American International School of Guangzhou

Guangzhou's oldest and largest non-profit international school, founded in 1981 to serve the US Consulate community and now around 1,080 students from preschool to Grade 12 across two campuses.

Lower years sit on Ersha Island in the Pearl River; Grades 4 to 12 are at the Science Park campus in Huangpu, a Perkins&Will building opened more recently. Authorised for IB PYP and Diploma, with an American programme through middle school and a combined US high school diploma plus IB DP at the top. Class of 2023 averaged 34 on the IB, well above world average, with 91 percent passing. CIS, WASC and Chinese Ministry of Education accredited.

AISG has long been the default expat choice in Guangzhou, particularly for American and diplomatic-circuit families, and the reputation rests on staff stability, breadth of activities and a settled non-profit governance model. Fees are at the top of the Guangzhou market. The Science Park location adds a real commute for families based further west, so transport time is the practical cost to weigh against the academic and community pull.

• 44-year-old non-profit IB World School, the oldest international school in South China, with PreK-Grade 3 on Ersha Island and Grades 4-12 in Science Park, Huangpu. Governed by a parent-teacher-director board and consistently described as the premier expat option in Guangzhou.
• Teachers place AISG firmly in their tier-1 East Asia bracket alongside HKIS, ISB, WAB and Shanghai American School. One ex-teacher said they spent six years there and would do it again. Another said any teacher who lands AISG "will be fine."
• The package is widely considered top-band for China. Comments cite a colleague earning over USD 120k post-tax with a roughly GBP 2,000-a-month housing allowance. AISG is repeatedly named among the few Chinese schools where teachers can save serious money without sacrificing lifestyle.
• Parents describe a welcoming community, inquiry-based teaching, strong tech (3D printers, recording booth, Adobe subscription) and a non-profit governance model that channels fees back into learning rather than parent-facing showpieces.
• The most material negative signal is one extended r/guangzhou post from September 2024 alleging communication breakdowns, a chaotic hiring system, and complaints about specific teachers behaving poorly toward students with the school not acting on complaints. This sits against a long, consistent positive record and should be treated as one voice rather than a pattern.
• Admin turnover surfaces in teacher reviews, especially in elementary, but is framed as manageable rather than destabilising.