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Fukuoka International School (FIS) — Kyushu's First Full IB Continuum

Fukuoka, Japan

Founded in 1972 when a US Air Force base school closed, FIS earned WASC accreditation in 2007 and completed the full IB continuum in 2020.

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

FIS opened in 1972 when the US Air Force base school at Itazuke closed, using land and buildings supplied by the Japan Baptist Mission. It earned WASC accreditation and IB Diploma authorisation simultaneously in 2007, added PYP in 2014, and added MYP in 2020 — becoming, by its own account, the first school in Kyushu to run all three IB programmes.

At a Glance

Founded	1972as of: 2026-09-24
WASC Accreditation	Obtained 2007as of: 2026-09-24
IB Authorisation Timeline	DP (2007) → PYP (2014) → MYP (2020)as of: 2026-09-24
Est. First-Year Cost (K–G5)	≈¥3.00M2026-27 · as of: 2026-09-24

IB Authorisation Came in Reverse Order — DP First, PYP Seven Years Later

FIS's IB authorisation ran opposite the order most continuum schools follow. It got the Diploma Programme (for high schoolers) first in 2007, then added PYP (early years) in 2014, and MYP (middle years) only in 2020. For most of its history, in other words, FIS was a DP-only IB school, not a continuum school.

William Prep’s Analysis

Whether a school currently runs the full IB continuum and how long it has run it are two different facts, and both matter for judging institutional maturity. In FIS's case, MYP authorisation is only a few years old — worth treating the three-programme track record as still being built, not as a long-established pattern.

Fees: A Real First-Year Total of About ¥3.00M (Kindergarten–Grade 5)

FIS's own 2026-27 fee schedule lists three one-time charges: a ¥52,000 application fee, a ¥350,000 acceptance fee, and a ¥500,000 development fee (new students only). On top of that, an annual ¥200,000 facility fee and ¥4,800 accident insurance fee apply alongside grade-banded tuition (¥1,891,000 for Kindergarten–Grade 5). Added together, a genuine first-year total comes to roughly ¥2,997,800 — on the more moderate end among the schools researched in this batch.

University Entrance Eligibility in Japan

School-accreditation route	Yes
Student-qualification route (IB, etc.)	Yes

WASC accreditation is confirmed directly against the school's own page. A student completing the full IB Diploma qualifies via either route.

Fees & Estimated First-Year Cost

academic year: 2026-27

Application Fee	¥52,000
Acceptance Fee	¥350,000
Development Fee (new students only)	¥500,000
Facility Fee	¥200,000
Accident Insurance Fee	¥4,800
Tuition (Early Years)Early Years	¥1,855,000
Tuition (Kindergarten-Grade 5)K-G5	¥1,891,000
Tuition (Grade 6-8)G6-G8	¥2,044,000
Tuition (Grade 9-10)G9-G10	¥2,195,000
Tuition (Grade 11-12)G11-G12	¥2,286,000
Estimated First-Year Total	¥2,997,800

Includes: application, enrolment, capital, facilities, other, tuition — Excludes: Excludes the extension learning fee (¥10,000 elementary / ¥5,000 secondary), the Grade 12 graduation fee, and Week Without Walls costs (≈¥50,000–¥120,000). This uses Kindergarten–Grade 5 tuition as the base.

What Makes This School Distinctive

Kyushu's first school with all three IB programmes

Completed the PYP/MYP/DP set with MYP authorisation in 2020

The school's own Our Story page documents the DP (2007) → PYP (2014) → MYP (2020) authorisation sequence.

The three-programme structure is still relatively new — worth understanding that its track record is still accumulating, not established over decades.

Admissions

Cycle

未確認 not publicly confirmed

What Japanese Families Should Know

Who Might Find This School a Good Fit

Might suit — Families in the Fukuoka/Kyushu area seeking a full IB continuum

Might not suit — Families prioritizing a long-established continuum track record (MYP authorisation is only a few years old)

William Prep’s Analysis

What made researching FIS especially productive is that the school itself publishes a clear authorisation timeline. Most schools state only their current status — "we run the full IB continuum" — without saying since when. That timeline is exactly the kind of detail that lets a family judge institutional maturity rather than take the current label at face value.

Questions to Ask the School

1.What are the outcomes for students who have gone through the school since MYP authorisation?
Why this matters: Not confirmed this session.
2.What are the current visa-status requirements for admission?
Why this matters: Not included in this profile — the underlying source wasn't confirmed thoroughly enough this session.

Sources & Verification

Tuition & Fees — Fukuoka International Schoolprimary source · as of: 2026-09-24Fetched directly. 2026-27: application ¥52,000, acceptance ¥350,000, development ¥500,000 (new students, one-time), re-acceptance ¥200,000 (returning students), facility fee ¥200,000/yr, accident insurance ¥4,800/yr, tuition by grade band.
Our Story — Fukuoka International Schoolprimary source · as of: 2026-09-24Fetched directly. Founded 1972 upon closure of the US Air Force Base School at Itazuke, on land supplied by the Japan Baptist Mission. JCIS member 1974, EARCOS member 1987. WASC accredited 2007; IB Diploma authorised 2007, PYP 2014, MYP 2020 — first school in Kyushu to run all three IB programmes. 400+ students, 80+ staff.
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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