Cities / Beijing / International School of Beijing
International School of Beijing
Beijing's longest-established international school, ranked #1 in China for non-Chinese passport holders (Hurun 2025). Full IB continuum on a 32-acre Shunyi campus with open DP enrolment.
In brief
ISB is the city's oldest and largest international school, founded in 1980 and on a purpose-built Shunyi campus. Full IB continuum, around 1,800 pupils from over 50 countries, US-aligned in feel.
The default first call for diplomatic and senior corporate families. Strengths are STEM, sustainability and a deep co-curricular programme, and university outcomes are the equal of anything in Beijing. Class sizes sit between 12 and 22 across the school, which is tight by the standard of a school this large.
Parent satisfaction surveys run high, and the practical issue is access rather than fit. Demand outstrips supply in the popular year groups, particularly early years and primary, and the waiting list is real. Fees range roughly 244,000 to 343,500 RMB. The Shunyi commute is the structural cost: families living in central Chaoyang or south Beijing usually rule ISB out on geography before they get to the academic conversation.
Fees
Annual fees
| Year level | Age | Fee |
|---|---|---|
| EY2 Half Day | 3 | CN¥155,800 |
| EY2 Full Day | 3 | CN¥247,800 |
| EY3 | 4 | CN¥251,800 |
| EY4 | 5 | CN¥251,800 |
| KG | 6 | CN¥291,800 |
| Grade 1 | 6 | CN¥301,800 |
| Grade 2 | 7 | CN¥301,800 |
| Grades 3-5 | 8 | CN¥311,800 |
| Grades 6-8 | 11 | CN¥331,800 |
| Grades 9-10 | 14 | CN¥351,800 |
| Grades 11-12 | 16 | CN¥361,800 |
One-time fees
| Item | Age | Fee |
|---|---|---|
| Application Fee (non-refundable) | CN¥2,800 | |
| Entry Fee (new students, one-time) | CN¥18,000 |
Reviews
The longest-established international school in the city and the default first call for the diplomatic and senior corporate community in Shunyi. A non-profit IB continuum on a 13-hectare purpose-built campus, with IB Diploma averages that have sat five to seven points above the global mean for well over a decade (37.4 in 2025, 35.5 in 2024). Alumni networks point to consistent placement into selective US and UK universities. The headline trade-off is geographic: Shunyi is an expat bubble, and the commute from central Beijing is the single biggest piece of life admin families take on.
Positives
- Academic outcomes. IB Diploma scores have been at 35 or above since 2009 and recent cohorts have come in stronger. Alumni placement skews to selective US and UK universities, with finance, law, medicine and tech the common after-tracks.
- Facilities and co-curricular programme. The 13-hectare Shunyi campus is the best-resourced in the city. Music has professionally acoustically designed rehearsal space and recording booths. Competitive sport runs at a high level, with travel across Asia for tournaments, debate and Model UN.
- Pastoral feel and community. A long-standing parent and alumni community, organised through a non-profit board that the parent body votes on. Coffee mornings, concerts and on-campus social life function as the centre of gravity for families living in the Shunyi compounds nearby.
Considerations
- Academic intensity. ISB has a reputation as the more academically driven of the two big Shunyi schools. Counsellors elsewhere in the city describe the pace as high pressure for some children, with the comparison to the more open-feeling Western Academy of Beijing coming up often.
- Student-body composition. Around 50 nationalities on paper, but a sizeable share of the student body is ethnically Chinese on foreign passports. Families looking for a more visibly mixed cohort, particularly in the high school, often weigh WAB alongside ISB for that reason.
- Location and commute. Shunyi sits well outside central Beijing and the commute from CBD or Sanlitun is long enough that most families end up moving north or putting children on the school bus. Living anywhere other than the Shunyi compounds tends to cut a child off from weekend social life.
- Leadership stability. Staff-side feedback flags turnover in senior leadership through and since the pandemic. The current head, Daniel Rubenstein, joined in 2021 from a New York non-profit network; the substance under him reads as steady, but the leadership churn around it is part of the recent picture.
Leadership
Daniel Rubenstein
Daniel Rubenstein is the Head of School at the International School of Beijing, where he emphasizes a commitment to academic excellence and the development of responsible global citizens. He has been instrumental in fostering a supportive and enriching environment for students and staff alike.
Accreditations
- Council of International Schools 01
- New England Association of Schools and Colleges 02
Academic results
- IB Average (2025) 35.4
- IB Pass Rate (2024) 100%
- IB Diplomas (2025) 85