Best International School (US system)

[lkc]

We are moving from the US (east coast) to Hong Kong within the next few months. Would like to get an idea on how the international schools compare with each other in terms of academics, class size, location, etc.

We have 3 schools in mind, Hong Kong International School, American International School, and International Christian School. But I think we are just about to rule out HKIS because of the high tuition and the debenture requirement. How about the other two?

Any information is greatly appreciated!

[Vrindavan]

depends on your living location too

i like ICS more than AIS

[KnowItAll]

While this is not going to be a productive post, HKIS is a breeding ground for spoilt trustfund babies, in my not so humble but educated opinion. Thanks in part to the debenture scheme and the peer groups within that system.

[PDLM]

HKIS is also a religious establishment as much as a school. It refuses to employ teachers, however good they are, who are not actively practising Christians. Particularly given the way the world is today I feel this is an incredibly bad approach with which to bring up a kid.

[lkc]

Thanks all. I have heard similar stories about HKIS.

Vrindavan, care to comment on why you prefer CIS over AIS? I think they are both in Kowloon? We are going try to live close to the kids' school at least for the first year (hubby will be working in Central).

Any other schools that I don't know about?

Thanks again!

[Vrindavan]

>>Vrindavan, care to comment on why you prefer CIS over AIS?
>>I think they are both in Kowloon?

Christian Alliance P C Lau Memorial International School

or

International Christian School

>>Any other schools that I don't know about?

Is American system a must ?
Why?

Please send me a PM.

[AnotherAmerican]

Vrindavan, care to comment on why you prefer CIS over AIS?

Speaking of "CIS", even though you didn't mean to, another "good" international school is called "Chinese International School." I go to boarding school in the US, and the school consists of about 8-10% Asians. Those from Hong Kong are almost always from "CIS" (Chinese International School). My best guess would be that their system compliments the US system fairly well.

[Ramen]

King George V is good I hear.

[Krad]

While this is not going to be a productive post, HKIS is a breeding ground for spoilt trustfund babies, in my not so humble but educated opinion. Thanks in part to the debenture scheme and the peer groups within that system.

Hey, I went to HKIS and I don't have a trust fund. :P

Then again, I was one of the outsiders in the school, so maybe you have a point.

I went to GSIS for a year and graduated from HKIS. I think HKIS has a very strong educational program. Academically, they're far better than the majority of schools in the US, and they're very competitive with other international schools in HK. They also emphasize a lot of outdoor and cultural activities. When I went, they had a program called Interim where students took two weeks off to go to various places around Asia, doing activities ranging from mountain biking in Nepal to serving at an orphanage in Thailand. There's a definite Christian influence, but it's not like they're brainwashing you. I am not religious, and got along fine, even if there were some moments where I was rolling my eyes.

The downside? It's expensive. Really expensive. No, I mean REALLY expensive. We paid more to go to HKIS than to go to college. And yes, some of the people there can be pretty snobbish, but there's still diversity too, so you can probably find someone to hang with.

[HKFella]

That odd comment did need a response like this!!

HKIS is an exceedingly good North-American curriculum International school in Asia (though some parents tell me Singapore International and American Embassy School in Delhi top it). Debenture helps but has never been a must for admission; scores of new arrivals in HK are admitted every year and it's only some who(se parents' employers) have debentures. Those without a debenture are billed an annual capital levy instead (that's changing the coming year and probably getting extended to all). No idea what role trust fund plays. None of the parents (admittedly all expats) I spoke with are familiar with it.

In HKIS the religion thing is certainly there (Lutheran foundation backing), but is lightly worn as far as students are concerned, perhaps in recognition of "the way the world is today". Moreover, at least in the primary school, great pains are taken to give kids good exposure to and opportunity to research major world religions and diverse cultures. Far cry in that regard from some of those schools with "St." and "Convent" in their names in certain former British colonies which - while imparting from above average to high standard of education - are never far from their overt and covert pursuit of their proselytization agenda.