the Chinese proverb xue hai wu ya means "the sea of learning has no end." Beijing is rapidly becoming a sea of learning for expatriate children. More and more foreigner-oriented schools are opening in the capital offering everything from bilingual classes to alternative Montesorri education. Following is a listing of educational institutions catering to foreigners in Beijing.

 

Beanstalk International Kindergarten
Sino-Japanese Youth Exchange Center
40 Liangmaqiao Lu, Chaoyang District
Tel: 6466-3311 ext. 3312/3315
Fax: 6466-4817

Located in the Sino-Japanese Youth Center, Beanstalk International Kindergarten aims to produce balanced growth in respect of moral, intellectual and physical well-being. The instructors are native English speakers. The school is equipped with a dance room, music room, language laboratory, and outdoor playing field. Beanstalk’s curriculum emphasizes independent thought and self-reliance. Students range in age from 3-6 years, and are of various nationalities. Toddler classes are also held for 2-3 year-old children. There is a daily school bus.

Beijing International School of singapore (BISS)
Anzhen Xili, Area 4, Bldg. 17, Chaoyang District
Tel: 6443-3151/2/3
Fax: 6443-3156

The Beijing International School of Singapore (BISS) accepts students of all foreign nationalities and offers British, American and International qualifications for students from Pre-school to Grade 12. The school also provides English as a second language for non-native English speakers. The school is equipped with more than 30 large classrooms, language, computer and science laboratories, a lecture hall, a library and an in-house clinic. There is a canteen and a large outdoor playing field with playground facilities. BISS draws upon the experience of its mother school in Singapore, accredited by the World Association of Schools and Colleges.

Beijing No. 55 Middle School
12 Xin Zhong Jie, Chaoyang District
Tel: 6467-1356

Number 55 Middle School is located in a small hutong opposite the Beijing Asia Hotel near Worker’s Stadium. The school has a separate section for over 300 foreign students in grades 7-12 with class sizes of 10-25. The school has a playing field and gym. There are boys’ and girls’ basketball teams. This is a school for families with children who are determined to leave China fluent in Chinese.

The school offers International Baccalaureate classes in English, Chinese, math, geography, physics, and a few other subjects. Students who graduate from the full program and pass the Hanyu Shuiping Kaoshi (Chinese Language Level Test) may be admitted to Chinese universities as regular students. Self-study credit can be arranged through the University of Nebraska, although the student is on his/her own to take the course and pass the exams. A school bus is available from certain areas of town including the Asian Games Village, the Lido/Lufthansa area, and the Jianguomen area.

Beijing Oxford Little Professor Kindergarten
Asian Games Village North Gate, Bldg. 308, Huizhong District
Tel: 6493-6626

This pre-school has more than 50 local and foreign children from ages three to six participating in full-day as well as day-care programs. The kindergarten is a Taiwanese joint-venture partnership with the local school board. Children are taught in English and Chinese; the school has local and Western teachers who spend half the day teaching in each language. The fees cover meals, books, and uniforms (including shoes) for the children.

Children’s House (Montessori Kindergarten)
China World Trade Center, South Lodge, Level 4
1 Jianguomenwai Dajie, Chaoyang District
Tel: 6505-3869/6505-2288 ext.1299
Fax: 6505-3237

Children’s House offers Montessori instruction for children age 20 months to 6 years old. Taught in English, children are provided with activities in art, cooking, gymnastics and music. Full- and half-day sessions are available for all. Hot meals and busing are provided for nominal fees. Priority is given to China World Apartment tenants.

Deutsche Schule Peking (German School of Beijing)
Holiday Inn Lido Complex
Jichang Lu, Jiangtai Lu, Chaoyang District
Tel: 6436-1953, 6437-6688 ext. 2571
Fax: 6436-1952
Email: dspeking@ht.rol.cn.net
Website: www.dspeking.de

The school offers classes from kindergarten (age 3-6) to grade 13 and the German "Abitur" examination which gives access to university. There are 70 children in the kindergarten and 240 students at school. Classes follow German curricula and are taught by German teachers. Foreign languages taught include English, Chinese and French. The school will move to a new building opposite the Kempinski Hotel by September 2000.

Fang Cao Di Primary School
1 Ritan Beilu, Chaoyang District
Tel: 6509-4328

For those wishing to completely immerse their children in a Chinese environment, Fang Cao Di Primary School is a traditional Chinese school with a foreign student section of 200. Fang Cao Di offers a Chinese curriculum varied only by starting English classes in first-grade, as opposed to the usual fourth-grade. The school itself, although rudimentary by Western standards, offers computers, art, and music and has playing fields for soccer and basketball.

Haidian Bilingual Co-op
35 Chegongzhuang Xilu, Building 7, Haidian District
Tel: 6848-2493
Fax: 6841-3890
Email: janeliedtke@yahoo.com

Bilingual (English/Mandarin) primary school. Current classes are Pre-K to Grade 2, but the school has plans for expansion. The focus is on experiential learning in small classes with American and Chinese team teaching. The curriculum is American with Chinese cultural experiences and parental involvement encouraged.

Indian Embassy School
1 Ritan Dongjie, Chaoyang District
Tel: 6532-1827

Founded in 1968, this primary school is comprised of two kindergartens and elementary grades 1-4. The student population is 100 children from 24 countries. Classes are taught in English. There is a waiting list for some classes. English and math tests are given before placement in grades 1-4. The school closely follows the Indian Central School Board curriculum. The social studies syllabus is modified to maintain the international character of the school.

International Montessori School of Beijing
7 Sanlitun Beixiaojie, Chaoyang District
Tel: 6532-6713/4518
Fax: 6532-6997
Email: montessoribj@attail.com

The school has 300 students and a full-time teaching staff of over 50. The school is a non-profit educational institution registered with the Chinese Ministry of Education and fully accredited by the American Montessori Society. In addition to the Montessori curriculum, the school also provides physical education, music, art, computer science, Chinese and English as second language courses. Classes are from Pre-K to Grade 3. In addition to the Sanlitun school, there are two new branches located at Beijing Riviera Villas and at the Lufthansa Center.

International School of Beijing (ISB)
Holiday Inn Lido Complex, Bldg. 7
Jichang Lu, Jiangtai Lu, Chaoyang District
Tel: 6437-6688 ext. 1242
Fax: 6437-6989
email: admissions@isb.bj.edu.cn
website: www.isb.bj.edu.cn

Boasting enrollment of more than 1100 students from more than 50 countries, ISB is also the oldest established international school in Beijing. Classes are taught in English. In addition to classrooms on two campuses, facilities include laboratories for science, computers, music, art, and language study on one campus and a gymnasium, library and English as a Second Language (ESL) resources nearby. In addition to a college preparatory high school diploma, the school offers the International Baccalaureate (IB) diploma to students in eleventh and twelfth grade. Extracurricular activities include China studies, which introduces students to Chinese history and culture through field trips, and a Model United Nations program.

International Study Group
1-3-11 Sanlitun Diplomatic Compound, Chaoyang District
Tel: 6532-2293

The ISG has been in operation for more than a decade. Sponsored by the Scandinavian embassies in Beijing, ISG specializes in teaching English as a foreign language to non-native speakers. The school capacity is 45 students, and caters to children 6-13 years of age. Subjects include math, science, world history, geography, computers, drama, art, music, sports and swimming. The school also offers Chinese and French as foreign languages. Classes are small - eight to twelve students. As there is no admissions test, children with no previous knowledge of English may apply.

Japanese School
Holiday Inn Lido Complex
Jichang Lu, Jiangtai Lu, Chaoyang District
Tel: 6437-1251

Classes are in Japanese. The school usually admits only Japanese citizens although exceptions are sometimes made for children who pass the entrance exam.

LycEe FranCaise de PEkin (French School of Beijing)
13 Sanlitun Dongsijie, Chaoyang District
Tel: 6532-3498, 6532-6579
Fax: 6532-5245

Enrolling 500 students of 40 different nationalities (58 percent French), the Lycee Francais is an international establishment following the French national curriculum allowing for easy transfer between French Schools all over the world. Chinese and English are compulsory from Grade 1 and French as a foreign language is offered to non-speakers. Managed by the parents association, the school is recognized by the French government. The school caters to ages 3-18, with an average of 17 pupils per class. A wide range of modern educational facilities is available including libraries, internet access and physics and biology laboratories. Extra-curricular activities include art, soccer, chess, embroidery, music, basketball, volleyball and wushu.

Lido Kindergarten
Holiday Inn Lido Hotel
Jichang Lu, Jiangtai Lu, Chaoyang District
Tel: 6437-6688 ext. 1640
Fax: 6437-6235

The Lido Kindergarten has native English-speaking teachers trained in ESL (English as a Second Language) and the "Whole Language Approach" to teaching. Children range in age from 2-9. The school follows an American curriculum base that includes English, social studies and humanities, mathematics, science, arts and crafts, cross-cultural studies and physical education. Pertinent field trips round out the curriculum. Fees include daily hot lunch as well as ballet and gymnastics for full day students.

New School of Collaborative Learning (NSCL)
Shangdi Xilu, Haidian District
Tel: 6298-5858, 6298-1620
Fax: 6298-1620
Email: nscl@netchina.com.cn
Website: www.cnindex.net/~nscl

The New School of Collaborative Learning (NSCL) offers Pre-K-12 students a dual language academic program that combines a Western and Chinese curriculum and emphasizes intercultural understanding, community service, and humanistic development. The learning environment is based on a self-motivational approach to education. NSCL’s curriculum combines standard Western subjects with Chinese language, math, history, and culture based on the textbooks used by Chinese students in the Beijing Municipal school system. English and Chinese speaking teachers team-teach. The campus includes a newly built facility shared with a Chinese experimental elementary school, playground, track and basketball courts.

Pakistan College
1 Dongzhimenwai Dajie, Sanlitun, Chaoyang District
Tel: 6532-1905
Fax: 6532-2715

The Pakistan College of Beijing was founded in 1969 and has continued to grow within the walls of the Pakistan Embassy. Students from K to Grade 12 are taught in English, except Urdu and Islamic education, which are reserved for Pakistani pupils. The school is equipped with one computer laboratory, three science laboratories, and three private buses. Pakistan College Beijing includes students from 45 countries. The coursework follows the prescribed curriculum of the Federal Board of Intermediate and Secondary Education in Islamabad.

Spanish Educational Study Group
Heping Jie Beikou, Huixin Dongjie, Chaoyang District
Tel: 6496-5522 ext. 3209

Offers Spanish language and culture instruction for children of Spanish heritage. Length of courses varies. Call for details.

Swedish School
East Lake Villas, 35 Dongzhimenwai Dajie, Chaoyang District
Tel: 6466-9442
Fax: 6467-7072

Caters to the Swedish community but also accepts students from throughout Scandinavia. The curriculum and teacher qualifications are all based on Swedish national standards. Classes are taught in Swedish. Maximum attendance is 65 students. Children 2 to 3 years of age attend day-care, while kindergarten through sixth-grade classes are offered for primary school-aged children. Swedish language instruction is available for non-Swedish students grades one through nine.

Western Academy of Beijing (WAB)
7A Beisihuan Donglu, Chaoyang District
Tel: 6437-5935
Fax: 6437-5936
Email: wabinfo@ns.wab.senet.gov.cn
Website: www.wab.edu

The Western Academy of Beijing (WAB) has quickly established itself as a top center for expatriate education. Grade levels run nursery school through eighth year. Instruction is in English, with WAB providing additional assistance for non-native English speakers. Teachers are recruited from Europe, North America, and Australia. Facilities include a library, gymnasium, bus service, and computer and music laboratories. WAB emphasizes parental involvement.

Yew Chung Beijing International School
5 Houbalizhuang, Honglingjin Park, Chaoyang District
Tel: 6594-1731
Fax: 6594-1734

The Yew Chung International School’s Beijing branch is the Christian-oriented organization’s tenth school. Yew Chung has its own fleet of minibuses for student pick-up and drop-off. The school currently offers kindergarten through sixth-grade classes, with plans to expand one grade per year. Classes are taught in English with daily instruction in Mandarin. ESL and CSL (Chinese as a Second Language) programs are also offered. Chinese and English instructors team-teach classes.