Shen Wai International School

In Brief

SWIS is the straightforward IB choice for families settling in Nanshan who want the full continuum from Pre-K to Diploma, CIS and WASC accreditation, and a school with genuine facilities. The student body skews heavily toward Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan passport holders, so if a truly diverse international community matters, factor that in.

SWIS runs the full IB Continuum from Pre-K through to the IB Diploma - the only school in Shenzhen holding both CIS and WASC accreditation, a combination that matters for university recognition and portability. Around 1,080 students from 46 nationalities attend, though in practice the community is dominated by students from Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan rather than from a wide spread of countries. Foreign passport holders from further afield make up a smaller proportion. Mainland Chinese nationals are not admitted.

The campus facilities are a genuine strength. A 25-metre indoor heated pool, 200-metre 6-lane running track, two full-size football pitches, a multi-purpose gymnasium, art gallery, drama box and three science labs are not standard in this market. Class sizes are capped at 24 in secondary, averaging 23, with a 1:7 teacher-to-student ratio. University destinations include Columbia, UCL, Oxford, Imperial, McGill and HKUST.

Fees run from CNY 121,440 at Pre-K to CNY 218,500 at IB Diploma - one of the wider fee progressions in Shenzhen, so families with children at different stages should model the full cost carefully. SWIS sits at the moderate end of the Shenzhen international school market, well below the premium schools. The 'Chinese market' reputation is well established among Shenzhen families and reflects the passport mix rather than the curriculum quality.