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The American School in Japan

Japan, Tokyo

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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 ¥2,987,000 - 3,783,000
Ages 3 - 18 years
Pupil numbers 1731
Type Co-educational
Opened 1902
Bus Service Yes
Availability Not shared by this school
Academic offering
Curriculum Advanced Placement (AP), American Curriculum
Taught languages Japanese
Typical class size 20
Strengths Sport, Performing Arts, STEM
Clubs Academic and Intellectual, Arts and Creative, Community and Service, Lifestyle and Wellbeing
Stages Preschool, Kindergarten, Elementary, Middle School, High School
Introduction

The American School in Japan (ASIJ), founded in 1902, is a non-profit, co-educational school in Tokyo serving students from nursery through high school on two campuses. Younger children attend the Early Learning Center in Roppongi (nursery–kindergarten), while the main campus in Chofu serves kindergarten–grade 12 next to Nogawa Park. ASIJ follows an American-model curriculum and offers Advanced Placement (AP) courses, including AP Capstone. High school students also have structured support through a seminar program and grades 11–12 can complete a two-year Deep Learning Signature Program. Beyond classes, students can choose from 170+ co-curricular options, including VEX Robotics, iGEM, Model UN and extensive arts and athletics opportunities.

asij.ac.jp

Japan, 〒182-0031 Tokyo, Chofu, Nomizu, 1 Chome−１−1

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

The American School in Japan has 1,731 pupils, typical class sizes of 20, instruction in English.

Location
ASIJ operates on two Tokyo campuses: the Chofu Campus at 1-1-1 Nomizu, Chofu-shi, Tokyo 182-0031, and the Early Learning Center at 6-16-5 Roppongi, Minato-ku, Tokyo 106-0032. The Chofu Campus hosts the main school divisions, while the Early Learning Center serves nursery through kindergarten in central Tokyo. The bus system serves neighborhoods across downtown Tokyo and ASIJ provides transport as part of campus life.

Stages
ASIJ is organized into four divisions: the Early Learning Center (Nursery–Kinder), Elementary School (Kinder–5th), Middle School (6th–8th), and High School (9th–12th).

Type
ASIJ is a non-profit, co-educational international day school.

Pupil Nationality Mix
The school represents students from over 50 nationalities. American families make up about half of the student body, and roughly half of the families are bi-cultural with parents from the United States and Japan.

Additional learning support
ASIJ offers a K–12 learning support program for students with mild learning needs. Each applicant is reviewed individually to determine whether the school can support their learning needs within the curriculum.

Country affiliation
No formal country affiliation.

Religious affiliation
No religious affiliation.

School day structure
At the Chofu campus, classes begin at 8:00 a.m. and end at 3:00 p.m. The Early Learning Center schedule runs from 8:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.

Bus service
ASIJ operates a transportation system with 33 buses serving about 276 bus stops across downtown Tokyo. About 1,300 riders use the buses daily. The fleet includes GPS tracking, two-way radios, iPhones, seat belts, and 170 bus monitors. Parents may ride the bus to school for events at no charge.
Diving Deeper
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Fees

Annual tuition at The American School in Japan ranges from JPY 2,987,000 to JPY 3,783,000 for 2026/27.

Application & one-time fees
- Application fee: ¥50,000 (non-refundable).
- Registration fee (seat deposit): ¥300,000 (non-refundable).
- Building Maintenance Fee (one-time): ¥1,525,000 (non-refundable).
- Re‑enrollment fee: described as a non‑refundable tuition deposit that secures a seat and is applied to the first tuition installment (amount not listed on the tuition summary page).


Annual fees and capital assessment
- Capital Assessment (annual): ¥250,000 (non-refundable).


Annual tuition — amounts by year group (2025–26)
- Nursery–Pre‑K: ¥2,987,000 per year.
- Kinder–Grade 5: ¥3,269,000 per year.
- Grade 6–8: ¥3,425,000 per year.
- Grade 9–12: ¥3,533,000 per year.
(These tuition amounts are refundable as noted by the school's published schedule.)


Per‑term / billing schedule and payment terms
- Tuition and fees (except the application fee) are due in full upon receipt of the school's invoice. Individuals paying from personal funds may request an installment plan through the Accounting Office; corporations/organizations are not eligible for the installment option. A carrying charge applies to installment arrangements.
- Tuition and other fees are payable by bank transfer only. Application fees may be paid by credit card or bank transfer. All payments are accepted in Japanese yen. The billing office email provided for payment enquiries and invoice requests is billing@asij.ac.jp.
- For students enrolled after the school year starts, tuition and bus fees are calculated based on academic quarters; attendance for any portion of a quarter requires payment for the entire quarter. Delinquent accounts can result in prohibition from class attendance and/or withholding of grades, transcripts, or other records.


Per‑term amounts / instalments (note on availability of detailed schedule)
- The publicly posted tuition page lists the annual totals above and explains billing, instalment eligibility and quarter‑based proration for late enrollment. A detailed Schedule of Tuition & Fees is provided by the school and itemises invoice and instalment amounts; the tuition page links to that schedule for the full, itemised per‑term breakdown. The tuition page itself does not display every per‑term numeric split directly in the summary text.


Transportation (bus) fees
- Annual regular bus service fee: ¥390,000 per student. The bus fee may be prorated on a quarter basis if necessary. ASIJ is not obligated to provide bus service if a family's housing location is outside existing routes.


Boarding
- Boarding is not applicable. ASIJ operates two campuses (Early Learning Center and the Chofu campus) as a day school for nursery through high school students.


Other costs and typical additional charges
- Travel programs and curricular/co‑curricular trips: most trip costs are the responsibility of families; costs vary by trip and will be published with payment deadlines. Certain exceptions (e.g., Grade 5 trip, Middle School Extended Campus Program and some High School Exploration Program trips) are noted as school exceptions.
- Food services: on‑campus hot meal program and other food services at the Chofu Campus are charged separately; an optional lunch delivery service is available at the Early Learning Center. Menu pricing is published with the food program information.
- Technology requirements: students in Grades 3–5 are required to have an iPad; students in Grades 6–12 are required to have a MacBook (specifications and purchase details are provided by the school).
- Uniforms are not listed as a mandatory school charge on the tuition/fees summary; no compulsory uniform fee is published on the tuition page.


Refund information
- To be eligible for a refund of tuition and bus fees for any full academic quarter during which the student will not attend, parents must notify the school in writing of the student's last expected day of attendance. That written notification must be received by the first day of classes in August (if withdrawing during the first semester) or by the first day of the second semester (if withdrawing during the second semester). Tuition and bus fee refunds are calculated on the quarter basis described above.


Fee payment options
- Currency accepted: Japanese yen.
- Application fee: acceptable by credit card or bank transfer.
- Tuition and other recurring fees: bank transfer only.
- Invoice and detailed payment instructions are issued by the school's billing office; families may request information about the installment program from the Accounting/Billing Office (a carrying charge applies).
Academics

The American School in Japan teaches Advanced Placement (AP), American Curriculum for students aged 3 to 18.

Curriculum
The American School in Japan (ASIJ) offers an English-language, American-style curriculum from the Early Learning Center through Grade 12, operating on two Tokyo campuses. The Elementary School (ages five to 11) emphasizes foundational literacy and numeracy with social-emotional development and inquiry-based learning aligned to the school's Portrait of a Learner competencies. The Middle School (grades 6–8) provides a broad, hands-on program with daily Advisory and an Approaches to Learning framework, plus exposure to language, humanities, science, math, arts, and electives and regular extended-campus experiences. The High School (grades 9–12) leads to an ASIJ diploma requiring four years and 22 credits, and offers a wide range of Advanced Placement courses (including the AP Capstone Diploma), with opportunities for concurrent enrollment via Syracuse University Project Advance (SUPA) and a personalized pathway through the IMPACT program. For the Class of 2026 and beyond, graduation requirements increase to 24 credits, with Wellness: Physical Education & Health and new elements such as Design and Innovation and digital-literacy components replacing or augmenting prior offerings.
Wellbeing
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Parent Experience
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Facilities
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Extra-Curricular Activities
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Languages
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Reputation
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Admissions

Admissions
Step 1: Inquiry and open houses. The process starts with submitting the ASIJ INQUIRY FORM to share your family's needs and educational goals. Completing the inquiry gives you access to register for Open House sessions at ASIJ's campuses. Open House dates for the 2025–26 school year include October 2 and 16, November 6 and 13, and December 4 in 2025, with additional sessions in January and February 2026; pre-registration is required and space is limited.

Step 2: Create an admission portal account and begin the online application. After submitting the inquiry, you will receive guidance to open an application account (Veracross) to start the online application. Within the portal you will see a checklist and can begin the Online Application Form, then submit the required items on the Admission Portal. Applications for the 2026–27 school year open in November 2025, and the portal supports multiple applicants for a family, though you should sign up for only ONE child to avoid duplicates.

Step 3: Submit required documents on the Admission Portal. The required items vary by grade but typically include school reports or transcripts when available, and confidential teacher recommendations. Recommendations in languages other than English are acceptable, though English is preferred, and translations may be requested at your expense. You may also need mid-year report cards for certain grades; the admissions portal guides you on exactly what to upload for Nursery–Kindergarten through Grade 1.

Step 4: Initial review and possible screening. There is no general entrance examination. The Admissions team reviews school reports, test scores, and recommendations, and may request academic, English, or other screening prior to a decision. The process focuses on alignment with ASIJ's philosophy, diversity balance, resource availability, and the school's English-medium education requirement. Local and overseas applicants are both considered during this review.

Step 5: Admissions decision timeline. Admissions decisions typically begin in late February or early March and continue through the summer. Decisions consider how well the family's educational goals align with ASIJ's approach, as well as current seat availability and the school's ability to support the applicant. Both local and overseas applicants are evaluated within this timeline.

Step 6: Offer, acceptance, and enrollment. If admitted, families receive an admissions decision and must respond to secure a seat. To finalize enrollment, the non-refundable Registration Fee of ¥300,000 is due, and the seat is reserved for the first day of school; additional annual fees and tuition apply as outlined below. Annual fees include Capital Assessment of ¥250,000 (non-refundable) and Building Maintenance Fee of ¥1,525,000 (non-refundable). 2025–26 tuition is ¥2,987,000 for Nursery–Pre-K, ¥3,269,000 for Kindergarten–Grade 5, ¥3,425,000 for Grades 6–8, and ¥3,533,000 for Grades 9–12. Bus service is available for ¥390,000 per year, with pricing for trips, meals, and technology requirements published in advance. Tuition and fees are due upon receipt of the invoice in Japanese yen; personal installment plans may be available. Corporate Contribution Program offers a way for participating organizations to sponsor educational benefits, potentially reducing the net cost to families through corporate funding and scholarships funded by the program.

Step 7: Language and campus logistics. One or both parents must be fluent in English to ensure effective communication and support for the child's education; English is the medium for all ASIJ communications. If language support is needed, ASIJ provides programs for language learners in Grades 1–8. Kindergarten is offered at two campuses—ELC in Roppongi and K–12 in Chofu—and applicants should indicate their campus preference during the application. ASIJ also notes mid-year transfer considerations, with the school year running August to June and certain transfer rules for families already in Tokyo.

Scholarships
ASIJ does not offer scholarships or need-based financial aid for new applicants. The admissions page states clearly that new applicants are not eligible for scholarships or financial aid. The school does offer a Corporate Contribution Program, which allows participating corporations to donate to ASIJ to fund corporate scholarships for dependents of employees; this program can influence admissions decisions as part of consideration of overall enrollment. ASIJ also maintains a Financial Aid Endowment fund with various named funds that support financial aid in general, though specific award processes and eligibility are not detailed publicly. Families should consider corporate sponsorship options if applicable and note that donor-funded financial support exists as part of the school's long-term financial structure.

Waitlist
ASIJ does not publish a formal waitlist or pool system on its admissions materials. Admissions decisions are driven by seat availability and the school's stated criteria, including alignment with ASIJ's philosophy, diversity goals, and resource capacity. Mid-year transfers are subject to seat availability and campus policies, and local applicants may face timing constraints due to the August–June school year. In practice, families may need to plan around the annual admissions cycle (with decisions typically issued from late February through the summer) rather than a published waitlist.
School Events
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