Student
I have spent years in this school that I can never take back.
Corruption, pressure and ignorance are cultural norms here.
I was severely depressed here and never received any form of support - or even the slightest bit of empathy. The only reason I was allowed to stay was because I scored high points which improved their reputation.
My heart breaks for all of the students in this school: every child deserves better than this authoritarian, cold, money-grabbing environment, with little regard for morals.
Please, all, really think about what is best for your child, rather than being told that your worth is derived from high grades.
↳ Reply from K. International School Tokyo 
Dear STUDENT,
Thank you for taking the time to share your experience. We genuinely appreciate feedback from our community, and particularly from our students and their families, as it helps us reflect on what we are doing well and where we can continue to improve.
It is concerning to hear that you felt you did not receive the support or empathy you needed during your time at KIST. We take concerns about student wellbeing, school culture, and the way expectations are communicated very seriously, and we would very much like to understand more about your experience.
We certainly set high expectations for academic achievement, but we also care deeply about the wellbeing of our students and want them to feel known, supported and valued as individuals. KIST has a number of student support structures in place, including our Care Team and, particularly in the Diploma Programme, an advisory program that dedicates significant time to student care, guidance, and wellbeing. We recognize, however, that having these systems in place does not necessarily mean that every student will experience them in the same way.
We would also appreciate the opportunity to better understand the ratings you provided, particularly in the areas of academics, facilities, school atmosphere, and administration. Academically, we invest significantly in student support, including support instructors in every Elementary classroom and relatively small class sizes in Secondary. Our students also consistently achieve very strong Diploma Programme results, which enable most of our graduates to enter their first-choice universities. While we are proud of these outcomes, we also recognize that a student’s experience of school is about much more than grades, and we would value hearing more about what contributed to your academic rating.
Since moving into our new facility in 2024, our campus has expanded considerably, including a full-size gymnasium, new science laboratories, two soundproofed music rooms, two practice studios, an artificial turf field, and a range of other improved learning spaces. We recognize that some of these facilities, as well as some of our current support structures, may have changed since your time at KIST, so it would be helpful to understand more about what informed your rating in this area.
We also noticed that you rated our teachers more highly than the other areas. We are very fortunate to have a dedicated teaching staff who care about their students, both academically and emotionally, and who work hard to support them throughout their time at KIST.
We would be very happy to meet with you and listen more closely to your experience, including the reasons behind the ratings you shared. A member of our school leadership team would welcome the opportunity to speak with you directly. If you are comfortable doing so, please feel free to contact the school so that we can arrange a conversation.
Thank you again for sharing your thoughts with us.
KIST
6 other reviews for K. International School Tokyo - (Reviews aren't verified )
Showing 4 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
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.
