K. International School Tokyo vs Tokyo International School
🇯🇵 Tokyo · Side-by-side comparison on verifiable public data.
Neither K. International School Tokyo 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 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
| K. International School Tokyo | Tokyo International School | |
|---|---|---|
| Curriculum | IB / British | IB |
| Ages | 3–18 | 4–17 |
| Languages of instruction | English | English |
| Annual fees | JPY 2,850,000–3,020,000 | JPY 3,300,000–3,600,000 |
| Enrollment | 660 | 470 |
| Boarding | Day only | Day only |
| Accreditations | CIS, Edexcel | CIS, NEASC |
Strengths
- ✓Outstanding, transparently published IB DP results (42.0/45 in 2025; five-year track record above 41)
- ✓Full CIS accreditation on a 5-year evaluation cycle — strong external quality assurance
- ✓Single-campus K1–G12 continuity (ages 3–18) — no transition between schools
- ✓Central, highly accessible Tokyo location (Shirakawa, Koto-ku); new 2024 main building
- ✓Established history (since 1997) with deep IB roots (IB World School since 2002)
- ✓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
- !No EAL/language support for Grade 8 and above — students needing English help are explicitly not accepted
- !The IB continuum is incomplete in practice: MYP is no longer offered, and middle years run on Edexcel iLowerSecondary/IGCSE
- !High fees (~¥2.85M–3.02M annual tuition plus ¥700K capital and other one-time fees)
- !Third-party review sentiment is weak (small, unverified sample)
- !Enrollment/nationality figures differ between official site (~700/50+) and aggregators (660/45)
- !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 seeking a top-tier, results-driven IB Diploma outcome
- • Children entering in the early years (K1–early primary) who can grow up in the system
- • English-fluent international and bilingual families based in central/east 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: KIST publishes detailed IB DP results (42.0/45 average, 100% pass rate, 25% scoring 45 in 2025). A university-acceptance page exists but specific destination figures were not captured; treat placement claims as school-reported, unverified.
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 K. International School Tokyo or Tokyo International School?
K. International School Tokyo is best for: Families seeking a top-tier, results-driven IB Diploma outcome. 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 K. International School Tokyo and Tokyo International School?
K. International School Tokyo: JPY 2,850,000–3,020,000. 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 K. International School Tokyo and Tokyo International School offer?
K. International School Tokyo: IB, British. Tokyo International School: IB.
Do K. International School Tokyo or Tokyo International School offer boarding?
K. International School Tokyo: 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 →