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Kyoto International School (KIS) — the IB Diploma Has Zero Graduates So Far

Kyoto, Japan

Began informally in 1957 as home schooling, renamed to its current name in 1966. Kyoto's only full IB continuum school — but its most senior grade has only just opened.

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

KIS reportedly began in 1957, after missionary families started home-schooling their children when the American School on the Botanical Gardens Army Base closed. It was renamed Kyoto International School in 1966 and became, by report, Kyoto's only full IB continuum school (PYP/MYP/DP) — though Grade 11 only opened in August 2025, with Grade 12 due in 2026.

At a Glance

Founded	1957 (began informally, renamed 1966) (not independently confirmed)as of: 2026-09-24
DP Graduates So Far	Zero (Grade 12 opens in 2026) (not independently confirmed)as of: 2026-09-24
Standing	Kyoto's only full IB continuum school (reported) (not independently confirmed)as of: 2026-09-24
Tuition (PreK-G5)	¥1,287,000/yr (third-party) (not independently confirmed)2026-27 · as of: 2026-09-24

The DP Is Authorised, but No Student Has Completed It Yet

KIS is reportedly authorised for the IB DP, but Grade 11 only opened in August 2025 and Grade 12 opens in 2026. In other words, the formal-authorisation fact and "has anyone actually completed the Diploma here" are two different questions. A family considering this school should understand they'd be joining a DP programme still building its actual track record, not one already producing graduates.

William Prep’s Analysis

This echoes what we found with Fukuoka International School's MYP authorisation (2020) — but KIS is even newer, with literally no graduate data existing yet. "It's an IB-authorised school" on its own tells you nothing about how mature the actual programme is.

Fees: No Primary Source Located This Session

The school's own admissions page was checked this session, but it links out to a separate fees section that wasn't directly retrieved. Third-party sources report PreK-Grade 5 annual tuition of ¥1,287,000, a ¥31,500 application fee, a ¥181,000 annual facilities fee, and a ¥3,000 per-family PTA due — but these weren't confirmed against the school's own primary document. No figures for Grade 6 and above turned up in any source consulted this session.

University Entrance Eligibility in Japan

School-accreditation route	No not publicly confirmedWhether KIS holds any of the six MEXT-recognised accreditations was not confirmed this session.
Student-qualification route (IB, etc.)	Yes

Whether KIS itself holds a MEXT-recognised accreditation was not confirmed this session. The DP is formally authorised, but with Grade 12 only opening in 2026, no student has actually earned the Diploma here yet.

Fees & Estimated First-Year Cost

academic year: 2026-27

Application Fee	¥31,500(not independently confirmed)
Building & Facilities Fee	¥181,000(not independently confirmed)
PTA Due (per family)	¥3,000(not independently confirmed)
Tuition (PreK-Grade 5)PreK-G5	¥1,287,000(not independently confirmed)
Tuition (Grade 6 and above)G6+	not publicly confirmed

What Makes This School Distinctive

Reportedly Kyoto's only full IB continuum school

A long history beginning informally as home schooling in 1957

Multiple third-party sources consistently describe it as Kyoto's only full IB continuum school.

Even so, the DP programme specifically is still very early in building its track record.

Admissions

Cycle

未確認 not publicly confirmed

What Japanese Families Should Know

Who Might Find This School a Good Fit

Might suit — Families open to being among the DP programme's very first graduating cohorts

Might not suit — Families prioritizing an established DP track record and matriculation data

William Prep’s Analysis

What mattered most in researching KIS is that "IB DP-authorised school" is a formal, institutional fact, entirely separate from whether any student has actually graduated with the Diploma. Few schools make the case as clearly as this one for checking authorisation date, senior-grade opening date, and actual graduate count as three separate questions.

Questions to Ask the School

1.What are the fees for Grade 6 and above?
Why this matters: No information was found for this at all this session.
2.When does the school expect its first DP graduating cohort?
Why this matters: Grade 12 is due in 2026, but the specific expected graduation timeline was not confirmed this session.

Sources & Verification

Search synthesis on Kyoto International School history and IB status — Multiple (incl. kis.ac.jp via search)third-party source · as of: 2026-09-24Began informally in 1957 (Kyoto Christian Day School, after the American School on the Botanical Gardens Army Base closed); renamed Kyoto International School in 1966. Kyoto's only full IB continuum school. Grade 11 opened August 2025, Grade 12 to open 2026 — the Diploma Programme is brand new and has not yet produced a graduating cohort. Not independently confirmed against kis.ac.jp's own history page directly this session.
Search synthesis on Kyoto International School fees — Multiple (search aggregation)third-party source · as of: 2026-09-24Reports, for PreK-Grade 5: annual tuition ¥1,287,000, application fee ¥31,500, building & facilities fee ¥181,000, PTA due ¥3,000/family. The school's own admissions page (kis.ac.jp/kis-admission.html) was fetched this session but linked out to a separate fees page not retrieved — these figures are third-party, not directly confirmed against the school's own fee page. No figures found for grades above Grade 5.
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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