Harrow International School Hong Kong
🇭🇰 Hong Kong · Founded 2012 · British · Ages 3–18
A premium, full-service British all-through school (ages 3–18) and Hong Kong's first international boarding-and-day school — strong, transparent academic outcomes and a genuine boarding option, at a top-of-market price point and operated for-profit.
Curricula
British
Age range
3–18
Languages of instruction
English
Annual fees
SGD HKD 175,812–239,070
Enrollment
1,650
Boarding
Yes
Accreditations
COBIS, CIS, HMC
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
Harrow International School Hong Kong opened in September 2012 as part of the global Harrow family (after Bangkok 1998, Beijing 2005), tracing its lineage to Harrow School UK (1572 Royal Charter). It is a British-curriculum, all-through school spanning Early Years (age 3) through Sixth Form (age 18) on a single Gold Coast campus in Tuen Mun, with a roll the school states at roughly 1,650 pupils.
Its defining feature in the HK market is boarding: Harrow HK describes itself as 'the first international boarding and day school in Hong Kong,' offering weekly boarding from Year 6. This pairs the Harrow brand and house system with a residential pathway few local competitors match.
Academically it follows the English model: EYFS and the National Curriculum, GCSEs in Years 9–11 (AQA, CIE and Edexcel boards), and a Sixth Form built on A-Levels (typically three plus an EPQ). 2025 results are published openly and strong (school-reported): A-Level A* 33%, A*/A 70%, A*/B 90%; GCSE Grade 9 at 59%. The school links to HMC, COIS, ISI/BSO and COBIS, though no verbatim BSO/ISI inspection band is publicly retrievable.
Positioning is unambiguously premium, with boarding and a capital levy on top of tuition. It is a for-profit operation and has attracted public scrutiny over related-party payments.
Why These Ratings?
Inspection & AccreditationA — Excellent
Deep accreditation/affiliation set (COBIS, COIS, HMC) and the Harrow brand, but no verbatim BSO/ISI inspection band is publicly retrievable — so the tier rests on accreditation depth, A (not S).
Strengths & Trade-offs
Strengths
- Full 3–18 British all-through pathway on one campus — continuity from Early Years to A-Level
- Genuine weekly boarding from Year 6 with a Harrow house system — rare in Hong Kong
- Transparent, strong 2025 academic outcomes published openly (A-Level A*/A 70%; GCSE Grade 9 59%)
- Broad, credible 2025 destinations: Cambridge, Oxford, UCL, LSE, Imperial, plus Princeton, Columbia, UC Berkeley, HKU (school-published)
- Deep accreditation/affiliation set (HMC, COIS, COBIS) and the globally recognised Harrow brand
- Structured EAL support (Language & Learning) across Years 1–13
Trade-offs
- Top-of-market fees: HKD 175k–239k/yr tuition before boarding (+HKD 130.7k) and a HKD 60k/yr capital levy for non-debenture holders
- Operated for-profit; has faced public scrutiny over large related-party payments to board-connected companies
- No published verbatim BSO/ISI inspection rating — accreditation logos only, not a graded report
- Boarding is weekly only (not full/termly), which may not suit families seeking full residential care
- Not IB; families specifically wanting the IB Diploma must look elsewhere
Is It Right For You?
Best For
- ✓Families wanting a British A-Level pathway with a boarding option inside Hong Kong
- ✓Expat and local families seeking a recognised global brand with strong UK/US/HK university outcomes
- ✓Pupils aiming at Russell Group/Oxbridge or selective US universities
- ✓Younger families wanting one school from age 3 through Sixth Form
Not Ideal For
- ✕Cost-sensitive families — fees plus boarding plus capital levy place it at the top of the market
- ✕Families set on the IB Diploma rather than A-Levels
- ✕Those needing full/termly (not weekly) boarding
- ✕Families prioritising a published independent inspection rating as the basis of trust
Curriculum
British model — EYFS and the English National Curriculum; GCSEs in Years 9–11 across AQA, CIE and Edexcel boards; A-Levels in Sixth Form (typically 3 subjects + EPQ). Cambridge International (CIE) is among the GCSE boards used. No IB.
Fees
2025-26 tuition (HKD): Nursery/Reception 175,812; Years 1–5 201,314; Years 6–11 229,949; Years 12–13 239,070. Boarding (Year 6+) adds 130,705/yr. Application fee HKD 1,500; capital levy HKD 60,000/yr/pupil for families without a Capital Certificate/Debenture. Subject to annual review and EDB approval.
Admissions
Assessed entry with a published admissions process and age guidelines; non-refundable HKD 1,500 application fee. Scholarships and bursaries are offered.
Campus Life
Single all-through Gold Coast campus (Tuen Mun). Harrow house system with weekly boarding from Year 6 (home Friday, return Sunday). Pastoral provision includes a health-care centre, counselling and safeguarding teams. Motto: Stet Fortuna Domus.
University Placement
School-reported · not independently verified
School-reported, unverified: 2025 destinations (school-published) include UK — Cambridge (4), Oxford, UCL (13), LSE (9), Imperial (4); US — Princeton, Columbia, UPenn, UC Berkeley; HK/Mainland — HKU (3), HKUST (3), Tsinghua. 2025 A-Level A* 33%, A*/A 70%. No independent verification available.
Sources
Every verifiable fact carries a public source — verify it yourself.
- Harrow Hong Kong — official homepage (founding, age range, enrollment, boarding+day) · 2026-06
- Harrow Hong Kong — Fees 2025-26 · 2026-06
- Harrow Hong Kong — Examination Results 2024-25 (school-reported) · 2026-06
- Harrow Hong Kong — University Destinations 2025 (school-published) · 2026-06
- Harrow Hong Kong — Heritage (accreditation logos: HMC, COIS, ISI/BSO, COBIS) · 2026-06
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