K. International School Tokyo was founded in 1997 as a private, co-educational, secular day school serving the international community of Tokyo from pre-kindergarten to Grade 12. In July 2000, KIST attained recognition as an educational corporation (gakoo hoojin) from the Tokyo Metropolitan Government and has grown to a population of around 600 students.

KIST delivers its educational program through the International Baccaulareate (IB) which provides independent international curriculum frameworks: the Diploma Programme (DP) is a widely recognized international high school curriculum used for entrance to universities around the world; the Middle Years Programme (MYP) for Grades 6-10; and the Primary Years Programme (PYP) for students aged 3 to 11.

KIST became the first school in Tokyo to receive authorization in all three International Baccalaureate programmes (PYP, MYP, DP) in 2004 and continues to be the only school in Tokyo to be fully authorized to deliver all three programmes. One of the merits of having all three IB programmes is the systemized progression of the development of the required knowledge and skills that are necessary to be successful in a global economy.

KIST's student body is comprised of around 50 different nationalities, with the majority of students being long term international residents of Japan which provides a stable population base. In order to promote an international environment, a percentage limit is set to maintain a balance between nationalities.

Almost 100% of KIST graduates go on to study at college or university.

The IB Diploma which students need to acquire to gain entrance to university is extremely challenging. Out of 104,999 IB Diploma Programme students worldwide, just 47,723 (45%) complete the programme and approximately 78% of these candidates manage to pass and are awarded the Diploma (IBO homepage 2010). This means that just 35% of all IB students acquire the IB Diploma.  

Here at KIST, since our foundation, almost all of our students have challenged themselves to attain the IB Diploma. In the 2011 examination session, all of our students took the exam, with 87.5% passing and receiving an IB Diploma. The highest score awarded was 40 points out of a possible 45, which puts our students in the top 5% of all students who took the examination (IBO homepage - data comparison). Furthermore, in 2010 the highest score awarded was 38 points (top 9.7%) and in the 2009 examinations a score of 45 (0.19%) the highest possible, was achieved.

Our graduates have achieved excellent results and continue to be accepted into leading universities around the world and in Japan. As an example, our 2010 graduates were accepted into schools such as Stanford University and Ivy League’s Princeton University in the US, University of Hong Kong in Hong Kong, International Christian University in Japan, and our 2011 graduates into London School of Economics and St. Andrew’s University in the UK, Chicago University, California Science University and Purdue University in the US, and Waseda University in Japan. Many of our students have also been granted scholarships and this has been possible due to the progressive development of students through all three IB programmes at KIST. It is also because we value a learning environment that cultivates students' hearts and minds and encourages them to do their best.

As an IB World School, we continue to reflect on the quality of our educational services and strive for excellence in providing a high quality international education for our students.