schools and school fees

Any advice as to the best international schools on Hong Kong island or Kowloon side? what are the fees? I need advice on infant, primary and senior education. Is the standard of education generally good here? My babies are only a few months old but we are wondering whether to return to the UK or stay in Hong Kong long term - the standard and price of schools is an important factor to consider when making our list of pros and cons. Any advice? Thanks!

Part of the reason we stay in HK is because we think our kids are getting a much better education here. In the UK they would have to go to the local comprehensive. here they go to ESF. Exam results are nearly twice as good as most comps in the UK, plus there's far less disruptive kids, children here want to learn, it makes a huge difference to the classroom environment.

The school fees of many international schools in Hong Kong are quite expensive plus debenture, outings, school bus etc. If you have several kids in your family, the overhead costs can be heavy. Although ESF fees are reasonable, they are increasing and there is no guarantee that the subvention will continue.


There are some very good comprehensive schools in UK, but you must have an address in the net area and to apply early (better still to feed in from primary school).


Alternatively, private schools in UK are of high standard, smaller classes and have more facilities than ESF. If you locate near private school that your children attend, you save on boarding fees too. This can be quite significant with several children.


The poor air quality, small apartments, crowded city are other factors we should consider.....not just the schools.

babswymak, re your last comment, thats is assuming that everyone here lives in Central in a small apartment. Nearly everyone I know lives in a house, most have some sort of small garden, plus green and sea views, with nice tree lined roads....