Notes / Tokyo
Best Secondary Schools in Tokyo
Tokyo's strongest secondary schools: ASIJ for AP, BST for A Levels, KIST for IB DP, and the second tier of IB and American through-schools.
The brief
- American School in Japan (ASIJ) is the largest secondary in the city, AP-led, WASC-accredited, around 1,700 pupils on the Chofu campus.
- The British School in Tokyo is the only major A Level school in Tokyo with published results: *59% A\ / A at A Level in 2025, 68% 9-7 at (I)GCSE**.
- K. International School Tokyo posted an IB DP average of 42.0 in 2025, the strongest published IB result in Tokyo.
- Seisen (girls) ran IB DP average 35 with a 97.7% pass rate in 2025, the strongest IB pass rate of any Tokyo school publishing data.
- Sacred Heart posted an AP average of 4.27 in 2025 and a 100% 3+ rate in 2024, the deepest AP record in Tokyo outside ASIJ.
Tokyo's secondary market is small, expensive, and structurally split. Foreign-curriculum schools sit under the Gakkō Kyōiku Hō as kakushu gakkō, outside the Japanese national system. MEXT-registered international schools sit inside it. ASIJ's AP dominance is unusual: the school has run since 1902 and operates the largest AP cohort in Japan. A Levels are rare, with BST the only central-Tokyo British school offering them. IB DP is the default Tokyo exit, available at KIST, Seisen, Aoba, TIS, St Mary's, Shinagawa International and Horizon. Top-year fees in the foreign-curriculum tier sit between JPY 2.4 million and 3.8 million.
The top tier
American School in Japan (ASIJ)
ASIJ is the anchor school of the city. Around 1,700 pupils from Kindergarten to Grade 12, the Chofu campus in west Tokyo, WASC-accredited, AP-led upper school with around 25 AP subjects. Founded 1902. Top-year fees JPY 3,783,000 before facilities charges. Head of school Amy Zuber Meehan. The dual draw is scale and AP depth: the broadest co-curricular programme in the city, Kanto Plain Athletic Conference sport, and a university counselling team built around US admissions.
The British School in Tokyo (BST)
BST is the only major British secondary in central Tokyo. Moved into Azabudai Hills in 2023, runs the English National Curriculum through IGCSE, then A Levels in Sixth Form alongside an IB Diploma option. Around 1,400 pupils. CIS-accredited, COBIS Patron Member. Head David Williams. Top-year fees JPY 3,030,000. The 2025 results are the strongest published numbers from any British school in Japan: *59% A\ / A at A Level, 68% 9-7 at (I)GCSE. The UK-trained staff bench is deep, and for families committed to UCAS and Russell Group pathways**, BST is the default.
St Mary's International School
St Mary's is the largest international boys' secondary in Tokyo. Setagaya, around 1,000 pupils, WASC and CIS-accredited, IB Diploma and American high school diploma on exit. Founded 1954. Fees JPY 2,850,000 to 3,000,000. Published IB DP record sat at 35 points in 2020 and 34 in 2019, with more recent figures not posted publicly. The school sits next to Seisen geographically and the two run joint events.
K. International School Tokyo (KIST)
KIST runs the full IB continuum plus Pearson Edexcel options in some IGCSE subjects. Koto / Kiyosumi-Shirakawa, CIS-accredited, around 630 pupils, founded 1997. Top-year fees JPY 3,220,000. The IB DP record is the strongest in Tokyo: 42.0 in 2025, 41.5 in 2024, 41.1 in 2023. That is 12 points above the global IB average and puts KIST in the same band as the strongest IB schools in Singapore and Geneva. The cohort is small (which inflates averages) and skews towards academically-driven East Asian and Indian families.
Strong mid-tier
International School of the Sacred Heart
Sacred Heart, Hiroo, CIS and WASC-accredited, runs AP and IPC. Girls-only from Grade 1, co-ed Kindergarten. Around 560 pupils, founded 1908. Fees JPY 2,780,000 to 3,100,000. The 2025 AP cohort averaged 4.27, and the 2024 3+ rate hit 100%, the strongest AP record in Tokyo outside ASIJ.
Seisen International School
Seisen, Setagaya / Yoga, runs the full IB continuum. Girls-only from Grade 1, co-ed Kindergarten. Around 650 pupils, founded 1949, CIS and NEASC-accredited. Fees JPY 2,300,000 to 2,470,000. The 2025 IB DP average was 35 points with a 97.7% pass rate, the highest published IB pass rate in Tokyo.
Tokyo International School
TIS, Minato / Takanawa, runs the full IB continuum at around 360 pupils, founded 1995, CIS and NEASC-accredited. Fees JPY 3,000,000 to 3,300,000. Small cohort, no published IB DP averages.
Aoba-Japan International School
Aoba runs the full IB continuum at Hikarigaoka, Nerima. Around 790 pupils, founded 1976, CIS and NEASC-accredited. Fees JPY 1,908,000 to 2,650,000, the lowest in the IB through-school tier. The 2025 IB DP results were 31 points average, 77% pass rate (27 of 35 candidates). The wider attempting cohort pulls the headline down compared with the more selective schools.
Canadian International School Japan and Christian Academy in Japan
CIS Japan, Shinagawa / Osaki, runs an Ontario-influenced programme with AP. Around 600 pupils, WASC-accredited. Fees JPY 2,450,000 to 3,150,000. CAJ, Chofu / West Tokyo, runs an American Christian programme with AP, around 400 pupils, WASC-accredited, 2024 AP pass rate 72%. Fees JPY 2,062,000 to 2,412,000.
Horizon Japan International School
Horizon runs the full IB continuum. Around 400 pupils, CIS and WASC-accredited, founded 2003. 2024 IB DP average 34 points, 91% pass rate. Fees JPY 2,690,000 to 3,140,000.
Best for A Levels
A Levels is a two-school market in central Tokyo. The British School in Tokyo is the default: full Sixth Form, *59% A\ / A in 2025, UCAS pathway. Camelot International School** runs Cambridge IGCSE and A Level at a much smaller scale (around 94 pupils) with no published grade data.
Best for IB DP
Five schools publish credible recent DP results.
| School | IB DP avg | Pass rate | Cohort signal |
|---|---|---|---|
| K. International School Tokyo | 42.0 (2025) | Not published | Small selective cohort |
| Global Indian International School Tokyo | 35.4 (2025) | Not published | Indian-curriculum-led |
| Seisen International School | 35 (2025) | 97.7% | Girls only from Grade 1 |
| Horizon Japan International School | 34 (2024) | 91% | Smaller school |
| Aoba-Japan International School | 31 (2025) | 77% | Largest attempting cohort |
Figures from school websites. A 42-point average from a small selective cohort is not the same school as a 31-point average from a wider attempting one. St Mary's, TIS and Shinagawa International run DP but do not publish recent averages.
Best for AP
ASIJ is the obvious answer, but the AP picture has more depth than most parents expect.
- American School in Japan: around 25 AP subjects, the largest AP cohort in Japan.
- International School of the Sacred Heart: AP average 4.27 in 2025, 100% 3+ rate in 2024, the strongest published AP scores in the city.
- Canadian International School Japan: Ontario OSSD with AP overlay.
- Christian Academy in Japan: 72% AP pass rate in 2024, smaller cohort.
At a glance
| School | Curriculum | Ages | Fees range | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| American School in Japan | American, AP | 3 to 18 | JPY 3,237,000 to 3,783,000 | Chofu; largest AP cohort in Japan |
| The British School in Tokyo | British, IB | 3 to 18 | JPY 2,920,000 to 3,030,000 | Azabudai; 59% A\* / A at A Level 2025 |
| Tokyo International School | IB | 4 to 18 | JPY 3,000,000 to 3,300,000 | Minato; full PYP and DP |
| K. International School Tokyo | IB | 3 to 18 | JPY 3,050,000 to 3,220,000 | IB DP avg 42.0 (2025) |
| Canadian International School Japan | Canadian, AP | 3 to 18 | JPY 2,450,000 to 3,150,000 | Ontario OSSD with AP |
| International School of the Sacred Heart | AP, IPC | 3 to 18 | JPY 2,780,000 to 3,100,000 | Girls from Grade 1; AP avg 4.27 (2025) |
| St Mary's International School | IB, American | 5 to 18 | JPY 2,850,000 to 3,000,000 | Boys only; Setagaya |
| Seisen International School | IB | 3 to 18 | JPY 2,300,000 to 2,470,000 | Girls from Grade 1; IB DP 35, 97.7% pass |
| Aoba-Japan International School | IB | 2 to 18 | JPY 1,908,000 to 2,650,000 | Largest IB DP cohort; Hikarigaoka |
| Christian Academy in Japan | American, Christian, AP | 5 to 18 | JPY 2,062,000 to 2,412,000 | Chofu; AP 72% pass (2024) |
Fees correct as of mid-2026 publication. Foreign-curriculum schools operate under kakushu gakkō registration; verify current figures with each school. Top-year fees often carry an additional facilities levy.
The age labels and exit points
Foreign-curriculum kakushu gakkō. Most schools in this brief operate under Article 134 of the Gakkō Kyōiku Hō as miscellaneous educational institutions. They sit outside the Japanese national system, do not lead to a Japanese koukou diploma, and use international accreditation (CIS, WASC, NEASC, COBIS) plus an exam-board exit qualification for university applications. ASIJ, BST, KIST, Seisen, Sacred Heart, Aoba, TIS and St Mary's all sit here.
MEXT-registered international schools sit inside the Japanese system as gakkō hōjin with international curricula. Global Indian International School Tokyo carries MEXT registration alongside CBSE and IB; Deutsche Schule Tokyo Yokohama is MEXT-registered with German-system Abitur.
The middle-years phase (12 to 15) varies. ASIJ runs an American Middle School. BST runs Key Stage 3 then IGCSE. KIST, Seisen, Aoba, TIS and St Mary's run IB MYP. The MYP-to-DP pipeline is inquiry-led; BST's IGCSE-to-A Level pipeline is subject-content-led.
How to choose between them
Exit qualification. AP suits US-track families with subject strengths; A Levels suit UK-track families with three or four strong subjects; IB DP suits broad-strength students and the widest range of university destinations.
Cohort size and selectivity. KIST's 42-point IB DP average sits on a small selective cohort; Aoba's 31-point average sits on a wider attempting cohort. The number is one signal, not the school.
Single-sex or co-ed. Sacred Heart and Seisen are girls-only from Grade 1. St Mary's is boys-only throughout secondary. Every other central foreign-curriculum school is co-ed.
Location. ASIJ and CAJ are in Chofu / west Tokyo. KIST is in Koto, east of the centre. BST, Sacred Heart and TIS sit in central Minato. Aoba secondary is in Nerima with its own bus network.
Related reading
- Best international schools in Tokyo, the city pillar.
- Best early years schools in Tokyo, the EY through-school feeder map.
- British vs IB vs American curriculum, the structural comparison.
- IB vs A-Levels, the DP versus A Level decision.
- How to choose an international school, the decision frame.
FAQs
Which Tokyo school has the strongest exam results overall? KIST on IB DP (42.0 in 2025). BST on A Level (59% A\* / A in 2025). Sacred Heart on AP (4.27 average in 2025). The answer depends on the qualification, not the school.
Why isn't Yokohama International School on the list? YIS sits in Yokohama, in Kanagawa Prefecture, not Tokyo. It is a strong IB school (founded 1924) and serves families based in Yokohama or southern Kanagawa.
Can my child switch from a Japanese koukou into an international secondary at 15 or 16? Possible but rare. Most kakushu gakkō require IB MYP or equivalent middle-years progression for entry into IB DP Year 1, plus credible English. Earlier transfers (at 11 or 12) are more common.
Is the IB Diploma harder than A Levels at Tokyo schools? Different, not harder. The DP requires six subjects plus the core (TOK, Extended Essay, CAS); A Levels at BST sit at three or four subjects in depth. KIST's 42-point cohort and BST's 59% A\* / A cohort suggest both pathways produce strong outcomes in the right schools.
Where do graduates go to university from Tokyo international schools? ASIJ and Sacred Heart skew US. BST skews UK and Australia. KIST, Seisen, St Mary's and Aoba mix the three regions plus Japan, via the EJU and English-track university programmes.
Do any Tokyo schools offer boarding? Boarding is rare in central Tokyo. ASIJ does not board. Full residential international boarding is absent from the city.
Sources: school websites and fee schedules; CIS, NEASC, WASC and COBIS member registries; 2024 and 2025 results pages; the Japanese School Education Act (Gakkō Kyōiku Hō) Article 134 for the kakushu gakkō framework; MEXT registration for foreign-curriculum schools inside the national system.