School Fees
Hong Kong International School Fees 2026-27: Tuition, Debentures & Hidden Costs
Last Updated
15.07.2026
7 min read
After two years of double-digit shocks, fees have settled into a calmer rhythm for 2026-27. The catch is what sits underneath the tuition line.
Updated 15 July 2026. Every figure in this guide comes from the school's own official 2026-27 fee schedule, covering 75 schools. Tuition shows the highest published year band.
Rises have cooled, but the entry ticket keeps climbing
Most schools have raised fees by 4 to 5 per cent this year. Across the 75 schools we track, the median increase works out at 4.3% and the double-digit club that made the 2025 headlines has gone quiet: not one established school pushed a 10% rise this time.
So far, so reassuring. But tuition is only the part of the bill that gets published in tidy tables. Add the debenture, the capital levy, the application and assessment fees, and the deposit that falls due the week you accept an offer, and the real price of a place at the top schools has kept climbing even while the headline number behaves itself.
The fee ladder
Chinese International School and The ISF Academy sit clear of the field. Third to tenth place are bunched within HK$15,000 of each other, roughly a year of school bus fees.
The most expensive schools for 2026-27
Rankings show each school's highest published year band. A few schools (YCIS, Harrow, the International Montessori School) had not released 2026-27 rates when this guide went out, so their current 2025-26 figure appears instead, marked *.
Highest primary tuition (annual)
Chinese International School HK$300,300
Yew Chung International School (YCIS) * HK$265,420
The ISF Academy HK$251,130
The Harbour School HK$242,200
Hong Kong International School HK$231,600
Harrow International School * HK$229,949
Hong Kong Academy HK$229,500
Stamford American School HK$227,200
YK Pao School HK$220,000
Shrewsbury International School HK$219,400
Dalton School Hong Kong HK$218,680
Kellett School HK$218,200
Canadian International School (CDNIS) HK$217,200
The International Montessori School * HK$216,500
American School Hong Kong HK$208,600
Nord Anglia International School HK$206,700
German Swiss International School HK$203,700
Carmel School HK$202,600
Malvern College Hong Kong HK$198,860
Han Academy HK$198,000
Highest secondary tuition (annual)
Chinese International School HK$359,200
The ISF Academy HK$317,190
Kellett School HK$279,100
Stamford American School HK$274,400
Hong Kong Academy HK$273,900
Hong Kong International School HK$272,600
Yew Chung International School (YCIS) * HK$272,140
Victoria Shanghai Academy (VSA) HK$270,450
Australian International School (AISHK) HK$265,400
Singapore International School HK$265,000
Canadian International School (CDNIS) HK$261,500
The Harbour School HK$259,500
German Swiss International School HK$256,700
Dalton School Hong Kong HK$246,180
American School Hong Kong HK$242,700
Harrow International School * HK$239,070
Carmel School HK$237,370
Nord Anglia International School HK$237,200
Christian Alliance International School HK$237,000
Shrewsbury International School HK$235,080
* 2025-26 schedule; the school had not published 2026-27 tuition when this guide went out.
At the very top, CIS now charges HK$359,200 for its senior years. Run that over a seven-year secondary career and you are past HK$2.5 million before anyone has mentioned a levy. And the club is deep: the twentieth school on the list still costs about HK$237,000 a year.
Beyond tuition: the fees parents forget
Two schools can sit HK$5,000 apart on tuition and half a million apart on everything else. This is the section worth reading twice.
Debentures and nomination rights
The notable ones, from the top: CIS up to HK$15 million (individual nomination right); GSIS HK$6 million (infrastructure); ISF Academy around HK$4.4 million and Harrow around HK$3.3 million, both on the secondary market; HKIS and VSA HK$3 million; CDNIS about HK$2.8 million. Kellett runs a corporate debenture of its own. And plenty of schools, all the ESF primaries and secondaries among them, have none at all.
Capital and building levies
The five biggest annual levies: Harrow HK$60,000, CDNIS HK$43,000, ISF Academy HK$40,000, CIS HK$30,200, HKIS HK$24,500. ESF, by contrast, charges a one-off levy that slides from about HK$38,000 at Year 1 down to HK$3,800 at Year 13.
Application fees, assessments and deposits
Application fees run between HK$205 and HK$3,000 a child, non-refundable, offer or no offer. Then an assessment fee, then a deposit when you accept, up to HK$150,000, usually offset against the first year's tuition. Buses, lunches, uniforms and trips are all on top.
For a family heading into one of the debenture schools, year one can easily cost two to three times the sticker price. Plan around that number, not the one in the brochure.
What this actually means for your family
Three things we find ourselves saying to families again and again.
First, compare the all-in number, not the tuition line. The tuition gap between two schools might be pocket change next to the gap in debentures and levies. Work out the first-year cost and the seven-year cost for each school on your list; the ranking often changes.
Second, a small fee rise is not automatically a bargain. When a school holds fees flat, it is worth asking what else is being held flat: campus investment, class sizes, teacher pay. Sometimes a levy is quietly doing the work the tuition line is not.
And third, the right school is still the one that fits the child. Some of the best outcomes we have seen came from families who chose the school HK$60,000 a year cheaper than their original target, because it suited their kid better. Let cost shape the shortlist, not make the decision for you.
Want this mapped onto your own child? We can put together a realistic shortlist for their age and profile, with the true all-in cost of each option: tuition, levies, debentures, deposits, the lot. Get in touch and we will walk you through it.
Frequently asked questions
Which is the most expensive international school in Hong Kong for 2026-27?
Chinese International School, at HK$359,200 a year for its top secondary band and HK$300,300 for primary, the highest published tuition in the city, followed by The ISF Academy at HK$317,190. Both sit well above the HK$272,000-to-279,000 cluster of Kellett, Stamford American, Hong Kong Academy and Hong Kong International School.
How much did Hong Kong school fees rise in 2026-27?
The median tuition rise across the schools we track is about 4.3%, with most schools between 4% and 5%. Unlike the previous two years, no established international school raised tuition by 10% or more.
What is a debenture, and do I have to pay it?
A debenture is a large capital contribution, often refundable, that secures or prioritises a place. Whether it is required, optional, corporate or individual varies by school. For the full picture, including the secondary market and which notes hold their value, read our guide The Million Dollar Seat.
Are these fees the whole cost?
No. Budget for the application fee, an assessment fee, a deposit on acceptance, and any capital or building levy, on top of tuition. Lunch, transport, uniform and trips are extra again.
Figures are drawn from each school's official 2026-27 fee schedule and show the highest published year-band. This guide is updated through the admissions cycle as remaining schedules are published. It is a general information resource, not financial advice.
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