Getting your child into HKIS

My wife and I just had our first child. I am not sure whether we would still be in Hong Kong when he is ready to start school but just in case I feel like I need to at least try to understand the education game here.


We are not rich but I am willing to make spending on his education a financial priority. I would even consider scraping together the money for a debenture if that was necessary to get him the very best education.


So now to the question. Say for example that I decided that I want to try for HKIS. Do I need to start applying now? Or when he is 2 years old? Or when?


Furthermore, will I necessarily need to buy a debenture? Where can I buy one? Directly from the school or do I have to advertise for one?


Any advice is helpful because I haven't a clue where to start.

Admission procedures do vary from school to school - the best way to find out is to contact the school(s) you are interested in directly.

However, some of the comments in your post suggest that you probably need to make some fundamental decisions before you embark on school hunting.

The most basic decision is what curriculum do you want your son to study? Do you want a school with a curriculum based on a particular system (e.g. North American, Australian, UK, French, German, Norwegian, Japanese, Korean, Singaporean) or would you prefer an IB (International Baccalaureate) school, of which there are an increasing number now in HK since the ESF is going that way. In addition there some other important considerations such as:

Do you want a heavy emphasis on Mandarin learning? Is class size important to you? Where you will be living? Does your son have any special educational needs?

Of course you can't answer all these questions just yet. Although you can start thinking about this now and lining up a few schools for consideration, you won't really be in a position to make a really informed decision for a few years. And things change in education too, so the opportunities available to your son may be different in 3 or 4 or 5 years time.

We are US citizens and want to put our child on the track to have the best shot at good US universities, as opposed to say, universities in Europe or Asia. From what I have seen so far, HKIS looks like the most natural American-style education in Hong Kong.


Our child is only 3 weeks old so it's unknown whether he has special educational needs.


I find it alarming that people say how difficult it is to get their child into school X. So what I want to know is (i) how early can/should I apply, (ii) whether debentures are essential and (iii) where to buy debentures (i.e., is there a black market for them).

I suggest you consider Hong Kong Academy. There are about 50% Americans there, about 25% expatriates and another 25% Asian. Americans love it there.

If it's of interest, here is a note I wrote on another thread.My 3 children attend HKA. We have been there almost since the beginning and we love it. I'm a teacher and can vouch for the following: the high standards, the amazingly caring attitude and the ratio of students to teachers is 5 to 1!! HKA does accept students differently than some other schools for many reasons. One is because we have one of the only schools who offer scholarships to students who can't afford to attend otherwise. The school also prides itself on having a community feel and we want parents who will join activities or enjoy the atmosphere. For example, a new parent will have a buddy volunteer parent who will call and make him/herself available in order to help the new family adjust. They also have a goal to aim towards diversity. Students have on occasion been accepted when their English is not great if the class is strong and the parents agree to hire a tutor and if the parents speak English. If one class has too many boys, perhaps girls will go to the top of the list. My children are getting an amazing education because they've learned to help others, accept others and mix with students from many cultures. Many top officials and top executives send their children there, but I have never felt it was snooty at all! Evryone is very friendly. The teachers all knew my children within a week! HKA follows the PYP, MYP and IB, which is similar to what I believe the Canadian and ESF schools do or aim to do. I assure you the average student there would be a top, top student in another country, yet help is given if students get it. However the school doesn't want to accept many students who need specific help. The waiting list is as long as the amount of students who are actually in the school!!

The Middle and High school don't offer all the options of a larger school, but in exchange, you have more opportunities to be on athletic teams, in school productions, and to really connect with teachers and the other students. There is a teacher and an assistant in each primary school class of 18. In Middle and Secondary school, there is only 1 teacher, but for 18 students. As for the facilities, the government has promised us a new facility/building so soon the outside of the school will be as amazing as what is actually the core of the school-the caring teachrs and the challenging productive education they receive. The teachers will call you email you daily if there is something you need to know about!! There are bi-monthly newsletters from every teacher and the principal so you really know what's going on. It's an awesome school. You won't find another school like it in HK or possibly the world. I've taught in many countries and have lived in half a dozen. This is the best school I've ever been associated with. I love it!!!