YMCA Christian Academy (YCA)

YCA is located at 70 Bridges Street, Sheung Wan, Hong Kong, in the heart of Hong Kong Island. We can be easily accessed from Mid-Levels and Sai Ying Pun. The school is opposite of the CYMCA Bridges Street Centre, which the school uses for access to facilities such as a swimming pool.

YCA is a private primary school teaching an international curriculum. Applications for Year 1 to Year 6 are accepted throughout the year. Once offer is given, new students can start at the beginning of every month. As YCA follows the British system, children can start Year 1 if they turn 5 years old in the entry year. The school offers Year 1 to Year 6 for children aged 5–11.

YCA is a co-educational private primary school in Hong Kong.

YCA has a dedicated team of learning diversity teachers and assistants to support students with diverse learning needs within the mainstream classroom. Individual Learning Plans are discussed with families and meetings are set up to discuss the child's developments.

The school does not have any country affiliations.

YCA is a Christian school rooted in a Christian ethos, and emphasises on Christian values in school.

YCA’s normal school day runs from 8.00am to 2.30pm (Monday–Friday). Doors open at 7.35am for drop-off. After-school activities run from 2.30pm to 3.30pm.

YCA has two bus providers: Hong Kong line and Kowloon line.

YCA's uniform is an important part of the school's identity. The uniforms can be purchased online at the Uniform Station's website or at their shop. House t-shirts are available for purchase at the School Office.

YCA has a house system. House t-shirts are available for purchase at the School Office.

The School Sponsoring Body is the Chinese YMCA of Hong Kong, a Christian service organisation established in 1901. The SSB oversees the operation of YMCA Christian Academy and will strengthen direct management of the school under YMCA Christian Academy since the 2022/23 school year.

YCA delivers the International Primary Curriculum (IPC), which is comprehensive, thematic, creative curriculum designed for children 5-11 years old. It has a clear process of learning with specific learning goals for every subject. English and Maths follow the UK National Curriculum developing strong foundations in literacy and numeracy.

1:10 to 1:12

At YCA we foster a holistic, strength-based approach to student well-being by highlighting key elements of the Jigsaw (UK PSHE Curriculum) and Positive Education Enhanced Curriculum (Australian Geelong Grammar Curriculum). By using the strengths of both curriculums, we aim to proactively teach children the skills and concepts of well-being using evidence-based practices from the field of positive psychology.

In collaboration with class and specialist primary teachers, our school’s Learning Diversity Team aims to support students with diverse learning needs within the mainstream classroom, such as providing English as Additional Language (EAL) support.

YCA is an EAL-friendly primary school that provides dedicated support to help students whose first language is not English. This support enables students to develop English language skills and strategies that help them access the school curriculum and acquire the academic language across the different subject areas.

SEL support aims to help students who need guidance and support in their social-emotional skills and competencies. This support enhances student development towards a healthy sense of self, improved connection with others, and cooperative habits that can further enable positive student contributions to the community. This support includes supporting the social and emotional needs of the gifted and talented.

The school was established through a partnership between Generations Christian Education and the Chinese YMCA of Hong Kong.

Following the restructuring in 2022, the school transitioned to sole governance under the Chinese YMCA of Hong Kong. It serves students from Year 1 to Year 6, utilizing the International Primary Curriculum (IPC) alongside a pastoral care programme.

YCA hosts many family events bringing together the YCA community, such as Christmas Fair, CNY Fair, YCA's Got Talent and Parents Day. Families are invited to 3-4 Exit Points a year, celebrating their child's learning in the unit of inquiry.

The YCA PTA supports this objective and facilitates a range of supportive services and events to bring our community together.

The school is a private, community-oriented primary school on Hong Kong Island. It opened in 2012 and was renamed in August 2022. It teaches in English and offers a vibrant, future-ready international IPC-based curriculum within a Christian ethos. The campus is well equipped to support learning and can access facilities at the nearby Bridges Street Centre, including a swimming pool. The school aims to Ignite Bright Futures of Abundance and Fulfilment.

Physical Education is taught twice weekly. The school provides opportunities to engage in a broad range of sports, including swimming, basketball and football, through on-site and local community facilities. The Bridges Street Centre swimming pool is accessible opposite the school. The programme emphasizes physical well-being and values such as fairness and respect.

YCA delivers learning through the International Primary Curriculum (IPC), a comprehensive, thematic curriculum for ages 5–11 with goals for international mindedness and personal learning. The English programme is based on the UK National Curriculum, with a focus on reading, writing, speaking and listening, and Maths follows the White Rose approach. Chinese is taught in Mandarin with Traditional Characters, with three language pathways: Foundation, Intermediate and Advanced. Christian Studies uses Journey 2:52 to teach values within a shared vision for growth in Christlikeness, and Wellbeing draws on the Jigsaw (UK PSHE) and Australian Geelong Grammar curricula. An Innovation Space combines a fully operational science lab with a maker space/design technology area.

YMCA Christian Academy offers a full range of After School Activities (ASA) and Extra-Curricular Activities (ECA). ASA includes Aesop's Fable Crafts & Reading Club, Intro to Spanish, Lego Club, Calligraphy Club, Chess Club, Cooking Club and more. ECA includes Choir, Competitive Sports, Chinese Hip-Hop Dance Club, Chinese Recitation Team & Reading Club, Film Club, Music Ensemble and more. All ASA and ECA classes run from 2:30pm to 3:30pm, with pick-up at 3:30pm.

The school offers ASA and ECA to extend learning beyond class hours. ASA includes Aesop's Fable Crafts & Reading Club, Intro to Spanish, Lego Club, Calligraphy Club, Chess Club, French Club and Cooking Club. ECA includes Choir, Competitive Sports, Chinese Hip-Hop Dance Club, Chinese Recitation Team & Reading Club, Film Club and Music Ensemble.

Arts and creative activities are delivered through ASA and ECA. ECA includes Choir, Film Club and Music Ensemble. ASA includes Aesop's Fable Crafts & Reading Club, Calligraphy Club, and the Lego Club.

Intro to Spanish is offered as ASA. French Club is offered as ASA. Chinese Recitation Team & Reading Club is offered as ECA.

Social and hobby clubs include Lego Club, Calligraphy Club and Cooking Club (ASA) and Chinese Hip-Hop Dance Club and Film Club (ECA).

Physical Education is taught twice weekly. The wellbeing program uses the Jigsaw UK PSHE curriculum and the Geelong Grammar Positive Education Enhanced Curriculum. The Social and Emotional Toolkit is used at the start of each year to support students' emotional development.

YCA is an English medium school. We follow the UK National Curriculum delivering a structured and effective curriculum on English literacy. We provide daily Chinese classes to children of all year levels. Mandarin is taught in Mandarin with Traditional Characters, guided by ACTFL proficiency guidelines and integrated with IPC themes. There are three language pathways (Foundation, Intermediate, Advanced) to match language proficiency, with Foundation Pathway providing English support for non-native Mandarin learners.

We are an English medium school with daily Chinese classes.

We offer EAL services to children with English language barrier.

We received the Oh Pama Parent's Choice Award in 2024 and Sunday Kiss' Parent's Favourite Brand Award - Holistic International School in 2025.

We are accredited by the Council of International Schools (CIS), which means that we demonstrates high quality international education and is an effective and agile learning organisation.

doris recommends that you start by speaking to admissions. This connects you directly to the school's admissions team who can respond with answers, more information, and next steps.

Our admissions process is very simple.
1. Apply online at https://yca.edu.hk/
2. You will be contacted via email to complete your application.
3. Your child will be invited to a trial day and assessment.
4. Once the results are out, placement offer will be given to successful candidates.
5. New students can start at the start of every school month.

Unfortunately, we do not offer any scholarships at the moment.

Currently, we only have waitlist for students' who need learning support.