Chadwick International vs Yongsan International School of Seoul
🇰🇷 Seoul · Side-by-side comparison on verifiable public data.
Neither Chadwick International nor Yongsan International School of Seoul 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. Curriculum is the core differentiator: Chadwick International offers IB while Yongsan International School of Seoul offers American — 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
| Chadwick International | Yongsan International School of Seoul | |
|---|---|---|
| Curriculum | IB | American |
| Ages | 4–18 | 5–18 |
| Languages of instruction | English | English |
| Annual fees | KRW 51,591,690–60,197,655 | KRW 30,141,251–35,241,251 |
| Enrollment | 1,461 | 1,000 |
| Boarding | Day only | Day only |
| Accreditations | WASC, IB | WASC, ACSI, EARCOS |
Strengths
- ✓Full IB continuum (PYP, MYP, DP — and CP, which is rare) across all divisions
- ✓Sister-school relationship to Chadwick School California, including shared outdoor/experiential education
- ✓Large purpose-built campus with extensive athletic and arts facilities (two gyms, 25m pool, climbing wall, track, tennis)
- ✓Strong reported diversity — 51 nationalities, 115 international college destinations
- ✓Favourable 8:1 student-faculty ratio (school-reported)
- ✓Full, dual accreditation (WASC + ACSI) plus Korean MoE recognition — accreditation depth at the cap for this market
- ✓Broad AP offering (27 courses) with College Board affiliation — strong US-university preparation
- ✓Long operating history (origins 1990; YISS since 2006) and large, stable enrolment (~1,000)
- ✓Genuinely international student body (43–45+ nationalities)
- ✓Structured learning support (SLS) including EAL
Trade-offs
- !No public inspectorate in South Korea — quality data is accreditation-depth only; tier capped at A
- !High fees — KRW ~51.6M–60.2M/year (2025/26), among the most expensive in the region
- !CIS accreditation not confirmed — official site cites WASC and IB only
- !No published IB average score found in public sources
- !EAL/ESL support not documented publicly
- !Explicit Christian-faith ethos with required Bible instruction and weekly chapel — a defining fit consideration for non-Christian or secular families (stated as a feature, not a judgement)
- !No IB pathway — families wanting IB DP must look elsewhere; AP is the only advanced track
- !No published IB average / externally verified academic-outcome metrics (AP results not public)
- !Fees are high (~KRW 30–35M/year) at the upper end of the market
- !No public school inspectorate in South Korea — quality signal limited to accreditation, capped at A
Best Fit For
- • Families seeking a full IB-continuum education through DP and CP
- • Internationally mobile families wanting California sister-school linkage and US-style outdoor education
- • Students targeting overseas (especially US) university placement
- • Songdo/Incheon-based or capital-region expatriate families
- • Families seeking a faith-based (Christian) education in Seoul
- • US-curriculum / US-university-bound students wanting a deep AP program
- • Internationally mobile families wanting WASC-accredited continuity
- • Families valuing character/service-learning programming
University Placement
School-reported · not independently verified
School-reported, unverified: 115 international college destinations cited; specific university-placement lists are school-reported.
School-reported, unverified: no university-placement or matriculation data was found in public sources.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Should I choose Chadwick International or Yongsan International School of Seoul?
Chadwick International is best for: Families seeking a full IB-continuum education through DP and CP. Yongsan International School of Seoul is best for: Families seeking a faith-based (Christian) education in Seoul. The right choice depends on target curriculum, budget, and family priorities — the two are not linearly comparable.
How do fees compare between Chadwick International and Yongsan International School of Seoul?
Chadwick International: KRW 51,591,690–60,197,655. Yongsan International School of Seoul: KRW 30,141,251–35,241,251. Verify against each school's own published fees; some figures are sourced from third-party aggregators.
What curricula do Chadwick International and Yongsan International School of Seoul offer?
Chadwick International: IB. Yongsan International School of Seoul: American.
Do Chadwick International or Yongsan International School of Seoul offer boarding?
Chadwick International: day school only. Yongsan International School of Seoul: 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 →