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Yew Chung International School of Shanghai

China, Shanghai

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· Reviewed by · B2C Marketing Manager

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The school at a glance
Instructs in English, Mandarin
Fees RMB 243,900 - 362,700
Ages 2 - 18 years
Pupil numbers 2400
Type Co-educational
Opened 1993
Bus Service No
Academic offering
Curriculum Bespoke Curriculum, British Curriculum, Cambridge IGCSE, IB (DP)
Taught languages Mandarin, English
Typical class size 25
Strengths STEM, Service and Sustainability, Languages
Clubs Academic and Intellectual, Arts and Creative, Community and Service
Stages Early Years, Primary School, Secondary School, Sixth Form, Kindergarten
Introduction

Yew Chung International School of Shanghai (YCIS Shanghai) opened in 1993 and now operates multiple campuses in both Puxi and Pudong, serving expatriate children aged 2–18. The school uses a bilingual approach (English and Chinese) across Early Childhood, Primary and Secondary sections and runs an adapted English National Curriculum in Primary, Cambridge IGCSE courses in lower secondary and the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme (IBDP) in upper secondary. YCIS describes its provision as a network of campus-based Learning Communities (Puxi, Pudong and Lingang), and highlights practical STEM projects — including student work in robotics and collaborations with external research partners — alongside regular service-learning activities embedded in the programme. The school lists over 90 co-curricular activities across its campuses and reports a school-wide student–teacher ratio of 7:1.

18 West Ronghua Avenue, Puxi, Shanghai, PRC, 201103

The Essentials

Yew Chung International School of Shanghai has 2,400 pupils, typical class sizes of 25, instruction in English, Mandarin.

Location
YCIS Shanghai operates five day-school campuses across Puxi and Pudong (examples: Gubei/Puxi and Century Park/Pudong). Campuses sit in established residential and expat neighbourhoods with access to major roads and public transport; exact campus addresses and maps are on the school site. For admissions or visits parents usually select the campus that matches their child's year group.

Stages
The school provides Early Childhood, Primary and Secondary education for students aged about 2–18 (K2–Year 13). Campuses are organised so different sites serve particular age ranges (ECE, Primary, Secondary).

Type
YCIS Shanghai is a co‑educational international day school that follows a bilingual co‑teaching model (English and Mandarin) in its early years and primary classes. The school does not advertise boarding provision—its campuses operate as day campuses.

Additional learning support
The school has a Learning Support function (EAL/SEN) that provides in‑class and withdrawal support, helps develop IEPs and administers assessments; specialist staff are listed in recruitment and student‑support materials. Admissions and placement for students with more significant needs are handled case‑by‑case and the school notes limits on the level of specialist provision available on campus.

Country affiliation
YCIS Shanghai is part of the Yew Chung Yew Wah (YCYW) education network; the Shanghai campus opened in 1993 as the network's mainland China campus.

Religious affiliation
The school does not present a formal religious affiliation on its public overview pages; its materials focus on bilingual, cultural and character education rather than a particular faith.

School day structure
Daily start/end times and break/lunch arrangements vary by campus and year group; the school publishes campus‑specific school calendars and timetables (see the School Calendar / Year Overview pages for each campus). Parents relocating should check the relevant campus calendar for precise daily hours.

Bus service
YCIS offers an optional school bus service with multiple routes serving its campuses; routes, pick‑up/drop‑off points (commonly at compound gates) and fees vary by campus and year. Families can apply for bus service each year and should contact admissions or school services for the current routes, schedules and fees.
Diving Deeper

Food Options
The school operates a campus cafeteria where meals are available to students. A lunch-card system is used for cafeteria dining on Pudong and Puxi campuses.

Governance and Ownership
The school is part of the YCYW Education Network.
Fees

Annual tuition at Yew Chung International School of Shanghai ranges from RMB 243,900 to RMB 362,700 for 2026/27.

Application fees & registration deposit
- Application fee: RMB 3,000 (one‑time, non‑refundable).
- Registration / placement deposit: RMB 25,000 (one‑time; reported as refundable).

Tuition fees (by year group) — annual and per semester
Note: tuition is published on an annual basis; the school academic year is split into two semesters, so per‑semester amounts below are the annual fee divided by two (arithmetic shown).
- Nursery 2 (age 2): Annual RMB 243,900 — Per semester RMB 121,950.
- Kindergarten 1 (age 3): Annual RMB 264,800 — Per semester RMB 132,400.
- Kindergarten 2 (age 4): Annual RMB 264,800 — Per semester RMB 132,400.
- Kindergarten 3 / Reception (age 5): Annual RMB 313,900 — Per semester RMB 156,950.
- Year 1 — Year 3: Annual RMB 313,900 — Per semester RMB 156,950.
- Year 4 — Year 5: Annual RMB 320,200 — Per semester RMB 160,100.
- Year 6 — Year 8: Annual RMB 350,200 — Per semester RMB 175,100.
- Year 9 — Year 10: Annual RMB 356,400 — Per semester RMB 178,200.
- Year 11 — Year 13 (upper secondary): Annual RMB 362,700 — Per semester RMB 181,350.

Billing schedule & payment terms
- Tuition figures are quoted annually; the school year runs as two semesters (see calendar). Specific invoicing dates, installment options and late‑payment terms are set in the school's Fees & Policies and on individual invoices.

Boarding
- YCIS Shanghai operates as a day school; boarding is not applicable.

Other costs
- Typical additional charges include: school uniform (available via the school's online order link), school bus/transportation, extracurricular activities/CCAs, field trips, examination fees (external IGCSE/IB charges where applicable), meals, textbooks and incidental or activity charges. The school's admissions materials and online shop reference these categories.

Refund information (known items)
- Application fee: non‑refundable. Registration/placement deposit: reported as refundable. Further refund rules for tuition and other charges are defined in the school's Fees & Policies document.

Fee payment options
- Reported accepted payment methods: online payment; cash in RMB; credit/bank card payment (in person — bank service charge may apply); and electronic/bank transfer. Bank transfer details and invoice instructions appear in admission/fees documentation.

Discounts
- A sibling discount (reported for large families) — example: a 5% tuition discount for families with three or more enrolled children — is reported in published fee summaries.
Academics

Yew Chung International School of Shanghai teaches Bespoke Curriculum, British Curriculum, Cambridge IGCSE, IB (DP) for students aged 2 to 18.

Curriculum
Yew Chung International School of Shanghai educates expatriate children from K2 to Year 13 (ages 2–18) across its Puxi and Pudong campuses. Early Childhood (K2–K4) uses a bilingual co‑teaching model (one native English and one native Chinese teacher) and follows a play‑based approach guided by the UK “Development Matters” Early Years framework. Primary and lower secondary (Years 1–9) follow the school's YCIS international curriculum with integrated Chinese Studies and continued bilingual instruction. Upper secondary is a two‑stage external‑exam pathway: Years 10–11 sit Cambridge IGCSE subjects (the school is an authorised Cambridge Assessment centre) and Years 12–13 study the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme (IBDP). YCIS Shanghai is accredited by NEASC and CIS, reports recent IGCSE and IB outcomes on its site, and offers modern languages (including Mandarin and Spanish) alongside the core curriculum, university guidance and co‑curricular programmes.
Wellbeing

Social and Emotional Learning (SEL)
YCIS Shanghai states it delivers a school-wide Wellbeing Programme that is emphasised in daily lessons, weekly assemblies and other learning activities to develop students' social and emotional skills. The school names specific counsellors and pastoral staff who contribute to wellbeing work and describes character education activities (for example, annual Charity Week) as part of students' social development. Early Childhood and Primary classes use a bilingual co-teaching model (English and Chinese co‑teachers), which the school says supports students' identity, relationships and intercultural skills. Transition programmes and pastoral arrangements (homeroom teachers, year-level leaders and counselling teams) are described as supporting social and emotional needs during key moves (for example Primary→Secondary).

Special Educational Needs (SEN)
YCIS's published admissions guidance states applicants must be able to access the regular curriculum “without needing support beyond our English as an Additional Language programme and supplemental learning resources,” which indicates limited scope for intensive specialist SEN provision. The school's website does not present a detailed public list of the specific types of SEN it can support or a dedicated specialist‑SEN programme, and it is not described on the website as a specialist SEN institution. Where further or specialist services are required the admissions statement implies those needs may be considered on a case‑by‑case basis during application. Because the website does not publish a comprehensive SEN policy or an explicit list of conditions supported, families requiring significant specialist provision should contact admissions for definitive guidance.

English as an Additional Language (EAL)
YCIS Shanghai's admissions and curriculum pages state the school provides EAL (English as an Additional Language) support for students whose mother tongue is not English. The school describes EAL being delivered as a separate lesson in Primary and notes in transition guidance that English/EAL is taught by English co‑teachers together with an additional EAL teacher to support diverse learner needs. The Early Childhood bilingual co‑teaching model (English and Chinese teachers in each class) is presented as a core part of language access across the school. The website therefore documents that EAL provision exists but does not publish detailed programme syllabuses or class‑size/teacher‑ratio specifics online.

Mental Wellbeing
The school describes a Wellbeing Programme that is integrated into the curriculum and daily school life and names school counsellors who lead wellbeing and transition support. YCIS articles on wellbeing detail practical initiatives used during periods of remote learning (for example active‑movement challenges, wellbeing webinars and resilience workshops) and note assemblies and Life Skills elements that support students' mental health. Transition pages also state that counselling staff and year‑level leaders provide pastoral support during key changes, such as moving from Primary to Secondary. The website does not publish a formal student mental‑health policy with exhaustive lists of clinical services on the public pages, so families wanting clinical or specialist mental‑health support should enquire directly with the school.

Safeguarding
YCIS Shanghai publishes material stating that child protection and safeguarding are compulsory elements of staff training and school practice; the site describes annual in‑person child protection training for all staff, follow‑up online modules during the year, and mandatory Adult Codes of Conduct for staff and volunteers. The school reports that additional training on intimate‑care guidelines is provided for Early Childhood staff and that visitors who work with children must sign safeguarding acknowledgements before working on campus. YCIS also highlights that its broader accreditation and professional‑development programme includes child‑protection training for staff. The website provides a specific child‑protection/safeguarding page and news article outlining these requirements; for procedural details (reporting pathways, Designated Safeguarding Lead contact, external reporting) parents should consult the school's published Child Protection page or contact the school directly.
Parent Experience

History
YCIS Shanghai was established in 1993 and is described on the school website as the first independent international school in Shanghai to be officially recognised and registered with the Chinese government. The school grew from YCIS's Hong Kong roots and is part of the broader Yew Chung Yew Wah (YCYW) Education Network; YCYW traces its origins to 1932 and positions YCIS Shanghai as its first mainland China campus. Over the past three decades the school expanded to multiple campuses across Puxi, Pudong and Lingang to serve Early Childhood through Upper Secondary students.

Community
YCIS Shanghai's public pages note a multicultural student body across several campuses (the site cites students from 50+ nationalities and a student population in the low thousands). The school and the YCYW network run recurring community-wide activities — for example the annual Founder's Day (a network-wide celebration with campus-level sports, assemblies and family activities) and the network's ‘Learning Communities' programme that connects students, teachers and sometimes parents across flexible learning spaces. The school's “Our Community” section groups information for parents, students and alumni and points to campus-specific events and communications channels.

Parent Teacher Association (PTA)
The YCIS Shanghai website includes a dedicated “Our Parents” area and a Parents Login portal, but it does not publish a single, clearly labelled city‑wide “PTA” page in the public site menus. The site's event coverage shows parents taking part in campus activities (cheering at Founder's Day runs, family picnics, and house competitions) and school news frequently highlights campus-level, parent‑facing events. Based on the publicly available pages, parental engagement appears organised at the campus level through parent portals, event volunteer opportunities and campus communications rather than through a single public PTA document — for exact details (committee contacts, formal meeting schedules or volunteer sign-ups) the school directs parents to their campus office or the Parents Login. If you'd like, I can check the school's parents portal or contact pages for current campus PTA contacts or recent parent‑run events (I would need permission to search deeper or you can share any login materials).
Facilities

Facilities Overview
YCIS Shanghai operates multiple campuses in Puxi, Pudong and Lingang to serve students from Early Childhood through Upper Secondary. The school maintains a bilingual English-Chinese program. The Lingang campus features a library, large flexible classrooms with interactive touchscreen technology, air filtration units, music and multi-purpose rooms, and maker spaces with rooftop garden space. The Puxi campus includes a swimming pool located on the B1 level as part of a fitness centre that also contains a gym, rock climbing walls and a dance studio.

Sports Facilities
The Puxi campus has a swimming pool on the B1 level as part of a fitness centre with a gym, rock climbing walls and a dance studio. The Lingang campus has an all-weather sports field and a gymnasium for sports and CCAs. YCIS Shanghai supports a broad sports program with teams and competitions, including swimming, football, basketball, volleyball, table tennis, touch rugby and badminton, with participation in CISSA, SISAC and ACAMIS.

Academic Facilities
The Lingang campus features large, bright flexible classrooms with interactive touchscreen technology and air filtration units. It also includes a library housing a large collection of English and Chinese literature, as well as music and multi-purpose rooms and colourful maker spaces. The theatre and sports facilities, including a gymnasium and a swimming pool, are part of Lingang's ongoing campus development.

Extra Curricular Facilities
Campus Life offers diverse co-curricular activities (CCAs). YCIS Shanghai provides swimming programmes and swim teams at the Puxi campus, and maintains a wide range of sports teams; the school competes in CISSA, SISAC and ACAMIS and has earned trophies in multiple sports.
Extra-Curricular Activities

Academic & Intellectual
The school has six campuses located in Puxi, Pudong and Lingang.

Cultural & Language
The school provides a bilingual learning environment in which English and Chinese are equally valued; in Early Years, classes are led by one native English-speaking and one native Chinese-speaking teacher.
Languages

Language Provision
In Early Childhood, the programme is bilingual and co-teachers support English and Chinese language development. In Primary, Chinese remains important and is used extensively, while more subjects are taught in English. Students have at least one hour of English and one hour of Chinese classes daily; Mathematics and Topic are co-taught in English and Mandarin; Specialist classes (Art, ICT, PE, Music) are taught in English. EAL (English as an Additional Language), CAL (Chinese as an Additional Language), and CFL (Chinese as a First Language) support is provided. In Primary, the English National Curriculum is adapted for an international context with Chinese culture and character education included.

Bilingual Teaching
The school uses a bilingual learning environment in Early Childhood where Chinese and English are equally valued. Each Early Years class has a co-teaching team of one native English-speaking teacher and one native Chinese-speaking teacher to provide an immersive, bilingual experience. In K2, two co-teachers and a full-time classroom assistant support the learning in small classes. In K3 and K4, the two-co-teacher model continues to support a fully bilingual experience.

Immersion Programs
The co-teaching model creates an immersive bilingual environment across Early Childhood, with English and Chinese language development supported simultaneously. K2 and K3/K4 experiences are bilingual with equal emphasis on both languages, weaving Eastern and Western cultures into daily activities.
Reputation

Awards
I searched the school's official website for school-level awards dated within the past five years (January 1, 2021–December 31, 2025) and found the following items that the school (not individual students) received. Each entry lists the award, the date reported on the school site, and a one-line explanation of its significance:

- Staff Development and Wellbeing Award — British Chamber of Commerce China Schools Awards 2022 (awarded at the CSA ceremony on 24 February 2023; reported on the YCIS site 1 March 2023): recognised Yew Chung Yew Wah Education Network's (YCYW) long-term commitment to staff development, training and wellbeing; the award highlights the network's practices and systems for teacher/professional development and staff support.

- Outstanding Contribution Award (School) — RAISE2023 (RAISE 2023: 6th Asia International Schools Conference & China International Schools 30th Anniversary awards; event reported 10 November 2023, YCIS article dated 23 November 2023): presented to YCIS Shanghai as a school-level recognition for distinctive contribution to the international school sector in China.

Note on scope and sources: these two school-level awards are the only awards for the school explicitly reported on YCIS Shanghai's official website within the specified five-year window. The site contains many reports of student-level examination prizes (e.g., Cambridge ‘Top in China/Top in World') and internal scholarship announcements; per your request I did not include student awards or scholarships and have only listed awards that the school (or the school as an institution) received and that are documented on the school website.

Accreditations
Below are the accreditations and authorisations listed on YCIS Shanghai's official website, with a one-line explanation of each and why it matters:

- Council of International Schools (CIS): an international school accreditation body that evaluates whole-school quality against international benchmarks; CIS accreditation signals that a school meets widely-recognised international standards for governance, teaching, safeguarding and continuous improvement.

- New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC): a U.S.-based regional accrediting organisation; NEASC accreditation indicates the school meets standards commonly used for school recognition and quality assurance in the U.S. and internationally.

- National Centre for Curriculum and Textbook (NCCT) / joint China accreditation participation: YCIS Shanghai was selected to participate in the NCCT–CIS–NEASC joint accreditation process and was accredited under that joint review; NCCT involvement indicates the school has been evaluated in the context of Chinese national curriculum/textbook authorities as part of a recognised joint accreditation pathway.

- Cambridge Assessment / authorised Cambridge Examination Centre (IGCSE): the Secondary School is authorised as a Cambridge Assessment examinations centre for IGCSE, meaning it is approved to offer and administer Cambridge IGCSE qualifications on site.

- International Baccalaureate (IB) — IB World School (IB Diploma Programme, IBDP): the school is authorised to offer the IB Diploma Programme at upper secondary level, which means it has met the IB organisation's requirements for curriculum, teacher support and assessment for the diploma.
Admissions

Admissions
1. Initial enquiry and eligibility check — Contact the YCIS Shanghai Admissions team to start. Parents should confirm that the family meets local eligibility rules for international schools in Shanghai (typically foreign passports and supporting residency/visa documents) before applying; the school's Admissions pages explain these requirements and offer an Age Placement Guide and Application Checklist to help determine the correct year level. If you plan to transfer from another YCIS campus, note that internal transfers are facilitated with reduced paperwork.

2. Book a visit / information meeting — Arrange a campus visit, open day or a virtual meeting with Admissions to see the campus, ask about bus routes, meal service, EAL provision and learning-support capacity, and to confirm which campus (Puxi, Pudong or Lingang) you prefer. Parents should bring photo ID and the child's most recent school reports to the meeting, and ask for the Application Checklist so they can prepare documents correctly. Visits are useful to confirm practical matters (bus stops, start times) that affect daily logistics.

3. Complete the online application — Submit the official online application through YCIS's admissions portal and select the preferred campus. The portal collects basic family and student details and prompts for the required uploads (passport copies, proof of residency/visa where required, recent school report, immunisation record and any support plans). Completing the online form early in the admissions cycle is recommended; make sure the uploaded documents are clear and translated into English if necessary.

4. Application fee, deposit and invoice expectations — After submission you should expect to be informed about any application fee and, if an offer is made, the acceptance deposit/enrolment fee and payment deadlines. Published fee summaries used by multiple school-fee services show a one‑time application fee (reported around RMB 3,000) and a refundable enrolment deposit (reported around RMB 25,000), but families should confirm the current amounts and payment methods with Admissions and on the official invoice before paying. Keep receipts and read the school's withdrawal/refund policy in the Fees documentation.

5. Assessment and interview — For placement the school will consider academic history, English proficiency, special skills/talents, social‑emotional readiness and date of birth; applicants may be asked to complete age‑appropriate placement tests and attend an interview (in person or online). Younger children may have play‑based assessments; older applicants are usually given subject/English assessments and a short interview. If English is limited, the school will assess whether the child can access the regular curriculum with the school's EAL support (students who require specialist or intensive SEN support beyond the school's published provision may not be admitted).

6. Offer, contract and acceptance — If a place is offered you will receive an offer letter or invoice that sets out the deadline to accept, deposit/payment instructions, and the contract terms. Read the contract carefully for start date, payment schedule, minimum enrolment period and any conditions attached to the offer (for example, proof of residency or work permit if not already provided). Parents normally accept by returning a signed contract and paying the required deposit by the stated deadline to secure the place.

7. Preparation before start date — Once the place is confirmed, arrange school uniform sizing, school bus registration (if needed), meal plan choices, and provide any medical or learning‑support documentation requested. If your child needs EAL support, coordinate with the school about initial assessments and any recommended resources so they can start with appropriate support. Ask Admissions for arrival/orientation dates and the school calendar so you can plan travel and housing around term start dates.

8. Onboarding and placement adjustments — On the child's first weeks the school will typically complete induction and may make minor placement adjustments once they have observed the student in class; keep lines of communication open with the class teacher and the Admissions/Year‑Level leader. If your child is moving mid‑year, expect a formal placement assessment and an agreed in‑year start plan, including catch‑up or bridging suggestions. Parents should maintain copies of medical forms, prior reports and any individual education plans, as these speed the placement process.

9. Follow‑up and appeals — If an application is declined or a child is placed in a different year level than expected, ask Admissions for written feedback and guidance on re‑application or alternative options (including the waiting pool if applicable). If you plan to reapply or update application materials, send the improved documents and new reports to the Admissions office so they can re‑assess when a vacancy arises. YCIS also supports transfers within the YCYW network, which can simplify moves between sister campuses.

Scholarships
YCYW (the Yew Chung Yew Wah network) operates a network scholarship programme that is implemented at YCIS campuses, including YCIS Shanghai. The programme awards merit‑based scholarships for academic excellence, leadership, service and subject/talent strengths; award categories include the Madam Tsang Chor‑hang Memorial Scholarship, Yew Chung Yew Wah Subject & Talent Awards, and Yew Chung Yew Wah IGCSE/IB/A‑Level Academic Awards. Eligible applicants are typically current or prospective students in the upper years (network guidance and campus notices commonly reference Years 7–13), and external applicants are usually required to submit admission materials and take designated tests (CEM/CPT or equivalent) before scholarship application. Scholarship support varies by award and campus; the network's published material indicates tuition‑fee waivers ranging from partial (about 15%–25% for some awards) up to full (100%) and durations commonly from two to three years depending on the scholarship type, with an annual review and a selection process that includes a written application and panel interview. YCIS Shanghai publishes its own scholarship announcements and timeline (application season, short‑listing, panel interviews and final decisions—application windows are usually in the November–January period with interviews and decisions in the months that follow), so families should contact the YCIS Shanghai Admissions or scholarship email for current deadlines, application forms, and the exact percentage and duration available at that campus.

Waitlist
YCIS schools keep a waiting pool when a year level is full rather than a single‑ranked public queue; applicants who meet the admission criteria but cannot be placed immediately may be held in that pool until space becomes available. Priority considerations used when moving candidates from the pool to offer places include sibling status, campus balance and curriculum/age fit; parents are advised to confirm whether they must re‑confirm interest to remain in the pool and how long a pool placement is valid at the specific campus. The practice of maintaining a waiting pool and giving sibling priority is used across the YCYW/YCIS network (for example, another YCIS campus page explicitly states a waiting pool is maintained when a year level is full), so expect similar local practice at YCIS Shanghai and check with Admissions for campus‑specific details and timelines.
School Events
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