At KIS we enjoy learning. We think each school day is an opportunity for fun and challenge as students engage with curricular content and extracurricular activities. We recognize our students are whole individuals with their own interests, ideas and hopes, and so our mission is to encourage each student to be more who they are, helping to identify and develop their strengths.
We believe a supportive environment is essential to learning as students grow and navigate campus relationships, teaching one another and learning together.
When we consider success, we count its many facets. As educators, we expect our students to excel as they can academically, and we encourage continued learning. Our variety of activities ensures students pursue additional talents too. But we also see the success of students practicing balance in their academic and personal lives, and navigating moral and ethical discussions now, all to prepare for their role beyond KIS.
Description
Korea International School welcomed its first group of students in 2000, at our current Seoul campus. Our founder dreamed of preparing Korean and international students to pursue further education, laying the foundation for our future thinkers, innovators and leaders. During the school’s early years, the KIS board, administrators and educators considered the best course for our learners. We committed to applied learning and the development of a strong STEAM program. We created makerspaces, and developed transdisciplinary learning units to help learners make connections between content areas. In 2006 KIS opened the Pangyo campus housing elementary, middle and high school grades. In 2018, we celebrated our thousandth graduate.
Our commitment to innovation continues. We practice design thinking, taking our best ideas from past to present iterations. KIS responds to our learner community, providing excellent academic and extracurricular opportunities which empower learners and teach authenticity and adaptability. KIS applies learning within our school community, and is now developing service components for different courses. KIS features an experiential education (EE) program to take learning outside, inspiring some classes to extend outdoor education throughout the school year. Our learners continue to matriculate at top colleges and universities around the world.
Korea International School is proud of our history. When a school is founded, the first group of administrators, educators and learners are part of a daring venture. Nearly twenty years later, we choose to keep daring as we design our future.
Day school tuitionNo Information
Grades for day schoolPre-K/Reception - 12th Grade/Year 13
Number of Students1100
Year founded2000
Boarding school tuitionNo Information
CurriculaAdvanced Placement
TypeCo-ed
Accreditations
KIS is fully accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC), an accreditation agency for public, independent, church-affiliated and proprietary schools in California, Hawaii and East Asia.
Admissions Information
First application deadlineRolling
Students can join after the academic year beginsYes
Waiting ListYes
Waiting List
In some grades. Please contact our office for more information.
Academics
Assigns homeworkYes
Use of technology in the classroomYes
Language of instructionEnglish
ELL supportYes
Gifted and talented student supportYes
Learning supportYes
Native English teachersYes
Languages taughtChinese, English, French, Spanish
Examinations available
School Life
Bus serviceYes
Sports teams availableYes
Pastoral CareNo
Do students practice religion at the schoolNo
School start time8:00 am
School end time3:00 pm
Most common nationalityUSA
School provides lunchYes
Supervised care before or after schoolNo
Uniform requiredNo
Access to an educational psychologistYes
Student nationalities25
Average class size20
Schools Facilities
In 2006 KIS built its Pangyo campus, uniquely stepped on a hill and bordered by forest. Our learning spaces purposefully accommodate elementary, middle and high school needs. And as we develop new ways to teach and learn, we modify our campus to best suit the direction of our curriculum and programs.
Bus Service
Korea International School provides school bus service to help families with their children’s transportation. Bus routes cover most areas in Seoul including the southern area of Bundang.
Sports Teams
The KIS athletic program invites middle and high school students to participate in organized sport, recognizing the value and fun of pursuing healthy physical activity and being part of a team.
There is something intangibly awesome about the team cohesion formed during practice, games, team dinners, and travel to jamborees and tournaments, and our multi-grade sport teams often keep their friendship beyond the season, strengthening our whole school community.
Middle school coaches invite all student participation and focus on introducing and developing sport specific skills, building teamwork and practicing sportsmanship. More than half of our middle school students join a team each year! At the high school level, our coaches recognize that a team sport is a great balance to individual academic achievement.
University Relations
University counselingYes
Percent that pursue university100%
University Counseling
Korea International School’s counselors are student advocates who work in partnership with students, administration, faculty, and parents, fostering an inclusive and collaborative environment central to the success of the school’s overall mission. Additionally, we provide a comprehensive counseling program to help each student realize his/her maximum potential as a unique human being. Our developmentally and culturally appropriate program supports academic, social, personal, career growth, and global perspective. Counselors will assist all students in acquiring the skills, knowledge and attitudes needed to become effective students, responsible global citizens, productive workers, and lifelong learners.
As part of a comprehensive counseling program, we each hold an advanced degree in counseling and, collectively, we have decades of counseling and college admissions experience. Each year, we attend various conferences around the world to connect and network with college admissions officers and to stay up-to-date on high school counseling best-practices in alignment with the National Association for College Admissions Counseling, the International School Counseling Association, and the Council of International Schools.
We focus on academic planning, emotional well-being, interest and career exploration, and college planning and transition. Students and families can connect with us through class lessons, individual meetings, parent coffees/presentations, and college workshops.
