Korea International School Jeju
🇰🇷 Jeju · Founded 2011 · American · Ages 4–18
A rigorous, well-established American college-preparatory school — the first international boarding school in South Korea — and an anchor tenant of Jeju Global Education City. Strong AP breadth (including AP Capstone) and full WASC accreditation make it a credible Tier A, though its remote Jeju location and overwhelmingly Korean-national student body limit international diversity.
Curricula
American
Age range
4–18
Languages of instruction
English
Annual fees
SGD KRW 29,673,897–41,956,107
Enrollment
1,042
Boarding
Yes
Accreditations
WASC, Korean Ministry of Education
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
Korea International School Jeju Campus (KIS Jeju, locally 'KISJ') was founded in 2010 and opened on 19 September 2011 as one of the founding schools of Jeju Global Education City (JGEC) in Daejeong-eup, Seogwipo-si, Jeju. It delivers a standards-based American college-preparatory curriculum from Junior Kindergarten through Grade 12 (ages 4–18), built on AERO standards with a broad Advanced Placement offering. It is not an IB or Cambridge school — the program is explicitly American/AP-based.
The school is a sister campus to Korea International School's Seoul-area operations (the Seongnam/Pangyo campus), sharing the KIS name and the official kis.ac domain. KIS Jeju was notable as 'South Korea's first international boarding school,' with full-time boarding from Grade 6 through Grade 12 supported by a dedicated boarding staff — a differentiator within JGEC and nationally.
Academically, the school offers 18 AP courses and launched the AP Capstone program in 2017–18, when it was reported to be one of only seven schools offering it in South Korea. External assessments cited include AP, SAT, PSAT and MAP. Korean nationals can earn both U.S. and Korean diplomas, reflecting dual recognition by ACS WASC and the South Korean Ministry of Education.
KIS Jeju received a six-year full WASC accreditation in August 2015 and is also accredited by the South Korean Ministry of Education. Enrolment figures vary by source — Wikipedia cites ~860 (mid-2010s), while the schools database lists 1,042 across 10 nationalities (more recent), with an overwhelmingly Korean student body. South Korea has no public inspectorate, so the tier reflects accreditation depth (WASC) — capped at A.
Why These Ratings?
Inspection & AccreditationA — Excellent
Full six-year WASC accreditation (August 2015) plus South Korean Ministry of Education recognition, publicly documented. South Korea has no public inspectorate, so the tier reflects accreditation depth — A.
Strengths & Trade-offs
Strengths
- Full six-year WASC accreditation plus Korean Ministry of Education recognition — dual U.S./Korean diploma pathway
- Broad AP offering (18 courses) including the AP Capstone program, rare in South Korea
- South Korea's first international boarding school; structured residential program from Grade 6
- Full K–12 continuity (JK–Grade 12, ages 4–18) on a single purpose-built JGEC campus
- English-medium instruction with native English-speaking teachers plus EAL/ELL support
- World-language breadth (Chinese, Spanish, Korean) alongside English
Trade-offs
- Remote location on Jeju Island (Daejeong-eup, far from Seoul) limits access and day-student catchment
- Very low international diversity — student body is overwhelmingly Korean nationals
- AP exam results / college-placement outcomes are not published publicly
- No IB or Cambridge pathway — families seeking those frameworks must look elsewhere in JGEC
- High fees (~KRW 30M–42M/year) before boarding costs
Is It Right For You?
Best For
- ✓Families targeting U.S. university admission via AP
- ✓Boarding-seeking families in Korea
- ✓Students wanting a large American K–12 with strong AP breadth
- ✓Korean nationals wanting dual U.S./Korean diplomas
Not Ideal For
- ✕Families wanting an IB or British curriculum
- ✕Those prioritising a highly internationally diverse cohort
- ✕Day families based off-island or in mainland Korea
- ✕Families needing published, verifiable AP/placement data before enrolling
Curriculum
Standards-based American college-prep (AERO standards), AP-driven (18 AP courses, AP Capstone since 2017–18). Not IB/Cambridge. External tests: AP, SAT, PSAT, MAP.
Fees
KRW 29,673,897–41,956,107 per year for 2025/2026 (tuition; boarding additional, not public), per international-schools-database.com.
Admissions
Selective; an acceptance rate of ~35% was reported for 2016–17 (an older figure; the current rate is not public).
Campus Life
Purpose-built JGEC campus; boarding community from Grade 6 with dedicated boarding staff; reported small class sizes (15–19) and a low student-teacher ratio (~7:1 in the mid-2010s).
University Placement
School-reported · not independently verified
School-reported, unverified: AP exam results and university-placement statistics are not published in the public sources reviewed.
Sources
Every verifiable fact carries a public source — verify it yourself.
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