Tokyo, Japan
International schools in Tokyo: what families need to know
Tokyo has a small, stable and heavily oversubscribed international school market. Unlike fast-growing Asian cities, capacity here barely changes from year to year, so waiting lists are the normal experience rather than the exception, particularly in early years and at the transition into secondary. Families who start a year ahead usually get a choice; families who start in June for a September move usually do not. This guide covers admissions, curricula, the school year, fees, areas and how places actually work here.
Your contact details stay private until you choose to continue with a school.
Your request
- Where you are moving
- Tokyo
- Children
- Sofia (age 8) · Luca (age 5)
- Curriculum
- British preferred
- Start
- August
One request. We ask relevant schools whether they have places for each child. Your contact details stay private until you choose to continue with a school.
Example request. School names in these examples are fictional.
Tokyo in short
- Curricula available in Tokyo: IB, American, British, and other national systems.
- The Tokyo school year runs August or September to June at international schools; the Japanese national year runs April to March, with the main intake at the start of it.
- Schools are overseen by Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT); most international schools are licensed as miscellaneous schools.
- Tuition is published per year group by each school. Registration, deposit, transport, uniform, meals and examination entries are normally billed separately.
- Availability is decided per child, per year group and per campus, so two children in one family can get two different answers from the same Tokyo school.
- You can create one request and we ask relevant Tokyo schools whether they have places for your children and what happens next.
Prepared by InternationalSchools.orgPublished September 2026Last reviewed September 2026
Tokyo at a glance
The facts that shape a Tokyo school search
- Oversight
- Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT); most international schools are licensed as miscellaneous schools
- Main curricula
- IB, American, British, and other national systems
- School year
- August or September to June at international schools; the Japanese national year runs April to March
- Ages served
- 3 to 18
- Language
- English or another home language, with Japanese taught as a subject
How admissions work in Tokyo
Most Tokyo schools follow the same stages, whatever the curriculum.
- 1
Enquire and check the year group
Confirm the year group each child would enter in Tokyo. Age cut-offs differ between systems, so the same child can be placed a year apart in two schools.
- 2
Assessment
Most schools assess before offering a place. This can be a short online task, a classroom visit or a subject test, depending on age.
- 3
Offer, deposit and registration
An offer is usually held only after a registration fee or deposit is paid. Check whether either is refundable before you accept.
Documents to prepare
Some documents can take time to arrange from abroad. Start collecting them before you have chosen a school.
- Passport and, where required, visa or residence documents for each child
- Birth certificate
- School reports for the last two years
- Transfer or leaving certificate from the previous school
- Vaccination and health records
- Any learning support or assessment reports, shared early rather than late
More detail: how international-school admissions work.
Curricula families meet in Tokyo
We explain each system once, in the curricula library, rather than repeating it city by city.
British curriculum
IGCSE and A Level, and how English year groups are set by age.
International Baccalaureate
PYP, MYP and the Diploma, and who the IB suits on a later move.
American curriculum
US grades, high-school credits and AP, with their own placement rules.
Changing curriculum mid-move
What transfers cleanly between systems and where a child may repeat or skip a year.
The Tokyo school year and when to apply
Timing decides how much choice you have. These are the stages most families move through.
Six to nine months ahead
Start looking for the main intake
Popular year groups in Tokyo fill first, and assessment slots become scarce close to the intake.
Three to six months ahead
Assessments and offers
Schools assess, then make offers within days or weeks. Registration fees and deposits usually follow immediately.
One to three months ahead
Places confirmed, waiting lists move
Waiting lists move as leaving families release places, so keep asking rather than assuming a school is closed.
Start of the school year
Term begins
The Tokyo school year runs august or September to June at international schools; the Japanese national year runs April to March.
Mid-year
In-year entry
Possible, but limited to whichever year groups have room. This is where asking schools directly saves the most time.
What school costs in Tokyo
Published tuition is the starting figure, not the total. These are the charges to budget for.
What the Tokyo market costs, in round numbers
High band- Primary, per year
- JPY 2.0 – 2.8 million
- Secondary, per year
- JPY 2.4 – 3.4 million
- Roughly, in US dollars
- US$13,000 – 23,000
Indicative annual tuition across mainstream international schools, for the stated academic year. Individual schools publish their own fees per year group, the top of each market runs above these ranges, and registration, deposits, transport, uniform, meals and examination entries are billed separately. Figures refer to the 2025/26 academic year. Compare fees across cities.
- Tuition
- Published per year group by each school
- Registration fee
- Charged at application or offer stage, usually non-refundable
- Deposit
- Secures the place and is often deducted from the first term's tuition
- Transport
- School transport is charged separately and varies by distance and route
- Uniform, books, devices
- One-off costs at the start of the year, higher in the first year
- Meals and activities
- Optional at most schools, but a real part of the annual budget
- Examination entries
- IGCSE, A Level, IB and AP entries are billed in the exam years
See also understanding international school fees.
Places and waiting lists
Which Tokyo schools have places for your children?
A place is not something a school has in general. It exists for one year group, at one campus, for one intake. Two children in the same family can get two different answers from the same school on the same day.
School websites cannot tell you this. Availability changes when a family leaves, when a contract ends, or when a new year group opens. That is why we ask schools directly instead of publishing a number that would be out of date by the time you read it.
For each child, a Tokyo school can answer that a place is available, that there is a waiting list, that the intake is full, or that it cannot confirm yet. You see the answer, the fees and the next step, and you decide where to focus.
Your contact details stay private until you choose to continue with a school.
Answers from schools · 2 children · British curriculum · Starting August
Westbrook International School
Answered in 1 day
North campus · British · Annual fees: Shared with your answer
- Sofia · Year 4Place available for AugustPlace available
- Luca · Year 1Place available for AugustPlace available
Next step: Assessment, then offer
Harbour Ridge Academy
Answered in 2 days
City campus · British · Annual fees: Shared with your answer
- Sofia · Year 4Place available for AugustPlace available
- Luca · Year 1Waiting list, reviewed monthlyWaiting list
Next step: Campus visit, then assessment
Elmfield International College
Answered in 3 days
Main campus · British · Annual fees: Shared with your answer
- Sofia · Year 4Full for the August intakeFull for this intake
- Luca · Year 1Place available for AugustPlace available
Next step: Register interest for January
Your contact details are shared only with the schools you continue with.
Example answers. School names in these examples are fictional.
Choosing where to live in Tokyo
We do not rank areas. These are the questions that decide whether a school works day to day.
Minato: Azabu, Hiroo, Roppongi
The centre of international family life, close to several schools, embassies and international clinics. Rents reflect that.
Setagaya and Meguro
Quieter, more residential and popular with families who want space, with good train access to schools across the west of the city.
Chofu, Musashino and the western suburbs
Several large campuses with playing fields sit out here. Families either live nearby or commit to a long train or bus commute.
Trains, not cars
Most children travel by school bus or, from a surprisingly young age, by train. Ask which bus routes serve the address you are considering before you rent.
Moving to Tokyo with children: a checklist
The school-related steps that decide how smooth the first term is.
- Confirm each child's year group under the curriculum you are moving to in Tokyo.
- Collect and, where required, attest school reports and certificates before you leave.
- Ask schools about places for every child in the same request, not one at a time.
- Check whether registration fees and deposits are refundable if your move date changes.
- Check the visa or residency steps that enrolment can depend on.
- Ask about learning support early, since capacity is decided case by case.
- Line up housing only after you know which school can take all of your children.
See also the moving-abroad timeline.
Moving with more than one child
One school that works for every child, not one child
Most families moving to Tokyo are moving with more than one child, and the hardest part is rarely finding a good school. It is finding one school that can take all of your children in the same year.
Checking each child separately, school by school, is where the search becomes slow. A school that has room in Year 1 may be full in Year 4, and you only learn that after two emails and a wait.
One request covers every child. Each school answers for each child, so you can see immediately where all of your children could start together, and where you would be splitting the family across two schools.
- Ask once for the whole family, not once per child.
- See sibling answers side by side before you contact anyone.
- Ask about sibling priority and start dates while places are still open.
Answers side by side
Westbrook International School
Harbour Ridge Academy
Elmfield International College
Sofia · Year 4
Luca · Year 1
Curriculum
British
British
British
Area
North campus
City campus
Main campus
Annual fees
Shared in answer
Shared in answer
Shared in answer
Next step
Assessment, then offer
Campus visit, then assessment
Register interest for January
Example comparison. School names in these examples are fictional.
How schooling works in Tokyo
Most international schools in Japan are licensed as kakushu gakko, a category outside the mainstream national school system, and their recognition for university entry comes from their international accreditation and curriculum authorisation rather than from MEXT. Japanese compulsory education is defined separately, which is why Japanese nationals attending international schools need to think about the recognition question early.
Waiting lists are the market
Capacity in Tokyo is largely fixed and demand is steady, so schools maintain long waiting lists in popular year groups. Some run assessment and admissions rounds up to a year in advance.
Being on a list is not futile: corporate postings end every summer and places open late. Ask each school about position, movement in the last two years, and whether a sibling policy affects you.
Two calendars in one city
International schools run an August or September start. Japanese schools run April to March. If you are considering both, the transition point differs and so does the year group placement.
For a family arriving in spring, this can mean a wait until the international August intake, or an interim arrangement.
Language and continuity
Japanese is taught as a subject at almost every international school, often at several levels. For a longer posting, ask what the pathway looks like after three years, not just for the first term.
Some schools also offer a bilingual or dual-language route; these are the exception rather than the norm.
Costs beyond tuition
Application fees, entrance or facility fees on joining and, at some schools, a refundable bond are standard. Bus fees are charged by distance and are not trivial.
Some employers pay tuition directly to the school. Confirm what the allowance covers, because entrance fees are often excluded.
What families get wrong in Tokyo
The local details that cost families a term, a deposit or a long daily drive.
Starting the search three months out
In Tokyo that is late. Popular year groups are decided a long way ahead, and assessment slots go first.
Applying to only one school
With fixed capacity, applying to a single school is the main reason families arrive without a place. Apply broadly and early.
Renting before the offer
Tokyo leases involve key money and deposits and are expensive to break. Confirm the school, then the ward.
Assuming the allowance covers everything
Entrance fees, bonds and bus charges frequently sit outside a corporate education allowance.
Overlooking the April intake question
If you are also considering Japanese schools, the April year changes the timing and the placement entirely.
Official Tokyo resources
Primary sources for regulation, inspection and enrolment. We link out rather than paraphrase.
How InternationalSchools.org works in Tokyo
One request. We ask relevant Tokyo schools whether they have places for your children and what happens next.
- 1
Create one request for Tokyo
Where you are moving, each child's age, the curriculum you prefer and when you want to start. One request covers the whole family.
- 2
We ask relevant Tokyo schools
We start with schools that serve your children's ages in Tokyo. Curriculum, budget and area help us decide which relevant schools to ask first.
- 3
Schools answer for each child
Availability, fees, timing and what happens next. Your contact details stay private until you choose to continue with a school.
Schools cannot pay to be prioritised, and we do not publish scores or predict availability. How we select schools.
Questions families ask about Tokyo
Find out which Tokyo schools have places for your children
One request, every child, answers from the schools themselves.
Your contact details stay private until you choose to continue with a school.
Go deeper on Tokyo
How fees compare across cities
What is published, what is billed separately and how Tokyo compares with the other markets we cover.
Compare the main curricula
British, IB and American side by side, and what a later move between countries changes.
How admissions work
The stages most international schools use, and where relocating families lose time.
Continue reading
Waiting lists and availability
How waiting lists really work, and what to ask before you join one.
School year and intake timing
When places open, and what a mid-year move changes.
How it works
From one request to answers from the schools themselves.
Other destinations
You can create a request for any destination, published guide or not.
Last reviewed: September 2026
Guide version 3.0. Tokyo information is compiled from official regulators, curriculum authorities and school-published material. Fees, intakes and requirements are set by individual schools and change, so confirm details directly with a school before you rely on them.
Sources
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