Aoba-Japan International School vs Tokyo International School
🇯🇵 Tokyo · Side-by-side comparison on verifiable public data.
Neither Aoba-Japan International School nor Tokyo International School sits in a market with a public inspectorate, so both are assessed on verifiable accreditation, curriculum authorisation, and published data rather than an official quality rating. Both run the same curriculum (IB), so the differences come down to pathway detail, campus culture, and specific language/boarding arrangements rather than the curriculum framework itself. Both are day schools with fees in the same market band — see the table below for the figures, and verify against each school's own published fees.
Key Facts
| Aoba-Japan International School | Tokyo International School | |
|---|---|---|
| Curriculum | IB | IB |
| Ages | 2–18 | 4–17 |
| Languages of instruction | English | English |
| Annual fees | JPY 2,330,500–3,094,500 | JPY 3,300,000–3,600,000 |
| Enrollment | 600 | 470 |
| Boarding | Day only | Day only |
| Accreditations | CIS, NEASC | CIS, NEASC |
Strengths
- ✓Long operating history (since 1976) and IB World School status since 2015
- ✓Dual external accreditation (CIS + NEASC) plus IB authorization
- ✓Distinctive entrepreneurship/innovation positioning, backed by BBT's business-education parentage
- ✓Strong language-inclusion model: native-English faculty plus integrated Intensive English Preparation through Grade 8
- ✓High diversity (~50 nationalities) while remaining accessible to Japanese-heritage families
- ✓Dual international accreditation (CIS since 2004 + NEASC) — strong governance and quality assurance
- ✓Authorized IB continuum across primary and middle years (PYP since 2005, MYP since 2007)
- ✓Genuinely small scale (~470 students, max class size 22) supporting individualized attention
- ✓Well-documented EAL programme — strong fit for families whose children are still developing English
- ✓Highly international community (70+ nationalities) and a tech-forward identity (Apple Distinguished School)
Trade-offs
- !'Full IB Continuum' marketing vs. evidence that MYP may be candidate-stage, not authorized — a continuity gap in the middle years
- !Multi-campus, age-split sites (2–6 vs 3–15 vs 15–18) can mean transitions between physical campuses
- !No published verified IB average — only a reported range (27–40); cohort-level outcomes not transparently public
- !Heavily Japanese-connected student body (~65% with at least one Japanese parent) may dilute the international-immersion some expat families expect
- !Accreditation/authorization detail relies partly on a Wikipedia article with maintenance flags
- !DP is only at candidate stage, not authorized — TIS cannot yet be relied upon as a full IB Diploma school
- !The upper school is brand new (Grade 11 only since 2025) — no published graduation/placement track record exists
- !No public academic results — no IB scores or university-destination data
- !Official materials contain internal inconsistencies on grade range (K-8 vs K-11 vs K-12)
- !Premium fees with a recent sharp increase, against an as-yet-unproven senior school
Best Fit For
- • Families (esp. Japan-resident or mixed-heritage) wanting an English-medium IB pathway with strong EAL onboarding
- • Students drawn to entrepreneurship, innovation and project/STEAM-oriented learning
- • Families needing a 2-to-18 single-provider pathway in northwest/central Tokyo
- • Families with primary or middle-school-age children seeking an established, accredited IB PYP/MYP programme
- • Internationally mobile or non-native-English families needing strong EAL support
- • Families wanting a small, tech-integrated school in central Tokyo
University Placement
School-reported · not independently verified
School-reported, unverified: IB Diploma results cited as a range of 27–40, with 100% of graduates progressing to further education. No published average score or independently verified destination list was found.
Not public. As the upper school (G11/G12) and DP are newly established, no graduating-cohort outcomes exist yet.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Should I choose Aoba-Japan International School or Tokyo International School?
Aoba-Japan International School is best for: Families (esp. Japan-resident or mixed-heritage) wanting an English-medium IB pathway with strong EAL onboarding. Tokyo International School is best for: Families with primary or middle-school-age children seeking an established, accredited IB PYP/MYP programme. The right choice depends on target curriculum, budget, and family priorities — the two are not linearly comparable.
How do fees compare between Aoba-Japan International School and Tokyo International School?
Aoba-Japan International School: JPY 2,330,500–3,094,500. Tokyo International School: JPY 3,300,000–3,600,000. Verify against each school's own published fees; some figures are sourced from third-party aggregators.
What curricula do Aoba-Japan International School and Tokyo International School offer?
Aoba-Japan International School: IB. Tokyo International School: IB.
Do Aoba-Japan International School or Tokyo International School offer boarding?
Aoba-Japan International School: day school only. Tokyo International School: day school only.
This comparison is BrightKey's independent assessment using verifiable public data only. University-placement figures are school-reported and not independently verified. BrightKey takes no payments from schools. Our method →