International school waitlists

Posted by JTMartin (865 days ago)

My husband has the opportunity to relocate to Shanghai this fall. Our older son (5) is about to start Kindergarten here in the US this Sept. If we make the move, we'll have to find an International school in Shanghai for him ASAP. We've heard anecdotally that some/many schools have wait lists - What then? Do we not send him to Kindergarten 'til he can get in? What have others in similar situation done? Thanks!

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Posted by Pippen (865 days ago)

Send him to Concordia International School Shanghai. I believe they don't have a wait list. SAS Pudong is also another good option. Both are American based schools.

Posted by turtle1 (865 days ago)

International schools here are generally full and have long waiting lists but it does depend on which year you're seeking admission into. The best thing to do is contact the schools asap as you're thinking about re-locating this fall and find out which schools are actually full etc. Some people "park" their kids at other schools while waiting for a place at the school of their choice.

Posted by Georgielily (858 days ago)

Are the waiting lists just for American Curriculum schools or do they apply to British schools as well?
What do you do if you can't find a place??

Posted by turtle1 (858 days ago)

They apply to both American and British schools and also to the big expensive international schools and the more affordable ones.

The waiting list tends to be longer in the lower years, ie kindergarten and Years 1 and 2. A friend of mine who was looking to put her daughter in Dulwich for year 1 was told that the waiting list for year 1 was closed and she would need to get her daughter on the year 2 waiting list for the next academic year before that closed as well.

Posted by fionamorris33 (835 days ago)

Have you thought about applying for the Western International School of Shanghai?(wiss.cn) They offer an international curriculum.