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Sunnyside International School

Japan, Nagoya

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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, Japanese
Fees ¥426,600 - 630,000
Ages 3 - 11 years
Type Co-educational
Opened 1973
Bus Service Yes
Availability Not shared by this school
Academic offering
Curriculum IB (PYP), Japanese Curriculum
Taught languages English, Japanese
Typical class size 24
Strengths STEM, Academic Enrichment, Outdoor Education
Clubs Academic and Intellectual, Cultural and Language, Lifestyle and Wellbeing
Stages Infant/Toddler Care, Preschool, Kindergarten, Elementary
Introduction

Sunnyside International School is located in Gifu City, about a 20-minute train ride from Nagoya, in an area known for the Nagara River and surrounding mountains. The school’s programmes span early childcare (from 6 months) through elementary Grade 6, with kindergarten and a primary department. Sunnyside became Japan’s first PYP authorized “Article one” school in 2016, and its primary programme is underpinned by the IB Primary Years Programme (PYP). The school’s language policy places Japanese as the first language of schooling while increasing English use step-by-step, supported by English specialist teachers. A distinctive feature highlighted on the site is its collaboration with educator James Nottingham’s “Challenging Learning,” including use of the “Learning Pit” model to help students understand what learning feels like.

www.sunnyside-international.jp

4 Chome-10-25 Iwai, Gifu, 501-3101, Japan

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

Sunnyside International School has typical class sizes of 24, instruction in English, Japanese.

Location
Sunnyside International School is located at 4-10-25 Iwai, Gifu City, Gifu Prefecture, 501-3101, Japan. It sits in central Gifu City, near the Nagara River and surrounded by mountains. Gifu is described as central on Japan's main island and the school is about a 20-minute train ride from Nagoya City, with the area attracting both international and domestic visitors.

Stages
The school comprises a Kindergarten division and a Primary School division. The Primary School is based on the International Baccalaureate Primary Years Programme (PYP) framework and is aligned with the Japanese national curriculum.

Type
The school is co-educational and operates as a day school. There is no public indication of boarding facilities.

Pupil Nationality Mix
Most of Sunnyside's students are Japanese. The school emphasises international mindedness and maintains an international community with representation beyond local students. A precise nationality breakdown or local-to-international ratio is not published on public pages.

Additional learning support
The school places emphasis on student well-being, with mindfulness practices and a school therapy dog named Milo. It also provides a dual-language program in English and Japanese to support bilingual learning.

Country affiliation
The school is affiliated with Japan as an IB World School and was the first PYP-Authorized (Article 1) IB school in Japan.

Religious affiliation
No religious affiliation is stated in public materials.

School day structure
Public pages do not publish exact start and end times for the school day. The school does publish daily lunch and has office hours for inquiries from 9:00 to 17:00. Bus routes are available to students as part of daily arrangements.

Bus service
A school bus service operates with five routes centered around the campus. The Primary School bus departs from JR Gifu Station. Bus user fees are 5,000 yen round trip or 3,000 yen one way, with service area changes announced each school year.
Diving Deeper
The school has not added this information
Fees

Annual tuition at Sunnyside International School ranges from JPY 426,600 to JPY 630,000 for 2026/27.

Application and entrance fees

- Application fee (paid when submitting the application): ¥5,000.
- Registration / entrance fee (paid on acceptance/entry): Kindergarten: ¥50,000. Primary: ¥50,000 for Sunnyside Kindergarten graduates; ¥100,000 for external entrants.

Tuition — Kindergarten (monthly and annual)

- Monthly tuition (after government subsidy for 3–5 year olds): ¥34,300.
- Monthly equipment / facilities charge: ¥10,000.
- Combined monthly charge (tuition + equipment): ¥44,300 (computed as ¥34,300 + ¥10,000). Annualised amount (12 months): ¥531,600 (computed as ¥44,300 × 12). The school sets the monthly amount by dividing the annual fee into 12 equal monthly payments; the monthly amount does not change by month.
- Annual learning/materials fee: ¥15,000 (billed annually).
- Uniforms and other entry‑time learning resources: approximately ¥120,000.
- Note: the listed monthly tuition figure reflects application of the national/municipal childcare subsidy for eligible children.

Tuition — Primary School (monthly and annual)

- Monthly tuition: ¥55,000.
- Monthly equipment / facilities charge: ¥10,000.
- Combined monthly charge (tuition + equipment): ¥65,000 (computed as ¥55,000 + ¥10,000). Annualised amount (12 months): ¥780,000 (computed as ¥65,000 × 12). The school sets the monthly amount by dividing the annual fee into 12 equal monthly payments; the monthly amount does not change by month.
- Annual education / learning environment fee (billed in two installments): ¥30,000.
- Estimated annual text/notebook costs: around ¥10,000.
- Estimated school‑trip / external learning costs: lower grades approx. ¥30,000/year; upper grades approx. ¥60,000/year (charged as events occur).
- Uniforms and other entry‑time items: approximately ¥10,000.

School bus (transport) fees

- Bus use fee (if used): Round trip: ¥5,000 per month; One way: ¥3,000 per month. Bus routes/availability vary by area. Primary bus departs from JR Gifu Station; kindergarten bus routes are established for certain service areas.

Sibling and other discounts

- Sibling discount: 20% discount on the monthly tuition for the second child when two siblings attend concurrently. Additional concessions exist for larger families.

Billing schedule and payment terms

- Monthly billing model: The school states that the monthly tuition and monthly equipment/facilities charge are calculated by dividing the annual amount by 12; monthly payments do not vary with the number of school days in a month. Annual or other fees that are billed separately (for example learning material fees or education environment fees) are collected according to the schedule noted (annual or in two installments as stated). Application fees are payable at application submission; registration/entrance fees are payable at the time of enrollment.

Other one‑time and recurring costs

- Kindergarten: entry‑time uniforms and supplies ≈ ¥120,000. Annual教材費 (teaching materials) ¥15,000. Equipment charge ¥10,000/month.
- Primary: entry‑time uniforms and supplies ≈ ¥10,000. Annual education environment fee ¥30,000 (two installments). Event/field‑trip costs and occasional charges (e.g., overnight school trips) billed as they occur; estimates given for typical years. Annual/recurring event fees: 行事費 ¥10,000/year (two installments).

Refunds and non‑refundable charges

- The application (entrance) fee of ¥5,000 is stated as non‑refundable in the school's admissions notices for recent intake cycles. No other explicit general refund policy for tuition or registration is published on the school's publicly available admissions and news pages.

Boarding / residential provision

- The school operates as a day school; there is no boarding provision described.

Payment methods and how payments are accepted

- The school's public admissions and fees documentation does not publish specific accepted payment methods (for example: bank transfer, credit card, direct debit). Parents should use the school contact channels when arranging payment details.

Summary of key fee figures (rounded where applicable)

- Application fee: ¥5,000 (non‑refundable). Registration/entrance fee: Kindergarten ¥50,000; Primary ¥50,000 (internal) / ¥100,000 (external).
- Kindergarten monthly tuition: ¥34,300; equipment fee: ¥10,000; monthly total ¥44,300; annualised ¥531,600. Annual learning material fee: ¥15,000. Uniforms/entry supplies approx. ¥120,000.
- Primary monthly tuition: ¥55,000; equipment fee: ¥10,000; monthly total ¥65,000; annualised ¥780,000. Annual education environment fee: ¥30,000 (two installments). Uniforms/entry supplies approx. ¥10,000. Field‑trip and event costs billed as incurred (estimates provided).

(Prices are stated in Japanese yen as published in the school's admissions and news materials.)
Academics

Sunnyside International School teaches IB (PYP), Japanese Curriculum for students aged 3 to 11.

Curriculum
Sunnyside International School is an IB World School authorized to deliver the Primary Years Programme (PYP) for learners aged 3–12, with PYP accreditation granted in 2016 as Japan's first Article 1 PYP school. The PYP emphasizes concept-based, transdisciplinary learning organized around six transdisciplinary themes: Who we are; How we express ourselves; Where we are in place and time; How we organize ourselves; How the world works; Sharing the planet. The curriculum develops learners through Approaches to Learning (ATL) skills—Self-management, Social, Research, Thinking, and Communication—within inquiry-driven units. Language instruction includes Japanese as the primary language and English as an additional language, with the English curriculum using THRASS and integration of language learning with units of inquiry. The program foregrounds Student Agency, Well-being, and ICT Education as integral components of learning as part of the IB framework.
Wellbeing
The school has not added this information
Parent Experience
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Facilities
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Extra-Curricular Activities
The school has not added this information
Languages
The school has not added this information
Reputation
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Admissions

Admissions
1. Determine the target program and verify capacity. Sunnyside International School offers a Kindergarten program (including a 3-year-old class and a 4–5-year-old class) and a Primary program. The 3-year-old Kindergarten class has a published capacity of 72 students, while the 4–5-year-old class capacity is not published and requires direct confirmation. The Primary section lists a 1st Grade capacity of 24 students, with other grades to be confirmed.

2. Prepare and submit the application, and note initial fees. For Kindergarten, the application fee is ¥5,000 at submission and the registration fee is ¥50,000; uniforms and learning resources are roughly ¥35,000. The monthly Kindergarten tuition is ¥34,300, with optional bus service at ¥5,000 round trip or ¥3,000 one-way, and an annual learning material fee of ¥15,000. For Primary, the application fee is ¥5,000 and the registration fee is ¥50,000 for Sunnyside Kindergarten graduates or ¥100,000 for others; uniforms are around ¥10,000; monthly tuition is ¥50,000, bus fees are the same as Kindergarten, and the annual learning material fee is ¥30,000 (in two installments).

3. Review ongoing costs and plan payment, including subsidies and discounts. Kindergarten monthly tuition is ¥34,300, with bus costs as above; an annual learning material fee is ¥15,000. Primary monthly tuition is ¥50,000, with a bus cost of ¥5,000 round trip or ¥3,000 one-way, and an annual learning material fee of ¥30,000 (two installments). A government subsidy is applied to all 3–5-year-old children, and Sunnyside offers a 20% sibling discount when two siblings attend together.

4. Consider transportation and logistics. The school offers a bus service where applicable; the bus fee applies to users only. Bus service areas can change each school year, and you may need to bring your child to the nearest bus stop if you reside outside the service area. The Primary bus departs from JR Gifu Station, which may influence planning for morning drop-off and pickup.

5. Engage with the Open Campus program for an on-site experience. The Admissions section includes an Open Campus option, described as a way to visit the campus and learn about the program; details and sign-up information are communicated via the site and inquiry channels. To arrange visits or obtain the latest dates, contact Sunnyside International School by phone at 058-241-1000 or use the inquiry form.

6. Enrollment and starting procedures after acceptance. Enrollment requires completing the applicable registration and paying the associated fees, along with ongoing tuition, bus, and learning-material charges as outlined above. A 20% sibling discount applies when two siblings attend together. For any questions about timelines, timelines, or specific enrollment steps, reach the school at 058-241-1000 or via the inquiry form.

Scholarships
No scholarship program is described on the admissions or tuition-related pages. The published information covers application and registration fees, uniform and learning-resource costs, monthly tuition, bus charges, and material fees, plus a 20% sibling discount and a government-subsidy note for 3–5-year-olds. There is no separate scholarship section listed.

Waitlist
There is no published waitlist or pool policy described in the admissions pages. Capacity information is published for each program (e.g., Kindergarten 3-year-old class capacity 72; 1st Grade Primary capacity 24), but no formal waitlist process is outlined. Parents may need to contact the school directly for guidance on spot availability and timing.
School Events
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