Choosing an international school in Hong Kong usually comes down to three things: fees, curriculum, and how far your child will travel each day. This list covers more than 40 international schools across Hong Kong Island, Kowloon, Lantau, and the New Territories, with the age range, curriculum, and location for each.
It includes primary, secondary, and through-train options, from the lower-fee ESF campuses to the city’s best-known private schools, plus the winners of the 2026/27 Little Steps Education Awards.
Little Steps Insider Tips:
- Read All the Tuition Fine Print: Example: Price the year as tuition plus levy plus bus. ICHK Secondary looks like HK$190,000 in Years 7–9, then the capital levy lands. Harrow’s levy is HK$60,000 if you do not hold a certificate. HKIS adds HK$24,500. A “cheaper” school with a long bus contract can pass a nearer campus. Be sure to review all the details when comparing costs.
- Ask How the School Prioritises Places: ICHK Secondary, for example, has 88 Year 7 places and gives priority to families from its partner schools and to non-Hong Kong passport holders. Before you pay the application fee, ask where your child would fall in that order. It’s worth asking the same question at HKIS and Harrow, where popular year groups have waitlists.
- Boarding Schools In Hong Kong: If you need boarding, Harrow is the campus on this list that actually runs it, Sunday evening to Friday afternoon from Year 6, at HK$135,672 before tuition. If you need a senior IB or A Level exit, be sure to check if newer schools offer it as some are still building the classes.
Hong Kong International School Ranking: Little Steps Education Awards
- There is no official Hong Kong international school ranking, and no single top 10 international schools in Hong Kong list that decides who gets a place. The useful 2026 ranking is the Little Steps Asia Education Awards (expert- and reader-voted winners).
- In the expert categories for 2026/2027, the Little Steps Asia Education Awards went to German Swiss International School, which took Gold for International School of the Year, Kellett School took Silver, and Malvern College Hong Kong took Bronze.
- Kellett also led the British vote, and Hong Kong International School led the American vote. For an IB school ranking, use the IB schools list rather than a numbered top 10. The best international school in Hong Kong is the one that matches the leaving exam, the bus route, and the year group that still has space.
