What Is Chinese International School (CIS) in Hong Kong?

Updated

Chinese International School (CIS) is a bilingual international school in Hong Kong that teaches in both Chinese and English and offers the International Baccalaureate (IB) through the secondary years. It is a fit for families who want a genuinely dual-language education, not English-only schooling with Chinese as a subject, and who are prepared for a selective admissions process. The school describes its purpose as empowering students to flourish on a life's journey in pursuit of excellence, commitment to service, and stewardship of our future.

What CIS is

CIS is based in Hong Kong and describes itself as a bilingual school. Its own framing centers on three ideas: excellence, service, and stewardship of the future. Those are not just marketing lines — they signal the type of student profile the school aims to produce: academically capable, service-oriented, and globally minded.

The school serves students from primary through secondary level, so a family can in principle stay within one institution across most of a child's school career rather than switching systems at transition points.

How the bilingual programme works

The defining feature of CIS is that Chinese and English are both languages of instruction, not one language plus a foreign-language class. This matters for two reasons:

  • Language is used to learn, not just studied. In a bilingual model, students encounter content in both languages, which builds academic vocabulary and fluency rather than conversational Chinese alone.
  • Pathways can differ by a student's starting point. Families often ask whether a child who enters with strong English but limited Chinese (or the reverse) can cope. The honest answer is that bilingual schools typically have different entry points and support levels, and the fit depends on the child's age and existing language base. You should ask CIS directly how it places and supports students at your child's entry year.

If your goal is fluent bilingualism, a dual-language school like CIS is a stronger fit than an English-medium school where Chinese is one subject among many. If your goal is simply an English-language international education, the bilingual requirement may be more than you need.

Curriculum and qualifications

CIS offers the IB, including the IB Diploma Programme in the senior years. The IB is a widely recognized qualification for university admission internationally, which is a key reason families choose IB schools in Hong Kong.

The practical implication: if you are planning for university applications outside Hong Kong, an IB diploma from a school like CIS travels well. If you are committed to a specific national curriculum (for example, A-Levels or an American-style diploma), check whether CIS's pathway aligns with that plan before applying.

What "excellence, service, and stewardship" means in practice

These three words describe the school's stated ethos:

  • Excellence — academic ambition and high expectations.
  • Service — commitment to contributing to others, often expressed through service learning.
  • Stewardship of our future — a sense of responsibility for the world students will inherit.

In practice, this usually shows up as a service-learning requirement, leadership opportunities, and an emphasis on character alongside grades. When you visit or research the school, ask how service is structured and whether it is optional or embedded in the programme.

Practical considerations for families

Before deciding whether CIS fits, work through these:

Consideration What to check
Campus location Where the campus sits relative to your home and commute
Entry stages Which year levels accept new students and where the main intake points are
Language fit How your child's current Chinese and English levels match the programme
Admissions process Requirements, assessments, and timelines
Fees Current fee schedule and any additional costs

CIS's own materials do not publish pricing in the source information available here, so treat fees as something to confirm directly with the school rather than assuming any figure.

How to decide

CIS is likely a good fit if you want a bilingual Chinese-English education, value the IB pathway, and are drawn to a school with an explicit service and stewardship ethos. It is likely a weaker fit if you want an English-only curriculum, a non-IB qualification, or a less selective admissions route.

The most reliable next step is to check the school's official site (cis.edu.hk) for admissions stages, campus details, and current fees, then visit if you can. Language placement and admissions timelines are the two areas where families most often need school-specific answers rather than general guidance.