1
Eligibility
Who may the school enrol? Which documents are accepted?
Not checkedOn this page4 topics
Family guide · 02
Choose the school.Then choose the flat.
A practical sequence for getting past reputation and prospectuses: check eligibility, define the exit, inspect support, price the full year and test the commute.
Editorial campus illustration, not a named school or its current facilities.
Your school decision sequence
Follow these five checks in order for a clearer, less stressful decision.
2
Exit pathway
Does the curriculum fit the child’s likely next transition?
Not checked3
Support model
Is the right support available before testing the child?
Not checked4
Complete annual cost
What is the full year’s cost, including compulsory extras?
Not checked5
School-run commute
How long is the actual journey at school-run time?
Not checkedMarking a step records your preparation only. It does not confirm eligibility, support, a fee or a school place.
Start with your child
Use broad categories to prepare questions. Do not enter names, document numbers or medical details.
Answers stay on this page. They are not sent or saved. Save keeps only school selections and checked preparation steps.
Shortlist 3–5 schools, then verify eligibility before touring.
Get personalised admissions questions and practical next steps—not a placement decision.
1
Confirm eligibility
Who may the school enrol? Which documents are accepted?
Go to section2
Choose for the next transition
Does the curriculum fit the child’s likely next transition?
Go to section3
Test support before testing the child
Is the right support available before testing the child?
Go to section4
Price the complete year
What is the full year’s cost, including compulsory extras?
Go to section5
Run the commute at school-run time
How long is the actual journey at school-run time?
Go to sectionIllustrative planning images; not a particular school’s support room, fee quote or school-bus route.
International schools to research in Shenzhen
Six examples to start your research, not a ranking or a match to your child. Confirm details and the exact programme with admissions.
Shekou International School (SIS)
QSI International School of Shenzhen
Harrow Shenzhen Qianhai
BASIS International School Shenzhen
Shenzhen American International School
Shen Wai International School (SWIS)
Profiles retain their own verification dates. No current ages, places or tuition are inferred from these cards. Photo credits and source limits are below.
1. Confirm eligibility
Who may the school enrol? Which documents are accepted?
- Ask admissions to confirm eligibility for the exact campus, year group and intake in writing.
- Send actual identity documents only through the school’s secure admissions process, never through this guide.
School types have different entry rules. A directory entry, passport category or completed checkbox does not establish a place. Obtain the school’s written answer for your actual circumstances.
Explore bilingual pathways · Read public-school eligibility guidance2. Choose for the next transition
Does the curriculum fit the child’s likely next transition?
- Check subjects, recognised qualifications and credit transfer with the likely next institution.
- Confirm programme availability and authorisation for the actual campus and year group.
Ask about the ordinary timetable in this year group: language hours, subjects, assessments and the qualification at the intended exit. Verify any IB authorisation for the specific programme, not just the school name.
Check the IB programme directory3. Test support before testing the child
Is the right support available before testing the child?
- Meet the staff who would provide language, learning and wellbeing support.
- Ask about capacity, written plans, extra charges and what happens if needs change.
Arrange a confidential conversation with the school about relevant needs. This planner does not assess a child or store diagnoses. Ask what provision is available in the actual class before paying for assessment.
Use the same tour scorecard4. Price the complete year
What is the full year’s cost, including compulsory extras?
- Get the current fee schedule and payment calendar, including deposits, meals, bus, devices, activities and examinations.
- Confirm refund, withdrawal and relocation terms before paying.
Your budget entry is a ceiling, not a fee estimate or affordability decision. Include tuition, application, capital/development fees, refundable deposits, transport, meals, uniform, devices, trips, exams and any support charges. Avoid double-counting deposits as final expenses.
Open the comparison template5. Run the commute at school-run time
How long is the actual journey at school-run time?
- Test the exact home-to-campus entrance on a normal school morning before signing a lease.
- Check the current pickup point, supervision, first-on/last-off time and rainy-day plan.
Confirm the assigned campus and exact gate first. A district label cannot predict the journey. Test pickup and return, include traffic and walking, and check what changes in rain or after activities. Temporary housing can give you time to test the routine.
Compare family neighbourhoodsA comparison that survives the tour
| Question | Evidence to request | Do not rely on |
|---|---|---|
| Eligibility | Ask admissions to confirm eligibility for the exact campus, year group and intake in writing. | A promise, a brochure or an unchecked assumption |
| Exit pathway | Check subjects, recognised qualifications and credit transfer with the likely next institution. | A promise, a brochure or an unchecked assumption |
| Support model | Meet the staff who would provide language, learning and wellbeing support. | A promise, a brochure or an unchecked assumption |
| Complete annual cost | Get the current fee schedule and payment calendar, including deposits, meals, bus, devices, activities and examinations. | A promise, a brochure or an unchecked assumption |
| School-run commute | Test the exact home-to-campus entrance on a normal school morning before signing a lease. | A promise, a brochure or an unchecked assumption |
The application sequence
- Set your non-negotiables: documents, exit, support, annual budget and school run.
- Contact three to five admissions offices about eligibility and the actual year-group place.
- Use each school’s secure process for the requested documents.
- Visit an ordinary school day using the same questions and scorecard.
- Compare written offers, campus, programme, fees, refund terms and start dates.
- Only then test homes against the actual school run before a long lease.
Sources checked & photo credits
Guide references reviewed 18 October 2026. School profiles and fee tables keep their own dated evidence; this redesign does not re-verify every directory field or quote current fees. Places, eligibility, programmes and support capacity must be confirmed with each school.
- Shenzhen Education Bureau
- Shenzhen Government: international school directory
- Guangdong Department of Education
- PRC Ministry of Education
- IB World School directory: verify the exact programme
- Shekou International School (SIS)
- QSI International School of Shenzhen
- Harrow Shenzhen Qianhai
- BASIS International School Shenzhen
- Shenzhen American International School
- Shen Wai International School (SWIS)
Hero campus, study-space and classroom images are existing editorial illustrations, not a named school or its current facilities. School-card photographs are existing historical or school-published images, displayed with crops; the date of a source check is not a new photograph date.
- SIS · Ahuangsis · 2023 · CC BY-SA 4.0
- QSI · Rich-nagle · 2025 · CC BY-SA 4.0
- SAIS · WhisperToMe · 2016 · CC0
- Harrow: existing official campus image
- BASIS: existing official campus image
- SWIS: existing official facilities image
Harrow, BASIS and SWIS image copyright remains with the respective rights holders; no open licence is asserted. Existing media-source audit: 18 September 2026. No new campus photographs were acquired for this redesign.
Futian rail image: Sparktour, 22 September 2018. Banner: Dinkun Chen, Talent Park, 1 December 2024. Both Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0; existing resized WebP images with display crops.
Continue the family plan
School first. Then home.
Get a clear plan, compare options and find a workable neighbourhood for the whole family.
Talent Park / Houhai · archival city context