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Kyoto International School

Japan, Kyoto

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· Reviewed by · B2C Marketing Manager

Independently researched by doris.
Not yet claimed by the school
The school at a glance
Instructs in English
Fees ¥1,530,000 - 1,916,000
Ages 3 - 16 years
Pupil numbers 130
Type Co-educational
Opened 1957
Bus Service No
Availability Not shared by this school
Academic offering
Curriculum IB (PYP), IB (MYP), IB (DP)
Taught languages Japanese
Typical class size 11
Strengths Sport, Performing Arts, STEM
Clubs Academic and Intellectual, Arts and Creative, Social and Hobbies, Lifestyle and Wellbeing
Stages Early Years, Primary School, Secondary School
Introduction

Kyoto International School (KIS) has served Kyoto since 1957 and describes itself as the city’s only IB Continuum School. KIS offers the International Baccalaureate Primary Years Programme (PYP), Middle Years Programme (MYP) and Diploma Programme (DP). The school currently provides learning from Early Years through Grade 10, with plans to expand to Grade 12 by 2026. KIS lists campus spaces that include classrooms, a library, a playground and a gymnasium. Student life includes a House Team system and after-school options such as Bukatsu (clubs) and activities like calligraphy, gardening, board games, dance, sport and STEM, with additional paid lessons such as coding, drama, basketball and piano.

www.kis.ac.jp

317 Kitatawaracho, Kamigyo Ward, Kyoto, 602-8247, Japan

Vibes and Culture
The school has not added this information
The Essentials

Kyoto International School has 130 pupils, typical class sizes of 11, instruction in English.

Location
Kyoto International School is located in Kamigyo-ku, Kyoto, Japan. It operates on two campuses in central Kyoto: Juraku Campus at 317 Kitatawara-cho, Kamigyo-ku 602-8247, and Taiken Campus at 536-1 Waraya-Cho, Kamigyo-ku 602-8144. The school describes itself as being in the heart of Kyoto, reflecting its central city location. The Juraku and Taiken campuses are both in Kamigyo-ku, Kyoto.

Stages
KIS provides the International Baccalaureate (IB) continuum from Early Years through Secondary. It currently serves Early Years through Grade 10 and is expanding to complete Grade 12 by 2026, with Grade 11 planned to open in 2025 and Grade 12 in 2026. This makes KIS Kyoto's Rostered K–12 IB school once the expansion is complete.

Type
The school is co-educational and operates as a day school. It is a not-for-profit institution.

Pupil Nationality Mix
Public information indicates approximately 130 students in the school, representing around 20 countries. The exact distribution of nationalities, the most common nationality, and the local-to-international ratio are not publicly published.

Additional learning support
KIS provides a dedicated student wellbeing and support team to address student needs. The school also maintains a Child Safeguarding Policy. Specific SEN accommodations are not publicly detailed on the main pages.

Country affiliation
There is no formal country affiliation stated for Kyoto International School; it is described as an international IB World School.

Religious affiliation
Kyoto International School does not indicate any religious affiliation.

School day structure
The school publishes Saturday session hours: 8:30 am to 3:30 pm. The nearest bus stop is 堀川中立売, served by Kyoto City Bus routes 9, 12, and 50. The campus entrances are on the east side during visits. Weekday start and end times are not publicly published on the main pages.

Bus service
The school provides bus-access information for international families. The nearest bus stop is 堀川中立売 (Horikawa Nakadachiuri) and bus routes 9, 12, and 50 stop there. There is nearby coin parking around the campus, and visitors are advised to park in nearby facilities if needed.
Diving Deeper
The school has not added this information
Fees

Annual tuition at Kyoto International School ranges from JPY 1,530,000 to JPY 1,916,000 for 2026/27.

Application and one-time enrolment fees

- Application fee (new students): ¥31,500.
- Registration / Admission (enrolment) fee (one-time, payable on acceptance): ¥220,000.
- Emergency kit (one-time): ¥5,500.

Tuition fees by year group (annual amounts)

- Early years / Pre‑K and Primary (Pre‑K to Grade 5): annual tuition is reported in the range of approximately ¥1,262,000 to ¥1,287,000 in current public fee listings.
- Middle / Lower secondary (Grades 6 to 10): annual tuition is reported in the range of approximately ¥1,626,000 to ¥1,659,000 in current public fee listings.

(Several publicly available school-fee summaries present these amounts as the annual tuition for the relevant school sections; amounts published by different school-information services are consistent to within a small range.)

Annual / recurring additional fees

- Building & facilities / capital fee (annual): approximately ¥181,000.
- EAL (English as an Additional Language) support fee (annual, where applicable): approximately ¥100,000.
- PTA dues (per family, annual): ¥3,000.
- Other possible recurring charges noted in public fee summaries: technology / program charges, excursion costs, and optional co‑curricular activity fees (amounts vary by activity and year group).

Boarding fees

- Boarding is not applicable. The school does not offer boarding facilities.

Billing schedule and payment terms

- Public fee summaries list annual tuition amounts but do not publish a detailed, single, public term-by-term billing schedule in the school-fee summaries that are widely available. The school's admissions information and published fee overviews show annual tuition amounts and the one-time fees above, but explicit term dates, invoice issue dates, and installment due‑date schedules were not present in the publicly accessible fee listings reviewed.

Refunds and non‑refundable items

- Public fee summaries identify application/one‑time fees as one‑off charges; a clear, detailed public refund policy (for application fees, registration fees, and tuition in the event of withdrawal) was not found in the fee summaries reviewed. No explicit, full refund timetable for tuition or one‑time fees was located in the publicly available fee summaries.

Uniforms and other school-supplied items

- Uniforms and branded school items are available through the school shop; uniform and merchandise costs are charged separately (prices vary by item).

Fee payment options and methods

- Application and admissions payments are handled through the school's OpenApply application portal. OpenApply supports multiple payment methods including credit card, PayPal/Flywire integrations, and bank transfer; these payment channels are commonly enabled for admissions and invoicing. This means application and invoice payments may be made by credit card or bank transfer where those methods have been enabled by the school through OpenApply.

Summary of what was found and where public information was limited

- Publicly accessible school-fee listings and independent school‑information services consistently list a ¥31,500 application fee, a ¥220,000 registration/admission fee, an emergency kit charge (¥5,500), building & facilities fees (around ¥181,000), and the recurring tuition bands shown above for Pre‑K/Primary and Middle school.
- The publicly available materials reviewed do not present a detailed, itemised term-by-term invoice schedule, nor a clearly published, line‑by‑line refund timetable for every listed fee. The school's admissions information confirms that boarding is not offered.

If you will include these figures in an external database, use the annual fee amounts and the one‑time fees above. The principal public references used to compile these figures include the school's admissions pages and current independent school‑directory fee summaries.
Academics

Kyoto International School teaches IB (PYP), IB (MYP), IB (DP) for students aged 3 to 16.

Curriculum
Kyoto International School is an IB Continuum World School in Kyoto, delivering the IB framework from Early Years through Upper Secondary and planning to complete the full K-12 continuum by 2026, with Grade 11 launched in August 2025 and Grade 12 expected in 2026. Instruction is conducted in English, and the school operates an English-immersion program, including a Saturday English class for ages 3–12. Early Years (ages 4–6) use the IB Primary Years Programme (PYP) with a play-based, constructivist approach designed to develop learners' thinking and learning skills. Primary School implements the IB PYP as its curriculum framework, emphasizing inquiry-based, meaningful learning across subjects. Lower Secondary follows the IB Middle Years Programme (MYP) with a broad, structured subject set (Language & Literature, Language Acquisition, Individuals & Societies, Sciences, Mathematics, Arts, Physical Health Education) and a well-being and social-emotional learning component. Upper Secondary offers the IB Diploma Programme (DP) for 16–19 year-olds, including the DP core (Creativity, Action, Service; Extended Essay; Theory of Knowledge) and six subject options typically arranged as three Standard Level and three Higher Level subjects, with the DP hours specified (150 SL, 240 HL).
Wellbeing
The school has not added this information
Parent Experience
The school has not added this information
Facilities
The school has not added this information
Extra-Curricular Activities
The school has not added this information
Languages
The school has not added this information
Reputation
The school has not added this information
Admissions

Admissions
1. Step 1 – Student Details: Complete the main application form to be considered for admission. Upload a recent passport‑size profile photo and a copy of identification (passport, birth certificate, or health insurance card) to verify date of birth. Enter the student's legal name in English/Roman characters and select the Campus—Juraku Campus or Taiken Campus—and the Enrollment Year (2025‑2026 or 2026‑2027). The general recommendation is to submit this application at least two months before the intended enrollment date; for an August start, the application should be submitted by May 15 of the starting year. Note that KIS does not offer boarding facilities and cannot support student visa applications.

2. Step 2 – Family & Emergency Details: Provide up‑to‑date family contact information and emergency contacts. Include primary contact details, relationships, and any special instructions in case of an emergency. Ensure that all phone numbers and email addresses are active and accessible to the school, and update information promptly if circumstances change. This step is completed within the OpenApply form, which prompts for Family & Emergency details as part of the application flow.

3. Step 3 – Education History: Enter the applicant's education history, listing prior schools and grade levels completed or currently enrolled. If the student is entering after early years, include transcripts or academic records from previous schools. The Education History section is part of the OpenApply process and helps the admissions team assess prior academic coursework.

4. Step 4 – Submit & Pay Application Fee: Review all entered information and submit the application, then pay the online application fee. The system directs applicants to complete payment as part of the submission flow. This step ensures the application is officially submitted for consideration.

5. Step 5 – Provide Supporting Documents: After submitting the form and payment, upload or provide any required supporting documents as requested by the admissions team. Supporting documents may include transcripts, recommendations, or other school records requested by KIS. The OpenApply form specifies this step as part of the application process.

6. You can also find the campus contact numbers on the admissions pages.

Scholarships
KIS offers an IBDP Scholarship for Diploma Programme entrants. The scholarship opportunity is open to students currently in Grade 10 (the first year of Japanese high school). Successful applicants may enter Grade 11 at Kyoto International School and begin the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme in August 2025. Application Deadline: May 12, 2025 at 23:59 JST. Application Process: (1) Submit your application online via kyoto.openapply.com and pay the application fee; (2) the admissions team will schedule an interview on May 16, 2025; (3) if you pass the interview, you will receive detailed information about the scholarship exam; (4) take the scholarship exam on May 31, 2025 (online, 17:00 JST); (5) scholarship results will be announced in early June. Exam format is online and no additional exam fee is required. Scholarship details indicate a potential award of up to 100% tuition discount, based on scholarship exam performance, with conditions applied. Scholarships are limited and awarded on a competitive basis. The DP scholarship information is provided on the KIS IBDP Scholarship page and is reflected in the OpenApply scholarship field during the application process.

Waitlist
Waitlist / pool: Public admissions materials do not publish a formal waitlist or pool policy for Kyoto International School. The application process is conducted through OpenApply with explicit campus (Juraku or Taiken) and enrollment year options, and there is no publicly documented waitlist workflow in the available materials. The OpenApply steps and campus/year options support applicants being considered as spaces allow, but no formal waitlist procedure is described.
School Events
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