American International School of Guangzhou (AISG)
🇨🇳 Guangzhou · Founded 1981 · American / IB · Ages 3–18
Guangzhou's oldest international school (founded 1981) and the city's only not-for-profit international school — a foreign-passport-only, American-standards school running the IB PYP and Diploma across two campuses. It cannot enrol ordinary mainland Chinese nationals.
Curricula
American, IB
Age range
3–18
Languages of instruction
English
Annual fees
SGD RMB 229,280–303,900/year (2026–27)
Enrollment
1,027
Boarding
No (day school)
IB authorised
PYP, DP
Accreditations
IB World School, APAC, ACAMIS
Tier Profile
We only tier dimensions backed by a public inspection verdict or verifiable accreditation. Other dimensions show a data flag — never a guessed score.
BrightKey's Assessment
The American International School of Guangzhou (广州美国人国际学校, AISG) was founded in 1981 (as the American School of Guangzhou, renamed 1998) and is the oldest international school in the city. It is the only not-for-profit international school in Guangzhou, reinvesting 100% of revenue, and enrols roughly 1,027 students from 50+ nationalities with a low ~11:1 student-teacher ratio.
Academically it follows American standards delivered as an IB continuum: the IB Diploma Programme was authorized in 2001 and the IB Primary Years Programme in 2004. MYP is implied by the school's full-continuum framing but its authorization date is not independently confirmed, so it is flagged rather than asserted. The school operates two campuses — Ersha Island (Yuexiu District, PK–Grade 3) and Science Park (Huangpu District, Grade 4–12).
As a foreign-passport school, it cannot enrol ordinary mainland Chinese nationals; applicants need a foreign passport, with the usual narrow HK/Macau/Taiwan and overseas-born exceptions.
Published 2026–27 tuition runs from RMB 229,280 (PK) to RMB 303,900 (Upper Secondary), inclusive of VAT, plus application and enrollment fees. AISG does not publish an IB score average, so academic-outcome claims cannot be independently verified. China has no graded national inspectorate, so the tier reflects accreditation + curriculum depth — capped at A.
Why These Ratings?
Inspection & AccreditationA — Excellent
China has no graded national inspectorate. AISG demonstrates quality through authorized IB PYP and DP delivery, 40+ years as the city's founding international school, and a not-for-profit structure. WASC accreditation is widely reported but could not be confirmed from a reachable public source at research time, so it is omitted; the verifiable signals place it at the A ceiling for this market.
Strengths & Trade-offs
Strengths
- Oldest international school in Guangzhou (founded 1981)
- Only not-for-profit international school in the city — 100% revenue reinvestment
- IB continuum (PYP + Diploma) with a long DP track record (authorized 2001)
- Highly international — 50+ nationalities, low ~11:1 student-teacher ratio
- Two purpose-built campuses (Ersha Island and Science Park)
Trade-offs
- Foreign-passport-only — most mainland Chinese families are ineligible
- Premium fees (RMB ~229k–304k/yr) plus one-time fees
- No published IB score average — outcomes cannot be verified
- Two-campus split means relocation between Grade 3 and Grade 4
- WASC/CIS accreditation not confirmable from a reachable source at research time
Is It Right For You?
Best For
- ✓Expat families holding foreign passports relocating to Guangzhou
- ✓Families wanting an established American + IB continuum
- ✓Families valuing a not-for-profit structure and strong international community
- ✓Students seeking US and international university pathways
Not Ideal For
- ✕Mainland Chinese-national families without overseas-birth or PR status (ineligible)
- ✕Families seeking British IGCSE/A-Level (not offered)
- ✕Families needing boarding
- ✕Budget-conscious families (premium fee tier)
Curriculum
American standards delivered as an IB continuum — IB DP (authorized 2001) and IB PYP (authorized 2004). MYP authorization is implied by the full-continuum framing but not independently confirmed. No British/Cambridge track; no published AP specifics.
Fees
Published 2026–27 (incl. 3% VAT): PK RMB 229,280; Elementary (K–G5) RMB 255,230; Lower Secondary (G6–8) RMB 264,970; Upper Secondary (G9–12) RMB 303,900. Plus application RMB 2,000 and enrollment RMB 10,000 (new students); G11–12 programme fee RMB 10,000/year.
Admissions
Foreign-passport-only (外籍人员子女学校). Eligibility requires a foreign passport, with narrow exceptions for overseas-born PRC, HK/Macau/Taiwan, or foreign-PR children. Ordinary mainland-Chinese-resident families are not eligible.
Campus Life
Two campuses: Ersha Island (Yuexiu District; PK–Grade 3) and Science Park (Huangpu District; Grade 4–12). Day school; no boarding.
University Placement
School-reported · not independently verified
School-reported, unverified: AISG cites offers from 100+ universities across 10+ countries but publishes no IB score average or verifiable placement statistics.
Sources
Every verifiable fact carries a public source — verify it yourself.
- AISG — official site · 2026-06
- AISG — Tuition and fees (2026–27) · 2026-06
- Wikipedia — American International School of Guangzhou · 2026-06
- International Schools Database — Guangzhou · 2026-06
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