Yes

Yes, ELA (English Language Acquisition)

Japanese and French

Kindergarten to Grade 4: 22
Grades 5 to 12: 25 per class

Grades 1 to 4: 20
Grades 5 to 12: 22

Yes, in the Kindergarten

Sacred Heart students integrate technology into their learning in age-appropriate and meaningful ways from Kindergarten through Grade 12. In the Kindergarten and Junior School, students both develop their core technology skills in weekly ICT Skills classes and engage in meaningful technology integration in units, lessons, and projects in other subjects. Between ages 3 and 11, we are not a one-to-one school; we strongly believe that screen time should be limited, and we emphasize opportunities for children to learn creatively and collaboratively without the use of devices. Starting from Grade 6, each student has her own laptop, which is used in classroom learning and research in intentional and meaningful ways. Students also learn about digital citizenship, safety, and respect through our Values programme.

Yes, Sacred Heart has procedures for at-home learning instances of inclement weather and other school closures. We use Google Suite — Google Classrooms and Google Meet in the Middle and High School; Seesaw and Google Meet in the Kindergarten and Junior School.

While our Catholic heritage and values such as love, gratitude, generosity, compassion and forgiveness, hope, and joy shape all aspects of our school, we do not teach a Theology or Bible class, and students do not attend regular mass or religious services. Instead, our curriculum includes a Values programme, which covers developmentally appropriate issues such as rights and responsibilities, friendships and relationships, and Christianity alongside many of the world’s major religions.

Sacred Heart welcomes families all faiths and religions. Our school is home to students who identify with more than 15 unique religions, denominations, and belief systems. We receive with open arms students of all religious traditions and those who do not identify with a particular religion. All are welcome at ISSH!

High School: Culminating: AP, SAT
High School: PSAT
Junior School and Middl School: MAP (benchmarking)

ISSH does not publish AP examination scores. 100% of Sacred Heart graduates matriculate to tertiary education.

Yes, in alignment with an intentional and age-appropriate homework policy.

K5, Grades 1–2: 15-30 minutes per day - including reading
Grades 3–4: 30-40 minutes per day - including reading
Grade 5–6: 10 minutes per period in academic subjects
Grade 7–8: 15 minutes per period in academic subjects
Grade 9–12: Homework expectations depend on student course selection and desired post-secondary educational path

100%

Yes, Kindergarten to Grade 8

Depending on the students' needs, our support team can offer 1:1 support and in-class support

We offer enriched math classes from Grade 7 and above, and a variety of university-level Advanced Placement (AP) courses from Grade 11 (some courses available in Grades 9 and 10). We also offer a variety of ways for students to engage in deeper, personalised, and authentic learning experience both through the curriculum and through extracurricular offerings.

Sacred Heart has three licensed cousellors in our faculty. We refer students to external specialists based on their specific situations and needs.

Yes, we require screening for Kindergarten and Junior School and assessment tests in Middle and High School.

Screenings and assessments are age-appropriate and may include hands-on activities, standadised testing, an essay, etc.

There are waiting lists in some grade levels. As we offer rolling admissions and, as an international school, have students leave midyear for parents' work transfers, etc., our availability changes frequently. We recommend enquiring to our Admissions Office for availability information before applying.

We have a rolling admissions and accept applications throughout the year. Applications for the following school year are open from 1 September.

Yes.

Kindergarten: 8:30 am
Junior School to High School: 8:20 am

Kindergarten: 2:50 pm
Junior School: 3:00 pm
Middle and High School: 3:30 pm

Yes, we offer an Extended Day Program (EDP) with additional fee for working parents and families who need supervised care between the end of the school day and when they can be available for pick-up.

No; our school is located centrally, and most of our families live locally (Hiroo/Roppongi/Azabu area) or reach us by public transportation. Our school is a 2-minute walk from Hiroo Station.

Yes, we offer hot lunches and a wide range of other options for an additional cost. Our school cafeteria serves a main dish as well as a vegetarian option and offers noodle dishes, fresh baked goods, healthy bottled drinks, and a cold case with salads, sandwiches, wraps, and fresh fruit. School lunch is optional and students are welcome to bring their own lunches.

Yes; see above

Yes. Our uniform is flexible to meet the needs of our diverse population (e.g. religious head coverings, gender-affirming choices, etc.)

Sports: Middle and High School students compete in various leagues (KPASS, Far East) and invitationals in volleyball, cross country, tennis, basketball, soccer, and track and field
Athletics are a vital part of the extracurricular offerings at ISSH. Middle and High School students compete in six different sports across three sporting seasons (Fall, Winter, and Spring) through the Kanto Plain League and various other international and domestic tournaments. Girls interested in sports are encouraged to participate in the way that suits their own unique interests, whether they've played soccer since they were toddlers or are curious to try out basketball for the first time. We offer both Varsity and Junior Varsity teams in the High School and A, B, and sometimes C teams in the Middle School to ensure that as many students as possible have a chance to participate. In Kindergarten and Junior School, many athletic opportunities are available through the After School Activities and After School Enrichment Programs.

Arts: From Grade 3, students can participate in a variety of activities including orchestra, choir, vocal ensemble, joint musical, show choir, Artscape, dance festival, drama festival, speech festival, film festival
The arts are at the core of the Sacred Heart experience—whether through music, visual art, dance, or drama, creative expression is fostered and developed through a host of extracurricular activities, from our internationally recognised competitive choirs and orchestras to the electric energy of our HS and MS rock bands. Creative expression is woven throughout the curriculum and developed through a host of extracurricular activities. Middle and High School students can audition for our various orchestras and choirs and participate in a host of competitive and collaborative arts events with other international schools and DoDD schools in the Tokyo area through the Kanto Plain Association. For those who want to try out something new, or delve into an art form not offered through KPASS, there are endless possibilities through student-led clubs. In Kindergarten and Junior School, many artistic opportunities are available through the After School Activities and After School Enrichment Programs, including our widely popular Junior Duchesne Choir and Junior School Handbell Choir.

STEM and Academic: From Middle and particularly in High School, students may compete in robotics, debate, Model United Nations, etc. They engage in interest-based clubs such as chess and Japanese abacus, and publish student newspapers/magazines in Middle and High School.
With courage and confidence, Sacred Heart girls engage in STEM and other academic pursuits outside of the curriculum—whether engineering robots to compete in VEX leagues or engaging with world issues through Model United Nations, ISSH provides rich programming to allow students to pursue their academic passions. STEM and other academic extracurriculars run the full range of activities, from competitive teams that take on other international schools in leagues and tournaments to clubs designed to develop skills and expand knowledge. Industry and special interest clubs allow students to dig deeper into their interests and meet friends who share the same passions, whether chess, investing, or medicine. From Kindergarten through graduation, Sacred Heart students have the opportunity to pursue their passions in STEM, public speaking, world languages, and much more.

Service and impact:
Service is central to a Sacred Heart education. As stated in Goal 3, our students cultivate a social awareness that impels them to action—which is why service is primarily student-driven at ISSH. While many schools and international curricula have a community service requirement for students in middle and high school, Sacred Heart doesn't—and yet the overwhelming majority of our students are deeply involved in service groups, projects, and initiatives. Why? Because developing an understanding of empathy and love for our fellow humans in both our local and global communities is a core part of the Sacred Heart ethos. From Kindergarten, students are involved in age-appropriate service projects, such as our annual Rice Drive, and by the time they reach high school, they are taking leadership roles on our Social Service Council, and heading up service clubs and programmes like our 20-year relationship supporting a school in Nepal through the charity Nepal SEEDS.

Students take PE classes 1-2 times per week from K3 (3-year-old class) to Grade 10. We have a variety of athletic spaces available on campus.

Yes, our high school sports teams compete in the Kanto Plain League and the DoDEA Far East athletic association.

Two libraries (Kindergarten/Junior School and Middle/High School)
Science labs
Computer labs
2D Art studio
3D Art studio with pottery wheels and kiln
A black box stage/drama room
2 multipurpose performance/gathering spaces
A small, on-campus prayer and meditation space
A larger chapel / performance space

One large gymnasium with built-in spectator space
One "mini-gym" for younger children and multi-purpose use
Two tennis courts
One futsal field
A training space with weights and athletic equipment

Founded in 1908, the International School of the Sacred Heart was the first and continues to be Tokyo's top school for girls to learn in an English-speaking and truly diverse environment that focuses on each student's academic, social-emotional, spiritual, psychological, and physical development.

Sacred Heart is accredited by CIS and WASC, a founding member of JCIS, governed by the Sacred Heart School Corporation, and an active participant in the global network of 100+ Sacred Heart Schools in 35+ countries. Through 23 international Advanced Placement courses, high school students earn university credit before matriculating to some of the best universities in the US, UK, Japan, Australia, Canada, and worldwide. Athletic teams compete across the Far East Association, student leadership is developed and exercised at every level (K3-12) through student council, clubs, Model UN, debate, and more. Student choral and orchestra performances are awe-inspiring, and internationally acclaimed. Students actively support a vast array of service organisations and causes, including a deeply meaningful 20+ year relationship with a school in Nepal.

Nestled in Hiroo in Shibuya-ku, the campus is a wooded oasis easily accessed by the Metro that offers safe off-street drop-off and pick-up, has an excellent gymnasium, turf field, top-grade tennis courts, a large playground, chapel, labs for art, science, ceramics and food technology, spacious multipurpose spaces for drama, assemblies, and receptions. Sacred Heart's mission is love, and this level of belonging gives strength to the community, engages parents, and keeps alumni connected across the globe. With privilege comes responsibility; Sacred Heart students are taught to have courage and confidence in making a positive difference in our world.

The International School of the Sacred Heart is a truly international school, with unique programming that reflects the needs of our specific student community. Designed especially for girls and young women whose experience spans a variety of cultures, languages, and backgrounds, our in-house, college preparatory curriculum provides our students with the foundation for the highest degree of success in tertiary education and beyond.

Our well-rounded and truly international programme develops competent, independent, creative thinkers prepared for exciting futures. Our whole-school pedagogical focus is underpinned by our definition of High Quality Learning and Teaching, which enables learners to engage in student-centred tasks that involve deeper thinking, authentic work, student agency, and innovation. As active participants in the learning process, students engage positively in developmentally appropriate tasks of increasing cognitive complexity that foster creativity, critical thinking, problem solving, and effective communication and collaboration. Through active inquiry and discovery, they build upon prior knowledge, analyse, evaluate, and reflect to transfer skills across subjects and real-world situations. Our approach provides personally challenging tasks with opportunities for self-reflection and growth in a safe environment for intellectual risk-taking. In addition to this, students use technology and media purposefully and ethically to enhance learning, creativity, and collaboration. Together, this fosters the development of lifelong learning leaders who will contribute to the world well beyond the classroom.

Engaging with and learning about Generative Artificial Intelligence is part of developing responsible digital citizens. Teachers and students at our school improve learning through the responsible use of AI, the development of AI literacy and expertise, and the ability to critically evaluate AI outputs. We engage in meaningful dialogue about the ethical use of AI in education and proactively embrace our responsibility to remain current as technology develops.

We carefully select resources from American, Canadian, British, Australian, and New Zealand curricula, synthesising materials from around the world to meet our students' specific needs. Alongside diverse assessment methods, we conduct benchmark testing using NWEA MAP in Grades 1–8 and PSAT in Grades 9–11. As an SAT testing centre, our Grade 12 students typically take the SAT alongside a broad offering of over 20 Advanced Placement (AP) courses.

Grounded in the global Sacred Heart Goals and Criteria, our pre-K through Grade 12 curriculum develops the whole student with an empathetic understanding of the world. Our all-English program incorporates a unique Values curriculum with an international mindedness focus, developing leadership skills in girls and young women. Fine arts and athletics are integral to our curriculum, alongside extensive extracurricular opportunities including competitive sports, choirs, orchestras, STEM pursuits, service organisations, and more.

Accredited by the Council of International Schools (CIS) and the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC), ISSH's dedicated faculty from approximately 20 countries continue their lifelong learning journey through the highest quality local and global professional development. Whether students are with us for one year or their entire school career, they remain part of our Sacred Heart community—a home in Tokyo where hearts never truly leave. When our alumni return to visit from all around the globe, they often find their heart has never left their “home” in Tokyo.

Visit us to learn more about what makes the International School of the Sacred Heart Tokyo's top school for girls to grow academically, socially, emotionally, spiritually, and physically—with courage and confidence.