The differences between international schools, private schools, and private independent schools in Hong Kong

Many parents want to enroll their children in international schools in Hong Kong, but they are often confused about whether "international schools" refer to schools that hold an international school license or simply private schools that offer international curricula. According to the Education Bureau's classification, there are three types of schools that can offer international curricula: international schools, private independent schools, and private schools offering non-local curricula. Please refer to the table below for details:

	International School	Private Independent School	Private Schools Offering Non-local Curricula
System	Part of the private school system, most of them operate on a self-financing and market-oriented approach	Part of the private school system, most of them operate on a self-financing and market-oriented approach	Part of the private school system, most of them operate on a self-financing and market-oriented approach
Nature	Generally refers to schools that adopt a complete non-local curriculum designed for students of a specific cultural or language category/students will not take local examinations	Provide a more diversified school system for local families in Hong Kong. Schools that do not rely on government funding can provide different courses, including international courses and local courses, as educational considerations apart from the public schools system	Schools approved to offer non-local courses to foreign or local students
Admission	Mainly for students holding a Hong Kong SAR passport and any other valid passport	At least 70% must be Hong Kong permanent residents	There are no specific rules to follow and you can freely admit foreign or local students
School Fee	Annual tuition fees may range from HKD 70,000 to HKD 200,000 Some schools may require parents to purchase bonds or nomination rights. The price varies by school, ranging from HKD 70,000 to HKD 10,000,000	Annual tuition fees may range from HKD 70,000 to HKD 200,000 Some schools may require parents to purchase bonds or nomination rights. The price varies by school, ranging from HKD 70,000 to HKD 10,000,000.	Annual tuition fees may range from HKD 70,000 to HKD 200,000
Curriculum	Provide international courses, such as IB, IGCSE, Alevel and AP, etc.	Provide international courses, such as IB, IGCSE, Alevel and AP, etc.	Provide international courses, such as IB, IGCSE, Alevel and AP, etc.
Other Information	There are 54 international schools (20 primary schools, 7 secondary schools, 27 secondary schools and primary schools *including one special school)	There are 7 private independent schools	There are more than 10 private schools offering non-local courses
School List	The more famous schools include: Chinese International School, Hong Kong International School, German-Swiss International School, Singapore International School and English School Association	Including: Chi Sun College, Hong Lap College, Christian International School, Po Leung Kuk Choy Kai Yau School, Kai Sun College, Hujiang Victoria College and Yew Chung International School (Secondary Section)	Among the more famous schools include: Amfield School, Stamford American School Hong Kong and Wycombe Abbey School of Hong Kong

It should be noted that schools holding an "International School" license are schools that exclusively offer international curricula, while private independent schools and private schools that offer non-local curricula may offer a variety of different curricula, including international curricula. Therefore, if parents want to enroll their children in a school with an "International School" license, they need to confirm whether the school has the license and teaches the international curriculum they are interested in. Please contact us if parents are interested in learning more about international schools and private schools.