Comparing International School Fees in Tokyo: Costs to Check Beyond Tuition

The published first-year costs, set out on the same basis

The totals in this table add up the amounts that could be confirmed on the official pages. Actual invoices vary with grade, entry date, sibling discounts, employer-funded schemes and so on. The second-year-onward column excludes entry costs and is a guide for a student who stays in the same grade band.

What is included in tuition also differs by school. For example, KIST explains that tuition covers materials, day trips, textbooks and exam costs. ISSH says that study trips (Travel) are included in tuition. TIS, on the other hand, says that some activities, uniforms, lunch, IT devices for Grade 6 and above, and private instrumental lessons are not included in the fees.

Tuition by grade, and the features of each school's costs

Below are the 2026-27 figures each school publishes. For each school's character and application process, please also see the guide to that school.

Tokyo International School

TIS's fees page sets out the one-time fees for new students: Application ¥30,000, Registration ¥400,000 and Development ¥1,000,000. It states that these are not refunded.

Optional services are the school bus at ¥280,000 one way or ¥380,000 round trip, and the after-school programme Beyond the Bell (Kindergarten to Grade 5) at ¥260,000 a year. Payment is in three instalments, on 15 May, 31 October and 31 January.

The same page also lists the previous year, 2025-26, when tuition for Kindergarten to Grade 2 was ¥2,850,000 (Building Fee ¥150,000). For 2026-27 tuition is ¥3,100,000 (Building Fee ¥200,000), so tuition rose by ¥250,000 and the Total Annual Fee by ¥300,000 in one year, and the one-time Registration and Development fees also rose. Assume that fees are reviewed every year. The school's character is set out in our guide to TIS. You can also check the address, grades and key application points on TIS's school profile (a Japanese-language page).

British School in Tokyo

BST's Fees give the Application Fee separately by year: ¥40,000 for 2026-27 and ¥50,000 for 2027-28. The Enrolment Fees for new students are ¥500,000, plus Educational Resources of ¥680,000.

The page states clearly that there is no sibling discount. On the other hand, it describes a limited number of bursaries (a scheme close to a scholarship) and a Corporate Contribution Programme where an employer pays. Lunch is not included in tuition. The school's character is set out in our guide to BST. You can also check the address, grades and key application points on BST's school profile (a Japanese-language page).

American School in Japan

In ASIJ's 2026-27 tuition, the non-refundable entry costs are Application ¥50,000, Registration ¥300,000 and Building Maintenance ¥1,525,000. The yearly Annual Capital Assessment is ¥250,000, which is also stated to be non-refundable. Tuition is described as refundable.

The optional bus is ¥390,000 a year, and quarterly pro-rata payment is possible. An iPad (Grades 4-5) and a MacBook (Grades 6-12) are required, but no amount is given. The school's character is set out in our guide to ASIJ. You can also check the address, grades and key application points on ASIJ's school profile (a Japanese-language page).

K. International School Tokyo

KIST's School Fees are given for the school year from August 2026 to June 2027. Application ¥30,000, Enrollment ¥300,000 and Capital ¥700,000 are the costs for new students, and Enrollment is not refunded. The page also says that for returning students re-enrolling, Enrollment drops to ¥60,000 and Capital to ¥140,000.

There are also a Camp Fee in Grades 5, 7, 9 and 11 (the amount varies by grade) and a Program Progression Fee (¥5,000) in Grades 1, 6, 9 and 11. Amounts for the bus and lunch are not on this page. The school's character is set out in our guide to KIST. You can also check the address, grades and key application points on KIST's school profile (a Japanese-language page).

Aoba-Japan International School

Aoba's 2026-27 tuition says there are entry costs for registration and facilities development and annual fees, but the amounts are not in the body of the official page and are given in a PDF. This article lists only the tuition that could be confirmed.

The page also says that tuition can be paid in one or two instalments and that there is a sibling discount. Lunch and the bus are separate. The school's character is set out in our guide to Aoba. You can also check the address, grades and key application points on Aoba's school profile (a Japanese-language page).

International School of the Sacred Heart

ISSH's Tuition & Fees give, for new students, Application ¥30,000, Registration ¥300,000 and Education and Building Development ¥600,000. The yearly Building/Maintenance is ¥220,000.

A MacBook is required in Grades 5-12, lunch is an optional service from an outside provider, extended after-school programmes are a fixed fee per term, and some after-school activities are charged separately. No amount is given for the bus. The school's character is set out in our guide to ISSH. You can also check the address, grades and key application points on ISSH's school profile (a Japanese-language page).

Nishimachi International School

Nishimachi's Tuition + Fees give tuition for SY2026-2027 of ¥3,129,000, paid in four instalments (¥782,250 each). Application ¥30,000 and Registration ¥300,000 are not refunded. The Building Maintenance at entry is ¥825,000.

The yearly Education Enhancement Fee (¥200,000) and School Growth Fund Fee (¥200,000) are items separate from tuition. No amounts are given for the bus and lunch. The school's character is set out in our guide to Nishimachi. You can also check the address, grades and key application points on Nishimachi's school profile (a Japanese-language page).

Five pitfalls when looking at fees

1. What "tuition" covers differs by school. Some schools, like TIS, list the Building Fee as a separate item, while others, like KIST, include materials, day trips and exam fees in tuition.
2. Non-refundable entry costs can be large. At schools such as ASIJ (Building Maintenance of ¥1,525,000) and TIS (Development of ¥1,000,000), an amount equal to roughly 30% to 40-odd % of tuition is added in the first year alone.
3. Separate items added every year are easy to miss. Capital Assessment, Building Maintenance, Education Enhancement and the like are sometimes written in a different place from the tuition table.
4. Amounts change with grade and with the year. TIS's Total Annual Fee for Kindergarten to Grade 2 went up by ¥300,000 from the previous year (tuition by ¥250,000). Do not assume that the amount at entry will stay the same throughout your child's time at the school.
5. Travel to school, lunch, devices and trips are charged separately. The bus alone is given at ¥280,000 to ¥390,000 a year, and the total changes a great deal if siblings attend.

Costs that are often not included in tuition

The flow of preparation, including application timing and required documents, can be compared in our guide to application timing and preparing to enter.

Published amounts are not the same as the actual total

The amounts a school publishes are not the same as the total a family actually pays. The bus, lunch, devices, trips and so on depend on whether you use them and on the grade, so they cannot be turned into a single total. The totals in this article also simply add up the published items that could be confirmed.

Starting from a cost comparison can cause you to overlook the character of a school. Before narrowing candidates by cost, it helps to check the differences in curriculum in our school-by-school curriculum comparison.