Shenzhen Korean International School

In Brief

Quick heads-up: in Shenzhen there are two schools people sometimes both call "the Korean school." One is KIS (kis-sz.com) in Shekou - English-medium, AP curriculum, mixed nationalities. The other is a separate Korean-curriculum school for Korean passport holders. This brief is on KIS. If your friend wants the Korean-MOE school, tell me.

The basics. Small school, around 250-300 students, Pre-K through Grade 12, one campus in Shekou near Nanshan Mountain. Founded 2005. English is the language of instruction; Korean and Chinese taught as second languages. AP courses, SAT test centre on site. Korean families are the largest single group but there are kids from 20+ countries.

What you actually hear. The Korean community in Shekou is tight - if your friend's family is Korean, this is the obvious social fit. Korean weekend school runs alongside the main programme. For non-Korean expats, KIS gets less buzz than SIS (Shekou International), QSI or Shen Wai - it's a smaller, quieter option.

The honest concerns. Public reviews are thin, which itself tells you something - parents aren't shouting either way. The one persistent negative thread on review sites is teaching consistency. According to one parent review, "there were a few good teachers but they mostly didn't care about the students," and another wrote that "if you don't do any work some teachers just give you a B or C grade." Take this with the usual pinch of salt - one or two voices on a public board.

What to actually do. Visit. Ask to see a Grade 8 and Grade 11 lesson, not just the Early Years tour. Ask where graduates went the last three years - they publish university destinations and the spread tells you a lot. Talk to two current parents in your friend's child's year group, not just the ones admissions hands them.

Bottom line. KIS is a small, community-feel school that works well if you're plugging into the Korean expat circle in Shekou and want an English-medium AP pathway without the size or price tag of SIS. Worth a visit. Not the default choice for a non-Korean family - SIS, QSI and Shen Wai are usually the bigger conversation in Shekou.