Parent
The value for the money is at a major deficit. While K. International School charges fees similar to those at other International schools in the same area, there are no facilities for sports, drama or any activities other than studying. While this may appeal to some parents of older students, it is detrimental to learning and ignores the whole child/social emotional learning needs of all students. We are moving our child to another school with more opportunities and facilities as soon as possible.
The administration may respond with a "we are building new facilities" line, but like the "Past Teacher" review insinuated here, the school may not want to commit to that in writing. Construction has lagged over a decade and the kids are hurting for it. As there is no transparency as to how money is spent and the administration is fighting an external audit, we do not hold any hope in anything changing. Terrible value for money.
↳ Reply from K. International School Tokyo 
Dear Unhappy Parents,
We have read your comments with interest. Unfortunately, as they do not present an accurate picture of our school, we would like to respond in order to correct what could be misleading for other readers.
First, it seems that you claim to be a current parent; however, we assume this must be false as current members of our school community are aware that construction of our new school building has already commenced.
You also claim that “there are no facilities for sports, drama or any activities other than studying.” Once again, however, you do not seem to be aware that KIST has had both a gymnasium and a large outdoor field for the past 16 years. In fact, many of the prospective parents and students who visit our school express their pleasure at seeing our large field. In addition to regular physical education classes, our sporting teams are very active and have been able to utilize our gymnasium and grounds for matches and tournaments with students from other international schools. For facilities that we do not have on our campus such as tennis courts, we rent public facilities for club activities and practices for students to enjoy. As our gymnasium was recently demolished to make way for the construction of our new multistoried school building, the space on the field has been reduced; however, construction is progressing smoothly, and the new building, which will include a gymnasium with a full-sized basketball court, a music rooms with two fully soundproofed private practice rooms, and four science laboratories, is scheduled for completion by the end of October 2023.
In addition to sporting activities, we provide students with many opportunities to take part in cultural experiences; one of which is the annual school musical. Last year, students presented a production of “Beauty and the Beast Jr.” This year’s musical will be announced soon.
We believe that developing the whole child and social and emotional learning needs is very important and as such, ensure that students are provided with a variety of opportunities to be actively involved in sports and the arts in addition to academic studies.
You further claim that “KIST is fighting an external audit.” Perhaps you are not aware that KIST holds “school foundation” (gakkou houjin) status as granted by the Tokyo Metropolitan Government. Under the regulations of this status, KIST undergoes an annual audit as conducted by an auditor, and submits the results to the Tokyo Metropolitan Government for review.
Finally, you mention "transparency;" however, we make it known to the school community that any student, faculty member, staff member, or parent of a current student can request to see the audited financial reports at any time.
As indicated in our Family Handbook, we welcome direct feedback from parents regarding any concerns they may have. If you would like to discuss your concerns further, please feel free to contact the school office to make an appointment with a member of our administration team.
KIST
4 other reviews for K. International School Tokyo - (Reviews aren't verified )
Showing 3 reviews by parents and students.
Parent
Our daughter has been at KIST for over 9 years now and has benefited immensely from the support that she has been provided by her teachers and from the support programs in place at the school. Academic expectations are clear, performance against them is measured regularly and efforts are made to support students before it is too late.
KIST prioritizes academics and that is attractive to us as a family. As university admission is becoming more and more competitive, we are confident that the excellent education she will have upon completion of the IB Diploma at KIST will give her access to top-tier universities.
The secondary building and the gym are old, but students have ample opportunities to participate in athletic and academic curricular activities.
I have read reviews that criticize the school for holding families and students accountable for their learning. As a parent, I ... read full review
↳ Reply from K. International School Tokyo
Parent
An academic focus school.
Con1: Grading process
School applies a bell curve to force-grade students into higher or standard grade subject courses for final year exit exams - no choice. (This helps ensure the school achieves higher ave ratings which it evidently does achieve - benefits school mostly not the children).
This grading starts from an early age (10-11) grade 6 (MYP) onward (specifically science subjects).
Issue 1: This pre-defines and so limits career options from an early age (10-11) since certain universities require science subjects to pass on the higher grade.
Issue 2: This has an undue early age morale confidence hit on kids at 10-11 y.o. (read why below)
Issue 2: This grading process, separate from the assessment process, appears flawed. External past year UK SAT test papers are used to grade (Diagnostic test) of which ~60% of the papers content is not cove... read full review
↳ Reply from K. International School Tokyo
Student
All they do is the filter through students. They just kick the dumb ones out and keep the smart ones. Not a good option for your children.
