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Aoba-Japan International School — Three Campuses, Split by Age, Not Choice

Tokyo, Japan

An IB-continuum school across three Tokyo campuses — Nerima, Meguro, Bunkyo — where the campus a student attends is determined by age.

Researched by William Prep from published sources. Not yet verified by the school. — Last reviewed by William Prep: 2026-09-24

Aoba was founded in 1976 and runs the full IB continuum (PYP/MYP/DP) across three Tokyo campuses: Hikarigaoka in Nerima-ku, Meguro-ku, and Bunkyo-ku. It reportedly enrols over 700 students from 30-plus nationalities.

At a Glance

Campuses	Hikarigaoka (K-JHS) / Meguro (18mo+) / Bunkyo (HS) (not independently confirmed)as of: 2026-09-24
Curriculum	Full IB continuum (PYP/MYP/DP) + online DP option (not independently confirmed)as of: 2026-09-24
Enrolment	700+ (30+ countries) (not independently confirmed)as of: 2026-09-24
Tuition (Grade 6–12)	¥2,862,000/yr2026-27 · as of: 2026-09-24

Three Campuses — Determined by Age, Not Family Preference

Hikarigaoka (kindergarten through junior high), Meguro (from 18 months), and Bunkyo (high school) — this three-campus structure is reportedly determined by a student's age, not something a family chooses. Worth understanding upfront how a student's campus will change over time.

William Prep’s Analysis

For families with siblings at different ages, this can mean the two children attend physically different campuses of "the same school" at the same time. Anyone planning logistics — commute, pickup, which neighborhood to live in — should plan around this age-based campus split rather than assume one shared site.

Fees: Tuition Runs ¥2,862,000/yr at Grade 6–12

Aoba's own 2026-27 fee schedule shows annual tuition ranging from ¥2,098,000 at K2 to ¥2,862,000 at Grade 6–12. One-time charges (registration, building development) aren't itemized on the primary page fetched this session — it points to downloadable PDFs that weren't retrieved. Figures found elsewhere (¥320,000 registration, ¥320,000 building development, ¥23,000 application) come from third-party aggregation, not the school's own primary fee document, and are flagged as such rather than presented as confirmed.

University Entrance Eligibility in Japan

School-accreditation route	Yes (not independently confirmed)
Student-qualification route (IB, etc.)	Yes

The CIS/NEASC accreditation is based on third-party reporting, not confirmed against either registry directly this session. Whether the online-delivery IBDP track confers eligibility identically to the on-campus track was not confirmed this session either.

Fees & Estimated First-Year Cost

academic year: 2026-27

Application Fee	¥23,000(not independently confirmed)
Registration Fee	¥320,000(not independently confirmed)
Building Development Fee	¥320,000(not independently confirmed)
Tuition (K2)K2	¥2,098,000
Tuition (K3–K5)K3-K5	¥2,332,000
Tuition (Grade 1–5)G1-G5	¥2,518,000
Tuition (Grade 6–12)G6-G12	¥2,862,000
Online IBDP (Grade 11–12)G11-G12 online	¥1,650,000

What Makes This School Distinctive

A three-campus IB continuum school

Students move between three Tokyo campuses depending on their age band

Hikarigaoka (K-JHS), Meguro (18mo+), and Bunkyo (HS) are the three reported sites.

Commute planning needs to account for the campus a student will move to later, not just the one they start at.

Admissions

Cycle

未確認 not publicly confirmed

What Japanese Families Should Know

Who Might Find This School a Good Fit

Might suit — Families who can realistically commute to Nerima, Meguro, or Bunkyo, and are comfortable with campus changes over time

Might not suit — Families wanting a child to attend the same physical building throughout

William Prep’s Analysis

What stood out in researching Aoba is how much the three-campus structure shapes a family's actual logistics, not just its choice of neighborhood. Also worth recording plainly: the one-time fee details couldn't be pinned down against the school's own primary document this session, rather than papering over that gap with a third-party number presented as settled.

Questions to Ask the School

1.What are the exact registration and building-development fee amounts?
Why this matters: The school's own itemized fee PDF wasn't retrieved this session.
2.Does the online-delivery IBDP track confer Japanese university eligibility the same way the on-campus track does?
Why this matters: Not confirmed this session.

Sources & Verification

Tuition & Fees — Aoba-Japan International Schoolprimary source · as of: 2026-09-24Fetched directly. 2026-27 annual tuition by grade band (K2 through G6-12, plus online IBDP). Page states one-time registration and building-development fees exist but defers exact amounts to downloadable PDFs not retrieved this session — those one-time amounts (¥23,000 application / ¥320,000 registration / ¥320,000 building, per search synthesis) are recorded as reported, not confirmed.
Search synthesis on Aoba one-time fees — doris.school (search aggregation)third-party source · as of: 2026-09-24Reports a ¥23,000 application fee, ¥320,000 registration fee and ¥320,000 building development fee, not itemized on the primary tuition page fetched this session (aoba-fees) — the primary page instead points to downloadable PDFs that were not retrieved. Treated as reported pending direct confirmation.
Search synthesis on Aoba history and accreditation — Multiple (incl. Wikipedia)third-party source · as of: 2026-09-24Founded 1976 as Aoba International School by Regina M. Doi in Meguro. Three Tokyo campuses: Hikarigaoka/Nerima (K-JHS), Meguro (from 18 months), Bunkyo (high school). IB Continuum World School (PYP/MYP/DP) across all three; CIS, NEASC and IBO accredited. 700+ students, 30+ nationalities. Not independently confirmed against aobajapan.jp's own accreditation page this session.
大学入学資格について — 文部科学省 (MEXT)official source · as of: 2026-09-23Sets out the routes to 大学入学資格: MEXT-designated schools; graduates of 12-year programmes at institutions accredited by WASC, CIS, ACSI, NEASC, Cognia or COBIS; holders of the IB Diploma, Abitur, Baccalauréat, GCE A-Level, International A-Level or European Baccalaureate; 高等学校卒業程度認定試験 (age-18 gated); and individual university review at 18+.

Last reviewed by William Prep: 2026-09-24

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