Our school hours are from 8:00 until 3:00, Mondays through Fridays.
After school activities generally run from 3:00 to 4:00 (sporting events often run longer). Preschool is a half day program with dismissal at 11:30 (before lunch).
Is transportation provided to the school? Do you have buses?
We provide transportation according to our policy (see the application form), but generally we do provide transportation by bus to our campuses from most areas of Shanghai and Hangzhou.
If lower school children participate in after school activities, parents pick their
children up at school. We provide after-school activity bus drop-offs for our upper
school students to a few designated hotel locations.
What are your class sizes?
Our target numbers are:
Preschool and prekindergarten classes, 14 students to one Western teacher and one Chinese assistant
Kindergarten to grade 4, 16 students to one Western teacher
Grades 5 – 12, 18 students to a class
Do you wear uniforms?
Yes, we have a smart, yet casual uniform for all of our preschool to grade 12 students.
Children may wear their own choice of shoes, socks, and jackets. Students in grades 3-12
also have an athletic uniform that is required for physical education classes.
Do you have a hot lunch program?
Daily hot lunches are provided as part of the school fees. A combination of
Eastern and Western dishes are served. Students, of course, may bring their own lunches,
but are also welcome to take any of the daily offerings.
Can students enroll during the school year?
Yes, we have students enter throughout the year. Our teachers welcome new students and have
procedures to help each child transition to a new environment smoothly.
How do you select my child’s teacher?
At the lower school, the building principal works with the teachers to create
balanced classrooms and assigns the teacher to the class. Principals welcome parent
requests for desired characteristics of teachers, but will make the final decision regarding
classroom assignments in order to create the best learning environments for all children.
In the upper school, students will have a different teacher for each subject.
What supplies do I need to bring to school?
Early childhood students (Preschool, Pre-K, Kindergarten) generally need a backpack, a daily snack, and a change of clothes in case of
“accidents” or spills (books and supplies are provided) Lower school students generally need a backpack and a daily snack (books and supplies are provided) Upper school students need a backpack and supplies as indicated by classroom teachers
(inexpensive and readily available in China). Textbooks are provided by the school.
Do you have any after-school activities?
SCIS offers a variety of after school activities. Our activity coordinator at each
campus will provide students with the list of activities and information regarding the
sign-up procedures
How do we schedule classes?
Lower school students simply need to go to their classroom. Specialist classes are
built into their weekly schedule.
Upper school students have core subjects and electives.
The building principal or college counselor works with students to build a program.
For upper school students newly enrolling, class sign-up sheets are available on our website.
You may also contact the building principal for sign-up sheets.
Are parents involved with the school?
We welcome parent volunteers in the classrooms and as part of our Parents and Friends Association
What is your student body breakdown by citizenship?
We have 35 nationalities represented by our student body. The breakdown varies from campus to
campus. Americans represent our largest nationality at 20% of our student body. Overall, we
have roughly 60% of our student body from Western countries and 40% from Eastern countries.
Where are your teachers from?
60% of our teachers are from the U.S. and Canada, but we also have teachers from
Australia, U.K., New Zealand, South Africa, and an assortment of other countries.
Does the school have a religious affiliation?
We celebrate diversity, but we do not have a religious affiliation. Although we do not teach religion, we value and share the
richness of different religions and cultures in our SCIS community.
Do you administer standardized achievement tests?
We administer the Northwest Educational Assessment to students in grades 1-8, and our
upper school students take the PSAT and SAT.
SCIS and HIS are fully accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC) SCIS is accredited by the National Council of Curriculum and Textbooks (NCCT)
