Compare American Curriculum International Schools in Shanghai, China

Shanghai Livingston American School (SLAS) opened its original campus on August 26, 2003 and moved to its current Ganxi Road site in Changning District in January 2005. SLAS follows an American curriculum that aligns with California public-school standards and offers Advanced Placement (AP) courses in the high school program. The school publishes age cutoffs from Nursery (age 2) through Grade 12 and provides a door-to-door school bus service for Shanghai addresses (with published semester rates). SLAS also lists a community-service programme and foreign-language classes (students have taken French, Japanese, Spanish and Chinese), and the school highlights school libraries and arts/music offerings as regular parts of its programme. All facts above are taken from the school website.

Concordia International School Shanghai opened in 1998 and is a co-educational day school serving Preschool through High School students in the Jinqiao area of Pudong. The school follows an American-style curriculum with Advanced Placement (AP) course offerings and membership in Global Online Academy; it also highlights a multi-level Mandarin program from preschool to grade 12. The single-campus site in Jinqiao reports energy-saving campus systems (including geothermal heating/cooling) and provides optional bus transport and school lunch options. Concordia publishes tuition by grade band (tuition listed in RMB) and reports PS–12 enrollments in its school profile. The Head of School is Dr. Eric Semler.

Shanghai American School (SAS) is a non-profit PreK–12 school with two campuses in Shanghai: Pudong (1600 Lingbai Road) and Puxi (258 Jinfeng Road). The school was founded in 1912 and serves children from early childhood through high school. Early years at SAS use a Reggio Emilia–inspired approach; at high school SAS offers both Advanced Placement (AP) and the International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma as pathways. The school highlights programs such as robotics alongside sports and performing arts, and provides an optional bus service for families. SAS is led by Head of School James Nelligan. (All facts below are taken from the SAS website.)

Ulink College of Shanghai (领科教育上海校区) is an independent campus in Songjiang District (address: 涞亭南路559号). The school was founded in 2005 and the Shanghai campus later received IBDP authorization in 2018; since 2022 it also runs the SABIS®ULINK programme in partnership with SABIS® International Education. Ulink offers Cambridge (IGCSE and A Level) and IB Diploma programmes and lists a SABIS/US-pathway option; the site shows specific course lists for IGCSE, A Level and IBDP for AY2024–25. The campus is described on the school site as occupying about 100 mu with sports facilities (400m track, grass football pitch, indoor sports hall), libraries and science labs, and the site also gives a dedicated boarding-life page describing on-campus and off-campus dorms. The school site publishes a domestic-bilingual high‑school fee of RMB 90,000 per semester (which would be RMB 180,000 per year if two semesters are counted); overall current total enrolment and a general annual fee range for all international programmes are not published on the website. (Sources: school pages for About/History, Curriculum, Facilities, Boarding life and the domestic‑high‑school announcement.)

Harrow International School Shanghai opened in 2016 and is located on Gaoxi Road in the Pudong district of Shanghai. The school website states it educates pupils from 18 months to 18 years and follows a Harrow curriculum rooted in the English National Curriculum, preparing students for IGCSE and A Level examinations; the site also notes the school has launched AP courses and a U.S. university pathway. The school lists an optional school-bus service, a full extra‑curricular programme (including sport, performing arts and leadership/service opportunities such as the Duke of Edinburgh's Award), and that its Mandarin programme is compulsory through Year 9 with different pathways at IGCSE and A Level. Where the website does not give a specific figure (for example typical class size), the entry reflects that omission rather than an assumption.

Shanghai High School International Division (SHSID) is the international section of Shanghai High School, founded in 1993 and providing education for Grades 1–12 across multiple campuses (Xuhui/Puxi plus Pudong/Zhangjiang, Lingang and Hongkou campuses). SHSID operates a US-based primary curriculum and offers AP courses, the IB Diploma and international A-level options; it is authorized for IB, AP and A-level examinations and is a TOEFL test centre. The Xuhui (Puxi) campus address is 989 Baise Road (north gate) with a south gate at 400 Shangzhong Road in Xuhui District, and the school reports roughly 3,500 students, an average class size of about 18 and a reported 1:5 teacher–student ratio. SHSID also runs STEAM/innovation programmes and a broad world‑languages programme (French, Japanese, Spanish, German, Korean among options) alongside music, drama and visual‑arts provision. (All details from the school website.)

Shanghai Japanese School is a Japanese-curriculum international school in Shanghai operated by the Shanghai Japanese School Operating Committee, with support from the Shanghai Japanese Chamber of Commerce. It offers education from elementary through high school, with campuses in Hongqiao and Pudong, and a high school division established in 2011 on the Pudong campus. The school follows Japan’s national curriculum, using Japanese-language textbooks and subject structures familiar to families from Japan. Students study standard subjects taught in Japanese, ensuring continuity with the Japanese education system.

Shanghai Starriver Bilingual School (SSBS) is a private bilingual school in Minhang District, Shanghai, established in 2012. It serves students from Grade 1 through Grade 12. In the lower grades (1–9), SSBS delivers the national compulsory education curriculum with bilingual instruction in mathematics, science, physics, chemistry and biology, and offers a range of elective courses to develop student interests. In the upper grades (10–12), the high school program centers on Chinese core courses taught in Chinese, such as Chinese, Politics, History and Geography. It also adds international-style electives, including Sino-US integrated courses and Advanced Placement (AP) courses under the College Board, with more than 30 AP subjects available (including Capstone). The school's guiding philosophy is “global education with the Chinese core,” emphasizing national identity, international perspective, innovation, collaboration and social responsibility.

Shanghai Gold Apple School is a private, all‑through boarding school founded in 2000 by the Yalong Group. It sits on a campus in Pudong, with green space and more than 100,000 square meters of buildings. The school comprises of Kindergarten, Primary Department, Secondary Department and International Department, with a strong international orientation across its centers. The International Department includes the American High School Center (US curriculum with AP), the Cambridge Center (IGCSE/A‑Levels), a Mandarin Center (for international students and Chinese learners), and WA International Center and Hidaka/Nihon‑ga Center. Curricula include K‑12 Chinese system, Chinese‑global curriculum for foreign students, US high school curriculum with AP and Cambridge IGCSE/A‑Levels. The school reports about 3,000 students and over 400 staff with more than 1,600 graduates have studied abroad, with a 99% admission rate to top universities. Facilities include the Apple Classroom, a wildlife bird observatory, and a digital immersive future classroom.

SMIC Private School (SMIC School) is a K–12 school founded by Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corporation in 2001 and opened to the public in 2004. The main campus is in Zhangjiang, Pudong (Qing‑Tong Road) and the school combines a Chinese-track program with an international (American‑system) division; the international division offers AP courses and is an authorised AP and SAT/ACT test centre. Facilities listed on the school site include science labs, language facilities, AI classroom and extensive sports facilities. The bilingual kindergarten lists class sizes and age bands (P2 = 3 years; K1 = 4; K2 = 5). The school states it provides daily Chinese instruction across grades while following American‑based curricular standards in the international division. For families: tuition for the international division is published per semester on the school site (see fees page); the site also gives a school‑bus contact for routes and fees.

Shanghai Singapore International School (SSIS) opened on 3 September 1996 and provides a continuous K–12 pathway for expatriate children aged 2–18; the school reports a community of about 1,400 students. The campus is listed at 301 Zhujian Road, Minhang District, Shanghai. SSIS follows a blended curriculum pathway that includes the Singapore curriculum at lower levels, Cambridge IGCSE in middle secondary, and the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme (with IBDP and IBCP authorisations noted in the school history). The school describes a bilingual approach (English + Chinese); its Chinese Language & Culture Programme provides banded classes (Advanced / Standard / Foundation) and the preschool programme indicates a roughly 70% English / 30% Chinese instruction ratio. SSIS also highlights a curriculum-integrated golf programme and an on-campus Aquatic Centre.

Shanghai Singapore International School (SSIS) is an international K–12 school established in 1996 and located at 301 Zhujian Road in Minhang District, Shanghai. The school provides a Singapore-based programme in Preschool and Primary, Cambridge programmes in the middle years and IGCSE, and the International Baccalaureate Diploma for Grades 11–12. SSIS operates a bilingual early-years model with English–Mandarin co-teaching and a dedicated Chinese Language and Culture Programme that places students in Advanced, Standard and Foundation streams. On-campus facilities listed by the school include an indoor Aquatic Centre, STEAM maker spaces and a Performing Arts Centre, and the school highlights niche offerings such as a curriculum golf programme. After-school options include sports, arts and academic clubs, and SSIS runs an extensive optional school-bus network for families. The school website reports about 1,400 students and publishes the 2025/2026 tuition range from RMB 130,000 to RMB 300,000.

Dipont Huayao Collegiate School Kunshan presents a blended Chinese–American curriculum and describes its approach as an integrated, Sino‑American program that runs from preschool through Grade 12. The school website states children may start in preschool at age two, boarding is introduced from Grade 6, and the programme culminates in Upper School (Grade 12). The academic pages highlight an emphasis on a ‘Sino‑American Integrated Curriculum', an iSTEAM–PBL approach, and a Dual Language Immersion programme using Chinese and English. The site also notes that approximately 30% of educators are English speakers. The website lists the campus address and contact details but does not publish tuition, class‑size figures, total pupil numbers or campus coordinates. Where the site does not state an item explicitly, that detail is omitted here rather than assumed.

Founded in 2001 by the Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corporation, SMIC Private School International Division in Shanghai provides an American-style K-12 curriculum for foreign passport holders. The school prepares students for overseas universities through its extensive Advanced Placement (AP) courses, including AP Calculus, AP Statistics, and AP Computer Science. The campus features specialized facilities such as seven computer labs with thirty computers each, an artificial intelligence robotics lab equipped with 3D printers, a design technology lab with mechanical construction tools, and a dedicated broadcast room for school television production. A unique signature initiative is the school's graduation requirement that high school students complete one hundred hours of community service and one credit of extracurricular activities. Families utilize the Canvas online learning system to track progress. Students also participate in the Shanghai International Schools Activities Conference (SISAC) sports, competing in volleyball, basketball, and soccer, alongside elective subjects like French and Spanish courses.

Established in 2008, the International Curriculum Teaching Center of Shanghai Jianping High School (ECIC) is a public institution located at 517 Gushan Road in Pudong New District, Shanghai. Serving over 500 international students with small class sizes of 15 to 20 pupils, the campus provides a blend of Chinese domestic core courses and the American Curriculum. Students choose from more than 20 Advanced Placement (AP) elective subjects spanning mathematics, sciences, and arts. The school is particularly known for its signature STEAM initiative, which features hands-on projects in aerospace, civil engineering, drone operation, and oceanography research. For extracurricular options, ECIC partners with global institutions to offer academic exchanges with overseas universities like Stanford. Campus facilities support a student orchestra, a drama club staging full-length theater productions, and competitive sports teams that participate in basketball, track and field, and swimming competitions. Additionally, the school offers residential boarding availability for its student body.

Established in 2001 in Shanghai’s Xuhui District, Shanghai Nanyang Model Private School serves students from Grades 7 to 12. For families unfamiliar with international systems, the school provides bilingual pathways combining Chinese standards with the Canadian British Columbia (BC) curriculum, A-Levels, and Advanced Placement (AP) courses. Instruction is delivered in both Chinese and English, helping students adapt smoothly. The campus features specialized facilities to support student interests, including AI labs, carbon-neutral practice bases, and an 11v11 football field. Beyond the classroom, the school is uniquely known for its historic traditions, most notably its symphony orchestras and national-champion basketball teams. Students also engage with the local community through volunteering initiatives, environmental projects, and hospital partnerships. Boarding facilities are available on-site, and a 10:1 student-to-teacher ratio ensures close individual attention. Examinations are handled via Cambridge Assessment, Oxford AQA, and Pearson Edexcel boards, providing clear paths to international universities.