K. International School Tokyo (KIST), founded in 1997, is a private, co-educational, secular day school serving the international community of Tokyo from pre-Kindergarten to Grade 12. Conveniently located less than one minute from Kiyosumi-Shirakawa Station in Koto-ku, Tokyo, KIST offers an affordable international education for approximately 600 students representing around 50 different nationalities.

In order to prepare students for their adult life, KIST strives to create a safe and caring environment set firmly within a framework that promotes academic excellence through traditional values, a disciplined approach and a healthy lifestyle. The three guiding principles of Respect, Responsibility and Safety overarch all aspects of school life. All students are required to abide by the school dress code by wearing the school uniform and maintaining a conservative appearance throughout their enrolment. They are also expected to act in appropriate ways that uphold the name of the school. KIST students possess high academic aspirations and the desire to continue “Learning for Life” after they graduate. They also demonstrate their compassion by acting on their desire to help others in need and believe that such actions can make the world a better place.

As an international school, KIST welcomes students of all nationalities from “internationally minded” families who can demonstrate a commitment to our vision, mission, educational philosophy and learning programs. The current student population includes approximately 25% American/Canadian/Australasia, 22% Japanese, 15% UK/European, 15% Indian, 12% other Asian and 11% African/Middle Eastern/South American students. Specifically, KIST caters for:

• Non-Japanese children whose families are living in Japan.
• Children of dual nationalities.
• Returnee Japanese children or those whose families are planning to live in an English-speaking culture.
• Children of all nationalities planning to attend international universities, colleges or other institutions of higher education in the future.

Authorized as an IB World School by the International Baccalaureate, KIST is currently the only school in Tokyo, and one of only two schools in Japan, to offer all three IB programmes: the Primary Years Programme (PYP), the Middle Years Programme (MYP) and the Diploma Programme (DP). This ensures a consistent approach to teaching and learning across all levels and provides a continuous progression for students from the time they join the school in kindergarten until they graduate at the end of Grade 12. Furthermore, for families moving around the world, it also offers an attractive benefit in that it allows children to learn within a basic framework used by other IB schools worldwide.

At all levels, an inquiry-based approach provides students with opportunities to take responsibility for their own learning. Subject areas are integrated where possible into units of inquiry that allow students to acquire knowledge and skills through the context of an ongoing search for meaning and understanding. Priority is placed on developing understanding of concepts and application of knowledge and skills in context. We explicitly teach the skills of understanding, research and inquiry, including how to locate, evaluate and apply information. Through this approach, our aim is for students to become independent learners who have the skills to source and evaluate information in order to make informed, responsible choices throughout their lives and to make a meaningful contribution to the community.

English is used as the language of instruction at all levels of the school, however, English is not taught as a foreign language. With the exception of very young children, students must have reached a certain level in English already in order to enter the school. In particular, secondary students must have a high level of ability in order to cope with the demands of studying specialized subjects in English. To meet the needs of non-native English-speaking students whose level of English is lower than is necessary to access the school curriculum independently, language support is provided throughout the school. The type of support provided varies depending on the grade level of the students. It is important to remember that KIST is not an English conversation school.

In addition to the regular curriculum, students at KIST enjoy a variety of co-curricular activities including a range of after-school sporting and cultural clubs, excursions, school concerts and festivals, camps and more.

Admission to KIST is based on the results of an interview for parents that checks their commitment toward the educational philosophies of the school, and an English test for students that assesses skills in speaking, listening, reading and writing. Factors such as the balance of nationalities, English abilities and genders in individual classes are also considered. 

School history