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 cannot be more pleased to have those parents and students leave the school as them doing so makes a stronger culture for learning in the community and also removes distractions from the classrooms.
Keep up the great work KIST!
↳ Reply from K. International School Tokyo 
Dear Lucky Parents,
Thank you so much for taking the time to provide this review. We certainly appreciate the fact that you (and many other of our enrolled families) are fully aligned with our school mission. We wish your daughter all the best as she progresses in her studies.
KIST
4 other reviews for K. International School Tokyo - (Reviews aren't verified )
Showing 3 reviews by parents and students.
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
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.
