Top 5 International Schools in Hong Kong (2026)

The brief

HKIS leads the American side with 25 AP courses, nearly 100% to tertiary, and an HKD 3 million family debenture that trades on a secondary market.
CIS is the deepest bilingual IB school in the city: IB DP 2025 average 38.95, 99% pass rate, 28% bilingual diplomas, Mandarin-English from Reception.
Kellett holds BSO Outstanding (2023), the highest UK overseas rating, and finishes on A-Levels with *100% pass, 27.5% A\-A in 2025**.
Harrow Hong Kong is the city's only full British boarding: *33% A\ at A-Level 2025**, far New Territories campus, more accessible admissions than the Island flagships.
German Swiss runs two streams from The Peak, German Abitur and English IB/A-Level, with an IB Diploma 2024 average of 40 points and a HKD 500,000 refundable debenture.

The ranking

Hong Kong's international market splits into two sectors. The English Schools Foundation runs 22 government-subsidised schools that finish on the IB Diploma at roughly a third of private fees; they sit in the city pillar and the best IB schools brief. The five below are the strongest in the private sector, where most flagships take a refundable debenture (HKD 250,000 to HKD 3 million) or a non-refundable annual capital levy (HKD 25,000 to HKD 60,000) on top of tuition. A fuller picture sits in the top 10 international schools brief.

1. Hong Kong International School

HKIS is the American flagship in Asia. Founded 1966 by the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod, two campuses on the Southside (Repulse Bay for primary, Tai Tam for secondary), over 3,000 pupils, ages 4 to 18. WASC fully accredited. Annual tuition HKD 231,600 to 258,550 (USD 29,700 to 33,150).

The AP catalogue runs to 25 courses, the deepest in the city. AP pass rate 95% in 2025, 79% of exams at 4 or 5. Nearly 100% of graduates pursue tertiary study, with the matriculation list running into US-selective universities at a rate few schools in Asia match. The senior campus opened a 22,700 square metre Dragon Center for Athletics in late 2025 with an indoor pool, climbing walls, and a fitness centre.

The HKD 3 million family debenture is the headline. It is refundable, optional in name, and trades on a secondary market. Families who hold one historically clear the wait pool faster than those who do not. The full first-year figure with debenture financing is materially above the tuition line.

Best for: Families on a US university pathway who want the deepest AP catalogue in Asia, the broadest co-curricular programme, and accept the debenture cost.

2. Chinese International School

CIS is the deepest bilingual IB school in Hong Kong. Braemar Hill (North Point), founded 1983, ages 4 to 18, around 1,600 pupils. Full IB continuum: PYP, MYP, DP, CP. CIS and NEASC re-accredited 2021. Fees HKD 216,100 to 342,800 (USD 27,700 to 43,950). Individual or corporate debenture.

IB DP 2025 average 38.95, 99% pass rate, 49% scored 40 points or more, 28% awarded a bilingual diploma. The 2024 cohort averaged 39.7. The Mandarin-English programme runs from Reception with equal teacher time in each language through primary, and continues into the IB Diploma where the bilingual award rate is the highest in the city.

Reception (around 96 places) and Year 7 (around 50 places as the school steps up to secondary) are the realistic entry points. Lateral entry into Years 1 to 6 is single-digit places. A new building at 9 Hau Yuen Path opens August 2028 for Years 2 to 6 and increases overall capacity. CIS is one of two private schools (with HKIS) that families plan around years in advance.

Best for: Families committed to genuine Mandarin-English bilingualism, an IB Diploma finish, and willing to plan admissions years ahead.

3. Kellett School

The longest-running British independent-model school in the city. Pok Fu Lam (Preparatory) and Kowloon Bay (Senior), founded 1976, ages 4 to 18, around 1,600 pupils. A-Level finish. BSO Outstanding 2023, COBIS Patron's Accredited Member, FOBISIA founding member. Head: Paul Tough. Fees HKD 208,800 to 267,100 (USD 26,750 to 34,250).

A-Level 2025: *27.5% A\-A, 60.6% A\-B, 88.5% A\-C, 100% pass rate, average SAT around 1,450. GCSE 2025: 67% at 9 to 8 or A\. BSO Outstanding* is the highest rating the UK Department for Education awards to overseas schools. Recent university destinations span Oxford, Cambridge, Princeton, Columbia, UPenn, UCL, LSE, Imperial, HKU, and Melbourne.

Two recent changes matter. Kellett replaced its mandatory debenture with an annual capital levy for offers made after 31 August 2025, which lowers the entry barrier. A purpose-built Sixth Form Centre at The Bay Hub on Kai Cheung Road opens August 2026 with capacity for 240 students, adding upper-school places at exactly the point the city's A-Level provision is tight. The Pok Fu Lam campus enters a major refurbishment in summer 2026.

Best for: Families on a British A-Level pathway who value a long track record, non-selective admissions, and the BSO Outstanding signal.

4. Harrow International School Hong Kong

The only full British boarding option in Hong Kong. Tuen Mun, founded 2012, ages 3 to 18, around 1,700 pupils. A-Level finish. CIS, BSO, COBIS Patron's. Head: Rosie McColl. Fees HKD 175,812 to 239,070 (USD 22,500 to 30,650), capital levy HKD 60,000 per year.

A-Level 2025: 33% A\, 70% A\-A, 90% A\-B. GCSE 2025: 59% Grade 9, 79% at 9 to 8 or A\, 91% at 9 to 7 or A**. Boarding is optional from Year 6 and common from Year 9, with annual boarding fees of HKD 130,705 on top of tuition. Sibling discounts run 5% for the third child and 10% for the fourth.

Harrow Hong Kong operates under a licence from Harrow School in England; the link is operational, not ownership. Tuen Mun is far north-west New Territories, a non-issue if you live there or board, a real commute from Central or Mid-Levels. The remote location keeps admissions more accessible than the top-tier Island schools, and the boarding option opens the school to families based outside the city.

Best for: Families who want British A-Levels with boarding, are based in the New Territories, or whose work pattern makes weekly boarding workable.

5. German Swiss International School

Two parallel streams on The Peak. Founded 1969, ages 3 to 18, around 1,300 pupils. The English International Stream runs through IGCSEs to A-Level and IB Diploma; the German International Stream follows a Thuringia-based Gymnasium curriculum to the German International Abitur. CIS member; "Excellent German School Abroad" BLI quality seal (2023); part of the German Schools Abroad ZfA network. Fees HKD 197,000 to 256,700 (USD 25,250 to 32,900). Refundable debenture HKD 500,000.

IB Diploma 2024 average 40 points, *52% A\-A at A Level (2024). IGCSE 2024: 65% at Grade 8 or above; 91% at Grade 7 or above**. The English stream is occasionally overlooked by families who assume the school is German-only; it is not, and the IB cohort sits at one of the highest averages in the city. The German International Abitur is the qualification of record for families targeting German universities, which grants graduates free tuition and visa support.

Premium Peak location, restrained scale by Hong Kong standards, no annual capital levy, and competitive admissions in both streams. Priority is given to German, Swiss, and Austrian nationals.

Best for: Families who want both streams under one roof, a strong IB or A-Level finish in English, or a direct route to German higher education.

At a glance

Rank	School	Curriculum	Ages	Fees range	Entry cost beyond fees	Headline result
1	HKIS	American / AP	4 to 18	HKD 231,600–258,550	Debenture HKD 3m (refundable)	AP 95% pass; 25 AP courses
2	CIS	IB continuum	4 to 18	HKD 216,100–342,800	Debenture (refundable)	IB DP 38.95; 28% bilingual
3	Kellett	British / A-Level	4 to 18	HKD 208,800–267,100	Annual capital levy	A-Level 27.5% A\*-A; BSO Outstanding
4	Harrow HK	British / A-Level	3 to 18	HKD 175,812–239,070	Capital levy HKD 60k/yr; boarding +HKD 130,705	A-Level 33% A\*; only HK boarding
5	German Swiss	British / IB / German	3 to 18	HKD 197,000–256,700	Debenture HKD 500k (refundable)	IB DP 40; Abitur option

Fees are 2025-26 annual tuition. Debentures are refundable on exit; annual capital levies are not. Verify current figures with each school.

How this list was built

Three filters, applied in order.

Published results. IB DP averages, A-Level grade distributions, GCSE outcomes, and AP score profiles were the first input. Schools that publish nothing checkable were demoted. Four of the five sit at IB DP 38+ or A-Level 60%+ A\*-B.

Named accreditation. BSO, COBIS Patron's, CIS, WASC, and NEASC carry weight. Kellett and Harrow both hold BSO. CIS plus NEASC at Chinese International. CIS at German Swiss alongside the German federal BLI seal. WASC at HKIS.

Admissions weight. A school with a multi-year wait pool or a debenture that trades on a secondary market carries a market signal. HKIS, CIS, and Kellett carry that signal heavily; Harrow and German Swiss less so, kept that way by geography (Tuen Mun) or by the stream split (GSIS).

Newer entrants are weighted by track record. Wycombe Abbey Senior opened August 2025 with no results cycle yet; NLCS Hong Kong opens 2026; YK Pao School Hong Kong opens September 2026. None makes this list until they publish a graduating cohort.

Schools just below the cut

ISF Academy. Pokfulam. Full IB continuum, IB DP 2025 average 38.9, 100% pass, 76% bilingual diplomas. HKD 240,320 to 303,530 plus HKD 40,000 annual levy. The natural alternative to CIS for Mandarin-English bilingual.
CDNIS. Aberdeen. Full IB plus the Ontario Secondary School Diploma at sixth form. IB DP 2025 average 37.7. HKD 138,600 to 254,300. Canadian-passport families get meaningful admissions weight.
Li Po Chun UWC. Sixth-form-only residential IB college on Ma On Shan, selective intake from around 80 countries. HKD 324,000 to 428,000 all-in including boarding, with a substantial bursary programme.
Singapore International. Aberdeen. British primary into IB Diploma, IB DP 2024 average 39.2. HKD 103,000 to 254,900. The strongest fees-to-results ratio in the private IB bracket.
Nord Anglia. Kwun Tong. Both A-Level and IB Diploma from August 2026, the first Hong Kong school to run both under one roof. New Sixth Form Centre in Hung Hom.

FAQs

Why isn't ESF on this list?

The English Schools Foundation runs 22 government-subsidised schools and is the largest English-medium provider in Hong Kong. Its flagships sit at IB DP averages comparable to the private market (West Island 37.6, Sha Tin College 37.2) on roughly a third of the fees. They are ranked in the best IB schools brief. A separate list does both sectors more justice than mixing them.

What does a Hong Kong debenture cost?

A debenture is a refundable capital sum the family lends the school in return for a priority place. Common ranges run HKD 250,000 to HKD 1.5 million, with HKIS at HKD 3 million and entry-level corporate debentures starting around HKD 120,000 at some schools. The headline cost is the interest the family forgoes on the deposit while it sits with the school (typically the length of enrolment), not the deposit itself. Capital levies (HKD 25,000 to 60,000 per year) are non-refundable charges that have started replacing debentures at several schools, including Kellett.

Which school has the strongest US university placement?

HKIS, by a clear margin. The AP curriculum and the long-standing matriculation list into US-selective colleges point in the same direction. CIS and ISF place strongest into top-100 world universities (94% at ISF in 2025); Kellett and Harrow lead UK Russell Group routes.

Which is the most accessible to get into?

In relative terms, Harrow Hong Kong, kept that way by the Tuen Mun location. German Swiss admissions priority sits with German, Swiss, and Austrian nationals, which compresses demand from other passports. HKIS, CIS, and Kellett are tight at every entry point.

My child is in primary. Do I need to choose now?

No. Most families revisit the decision at Year 7 or Year 9 entry. Mid-secondary lateral entry into the Island flagships is hard; the Kowloon and New Territories schools have more movement. The two early questions are curriculum (American/AP, British/A-Level, IB Diploma) and whether the family can carry a debenture; both narrow the list fast.

Sources: school websites and published examination results 2023 to 2025; Hong Kong Education Bureau (edb.gov.hk); IB Organisation statistical bulletins; UK Department for Education BSO inspection reports; Council of International Schools and WASC accreditation registers; COBIS member directory; school admissions and fee schedules 2025/26 and 2026/27.