Cities / Beijing / Canadian International School of Beijing
Canadian International School of Beijing
The only school in Beijing combining all three IB programmes with the Canadian (New Brunswick) curriculum, from Montessori Nursery through Grade 12. Located near Liangmaqiao in the embassy district of Chaoyang, with a 38,000 m² air-quality controlled campus. Duke of…
In brief
Run on the New Brunswick (Canada) curriculum alongside the full IB continuum, on two downtown Liangmaqiao campuses near the embassy area. Founded in 2005, around 1,400 pupils from Montessori nursery through Grade 12.
The combination of Canadian provincial curriculum plus PYP, MYP and DP is unusual in Beijing and is the reason most diplomatic Canadian families end up here. Location is the second pull: a downtown school inside the embassy belt, not a Shunyi commute. The two-campus split means younger and older pupils are kept apart, which families generally like.
Parents lean positive on teaching quality, transparent communication and well-equipped classrooms. The headline complaint is fees, which sit above 200,000 RMB at the top end and are a stretch for non-diplomatic and non-corporate-package families. Teacher-side feedback is more mixed, with leadership style the consistent grumble, though that has not translated into a strong negative parent thread.
Fees
| Fee | Age | Type | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|
| Montessori Nursery Half Day | 2 | Annual | CN¥135,500 |
| Montessori Nursery Full Day | 2 | Annual | CN¥201,500 |
| Pre-Kindergarten Full Day | 4 | Annual | CN¥223,500 |
| Kindergarten Full Day | 5 | Annual | CN¥238,800 |
| Elementary Grades 1-5 | 6 | Annual | CN¥287,000 |
| Middle School Grades 6-8 | 11 | Annual | CN¥297,000 |
| High School Grades 9-10 | 14 | Annual | CN¥326,800 |
| High School Grades 11-12 | 16 | Annual | CN¥336,800 |
| Application Fee (non-refundable) | One-time | CN¥2,000 |
Reviews
- CISB is a recurring shorthand for the embassy-district expat school in Beijing. forum threads place it among the schools Canadian and embassy families default to when they want IB without moving to Shunyi.
- Parent reviews on directories sit across a small pool. The recurring praise focuses on experienced teachers, the diverse student body of more than 60 nationalities and the Liangmaqiao downtown campus.
- Cost is the most consistent caveat. One parent flagged annual fees north of 200,000 RMB; the AmCham China discount programme and the embassy population are part of how families absorb that.
- Staff signal is more cautious. A 2021 Glassdoor review describes the school avoiding visa-related compensation during a contract dispute around China's quarantine rules. Internationalteachers commentary places CISB on the lower side of Beijing teaching salaries; competitor schools like BIBS and BCIS reportedly pay 1.5 to 2 times more.
- One Reddit thread on closed schools mentioned a separate Canadian-branded operation outside Beijing that opened and shut several times over a decade. That history is unrelated to CISB itself but the brand similarity confuses readers; the Liangmaqiao school is a stable, longstanding operation.
Head of school
James McCrory
James McCrory is an experienced Irish educator and administrator with over 30 years of professional experience across multiple countries, including 12 years within IB schools. His leadership career includes roles such as Head of School, Primary Principal, Secondary Principal, and Deputy Executive Principal. He holds a PGCE from the University of London, an MSc in Learning and Technology from the University of Oxford, and an MA in Educational Leadership and Management from the University of Bath. Mr. McCrory is passionate about the IB social-constructivist educational philosophy and is fluent in English and Spanish, with additional skills in French and Japanese.
Accreditations
- Council of International Schools 01
Academic results
- IB Programmes PYP / MYP / DP
- Nationalities 60+
- Founded 2005