The Innovation Fellowship (TIF)

A small project-based international high school in Shibuya that was fully accredited by MSA-CESS in late 2025. Suited to families who want personalised, inquiry-led learning and an American diploma rather than a standard IB or AP programme.

TIF runs a high school programme built on project-based, problem-based and inquiry-based learning, with an American diploma at the end. Co-founder and head Jason Cody Douglass holds a Yale doctorate. The school received full MSA-CESS accreditation on 1 December 2025, which moves it from a young start-up to a recognised diploma-granting school.

The model leans personal. Cohorts are small, students drive their own project portfolios alongside the core academic spine, and coaches work closely with both students and families. The school is new, with a short alumni track record and a small community, so anyone choosing it needs to be comfortable with a school still building out. The Shibuya location is straightforward for most central Tokyo addresses.

• Parents and students consistently praise the project-based model, especially the freedom to build work around personal interests and real-world goals.
• Mentorship is the strongest positive theme, with families describing individual coaching, external expert connections, and close alignment with parents.
• The public pool is enthusiastic but narrow, so the main caution is fit: this appears best suited to self-directed students who want a small, unconventional school.