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Tokyo International School (TIS) — The Parent English Requirement Is Mandatory, Not Optional
Tokyo, Japan
A small IB-continuum school in Minato-ku. The previous directory said parent English wasn't required — the school's own admissions page says the opposite.
Researched by William Prep from published sources. Not yet verified by the school. — Last reviewed by William Prep: 2026-09-24
TIS is a full IB-continuum school (PYP/MYP/DP) on a single campus in Mita, Minato-ku. It enrols roughly 500 students from over 70 countries, and runs on an August-to-July school year rather than Japan's usual April start.
At a Glance
| Location | Minato-ku (Mita)as of: 2026-09-24 |
| Enrolment | ≈500 (70+ countries)as of: 2026-09-24 |
| Curriculum | Full IB continuum (PYP/MYP/DP)as of: 2026-09-24 |
| Parent English Requirement | Mandatory (without a translator)as of: 2026-09-24 |
| Est. First-Year Cost (G10–12) | ≈¥5.03M2026-27 · as of: 2026-09-24 |
The Parent English Requirement — the Legacy Directory Had It Backwards
The Tokyo Metropolitan Government's own school portal quotes TIS's admissions requirement directly: "At least one parent must be capable of communicating with the school in English without the help of a translator." That is a real, load-bearing admissions condition. William Prep's legacy directory recorded this field as "Not required" — the exact opposite of what the school actually requires.
William Prep’s Analysis
At a small, IB-focused school like TIS, day-to-day communication — parent-teacher conferences, progress updates, school notices — is generally conducted entirely in English, which makes this requirement operationally sensible. But it's a useful reminder that "international school" doesn't automatically mean "no English required of parents" — that varies school by school, and has to be checked individually rather than assumed.
Fees: A Real First-Year Total of About ¥5.03M (Grade 10–12)
TIS's own 2026-27 fee schedule lists three non-refundable one-time charges for new students: a ¥30,000 application fee, a ¥400,000 registration fee, and a ¥1,000,000 development fee. On top of that, an annual ¥200,000 building fee applies alongside grade-banded tuition (¥3,400,000 for Grade 10–12). Added together, a genuine first-year total comes to roughly ¥5,030,000. The optional school bus (¥280,000 one-way / ¥380,000 round-trip) would add further to that if used.
University Entrance Eligibility in Japan
| School-accreditation route | Yes (not independently confirmed) |
| Student-qualification route (IB, etc.) | Yes |
TIS runs the full IB continuum (PYP/MYP/DP). Eligibility can run through either the school's CIS accreditation or the individual IB Diploma credential — both routes are plausible here, unlike at a school offering only one or the other.
Fees & Estimated First-Year Cost
academic year: 2026-27
| Application Fee | ¥30,000 |
| Registration Fee | ¥400,000 |
| Development Fee | ¥1,000,000New students only. |
| Building Fee | ¥200,000 |
| Tuition (K–Grade 2)K-G2 | ¥3,100,000 |
| Tuition (Grade 3–5)G3-G5 | ¥3,200,000 |
| Tuition (Grade 6–9)G6-G9 | ¥3,300,000 |
| Tuition (Grade 10–12)G10-G12 | ¥3,400,000 |
| Bus, one-way (optional) | ¥280,000 |
| Bus, round-trip (optional) | ¥380,000 |
| Estimated First-Year Total | ¥5,030,000 |
Includes: application, registration, capital, facilities, tuition — Excludes: Excludes the optional bus, uniforms, lunches, required laptops for Grade 6+, most extracurricular costs, and some residential trip costs. Grade band affects the total — this figure uses Grade 10–12 tuition as the base.
What Makes This School Distinctive
A small school running the complete IB continuum
PYP, MYP and DP all offered on one campus
Few Tokyo schools this size (≈500 students total) run the full IB continuum from early years through graduation.
Families who value continuity get the same IB pedagogical approach from early years through graduation without a school change.
University Pathways
TIS's university matriculation and IB average score data were not confirmed this session.
University outcomes for TIS were not confirmed this session.
Admissions
| Cycle | 通年（詳細は今回未確認） not publicly confirmed |
| English requirement | 生徒本人にグレードレベルの英語力が求められる (not independently confirmed) |
What Japanese Families Should Know
Who Might Find This School a Good Fit
Might suit — Families comfortable handling all school communication in English
Might not suit — Families needing Japanese-language support for school communication
William Prep’s Analysis
What stood out most in researching TIS is that the legacy directory's error wasn't a minor omission — it was on a field that can directly affect whether a family is even eligible to apply. The parent English requirement matters more to a family's actual decision than most of the softer descriptive fields, which is exactly why re-confirming against primary sources matters most on fields like this one.
Questions to Ask the School
1.What is TIS's IB DP average score, and where did recent graduates actually matriculate?
Why this matters: This wasn't confirmed this session.
2.What is the current status of CIS accreditation, and when is the next review?
Why this matters: Not confirmed against CIS's own registry directly — only via the Tokyo Metropolitan Portal.
Sources & Verification
- Tokyo International School — school profile — Tokyo International Schools Portal (Tokyo Metropolitan Government)official source · as of: 2026-09-24Capacity, enrolment (~500, 70+ countries), teacher count/nationalities, curriculum, accreditations, tuition by grade band, admissions requirements incl. the parent-English requirement, facilities.
- School Fees — Tokyo International Schoolprimary source · as of: 2026-09-242026-27 fee schedule: application ¥30,000, registration ¥400,000, development ¥1,000,000 (one-time, new students); building fee ¥200,000/yr + tuition by grade band; bus one-way ¥280,000 / round-trip ¥380,000.
- 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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