000	Fees / year RMB 140,000 - 166,000
Age range	Age range 6 - 18 years	Age range 3 - 18 years
Type	Type Co-educational, Co-educational (boarding)	Type Co-educational
Curriculum	Curriculum Advanced Placement (AP), American Curriculum	Curriculum American Curriculum, Chinese National Curriculum, Advanced Placement (AP)
Pupils	Pupils —	Pupils 3,000
Typical class size	Typical class size —	Typical class size —
Instruction language	Instruction language English	Instruction language English, Mandarin
Opened	Opened 2008	Opened 2001
Bus service	Bus service —	Bus service No
Essentials	Essentials
Location	Location —	Location SMIC Private School is located at No.169 Qingtong (Qing-Tong) Road in the Zhangjiang High‑Tech Park area of Pudong New Area, Shanghai (postal code 201203). The campus sits in a technology-park / suburban part of Pudong that serves many international families and is reachable by road and by the school's shuttle services; local landmark references list the site near Guanglan Road. For exact directions and public‑transport options, the school's address and contact details are on its website.
Stages	Stages —	Stages The school runs a full K–12 structure: Early Childhood (kindergarten), Elementary, Middle School and High School within both an International Division and a Chinese Track. The website lists separate pages and curricula for EC, ES, MS and HS (including options such as a Chinese Concentration Class at elementary level).
School type	School type —	School type SMIC is a private, co‑educational K–12 day school that integrates kindergarten through high school on a single campus; it was founded by Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corporation (SMIC) in 2001. The school does not provide student boarding — there is no dormitory on site.
Pupil nationality mix	Pupil nationality mix —	Pupil nationality mix —
Additional learning support	Additional learning support —	Additional learning support The school provides counselling services, small‑group and individual support, and an Academic Recovery Program for students who are struggling academically; it also offers different Chinese language streams (regular Chinese and Chinese as a Second Language) and a Chinese Concentration Class (CCC) in elementary. The website notes meal or other special arrangements can be made with documentation, but it does not describe a separate dedicated Special Educational Needs department — parents with specific SEN needs are advised to contact Admissions to discuss individual arrangements.
Country affiliation	Country affiliation —	Country affiliation The school was established and is supported by Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corporation (a Chinese company) and is based in Shanghai's Zhangjiang High‑Tech Park. It therefore has a direct organizational link to SMIC.
Religious affiliation	Religious affiliation —	Religious affiliation No religious affiliation is stated on the school website; SMIC presents itself as a secular private school integrating Chinese and international curricula.
School day structure	School day structure —	School day structure According to the school FAQ, elementary hours run from 7:50 a.m. to 3:25 p.m., and middle/high school hours from 7:55 a.m. to 3:25 p.m.; students are expected to arrive between about 7:45–8:00 a.m. The published school calendar also shows regular half‑day events and occasional schedule variations (e.g., study weeks and exam‑related half days).
Bus service details	Bus service details —	Bus service details SMIC operates a fleet of more than 20 shuttle buses serving routes in both Pudong and Puxi; morning pick‑up times depend on the student's home location. Typical afternoon departure times listed by the school are 15:30 for elementary students and 15:30 (or 16:30 for some Pudong high‑school students) for middle/high students; each bus has a chaperone and the General Affairs office arranges routes and seat applications. The school does not provide bus service beyond the outer ring or to very remote areas; contact details for the bus office are published in the admissions/FAQ section.
Fees	Fees
Fee details	Fee details —	Fee details Application fees - SMIC-I charges a non‑refundable application fee of RMB 1,000 payable as part of the application process. Complete applications include submitting required documents in person and payment of the application fee. Tuition fees (per semester — amounts in RMB) - Early Childhood (EP–EK2): ¥70,000 per semester. - Grade 1–5: ¥75,000 per semester. - Grade 6–8: ¥80,000 per semester. - Grade 9–12: ¥83,000 per semester. These tuition figures are stated on SMIC‑I's tuition page and presented as semester amounts. Billing schedule and payment terms - Tuition is quoted and billed on a per‑semester basis (two semesters per academic year). The school's tuition page lists fees as RMB per semester. - The application fee must be paid to complete the application. Parents are instructed to sign an authorization form and provide a copy of their ID to the Finance Office for payment processing; the site advises not to send the authorization form directly to the bank and provides a Finance contact for arrangements. Specific payment channels (for example, credit card acceptance) are not listed on the tuition page. Boarding / accommodation - SMIC Private School does not provide student housing (no boarding). Other compulsory or additional costs - Book deposit: a RMB 2,000 book deposit is required for every new elementary student (deposit terms are not specified on the tuition page). - Meal fees: charged per meal; listed rates are RMB 23.00 (EP–EK2), RMB 22.00 (G1–2), and RMB 24.00 (G3–12). Enrollment in the lunch plan is required. - School bus: bus service is available for an additional fee; parents must contact the school for routes and fees. - Uniforms: Grade 1–5 formal set ¥455 and summer sport set ¥225; Grade 6–12 formal set ¥470 and summer sport set ¥225. Refund information - The application fee is explicitly stated as non‑refundable. The tuition page requires a book deposit for new elementary students but does not specify refund conditions for that deposit on the published tuition page. Fee payment contact and administration - The Finance Office handles fee authorizations. The tuition page instructs parents to sign the authorization form, provide ID, and contact the Finance Office (contact details and an authorization form link are provided on the school's tuition page). For school bus fees and routes the site provides a separate contact.
Diving deeper	Diving deeper
Boarding arrangements	Boarding arrangements —	Boarding arrangements —
Uniform requirement	Uniform requirement —	Uniform requirement —
Food options	Food options —	Food options The school has an on-campus cafeteria. The cafeteria area is about 1,900 square meters, including a student cafeteria of about 1,000 square meters, and it serves 840 students at the same time.
House system	House system —	House system —
Governance and ownership	Governance and ownership —	Governance and ownership The school was founded by Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corporation (SMIC) in 2001.
Academics	Academics
Curriculum details	Curriculum details —	Curriculum details SMIC Private School's International Division delivers a US‑based K–12 curriculum aligned to research‑based standards (Common Core, AERO, NGSS, ISTE) across its Early Childhood, Elementary, Middle and High School programs. Early Childhood (K1–K2) covers language arts and math in K1, expands to five core subjects in K2, includes Chinese instruction, weekly art/music/PE/computers, and begins MAP assessment in K2. Elementary (Grades 1–5) offers daily math, science, English language arts, Chinese and social studies with weekly music, art, technology and PE; Grades 1–3 are self‑contained and Grades 4–5 transition to subject rotations. Middle School (Grades 6–8) continues the US standards with a balanced core of English, math, science, social studies and Chinese plus electives, physical education and extracurricular options. High School (Grades 9–12) operates on a semester credit system requiring 23.5 credits for graduation (specific credit totals in English, foreign language, social studies, math, science, PE, arts, technology and life skills), requires 100 community‑service hours, and offers 25+ Advanced Placement courses across a wide range of disciplines.
Student teacher ratio	Student teacher ratio —	Student teacher ratio —
Exam results	Exam results —	Exam results —
Higher education progression	Higher education progression —	Higher education progression —
Gifted and talented	Gifted and talented —	Gifted and talented —
Academic calendar	Academic calendar —	Academic calendar —
Wellbeing & support	Wellbeing & support
Social & emotional learning	Social & emotional learning —	Social & emotional learning SMIC's Counseling Office states that it provides school-wide social-emotional learning through Life Skills classes, weekly character/“Character Counts” assemblies, small-group and individual counselling, and an Advisory programme in middle school. The counselling team is named on the site (Head of Counseling Office Phil Chu and grade-level counselors) and works with students, families, and faculty to deliver these services. Elementary–middle–high highlights on the Counseling page describe specific initiatives such as a Big Brother/Big Sister mentoring program, character classes, and an Academic Recovery Program for students who need extra academic support. The school describes counseling as aligned with its Expected School-Wide Learning Results (Healthy Individuals, Motivated Learners, Persons of Character, Global Citizens).
Special educational needs (SEN)	Special educational needs (SEN) —	Special educational needs (SEN) The school's published Admissions Criteria states that SMIC does not have the personnel and equipment resources to work with students who have specialized schooling requirements and that it does not offer programs for students with special needs. This indicates SMIC is not a specialist SEN institution and does not provide dedicated special-education programmes on its site. The Admissions page gives this directly as the school's position rather than listing categories of SEN it can support. Parents of students with identified or complex special educational needs should therefore treat the school as not offering in-house specialist SEN provision.
English as an additional language	English as an additional language —	English as an additional language SMIC's Admissions Criteria requires that all International Division applicants be proficient in speaking, listening, reading and writing in English and describes specific English assessments for entry by grade. The school's public material does not describe a dedicated EAL/ESL programme for students who need staged English-language support; therefore the school does not publicly disclose specific EAL provision. For applicants and families this means applicants are expected to demonstrate English proficiency at entry and there is no detailed, published EAL pathway on the school website.
Mental wellbeing	Mental wellbeing —	Mental wellbeing The school describes mental health and wellbeing as a school priority and identifies mental health, nutrition, functional fitness, and healthy relationships as major focuses of its holistic health provision. Counseling services include personal one-on-one counselling, small-group work, Life Skills courses, and academic recovery supports; the site also states counselors ensure mental, emotional and physical safety in individual counselling. The Counseling page lists staff roles and describes collaborative work with families and faculty to address students' wellbeing needs. These statements and programmes are presented on the school's published Counseling and main pages.
Safeguarding	Safeguarding —	Safeguarding SMIC's Counseling pages include a Child Protection section stating the school embraces responsibility for child protection, lists types of abuse (neglect, emotional, sexual, physical), and specifies that staff must be vigilant and report concerns immediately to the Child Protection Office (a designated member of the Counseling Office). The page also states students are encouraged to report bullying or abuse and that confidentiality cannot be guaranteed where safety is compromised. These child-protection arrangements and reporting expectations are described on the school's published Counseling information.
Safeguarding policy	Safeguarding policy —	Safeguarding policy —
Facilities	Facilities
Facilities overview	Facilities overview —	Facilities overview The Shanghai SMIC Private School International Division operates across four campuses: Private Kindergarten, Lower Elementary, Upper Elementary, and Secondary. Classrooms are air‑conditioned and equipped with ceiling‑mounted LCD projectors and air purifiers, with Upper Elementary classrooms also offering interactive whiteboard projectors. The campus features four auditoriums, multiple science labs, and art and music rooms, along with outdoor basketball and tennis courts, a soccer field, and a running track. The cafeteria covers about 1,900 square meters (including around 1,000 square meters for student dining) and serves 840 students at the same time; there are two libraries with about 45,000 volumes and a fleet of 20 school buses to support student life.
Sports facilities	Sports facilities —	Sports facilities The gym occupies about 1,900 square meters on the second floor and includes a standard-size basketball court with movable volleyball and badminton equipment, serving as a multi‑functional sports venue. Outdoor facilities include a soccer field, a 400‑meter track, basketball courts, and volleyball courts. A dedicated practice room supports athletic training and activities.
Academic facilities	Academic facilities —	Academic facilities There are seven computer labs, each with 30 PCs, a laser printer, and an LCD projector; color printers and scanners are shared among labs, and two server rooms support IT systems. The science program includes one biology lab, one physics lab, and one chemistry lab, all capable of standard or customized configurations for project-based work; labs are equipped with DIS probes, portable power, and handwashing sinks. There are two libraries located in ES and MHS with about 45,000 volumes, and classrooms are complemented by broadcast and design spaces to support academic learning.
Extra curricular facilities	Extra curricular facilities —	Extra curricular facilities The Broadcast Room supports distance education, course recordings, and school video productions, with space for special effects to aid student projects. After‑school clubs and activities are offered across divisions, including arts, music, and sports, with student performances such as the ES/EC Winter Concert and poetry projects. Public facilities include an observatory and reading corners, providing spaces for exploration and recreational learning, while AI‑focused design spaces and multi‑purpose rooms support project-based and creative learning outside regular class time.
Parent experience	Parent experience
History	History —	History SMIC Private School was established by Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corporation (SMIC) in 2001; SMIC Group invested in the school to serve the families of its Zhangjiang technical campus and the surrounding community. The school expanded quickly and opened enrollment to the public in 2004, graduating its first senior class in 2006. It operates as a privately funded school backed by SMIC and has developed both Chinese-track and international-track programs over time. The school's published materials note ongoing support from SMIC as the founding investor and sponsor.
Community	Community —	Community The school presents a mixed Chinese and international community: its site and news feed highlight students and faculty from many countries and frequent campus events that bring those communities together. School pages and news items show regular performances, grade-level projects and concerts (for example, a Winter Concert and grade-level poetry project featured in the school's “What's Happening” posts). The official overview also emphasizes combining Chinese and Western cultural activities as part of the school's programming. Overall, the community is described in school materials as diverse and active, with parents, teachers and students participating in curricular and extracurricular events.
Parent teacher association	Parent teacher association —	Parent teacher association —
Extra-curricular	Extra-curricular
Academic & intellectual	Academic & intellectual —	Academic & intellectual Shanghai SMIC Private School International Division provides access to SAT and AP testing and hosts an authorized ACT testing center. AP courses total about 21–23 offerings each year. SMIC graduates have a 100% acceptance rate to top-tier colleges worldwide, and high school graduation requires 100 hours of community service, supported by a full-service college and career counseling program.
Arts & creative	Arts & creative —	Arts & creative Extracurricular activities include International Day, Sports Day, field trips, Model United Nations (MUN), proms, dances, art exhibitions, student plays, and music concerts.
Cultural & language	Cultural & language —	Cultural & language K-12 Chinese language instruction and high school Spanish and French courses provide a four-year language sequence; in high school, Spanish and French are electives with AP Language and Culture options by year three.
Social & hobbies	Social & hobbies —	Social & hobbies Cross-age mentorship programs and after-school homework support develop social and leadership skills; vibrant extracurriculars include MUN, field trips, performances, and sports.
Community & service	Community & service —	Community & service High school graduation requires 100 hours of community service.
Leadership & professional	Leadership & professional —	Leadership & professional Counseling and college/career advising support student leadership and post-secondary planning; SMIC is an authorized SAT/ACT/AP testing center and offers AP courses; the division employs more than 70 full-time overseas teachers and administrators. Two bilingual kindergartens (Zhangjiang main campus and Tangzhen) serve early childhood education.
Lifestyle & wellbeing	Lifestyle & wellbeing —	Lifestyle & wellbeing Health and wellbeing are prioritized through athletics, mental health support, nutrition, and functional fitness; facilities include a gym, a 400m track, soccer fields, multiple labs, two libraries with about 45,000 volumes, and school buses.
Language provision	Language provision
Language provision	Language provision —	Language provision The language program includes K-12 Chinese and high school Spanish and French courses, forming a language-instruction sequence. The Chinese Department offers two curriculums to tailor the needs of non-native versus native Chinese speakers. Spanish and French are offered as four-year sequences in the high school, with AP Language and Culture options after year three. In the International Division, instruction is conducted in English, with a daily Chinese language class.
Bilingual teaching	Bilingual teaching —	Bilingual teaching Bilingual Kindergarten is offered at two campuses. The Shanghai SMIC Private School International Division conducts classes in English with a daily Chinese language class.
Immersion programs	Immersion programs —	Immersion programs —
Reputation	Reputation
Awards	Awards —	Awards Following the school's own ‘Awards & Recognitions' page, the only school-level recognition listed on the website within the five-year window from January 1, 2021 through January 1, 2026 is: • 2021 — SMIC Kindergarten became the experimental base for the research and promotion of children's literature in Shanghai: the school's site records this designation for the kindergarten; it indicates the kindergarten was selected as an experimental/pilot base for city-level research and promotion work in children's literature. Note: The school's Awards & Recognitions page lists other institutional recognitions (for example WASC accreditation in 2016 and a 2020 “Special Contribution Award”) but those fall outside the Jan 1, 2021–Jan 1, 2026 window. The items above are the only school-level awards/recognitions dated within the requested five-year period that appear on the school website as of January 1, 2026.
Accreditations	Accreditations —	Accreditations • Accrediting Commission for Schools — Western Association of Schools and Colleges (ACS WASC): The school's website states that SMIC International Division (SMIC‑I) received accreditation from the Western Association of Schools and Colleges. ACS WASC (often shown on K–12 school pages as ACS WASC) is a U.S.-based accrediting body that conducts a peer-review and ongoing evaluation process for elementary and secondary schools; accreditation indicates the school has met WASC standards for program quality and continuous improvement and supports the integrity of transcripts and credit transfer.
Admissions	Admissions
Admissions	Admissions —	Admissions 1. Check eligibility and age rules: Before you begin, confirm that your child meets SMIC-I's nationality/residency eligibility—SMIC International Division admits students holding a valid foreign passport or legal residents of Hong Kong, Macau, or Taiwan. Note the age cut-offs (for example, EP2 applicants must be 3 years old by September 30 and Grade 1 applicants must be 6 years old by September 30). The school does not generally permit grade-skipping, so plan grade placement accordingly. 2. Review fees and budget for additional costs: Review the published semester tuition levels for the relevant grade band (2025–2026 example: Early Childhood ¥70,000/semester; Grades 1–5 ¥75,000/semester; Grades 6–8 ¥80,000/semester; Grades 9–12 ¥83,000/semester) and factor in additional, non-tuition charges. Additional items listed by the school include a non-refundable application fee (RMB 1,000), an elementary book deposit (RMB 2,000 for new ES students), meal fees per meal, uniform costs, and optional school bus fees — contact the finance or bus office for current amounts and payment instructions. Because some charges (meals, buses, uniforms) vary by semester or student choices, parents should download the authorization form and speak with the Finance Office before committing. 3. Complete the online questionnaire and gather documents: Start by completing SMIC's online questionnaire so the admissions team understands your child's background and needs. The school publishes an "Eligibility Requirements and Documents List" that specifies which documents must be provided (passport/visa/residency documents, academic records, immunizations, etc.); read that list carefully so you prepare originals and copies in the format the school requests. The school requires the required documents to be submitted and verified in person at the SMIC Education Workshop Center (Qing Tong Road #173); an application is not considered complete until documents are delivered and verified. 4. Create an online application account and submit the application: Create an account and fill in the online application via the school's application portal (the Apply link on the admissions page). You can save progress and return later; use a working email or mobile number for account registration and follow the portal's instructions for uploading or declaring documents. The school's stated complete-application requirement includes (a) finishing the online form, (b) verifying required documents in person, and (c) paying the application fee — check the portal confirmation carefully for next-step instructions and local mailing/submission addresses. 5. Pay the application fee, observe deadlines, and schedule assessment(s): Pay the non-refundable application fee (RMB 1,000 as published) and note the application and assessment deadlines shown for the year you are applying—examples posted for Grade 1 (2026 Fall) show a complete-application deadline of 4:00pm on April 2, 2026 and an entrance-assessment date of Saturday, April 18, 2026. Deadlines and assessment dates differ by entry grade and intake (e.g., Early Childhood entrance events and open houses are scheduled monthly and EC assessments for 2026 were indicated for late March), so confirm the exact dates on the current admissions calendar before making travel or other arrangements. The school explicitly states that a "complete application" must include payment of the application fee, document verification, and the online form — missing any of these may disqualify the application from being processed. 6. Prepare for entrance assessments and language placement: SMIC requires English proficiency across listening, speaking, reading, and writing; assessment content varies by grade (Grade 1: English reading, writing and speaking; Grades 2–12: English reading comprehension, writing and an oral interview plus a grade-appropriate math assessment). All new students also take a Chinese assessment (late August placement) and are placed into either Yuwen (native Chinese) or CSL (Chinese as a Second Language) streams depending on ability. If your child has special educational needs, note that the school states it currently does not have resources for specialised special-needs programs — disclose any learning support needs early so the admissions team can advise whether the school can meet them. 7. Offers, enrolment steps and logistics after acceptance: If offered a place, the school will provide acceptance/enrolment instructions (these typically include signing fee/tuition agreements, completing finance authorization forms, and providing ID copies to the Finance Office). The Finance Office asks parents to sign an authorization form (do not send that form to the bank) and provides contact details for tuition enquiries; families should also confirm meal-plan enrolment (lunch plan is mandatory) and bus arrangements if needed. Because some programs (for example the Chinese Concentration Class) have additional academic or residency commitments, read any program-specific acceptance conditions carefully before paying tuition or deposits.
Scholarships	Scholarships —	Scholarships SMIC's public admissions and tuition pages do not advertise scholarships or a financial-aid program for the International Division. The school's tuition and FAQ pages list tuition, application fees and other charges but do not describe need-based aid, merit scholarships, or fee waivers for SMIC-I; no scholarship program is documented on the official admissions pages. If financial assistance or scholarship options are important to your family, contact Admissions (admissions@smicschool.com) or the Finance Office (julia_sun@smicschool.com) to request the most current information and ask whether any internal or external scholarship/discount options are offered in the current school year.
Waitlist	Waitlist —	Waitlist SMIC's official admissions pages do not publish a formal, detailed waitlist procedure. The school's FAQ and admissions information state that transfers and mid-term places are accepted "as long as there are seats available," which indicates seat availability is handled on a case-by-case basis rather than by a publicly described waitlist process. Third-party school directories list SMIC as having a waiting list, but that is not described in detail on the school site; because practices vary year to year, I recommend contacting the SMIC admissions office directly (admissions@smicschool.com or the telephone number on the admissions pages) to ask whether a formal waitlist exists for the grade and intake you seek and how the school manages offers from the wait pool.
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