The Guide
Mon, 15 June 2026

Cities / Hong Kong / Creative Secondary School Hong Kong

Creative Secondary School Hong Kong

CSS operates under Principal Stephen Hindes, providing IB Middle Years Programme leading to both IB Diploma and HKDSE qualifications for university entrance. The school positions itself as part of the Creative Schools continuum alongside Creative Primary School, emphasizing a blend of international and Chinese educational philosophies.

Creative Secondary School Hong Kong campus
Creative Secondary School Hong Kong, Tseung Kwan O. Photograph · School

Curriculum
IB
Fees, annual
HKD 174k–245k
Ages
12 to 18
Pupils
~800
Founded
2006

CSS operates under Principal Stephen Hindes, providing IB Middle Years Programme leading to both IB Diploma and HKDSE qualifications for university entrance. The school positions itself as part of the Creative Schools continuum alongside Creative Primary School, emphasizing a blend of international and Chinese educational philosophies. The dual pathway approach allows students to pursue either international university applications through IBDP or local Hong Kong tertiary admissions through HKDSE.

The school promotes its small class sizes with a 9:1 student-teacher ratio, suggesting personalized attention within its intimate community. Recent activities include participation in educational symposiums and hosting alumni speakers like Forbes 30 Under 30 Asia honoree Maurice Chong. However, CSS generates virtually no discussion in parent forums or teacher networks compared to Hong Kong's established international schools, indicating a quiet presence in the competitive market.

Strengths

  • Small class sizes with 9:1 student-teacher ratio enabling personalized attention
  • Dual pathway offering both IB Diploma and HKDSE for flexible university applications
  • IB World School accreditation with full MYP to DP continuum
  • Blend of international and Chinese educational approaches
  • Recent alumni achieving recognition including Forbes 30 Under 30 honoree

Considerations

  • Very limited parent discussions and community visibility compared to established Hong Kong international schools
  • No available information on fees, facilities, or academic results
  • Minimal teacher feedback or reputation data in education forums
  • Small school size may limit extracurricular offerings and peer networks
  • Lack of detailed university placement statistics or outcomes data

Annual fees

Year level Age Fee
F1 – F2 12 HK$173,652
F3 14 HK$179,512
F4 15 HK$191,997
F5 (HKDSE) 16 HK$197,127
F5 (IBDP) 16 HK$244,642
F6 (HKDSE) 17 HK$197,177
F6 (IBDP) 17 HK$244,632


  • On the r/HongKong subreddit, Creative Secondary School is described as a Direct Subsidy Scheme option that runs both IB and HKDSE pathways, mostly serving "locals that have come back from overseas," with one parent putting the upper-year fees at "around 9k a month."
  • Independent forum signal beyond that is thin. WhichSchoolAdvisor has not published a full Experience visit. Most online commentary lives on directory sites and Facebook reviews, where 82% of 18 Facebook reviewers recommend the school.
  • IB outcomes are a strong recurring theme. CSS reports an average IBDP score of 35.7 against a global 30.2, with 25% of students scoring 40 or higher and 41% achieving the bilingual diploma.
  • Family-focus sits at the centre of parent commentary, with reviewers describing CSS as "committed to nurturing students and providing them with a well-rounded" education and crediting the dual IB/HKDSE flexibility for exam-pathway choice.
  • The school is positioned as Hong Kong's first DSS school to offer the IB Middle Years Programme (2009) and the IBDP (2010), which press and parents on listing sites flag as a structural advantage.
  • No critical forum threads on parent communication, fees or staff turnover surfaced. The negative-signal dataset is essentially empty rather than balanced.

Positives

  • Dual exam pathway. Parents value the option for students to choose between IBDP and HKDSE in the senior phase
  • DSS positioning. Government subsidy keeps fees substantially below international school benchmarks while still running IB
  • IB outcomes. Average IB score 35.7 with 25% above 40 and a 41% bilingual diploma rate cited as the academic anchor

Considerations

  • Cohort profile. Reddit describes the cohort as predominantly Hong Kong returnees rather than expat-heavy
  • Independent scrutiny. Limited independent assessor coverage; WhichSchoolAdvisor full review still pending

Leadership

Stephen Hindes

Stephen Hindes is the School Principal at Creative Secondary School in Hong Kong (since January 2024), with over 20 years of experience in international education including roles as Assistant Principal, Head of Holistic Student Development, Head of Pastoral Care, and science teacher at HKUGA College, focusing on leadership, positive education, student wellbeing, and IB curriculum implementation.

Accreditations

  • HK_EDB 01

  • IB Diploma Examination 2024 Excellent Results
  • HKDSE 2024 Strong performance despite challenges

3 Pung Loi Road , Tseung Kwan O , Sai Kung, N.T. , Hong Kong

School website