IB Results in Hong Kong

Hong Kong has one of the densest concentrations of high-scoring IB schools anywhere. More than thirty schools run one or more IB programmes; around twenty deliver the full Diploma with published results.

The averages divide roughly into four bands. Selective Direct Subsidy Scheme (DSS) schools and the small specialist Malvern cohort sit at the top, between 42 and 44. Private full-continuum flagships and the older bilingual schools cluster in the high 38s to 40. The ESF secondaries land between 35.9 and 37.6, all British-rooted, all IB-finished, priced at roughly a third of private flagship fees. Below that sit the schools where IB is one route alongside AP, A-Levels or HKDSE.

Ranked by published DP average

The list below covers every Hong Kong school where a recent IB Diploma average has been published, most recent year shown. Cohort size varies widely; read the rank with the column on the right in mind.

Li Po Chun United World College publishes its result distribution rather than a headline average: 25.2% of its 2023 graduates scored 40 or more, with three at 44 and seven at 43. The cohort is around 250 students from roughly 80 countries, selected through national UWC committees.

Stamford American publishes a 2025 IB DP award rate of 92% with 24% bilingual diploma, but no overall average. The school runs IB alongside an American programme and AP.

At a glance: fees and debentures

The capital structure tells most of the cost story.

Fees are 2025/26 annual tuition where published. Debentures sit separately, often HKD 250,000 to HKD 1.5 million on the private flagships. ESF uses a Nomination Rights Scheme contribution of around HKD 38,000 per family.

How to read these numbers

An IB Diploma score is one of the few cross-school metrics that compares like with like. Every IB candidate sits the same exams, marked by the same examiners, against the same criteria. A 38 in Sai Kung means what a 38 in Geneva means.

The headline average still hides three things.

Cohort size. A 44 from a graduating class of fewer than fifty is not the same data point as a 38 from a class of two hundred. Variance shrinks as cohort size grows, especially at newer schools where the first DP graduates have only just come through.

Selection. Schools that filter into the DP, via IGCSE thresholds or internal predictions, post higher averages than schools that take all comers. PLK CKY's 38.29 with a 98.94% award rate is strong because the school is non-selective in a way most flagships are not.

The bilingual diploma rate. PLK CKY at 62%, Malvern at 47%, CIS at 28%, Sha Tin College at 10%. The bilingual diploma requires DP-level work in two languages and one of TOK or the Extended Essay in a second language. The rate is harder to game than the headline number.

Schools with no public DP results

Several Hong Kong schools run the DP but do not publish a headline average:

• Discovery College, an ESF school in Discovery Bay running the full IB continuum; results are reported internally to ESF families.
• Dalton School Hong Kong, too new; first graduating cohort expected around 2030.
• Creative Secondary School, which describes its results in narrative form rather than as headline averages.
• ELCHK Lutheran Academy, full PYP, MYP and DP; no published averages found.

Most will share results with prospective families when asked directly. Published data on a website is a commitment; a number shared in a meeting is not.

Related reading

• Best IB schools in Hong Kong, with admissions and curriculum detail
• Best international schools in Hong Kong, the city pillar
• Best British schools in Hong Kong
• What is the IB Diploma?
• IB vs A-Levels
• British vs IB vs American curriculum

FAQs

Which Hong Kong school has the highest published IB DP average?

Malvern College Hong Kong published a 2024 cohort average of 44 from a small early cohort. Among mature DP cohorts, St. Paul's Co-educational College (42.5, 2025, DSS) and Diocesan Boys' (42, 2023, DSS) lead. Among the international-tier private schools, German Swiss (40), Singapore International (39.2) and CIS (38.95) sit at the top.

How does Hong Kong compare to the global IB average?

The 2024 global DP average was 30.32. Every Hong Kong international school with a published recent average comes in above that figure, and most clear it by five to ten points. The city sits consistently in the top three IB markets globally, alongside Singapore and Switzerland.

Does ESF do A-Levels?

No. Every ESF secondary finishes on the IB Diploma. Families set on A-Levels look to Harrow Hong Kong, Kellett, the German Swiss English stream, Nord Anglia or Wycombe Abbey Hong Kong.

Why do the DSS schools score so highly?

Direct Subsidy Scheme schools are part-funded by the Hong Kong government and select on academic ability through Hong Kong-wide admissions. The cohorts are smaller and more academically selected than at most international schools. The 42 to 42.5 averages reflect that selection as well as the teaching, and DSS fees sit far below international school levels because of the subsidy.

Where do Hong Kong's IB graduates go to university?

ISF Academy reports 94% of its 2025 cohort matriculating into a top-100 world university. CIS, CDNIS and the ESF flagships place strongly into the UK Russell Group, US selective universities, the University of Hong Kong, HKUST, CUHK and the Singapore universities.

Sources: school websites and published examination results 2022 to 2025; English Schools Foundation (esf.edu.hk); IB Organisation statistical bulletins and global summary 2024; Hong Kong Education Bureau Direct Subsidy Scheme schedules; school admissions, debenture and fee schedules 2025/26.