Best Secondary Schools in Hong Kong

Secondary is where the stakes rise. Exit qualifications lock in, university pathways narrow, subject combinations matter. A child can move primary schools and lose little ground. Moving at Year 10 is a different conversation.

Hong Kong's secondary market is unusually weighted toward one qualification. The English Schools Foundation runs 22 schools city-wide, and every one of its seven secondaries finishes on the IB Diploma. Most private flagships do the same. The result is one of the densest IB markets in Asia: the 2024 global IB DP average was 30.32, and the top half of the city's IB cohort sits above 38.

The private market splits two ways. The British-rooted flagships (Harrow, Kellett, German Swiss, Nord Anglia) offer A-Levels or a choice of pathway. The full IB continuum schools (CIS, ISF, CDNIS, Victoria Shanghai) carry pupils from PYP through to DP under one roof. Debentures and capital levies bite hardest at this end of the market.

The top tier, ESF

The English Schools Foundation is Hong Kong's largest English-medium provider: 22 schools, around 18,000 pupils, governed as a single foundation and the only Asian system carrying an ongoing government subvention rooted in colonial-era arrangements. The academic spine is consistent across the seven secondaries: British primary tradition, IGCSE in Year 11, then IB Diploma at sixth form. None offers A-Levels.

Secondary fees in 2025/26 run HKD 159,400 to 181,100 (USD 20,400 to 23,200). A separate Nomination Rights Scheme contribution (HKD 38,000 per family) sits in place of a debenture.

The seven ESF secondaries finishing on IB DP:

• West Island School (Pok Fu Lam): IB DP 37.6 (2025), 100% pass rate, 38% scoring 40+. The strongest recent ESF run.
• Sha Tin College (Sha Tin): IB DP 37.2, 41% scoring 40+. Sibling pipeline from Sha Tin Junior.
• King George V (Ho Man Tin): founded 1894, oldest and largest ESF. IB DP mean 36.1, 29% scoring 40+.
• Island School (Sha Tin during redevelopment): IB DP 36.5.
• South Island School (Aberdeen): IB DP 35.9, broad cohort, 86% scoring 30+.
• Renaissance College (Ma On Shan): full PYP / MYP / DP / CP through-school.
• Discovery College (Discovery Bay): full PYP / MYP / DP, island-life feeder.

Allocation is geographic and sibling-led at Year 7. If the school you want is West Island and you live in Sha Tin, the answer is usually no.

The top tier, private

Six schools run at premium fees with full international accreditation and published results that hold up to scrutiny.

Chinese International School

Braemar Hill. Founded 1983. Ages 4 to 18. Full IB continuum (PYP, MYP, DP, CP). CIS / NEASC re-accredited 2021. Fees HKD 216,100 to 342,800 (USD 27,700 to 43,950). Debenture.

IB DP 2025 average 38.95, 99% pass rate, 49% scored 40+, 28% bilingual diploma. The Mandarin-English bilingual programme is among the deepest in the city. Around 1,600 pupils; counselling built for top-50 US and UK destinations.

The ISF Academy

Pokfulam. Founded 2003. Ages 5 to 18. Full IB continuum. CIS accredited since 2014. Fees HKD 240,320 to 303,530 (USD 30,800 to 38,900). Capital levy.

IB DP 2025 average 38.9, 100% pass rate, 94% matriculated to a top-100 world university. Mandarin is embedded across the day. Around 2,300 pupils.

Hong Kong International School

Repulse Bay and Tai Tam. Founded 1966. Ages 4 to 18. American curriculum with AP. WASC fully accredited. Fees HKD 231,600 to 258,550 (USD 29,700 to 33,150). Debenture.

The American flagship: 3,000 pupils, the largest student body in the city and a 25-subject AP programme. Nearly 100% of graduates continue to tertiary study, weighted heavily toward US universities. The High School transcript is US-compatible from the start; counselling depth on the US side has no equal in Hong Kong.

Harrow International School Hong Kong

Tuen Mun. Founded 2012. Ages 3 to 18. A-Level finish. CIS, BSO, COBIS Patron's. Fees HKD 175,812 to 239,070 (USD 22,500 to 30,650). Capital levy.

The only full British boarding option in the city: optional from Year 6, common from Year 9. *A-Level 2025: 33% A\, 70% A\-A, 90% A\-B. GCSE 2025: 59% Grade 9, 79% at 9 to 8 / A\***. Run by Harrow International Management Services, which licenses the Harrow name; the link to Harrow School in London is operational rather than ownership-level. Tuen Mun is the far north-west of the New Territories.

Kellett School

Pok Fu Lam (Prep) and Kowloon Bay (Senior). Founded 1976. Ages 4 to 18. A-Level finish. BSO Outstanding 2023, COBIS Patron's. Fees HKD 208,800 to 267,100 (USD 26,750 to 34,250). Capital levy on entry.

The longest-running British independent-model school in Hong Kong, reading in voice and operation like a UK prep-and-senior pair. *A-Level 2025: 27.5% A\-A, 60.6% A\-B, 100% pass rate. GCSE 2025: 67% at 9 to 8 / A\. BSO Outstanding** is the highest rating the UK Department for Education awards overseas.

German Swiss International School

The Peak. Founded 1969. Ages 3 to 18. English-stream British primary, A-Levels and small IB at sixth form. CIS, BLI ("Excellent German School Abroad") 2023. Fees HKD 197,000 to 256,700 (USD 25,250 to 32,900).

Two parallel streams: German and English. The English stream follows the British National Curriculum to IGCSE, then offers A-Levels alongside a small IB cohort. IB DP 2024 average 40 points, *52% A\-A at A-Level**. Application competition at Peak Road is high.

Strong mid-tier

The mid-tier schools sit a clear bracket below the flagships on fee, but several deliver IB DP results that hold their own.

Singapore International School

Aberdeen. Founded 1991. Ages 3 to 18. British primary, IB DP at sixth form. Fees HKD 103,000 to 254,900.

IB DP 2024 average 39.2 points, *76.5% A\-A at IGCSE 2023**. Built on the Singapore Ministry of Education's primary framework, converging on the Diploma at 16. Among the strongest published averages outside the very top tier.

Canadian International School of Hong Kong

Aberdeen. Founded 1991. Ages 3 to 18. Full IB continuum. CIS re-accredited 2024, WASC. Fees HKD 138,600 to 254,300. Debenture.

IB DP 2025 average 37.7, 96% pass rate, 39.4% scored 40+. A Canadian-Ontario identity layered onto full IB delivery; the 13-storey vertical campus is a Hong Kong landmark. Around 2,200 pupils.

Victoria Shanghai Academy

Aberdeen. Founded 2004. Ages 6 to 18. Full IB continuum. CIS, NEASC. Fees HKD 181,200 to 255,600.

IB DP 2025 average 38, 100% MYP certificate rate. Run by the Victoria Educational Organisation, a Hong Kong-rooted non-profit. Putonghua-English bilingual through MYP. Parent demographic leans local.

Australian International School Hong Kong

Kowloon Tong. Founded 1995. Ages 4 to 18. Australian primary, IB DP and HSC at senior. Fees HKD 156,200 to 265,400.

IB DP average 38, 41% scoring 40+, highest ATAR 99.7. The dual IB-HSC sixth form is unusual in the city: students choose between the IB Diploma and the New South Wales HSC at Year 11, useful for families on an Australian track.

Malvern College Hong Kong

Tai Po. Founded 2018. Ages 1 to 18. IB through-school. Fees HKD 198,860 to 226,210. Debenture.

IB DP average 44, 60% scoring 45, 47% bilingual diploma. The headline figures are exceptional and the cohort is small; the brand is licensed from Malvern College in England. A school still building its results history.

Nord Anglia International School Hong Kong

Kwun Tong (Senior), Lam Tin (Primary). Ages 3 to 18. British primary, IB or A-Levels at sixth form. Cognia, ISI, CIS. Fees HKD 91,300 to 222,500.

The local campus of Nord Anglia Education. British National Curriculum and IGCSE through Year 11, then both IB Diploma and A-Levels at sixth form, unusual in the city. IB DP average 33.1; *A-Level A\-B 67%**. The IB cohort is the larger of the two.

Yew Chung International School

Kowloon Tong. Founded 1932. Ages 1 to 18. British primary, IB Diploma at senior. Fees HKD 223,036 to 268,640. Capital levy.

IB DP 2022 average 37.3, *49% A\/A at IGCSE 2022. Distinctive co-taught Mandarin-English classroom model from kindergarten through MYP. Around 2,200 pupils**.

Best for A-Levels

Most international schools in Hong Kong end on the IB Diploma. The schools delivering A-Levels to completion are a short list:

• Harrow Hong Kong (Tuen Mun): *33% A\ in 2025, 70% A\-A*, full BSO and COBIS Patron's accreditation. Boarding available.
• Kellett (Kowloon Bay senior): BSO Outstanding 2023, *27.5% A\-A, 100% pass rate**. The senior-school environment closest to a UK independent.
• German Swiss English stream (The Peak): *52% A\-A**. Smaller A-Level cohort sitting alongside a small IB stream.
• Nord Anglia (Kwun Tong): *A\-B 67%**, A-Level cohort smaller than the IB cohort.
• Discovery Bay International (Discovery Bay): *A\-A 38%**.
• Wycombe Abbey Hong Kong (Aberdeen): Senior School opened August 2025, first A-Level cohort still in progress. Co-educational despite the UK parent's all-girls model.

Beyond these, HKBUAS (Sha Tin) and Diocesan Girls' School (Jordan) run GCE A-Levels at local-school fees. *HKBUAS 2024: 23% A\ across all entries. DGS 2023: 57% A\***. Strong on paper, with admissions skewed heavily local.

ESF does not offer A-Levels at any of its 22 schools. If A-Levels through to 18 are non-negotiable, ESF is not the route.

Best for IB DP

The published IB Diploma averages, most recent cycle, sorted by score:

• Malvern College HK 44 (small cohort, 60% scoring 45).
• Diocesan Boys' School 42 (local DSS school).
• German Swiss English stream 40.
• Singapore International 39.2.
• Chinese International 38.95 (28% bilingual).
• The ISF Academy 38.9.
• PLK Choi Kai Yau 38.29 (62% bilingual).
• Carmel School 38.2.
• Victoria Shanghai, Australian International 38.
• Canadian International 37.7.
• West Island (ESF) 37.6.
• Sha Tin College (ESF) 37.2.

Cohort size matters. Malvern's 44 is a small-cohort number; CIS, ISF and the ESF flagships publish on cohorts of 100 plus. The 2024 global IB DP average was 30.32.

Best for boarding

Harrow Hong Kong is the only school in the city offering full British boarding. Optional from Year 6, standard from Year 9. Boarding fees are charged on top of tuition; ask for the combined figure.

Everyone else is day-only. Families wanting British boarding at scale typically look to the UK directly, or to Harrow Bangkok and Shrewsbury Bangkok in the region. The Hong Kong premium-boarding market simply does not match what is available in the UK or Singapore.

At a glance

Fees are 2025/26 annual tuition. Debentures and capital levies are one-off charges (some refundable) and vary by school and year of entry. Verify current figures with each school.

The age labels and exit points

Secondary runs Year 7 to Year 13 in British and ESF schools (ages 11 to 18) and Grade 6 to Grade 12 in American schools (ages 11 to 18). The exit qualifications are:

• IB Diploma. Six subjects (three Higher Level, three Standard Level) plus Theory of Knowledge, an Extended Essay, and CAS. Graded out of 45. The default exit at ESF and at most private full-continuum schools.
• A-Levels. Three or four subjects studied in depth. Graded A\* to E. The exit at Harrow, Kellett, GSIS English stream, Nord Anglia (alongside IB), DBIS and Wycombe Abbey.
• IGCSE. Sat at Year 11 in British-rooted schools as the bridge from KS4 to sixth form. Cambridge International and Pearson Edexcel are the dominant exam boards; Cambridge is one of the boards operationalising the English National Curriculum, not a separate curriculum.
• AP. Subject-by-subject College Board exams. The exit at HKIS, with some availability at HKAA, ICS and Concordia.
• HKDSE. The Hong Kong local exit, sat in some hybrid schools (Diocesan Boys, Diocesan Girls, HKBUAS, Creative Secondary) alongside or in place of IB or A-Levels.

ESF's pathway is consistent: Years 7 to 9 at KS3, IGCSE in Year 11, IB Diploma in Years 12 to 13. The British-rooted private schools share this skeleton but diverge at sixth form on the A-Level versus IB question.

How to choose between them

Where do you live? A 60-minute morning commute for a Year 9 student wears thin. Tuen Mun makes Harrow obvious. Pok Fu Lam and Mid-Levels pull toward Kellett, West Island, South Island, Singapore International and German Swiss. Discovery Bay families default to Discovery College or DBIS. Sha Tin runs on Sha Tin College and Renaissance College.

A-Levels or IB? The shorter list is the A-Level finishers: Harrow, Kellett, German Swiss (English stream), Nord Anglia, DBIS, Wycombe Abbey (pending). Everything else delivers the IB Diploma at sixth form. ESF is the IB Diploma at a third of private fees.

ESF or private? ESF secondary at HKD 159,400 to 181,100 sits below private flagships at HKD 200,000 to 343,000 plus a debenture or levy. ESF results at the top of the system (West Island, Sha Tin, KGV) are competitive with mid-tier private fees. The private flagships add scale, bilingual depth (CIS, ISF), American or A-Level pathways, or specific brand and operating culture.

Boarding? Only Harrow, only from Year 6 upward. Boarders sit a different daily rhythm from day pupils and the location calculus inverts: Tuen Mun stops mattering.

Bilingual? PLK CKY publishes 62% bilingual diploma, Malvern 47%, CIS 28%, AIS HK 24%. These are world-leading rates. If Chinese-English bilingual literacy is the goal, the bilingual flagships are a different proposition from a school running daily Mandarin lessons alongside an English curriculum.

Related reading

• Best international schools in Hong Kong, the city pillar.
• Best primary schools in Hong Kong, the feeders that run into the secondary year.
• Best British schools in Hong Kong, the ESF, Harrow and Kellett routes in detail.
• Best IB schools in Hong Kong, the IB Diploma deep-dive.
• Best American schools in Hong Kong, HKIS, Stamford American, AIS and ICS.
• IB Diploma explained, the structure of the 45-point qualification.
• A-Levels explained, the three-or-four subject route.
• IGCSE explained, the Year 11 bridge.
• IB vs A-Levels, the sixth-form decision.

FAQs

When do Year 7 applications open in Hong Kong?

Most through-schools admit the bulk of their Year 7 cohort from their own primary feeder. External Year 7 places are competitive and limited. Private schools open applications 12 to 18 months ahead. ESF allocates Year 7 places centrally with a deadline in late November or early December for entry the following August.

Why doesn't ESF offer A-Levels?

ESF moved its secondaries to IB Diploma system-wide over a decade ago and has not reversed the decision. The seven secondaries all run IGCSE at Year 11 and IB DP at sixth form. Families wanting A-Levels need a private school.

What is a debenture, and why is it so common in Hong Kong?

A debenture is a refundable capital sum (commonly HKD 250,000 to HKD 1.5 million) that the family lends to the school in return for a priority place. It returns, sometimes with conditions, when the child leaves. A capital levy is a non-refundable one-off charge on entry. Both exist because Hong Kong's construction costs and land scarcity make capital recovery harder than in lower-cost markets. The all-in first-year figure can be double the headline tuition.

Is Harrow's A-Level cohort genuinely strong?

*A-Level 2025: 33% A\, 70% A\-A. GCSE 2025: 59% Grade 9, 79% at 9 to 8 / A\**. The school holds BSO and COBIS Patron's accreditation and runs the city's only British boarding option. The headline figures sit alongside Kellett's at the top of the Hong Kong A-Level market.

How do I compare published IB results between schools?

Read for average score, pass rate, percentage scoring 40+, and cohort size. A small cohort can inflate or deflate a year's average. Bilingual diploma rate matters where Chinese-English literacy is a goal. The 2024 global IB DP average was 30.32; everything in the top half of the Hong Kong market clears that comfortably.

Can my child switch from a British school to an IB school at Year 12?

Yes, and the ESF route does this internally: British primary spine, IGCSE in Year 11, IB Diploma in Years 12 to 13. Moving from a British A-Level school into an IB DP school at age 16 is also possible, though the academic style differs (six subjects plus core, versus three subjects in depth). Strong students manage the transition; the question is fit, not capability.

Sources: school websites and published results, the English Schools Foundation (esf.edu.hk), the UK Department for Education BSO inspection reports, the COBIS member directory, the Hong Kong Education Bureau, IB Organisation statistical bulletins, Cambridge International and Pearson Edexcel specification pages, and verified ISG school records.