Cities / Tokyo / Laurus International School of Science
Laurus International School of Science
A STEM-focused Cambridge school across several Tokyo campuses, distinctive for purpose-built science facilities and an in-house science and innovation curriculum layered on Cambridge.
In brief
A STEM-focused Cambridge school across several Tokyo campuses, distinctive for purpose-built science facilities and an in-house science and innovation curriculum layered on Cambridge.
Founded in the early 2000s as a kindergarten in Bilingua and now grown to a primary and secondary site in Shiba plus several preschool and kindergarten campuses including Shirokanedai, Laurus markets itself as the only STEM-focused international school in Japan. Children work with robotics, 3D printing, VR equipment, and themed science floors, alongside the Cambridge pathway to IGCSE and A Level.
Parent voice is mixed. Many families praise the science facilities, the project-based teaching, and the warmth of individual teachers, with children visibly engaged. Others raise concerns about leadership style and a sense that growth has outpaced systems, particularly higher up the school. CIS accreditation provides external scrutiny. Families drawn to the STEM pitch tend to recommend visiting the Shiba secondary campus rather than the early-years sites alone.
Reviews
- Tokyo STEM-branded school across multiple sites. Parent voice online is thin; staff voice is loud and overwhelmingly negative.
- A pool of 22+ reviews from teachers in Tokyo averages well below the education-sector benchmark. Recurring complaints: opaque pay with role-by-role disparities, last-minute annual contract renewals, alleged labour-law breaches on hours and breaks.
- One ex-teacher's detailed account describes a toxic management culture, frequent staff burnout, and high turnover, with most staff leaving inside a year.
- The school's own website states working conditions, salaries and holidays were significantly improved in 2024; that change post-dates most of the negative reviews.
- Parent-side signal is one positive testimonial about a child flourishing. No critical mass of independent parent feedback to balance the staff picture.
- Wikipedia editors have flagged the article for promotional content and conflict-of-interest editing.
Considerations
- Working conditions. Glassdoor and Reddit teachers describe pay opacity, contract insecurity, and alleged hours/breaks violations.
- Management culture. Multiple staff accounts describe favouritism, turnover, and burnout. One ex-teacher cites five colleagues having mental or emotional breakdowns over two years.
- Staff turnover. Most staff reportedly leave within a year, per Glassdoor reviews.
- Recent changes. School site states salaries, holidays and working conditions were improved in 2024; outcomes not yet visible in independent reviews.
- Parent feedback. Public parent voice is sparse: one positive testimonial; no aggregated parent reviews on independent platforms.
Accreditations
- Council of International Schools 01