Cities / Beijing / Harrow International School Beijing
Harrow International School Beijing
Opened in 2005 as the first Harrow international branch in mainland China, now on the Hegezhuang campus in Chaoyang since the 2013 consolidation. Around 880 pupils ages 2 to 18, English National Curriculum into A Levels, with Harrow's house and tutor system retained.
In brief
Opened in 2005 as the first Harrow international branch in mainland China, now on the Hegezhuang campus in Chaoyang since the 2013 consolidation. Around 880 pupils ages 2 to 18, English National Curriculum into A-Levels, with Harrow's house and tutor system retained.
Strong on personal tutoring, leadership programmes and the structured house culture that Harrow brands itself on. Sport, music and arts provision are good, and academic outcomes are solid rather than top of the city. Families who want the traditional British boarding-school architecture in a day-school format tend to be the natural fit.
Two consistent negatives surface. Catering is widely criticised, with parents reporting the included meals as oily and inconsistent in quality. The school accepts Chinese passport students alongside foreign passport holders, and some families looking for a more globally diverse community find the mix more domestic than expected. Staff turnover at primary level has been flagged as a concern in recent years, worth probing directly on a tour.
Fees
Annual fees
| Year level | Age | Fee |
|---|---|---|
| Nursery 2 (age 2) | 2 | CN¥228,600 |
| KG1 (age 3) | 3 | CN¥228,600 |
| KG2 (age 4) | 4 | CN¥259,600 |
| KG3 (age 5) | 5 | CN¥282,600 |
| Grade 1 (age 6) | 6 | CN¥295,800 |
| Grade 2 (age 7) | 7 | CN¥305,800 |
| Grades 3-4 | 8 | CN¥306,300 |
| Grade 5 | 10 | CN¥309,800 |
| Grades 6-7 | 11 | CN¥321,600 |
| Grades 8-10 | 13 | CN¥336,000 |
| Grades 11-12 | 16 | CN¥356,600 |
Reviews
One of the flagship British schools in China, on a large Chaoyang District campus in Hegezhuang with a smaller early-years site in Anzhenxili. Operated by AISL, the Asia-based group that runs the Harrow international family. The school kept its Harrow international branding for foreign-passport pupils after the 2021-22 regulatory reshape, while its sister bilingual schools for Chinese nationals rebranded as Harrow Lide. The British academic line is strong, with Cambridge, Imperial, UCL, LSE and UC system offers in the most recent cohorts. House system, leadership programme and traditional Harrow furniture are the central pitch. The register is formal and hierarchical by Beijing standards, and the location in northeast Chaoyang shapes who can practically attend.
Positives
- Academic results. Strong A-level and IGCSE outcomes, with recent cohorts placing into Cambridge, Imperial, UCL, LSE, Northwestern and several UC campuses. Individual subject grades sit well above UK averages.
- House system and pastoral structure. The Harrow house structure, tutoring and leadership-in-action programme give the school a clear pastoral spine. Anti-bullying is treated seriously and peer culture is generally described as friendly.
- Facilities and breadth. Large purpose-built campus with theatre, pools, science labs and extensive sports provision. Co-curricular breadth across sport, music, drama, MUN and robotics.
Considerations
- British formal register. The school style is described as strict and traditional, with limited room for parent push-back on academic or behavioural decisions. Families who like a more consultative international-school culture sometimes find it stiff; others see it as the point.
- Teaching stability. Chinese-language parent and student commentary mentions movement in the teaching body and variability in how much individual subjects push the strongest pupils, with self-direction expected to fill some of the gap.
- Location. The main Hegezhuang campus sits in northeast Chaoyang near the Shunyi border. Commutes from central Beijing or the western diplomatic areas are long, and bus routes shape the practical catchment.
- Regulatory backdrop. Operates under AISL Harrow with Chinese-national board oversight required by the 2021 private-schools rules. The sister schools serving Chinese nationals rebranded to Harrow Lide in 2022; this campus, as a foreign-passport school, kept the Harrow international name. Chinese curriculum content sits alongside the British line where regulation requires it.
Leadership
Mr. Philip Akerman
Mr. Philip Akerman joined Harrow Beijing in August 2023. He has a strong background in education, having worked in various leadership roles in schools in the UK and Germany. He is passionate about providing high-quality education and believes in nurturing students to become confident and empathetic leaders.
Accreditations
- Council of International Schools 01
- New England Association of Schools and Colleges 02
Academic results
- IGCSE Maths (Nov 2025) Highest Mark in the World
- A Level Maths in China (2025) Highest Mark
- GCSE PE in China (2025) Highest Mark