Primary School Suggestions

My daughter will be 7 years old and I find HK school options mind-boggling, not even sure what grade my 7 year old will be in (Grade 2 in Canada).

We are still in Canada so we cannot call / visit any schools.



We are looking for a school that is really nurturing and fosters love of learning. My daughter has been in Montessori until last year (when Casa program ended) and thrived. Though academics is important we would like a well-rounded school with extra-curricular activities such as music, art, sports, drama, dance, languages (Cantonese, Mandarin or French) etc.

We definitely want to avoid schools that are focused on ranking, memorization, rote-learning.

We have not idea where we would be living, but my husband would be working in Quarry Bay. We prefer to select the school before we decide where to live.


Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!

Quarry Bay is easily accessible from both HK and eastern kowloon/ NT (such as Clearwater Bay/ Sai Kung). There are more affordable houses in NT than on HK island.


HK island has a Canadian International School in Aberdeen. Good primary school with activities including very good music and drama programmes, and an effective Mandarin programme. French is taught from grade 5 (same grades as Canada).


There is a French International School (hk island) with international stream; they teach french as a second language, and a bit of Mandarin (but this is not very strong).


International Montessori School (IMS) would be another option since you mention your daughter was happy at Montesoori. IMS has a primary programme, and also teaches Mandarin as a second language.


If you like an American style of education, then there is HKIS...... but this is also the most expensive option. About US$20,000 when all expenses are considered.


There are lots of other options, but it depends where you are living and whether you would like a big or small school etc. For reference, rote-learning is not really a factor at international schools.... all of them are more progressive...... but it does exist in the "local" stream.

Schooling is one of the most difficult aspects of moving to HK.


There are lots of international primary schools to choose from, but most of them will have waiting lists now as you are very late in even thinking about which school, never mind applying and having the required interview and tests for your daughter.


Does your husband's company have a debenture at a primary school? If you don't know what I'm talking about, you can find info on other threads on this forum or go to individual school websites.


The schooling options are:

- local primary schools - of which very few accept non-Chinese, even those which are called "English medium of instruction" (EMI)

- direct-subsidy schools (DSS) which are partly-government subsidized, fee-paying local schools few of which accept non-Chinese

- English Schools Foundation (ESF) schools: originally set up for expatriate children but now accept lots of locals who can function in English classrooms. You have to have a HK address as there are catchment areas for each school.

- international schools: many of which are privately run and therefore profit making, offering a curriculum usually based on one of: American, British, Canadian, Singaporean, Korean, Japanese, etc national standards.