On this page we cover boarding schools in Japan. For a complete guide to boarding, including information about admissions, please see our introductory guide.
Our boarding school guide has advice specific to finding boarding schools in Canada. For insights that are more general (on how to evaluate school options) we recommend you review our hub on choosing a school. You can also read our guides to questions to ask private schools and questions students get asked at school interviews.
Private school expos are ideal launching pads for your school-finding journey. All expos are held in the fall at a number of centres across Canada. There are three expos hosted in Ontario, one in Toronto, one in Halton-Peel, and one in Ottawa. Expos are also held each fall in Vancouver, Montreal, and Calgary. All are opportunities to speak with administrators from leading boarding schools within the regions in which the expos are held.
Word-of-mouth is another powerful tool in your school-finding arsenal. The Our Kids private school discussion forum allows you to discuss your options and debate topics around gifted education. You can use our community of parents, educational experts, alumni, and schools to help answer your questions and stimulate your thinking.
Attending open houses is obviously a great way to learn more about a school and get a feel for the environment. For some advice on open house visits, go here. For questions to ask that are specific to boarding programs, refer to our main boarding school hub.
Broadly speaking, the cost of boarding reflects the cost private school tuition in general, though with premiums added to cover housing and meals.
Many schools offer financial aid, including scholarships and bursaries. Financial aid is needs-based, and financial aid programs are created as a means of broadening the student base and attracting students, independent of means, who will contribute most to the culture of the school. Generally speaking, the larger and more expensive schools provide the most aid.
You can read more about financial aid and scholarships in our dedicated guide.
Below you'll find the range of costs at Japan boarding schools:
| Founding date | Endowment | Admissions rate | Enrollment | Enrollment per grade |
|---|
Primary curriculum | Secondary curriculum | Curriculum pace | Academic culture | Average class size | Language immersion | Special needs support | Tech integration |
|---|
Legend:
| Admission deadline | SSAT required | Interview required | Acceptance rate | Next open house |
|---|
Nursery/Toddler | Preschool | JK | SK | K | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 |
|---|
Nursery/Toddler | Preschool | JK | SK | K | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 |
|---|
| Math | Science | Literature | Humanities Social Sciences | Foreign Languages | Fine Arts |
|---|
Student council | School newspaper | Yearbook | Radio club | Photograph club | Art club |
Choir | Band | Dance club | Yoga club | Drama club | Debate club |
Chess club | Math club | Science club | Robotics club | Computer club | Environmental club | Outdoor club | Community service |
|---|
Badminton | Baseball | Basketball | Cricket | Equestrian | Football | Golf | Gymnastics | Ice Hockey | Lacrosse | Rowing | Rugby | Soccer | Softball | Squash | Swimming | Tennis | Track and Field | Volleyball | Wrestling |
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There has been a marked rise in boarding school options in Japan over the past decade. In part that's a reflection of the desire, per education minister Hakubun Shimomura, to foster global human resources and further Japan's commitment to a leadership role in the global environment. Speaking at the inauguration of an international boarding program in Nagano prefecture in 2014, Shimomura described the school as “an ideal symbol of what we are trying to do” within the national educational system as a whole.
Certainly, they’ve done a lot. Rigorous academics, small class sizes, academic innovation: boarding schools in Japan offer everything that Canadian schools do, coupled with an unequalled cultural, linguistic and intellectual diversity.
Japan’s private and independent schools provide resource-rich classrooms and dynamic, highly qualified teachers who support and challenge their students to better understand who they are and their place in the world. In keeping with Shimomura’s goals as education minister, students are encouraged to think critically and independently, with an eye to global leadership. A diverse student body, as well as teachers recruited from around the world, allows students an immediate international experience. The lived experience of the culture of Japan allows an opportunity to build independence and resiliency within a social context that is also one of the safest in the world.
From international schools, to schools that partner with those in Canada, the growth of boarding school in Japan has resulted in a striking range of educational options, including the full range of pedagogical specialization found in Canada. All programs provide an opportunity to develop academic potential, cultural competency and character in a safe, supportive, and academically stimulating environment.
The graduation requirements, as well as the degrees offered by international schools, varies based on focus, curriculum, and affiliation. For example, students attending Neuchatel Junior College can earn credits toward completion of the Ontario grade 12 requirements. Other schools including Carlsbad International School, the International School of Asia, Karuizawa (ISAK), and THINK Global School offer a curriculum toward fulfillment of the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme (IBDP).
The International Baccalaureate is a two-year advanced secondary school curriculum that was founded in 1968 and is now taught in schools in more than 140 countries, including many alternative institutions in Canada.
The IB curriculum was created for students aged 16 to 19. It is intended to provide a well-rounded, high quality, advanced course of study that delivers the basics of high school education while challenging students to apply their knowledge and skills through collaboration, discussion, and communication.
In order to earn an IB diploma students complete a course of study in six core subject areas (language and literature, language acquisition, individuals and societies, sciences, mathematics, and the arts) an essay of up to 4000 words, and sit standard, externally assessed exams. Each subject is scored from 1-7, and 3 additional points may be awarded for essays. A minimum of 24 points is required to obtain the IB diploma while 45 points is the maximum.
In addition to course work, students are also required to complete two formal projects and a minimum of 50 hours of community service.
Each of Canada's universities is free to sets its own admissions standards and to assess each candidate based on their own internal criteria. There is no national university entrance exam or governing body overseeing university admissions. As a result, admission criteria can vary widely, even between universities within Canada. Students are required to contact colleges or universities directly to find a list of admission requirements and deadlines, and to submit transcripts in support of their application.
While the specific details of recognition can vary between universities or, in some cases, even between faculty within a university the IB diploma is widely accepted as an admission credential if the scores earned meet certain targets (typically 35 points or higher overall). Many universities seek to recruit IB students because success in the program requires a breadth and depth of knowledge that exceeds many other programs. In some instances, IB courses and exams are recognized for transfer credit within an institution, used in fulfillment of university degree requirements and/or fulfilling course prerequisite requirements.
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