K. International School Tokyo (KIST) 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 frameworks developed by the International Baccalaureate (IB) and is currently the only school in the Kanto area to be fully authorized to offer the three IB programs listed below.

• Diploma Programme (DP): A widely recognized international high school curriculum used for entrance to universities around the world;
• Middle Years Programme (MYP): For Grades 6 through 10;
• Primary Years Programme (PYP): For students aged 3 to 11 (Grade 5).
  

In addition to the IB programs, a separate English Intensive Class (EIC) is also offered to students in Grades 6 through 8 whose English ability has not reached a level that enables them to enter the MYP. EIC classes are kept small in order to provide adequate support. Extended class times are offered for English and mathematics, in addition to regular subjects such as science and humanities. The aim is for students to transfer to the MYP within a year.

Characteristics of our school include:

• The student body is comprised of around 50 different nationalities. In order to promote an international environment, a percentage limit is set to maintain a balance between nationalities.
• Many of our students are hardworking individuals with a strong volunteering spirit who act as models for other students and help build a positive learning environment.
• In order to enable students to reach their highest potential and achieve success at all levels of the IB programs, we aim to be a school that is particularly strong in developing students' language and mathematics skills.
• The full IB Diploma is recognized around the world as being an extremely challenging course that leads to university entrance. Amongst all the DP students worldwide, just 45% complete the program, and of these students, approximately 78% pass successfully. At KIST, however, almost 100% of our students challenge themselves to attain the full IB Diploma, and over 80% are successful each year.

Here at KIST, almost 100% of our graduates are successful in gaining entrance to universities and colleges around the world. When applying to universities, students submit their IB score to the prospective universities as part of the application process. Universities in the USA and Canada may also require a student's SAT score; however, in most cases, students are not required to sit for any additional entrance examinations.

Many of our graduates have achieved excellent results and continue to be accepted into leading universities around the world and in Japan. As an example, over the last five years, our graduates have been accepted into schools such as Stanford University, University of Chicago and California Institute of Technology, and Ivy League schools such as Princeton University and University of Pennsylvania (Wharton) in the USA; London School of Economics and Political Science, University of Bath and University of Saint Andrews in the UK; schools in Asia such as the University of Hong Kong in Hong Kong; Seoul National University and Yonsei University in South Korea; and Waseda University, International Christian University, Sophia University and Chuo University in Japan. Furthermore, a large number of our students have also been granted scholarships and this has been possible due to the progressive development of students through all three IB programs at KIST. It is also because we value a learning environment that cultivates students' hearts and minds and encourages them to do their best.

Our ultimate goal at KIST is for students to achieve high scores in the Diploma Programme through their learning experiences in the elementary and secondary schools. We believe that students can acquire the necessary knowledge, skills and attitudes to enable them to become "competent and moral individuals who make meaningful contributions to the global community".

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.