Canadian International School of Hong Kong vs Kellett School
🇭🇰 Hong Kong · Side-by-side comparison on verifiable public data.
Kellett School holds a public inspection verdict (BSO "Outstanding"), while Canadian International School of Hong Kong operates in a market with no public inspectorate — the former has a verifiable official quality anchor, the latter is judged on accreditation depth. Curriculum is the core differentiator: Canadian International School of Hong Kong offers IB, Canadian while Kellett School offers British — the choice should follow the family's target qualification system. 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
| Canadian International School of Hong Kong | Kellett School | |
|---|---|---|
| Curriculum | IB / Canadian | British |
| Ages | 3–18 | 4–18 |
| Languages of instruction | English, Mandarin | English |
| Annual fees | HKD 185,780–304,500 | HKD 208,800–267,100 |
| Enrollment | 2,100 | 1,400 |
| Boarding | Day only | Day only |
| Inspection rating | — | BSO: Outstanding |
| Accreditations | CIS, WASC, IB | COBIS, HMC, IAPS, FOBISIA, BSO |
Strengths
- ✓Full IB continuum (PYP + MYP + DP) under one roof — rare even in Hong Kong (one of eight such schools)
- ✓Dual-diploma pathway (IB Diploma + Ontario Secondary School Diploma) — distinctive Canadian credential portability
- ✓Deep, independent accreditation: CIS + WASC + IB authorisation
- ✓Strong, established institution since 1991 with 2,100+ students and 40+ nationalities
- ✓Genuine bilingual/Chinese strand (Early Years Bilingual Programme, Mandarin, Chinese Language and Culture)
- ✓Published BSO 2023 'Outstanding' band rated across every category (verbatim on the official site)
- ✓Deep accreditation stack: COBIS Patron's/Beacon, HMC, IAPS, FOBISIA, CIS in progress
- ✓Consistently strong A-Level and IGCSE results across multiple years
- ✓Not-for-profit with income reinvested
- ✓Two purpose-built campuses and continuous British curriculum ages 4–18
Trade-offs
- !Fees are high (HKD 185,780–304,500 for 2026/27) and HK schools commonly add debenture/capital levies not publicly itemised — total cost may be materially higher
- !Published IB average (38) could not be verified on an official, dated source; the only figure traced was citation-flagged
- !EAL/learning-support provision is not detailed publicly
- !Split-site logistics: Early Years sits at a separate Wong Chuk Hang centre from the main Aberdeen campus
- !No boarding — day school only
- !Very high tuition relative to most HK international schools
- !Mandatory non-refundable HK$40,000 annual capital levy on new offers
- !Multi-million-HKD debenture system that favours high-wealth and corporate families for admission priority
- !A-Level only — no IB option
- !Public enrolment figures conflict (1,382 vs 1,470); split-campus logistics for some families
Best Fit For
- • Families wanting an uninterrupted IB continuum from early years to university entry
- • Canadian/Ontario-linked families, or those valuing OSSD portability alongside the IB
- • Internationally mobile families prioritising globally recognised CIS/WASC/IB accreditation
- • Families seeking meaningful Mandarin/Chinese-bilingual exposure within an English-medium school
- • Families seeking a UK-curriculum A-Level pathway from early years to Sixth Form
- • Families prioritising a British-accredited, inspection-validated school
- • Corporate-relocation families able to leverage debentures for admission priority
University Placement
School-reported · not independently verified
School-reported, unverified: CDNIS positions itself among the highest IBDP average scorers globally; a Class of 2024 IB average of 38 with two perfect 45 scores is reported (citation-flagged source; official IB results page returned 404). University destination data was not public.
School-reported, unverified: no university-destination data was published on the reviewed pages. 2025 A-Level: 27.5% A*, 60.6% A*–A; IGCSE 67% at 9–8.
More Comparisons
Frequently Asked Questions
Should I choose Canadian International School of Hong Kong or Kellett School?
Canadian International School of Hong Kong is best for: Families wanting an uninterrupted IB continuum from early years to university entry. Kellett School is best for: Families seeking a UK-curriculum A-Level pathway from early years to Sixth Form. The right choice depends on target curriculum, budget, and family priorities — the two are not linearly comparable.
How do fees compare between Canadian International School of Hong Kong and Kellett School?
Canadian International School of Hong Kong: HKD 185,780–304,500. Kellett School: HKD 208,800–267,100. Verify against each school's own published fees; some figures are sourced from third-party aggregators.
What curricula do Canadian International School of Hong Kong and Kellett School offer?
Canadian International School of Hong Kong: IB, Canadian. Kellett School: British. Kellett School inspection: BSO "Outstanding".
Do Canadian International School of Hong Kong or Kellett School offer boarding?
Canadian International School of Hong Kong: day school only. Kellett 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 →