Notes / Hong Kong
Best Primary Schools in Hong Kong
Hong Kong primary: the ten ESF primaries, the debenture flagships, the bilingual through-schools, and the strongest stand-alones.
Comparison table
| School | Curriculum | Ages | Fees range | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kennedy School | IB PYP | 5 to 11 | 139,000 | Pokfulam; ESF, bilingual stream available |
| Kowloon Junior | IB PYP | 5 to 12 | 139,000 | Ho Man Tin; oldest ESF primary |
| Bradbury | IB PYP | 5 to 11 | 139,000 | Mid-Levels; ESF primary |
| German Swiss International | IB, British, German | 3 to 18 | 197,000–257,000 | The Peak; dual English-German streams |
| Chinese International | IB PYP, bilingual | 6 to 18 | 216,000–343,000 | North Point; half-and-half bilingual |
| Kellett | British | 4 to 18 | 209,000–267,000 | Pok Fu Lam Prep; BSO Outstanding |
| Hong Kong International School | American | 4 to 18 | 232,000–259,000 | Repulse Bay and Tai Tam |
| ISF Academy | IB PYP, bilingual | 5 to 18 | 240,000–304,000 | Pokfulam; simplified-character Mandarin |
| Harrow International | British | 3 to 18 | 176,000–239,000 | Tuen Mun; boarding optional |
| Canadian International | IB PYP, bilingual | 3 to 18 | 139,000–254,000 | Aberdeen waterfront |
| Singapore International | Singapore primary, IB | 3 to 18 | 103,000–255,000 | Aberdeen; Singapore MOE primary |
| Australian International | IB PYP, Australian | 4 to 18 | 156,000–265,000 | Kowloon Tong |
| Yew Chung International | IB PYP, bilingual | 1 to 18 | 223,000–269,000 | Multi-site; co-teacher bilingual |
| Nord Anglia | British | 3 to 18 | 91,000–223,000 | Lam Tin to Kwun Tong |
| Hong Kong Academy | IB PYP | 3 to 18 | 119,000–274,000 | Sai Kung; strong learning support |
| French International | IB, French | 3 to 18 | 152,000–218,000 | Happy Valley; dual streams |
| International Christian School | American, AP | 3 to 18 | 91,000–202,000 | Sha Tin; Christian ethos |
| American School Hong Kong | American, IB | 5 to 18 | 165,000–235,000 | Tai Po; IB DP at top |
| Anfield | British | 2 to 11 | 101,000–165,000 | Multi-site; stand-alone EYFS to KS2 |
The brief
- The English Schools Foundation primaries are the city's largest English-medium primary network and the cheapest credible international primary route: ten schools running IB PYP at HKD 139,000 a year.
- The private flagships are German Swiss International, Chinese International, Kellett, Hong Kong International School Lower Primary, ISF Academy and Harrow, most with a debenture or capital levy on top of fees.
- The bilingual through-schools are CIS, ISF, Yew Chung International and Canadian International, each running English and Mandarin in primary on a different model.
- The IB PYP is the default primary curriculum. The British primaries follow EYFS into Key Stages 1 and 2; the American primaries follow Common Core and state-style Lower School.
- A primary place is a secondary place. The Year 6 to Year 7 move is mostly internal at the private flagships and inside the ESF network; the choice at age 5 settles most of the choice at age 11.
Hong Kong runs two parallel English-medium primary systems. The English Schools Foundation runs ten primaries that take roughly 8,000 children between them and graduate them straight into the five ESF secondaries on the IB Diploma. The private through-schools run their own primaries from age 3, 4 or 5 into their own senior schools at age 11. Neither system resets admissions at age 11.
Debentures matter at primary. HKIS, GSIS, Kellett, CIS, Harrow and others operate corporate debentures or capital levies on top of fees. A debenture buys waiting-list priority; a capital levy is a non-refundable building contribution. Both can run from HKD 100,000 to several million per child.
The top tier, ESF
The English Schools Foundation runs ten primary schools across the territory at HKD 139,000 a year, the lowest credible international rate in the city for IB PYP. The catchment system places children into the school nearest home; K2 children at an ESF kindergarten get internal priority into Year 1 at the linked primary.
Beacon Hill in Kowloon Tong feeds King George V. Bradbury in Mid-Levels East feeds Island and South Island. Clearwater Bay sits on the Sai Kung peninsula. Kennedy in Pokfulam is the largest ESF primary and the only one with a Bilingual English-Mandarin Stream. Peak School on The Peak is the smallest, founded 1911. Quarry Bay at Braemar Hill serves eastern Hong Kong Island. Sha Tin Junior shares a site with Sha Tin College. Kowloon Junior in Ho Man Tin is the longest-running ESF primary (1902). The two ESF through-schools, Discovery College on Lantau and Renaissance College in Ma On Shan, run primary on the same campus as their MYP and DP senior schools at HKD 148,000 to 195,000.
The top tier, private
German Swiss International School
The Peak. English Stream (EYFS into KS1 and KS2) and German Stream (German curriculum) on one campus. CIS, BLI seal. Fees HKD 197,000 to 257,000. Founded 1969. Around 1,300 pupils. Daily Mandarin from Year 1. English Stream finishes on A-Levels; German Stream on Abitur or IB.
Chinese International School
Braemar Hill. Primary Year 1 to Year 6. IB PYP, bilingual English-Mandarin, IB Diploma at senior. Fees HKD 216,000 to 343,000. Founded 1983. Around 1,600 pupils. The most committed dual-language primary in the city: roughly half the curriculum taught in Mandarin from Year 1, co-teaching pairs in every primary classroom.
Kellett School
Pok Fu Lam Prep (ages 4 to 11) and Kowloon Bay (senior). British, EYFS into KS1 and KS2. BSO Outstanding 2023, COBIS Patron's. Fees HKD 209,000 to 267,000 plus debenture or annual capital levy. Founded 1976, the city's longest-running British primary. Strong phonics, strong maths, a longer school day than most age-5 to age-11 programmes in the city.
Hong Kong International School Lower Primary
Repulse Bay (Reception 1 to Grade 2) and Tai Tam (Grades 3 to 5). American, WASC. Fees HKD 232,000 to 259,000 plus debenture. Founded 1966. Around 3,000 pupils across the whole school, the largest international school in the city. Mandarin from Reception, daily literacy and maths block, Lutheran ethos in chapel and service.
ISF Academy
Pokfulam. Ages 5 to 18. IB PYP, bilingual English-Mandarin, IB Diploma at 18. Fees HKD 240,000 to 304,000. Founded 2003. Around 2,300 pupils. The other serious bilingual primary alongside CIS: half the day in Mandarin, half in English, from Year 1, with simplified-character Mandarin literacy and classical Chinese embedded by Year 4.
Harrow International School
Tuen Mun. Lower School ages 3 to 11. British, EYFS into KS1 and KS2. CIS, BSO, COBIS Patron's. Fees HKD 176,000 to 239,000 plus capital levy. Founded 2012. Around 1,700 pupils. Boarding optional from Year 6. Mandarin specialist embedded in the day; Lower School moves to Upper School on the same campus.
Canadian International School of Hong Kong
Aberdeen waterfront. IB PYP, bilingual English-Mandarin. CIS re-accredited 2024, WASC, Apple Distinguished. Fees HKD 139,000 to 254,000. Founded 1991. Around 2,200 pupils. Mandarin specialist in every primary homeroom; the bilingual model is less rigid than CIS or ISF, more English-led, but Mandarin is daily and substantial.
Strong mid-tier
Australian International, Kowloon Tong, IB PYP with an Australian K-2 framework and an Australian teaching cohort, IB MYP and DP at senior. Fees HKD 156,000 to 265,000. Northern Hemisphere calendar with a January Year 12 transfer option.
Singapore International, Aberdeen, runs the Singapore MOE primary curriculum to age 11 with daily Mandarin, then IB PYP, MYP and DP. Fees HKD 103,000 to 255,000. Strong for primary maths.
Yew Chung International, multi-site, founded 1932. IB PYP, bilingual with two co-teachers in every primary classroom and roughly half the day in each language. Senior fees HKD 223,000 to 269,000.
Nord Anglia at Lam Tin (primary) and Kwun Tong (senior). British EYFS into KS1 and KS2, IB or A-Levels at senior, Cognia, ISI, CIS. Fees HKD 91,000 to 222,000. Daily Mandarin from Reception, Juilliard performing-arts strand.
Hong Kong Academy, Sai Kung. IB PYP, CIS, WASC, fees HKD 119,000 to 274,000. Around 500 pupils across the whole school. Learning support is core, not optional: educational psychologists, specialist teachers and individual education plans are standard.
French International, Happy Valley and Tseung Kwan O. International Stream (IB PYP, English-French bilingual) and French Stream (French Ministry curriculum), AEFE-recognised. Fees HKD 152,000 to 218,000.
Discovery Bay International, Lantau. British EYFS into KS2 and A-Levels at senior, fees HKD 133,000 to 197,000. The Lantau British option for families settled in Discovery Bay.
Best for British / ENC primary
The English National Curriculum primary route is EYFS (Reception, age 4 to 5), Key Stage 1 (Years 1 and 2), Key Stage 2 (Years 3 to 6), assessed by teacher judgement and end-of-Key-Stage tests. Hong Kong's British primaries do not sit statutory SATs; they use internal assessment supplemented by CAT4, MAP or PIRA.
The closest British primary routes in the city are Kellett (BSO Outstanding 2023), Harrow Lower School, GSIS English Stream, Nord Anglia Lam Tin, Discovery Bay International and Anfield (multi-site stand-alone EYFS to KS2). The ESF primaries follow PYP rather than ENC.
Best for IB PYP
The IB Primary Years Programme runs ages 3 to 12 as a single inquiry-led curriculum with no external assessment until the PYP Exhibition at the end of Year 6. The PYP route in Hong Kong:
- The ten ESF primaries, the largest PYP network in the city.
- ISF Academy, bilingual PYP at Pokfulam.
- Canadian International, bilingual PYP at Aberdeen.
- Chinese International School, bilingual PYP at North Point.
- Hong Kong Academy at Sai Kung.
- Victoria Shanghai Academy at Aberdeen.
- Australian International at Kowloon Tong.
- Malvern College from age 5.
The strength of a PYP primary depends heavily on teaching capacity; the framework is permissive enough that a weak school can hide inside it.
Best for American Elementary
American Lower School in Hong Kong runs Pre-K, Kindergarten and Grades 1 to 5, broadly aligned to Common Core English and Math with state-style social studies and science. Middle School starts at Grade 6, breaking the primary band a year earlier than the British and PYP systems.
The American primary options are Hong Kong International School Lower Primary at Repulse Bay (the flagship), International Christian School at Sha Tin (explicit Christian ethos), American School Hong Kong at Tai Po (American framework with IB DP at senior), American International School at Kowloon Tong, and Hong Kong Adventist Academy at Sai Kung. HKIS is the only American primary with the scale, history and university outflow that defines the segment; the others are credible mid-market alternatives.
At a glance
| Primary | Curriculum | Ages | Fees (HKD) | Debenture / levy |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ESF primaries (10 schools) | IB PYP | 5 to 11 | 139,000 | None |
| German Swiss International | IB, British, German | 3 to 18 | 197,000–257,000 | Debenture |
| Chinese International | IB PYP, bilingual | 6 to 18 | 216,000–343,000 | Debenture |
| Kellett | British | 4 to 18 | 209,000–267,000 | Debenture |
| Hong Kong International School | American | 4 to 18 | 232,000–259,000 | Debenture |
| ISF Academy | IB PYP, bilingual | 5 to 18 | 240,000–304,000 | Capital levy |
| Harrow International | British | 3 to 18 | 176,000–239,000 | Capital levy |
| Canadian International | IB PYP, bilingual | 3 to 18 | 139,000–254,000 | Debenture |
| Yew Chung International | IB PYP, bilingual | 1 to 18 | 223,000–269,000 | Capital levy |
| Australian International | IB PYP, Australian | 4 to 18 | 156,000–265,000 | Levy |
| Singapore International | Singapore primary, IB | 3 to 18 | 103,000–255,000 | None |
| Nord Anglia | British | 3 to 18 | 91,000–223,000 | None |
| Hong Kong Academy | IB PYP | 3 to 18 | 119,000–274,000 | None |
| French International | IB, French | 3 to 18 | 152,000–218,000 | None |
| International Christian School | American, AP | 3 to 18 | 91,000–202,000 | None |
| Anfield | British | 2 to 11 | 101,000–165,000 | None |
Fees in HKD per year. Debentures and capital levies extra; some refundable, some not. Verify with each school.
The age labels and frameworks
Primary runs age 5 to 11 in the British and PYP systems and age 5 to 10 (Kindergarten to Grade 5) in the American system. The British flagships start primary at age 4 with Reception (Kellett, Harrow, HKIS).
The English National Curriculum covers EYFS, KS1 and KS2. The IB PYP is ages 3 to 12, inquiry-led, transdisciplinary, finishing with the PYP Exhibition. American Lower School runs Pre-K through Grade 5 aligned to Common Core, with Middle School starting at Grade 6.
Mandarin in primary is daily at almost every credible international primary. The bilingual schools (CIS, ISF, YCIS, CDNIS) run roughly half the curriculum in Mandarin. Most others run a daily Mandarin period of 30 to 50 minutes. The Kennedy School Bilingual Stream is the only ESF route with co-taught Mandarin classrooms.
How to choose between them
Where do you live? ESF places by catchment. Private schools accept from anywhere but the practical commute defines the shortlist. A daily 60-minute commute for a six-year-old wears thin.
Through-school or stand-alone? A through-school resolves the secondary question at primary entry. A stand-alone keeps options open at age 11, at the cost of re-applying into a competitive Year 7 market.
ESF or private? ESF primaries are credible at HKD 139,000 against private at HKD 200,000 to 340,000 plus debentures. The private flagships add scale (HKIS), bilingual depth (CIS, ISF), brand (Harrow, Kellett) or specific pedagogy (Yew Chung co-teaching).
Mandarin to what level? Functional Mandarin (daily period at most British and ESF schools), strong second-language Mandarin (Kennedy Bilingual Stream, Mandarin specialist at CDNIS or Harrow), or native-level literacy (CIS, ISF, YCIS).
Related reading
- Best international schools in Hong Kong, the city pillar.
- Best British schools in Hong Kong, the ESF, Harrow, Kellett and British-stream route through to A-Levels.
- Best IB schools in Hong Kong, the IB PYP through to Diploma routes.
- Best American schools in Hong Kong, the HKIS, AIS, ASHK and ICS American Elementary routes.
- Best early years schools in Hong Kong, the kindergartens that feed into primary.
- English National Curriculum and Key Stages, what EYFS, KS1 and KS2 cover.
FAQs
When do Year 1 applications open in Hong Kong? Most through-schools open applications in September or October for entry the following August. ESF runs a central Year 1 application that closes in late November or early December. Top schools fill 12 to 18 months ahead.
Is ESF really cheaper, and is the quality the same? ESF primary fees are HKD 139,000 against HKD 200,000 to 340,000 at the private flagships. Teaching is strong, the PYP is implemented well, and the route into the five ESF secondaries on the IB Diploma is intact. The private schools add scale, bilingual depth, brand or pedagogy.
What is a debenture, and do primary children pay one? A debenture is a refundable corporate loan paid on entry that secures a place at certain private schools. HKIS, GSIS, Kellett, CIS, Harrow and others operate debentures or capital levies; some are refundable when the child leaves, some are not. At primary entry, the debenture is usually due at first acceptance.
Can I move my child from ESF to a private school at age 11? Possible, but harder than staying in the ESF route. Private through-school Year 7 intakes are mostly filled by the school's own primary cohort. The ESF route into King George V, Sha Tin College, Island School, South Island School, West Island School, Renaissance and Discovery is internal and well-trodden.
Will my child cope with no Cantonese or Mandarin? At the international primaries, yes. The schools are designed for a mix of language backgrounds and EAL support is standard. A child arriving with no Chinese will pick up the daily Mandarin lessons without becoming fluent; a bilingual primary requires more language commitment but supports beginners through Year 1 and Year 2.
Fees and operating details correct as of June 2026. The primary market in Hong Kong moves slowly at the top, more quickly in the mid-tier. Verify current figures, debenture terms and admissions cycles directly with each school before applying.