K. International School Tokyo (KIST) is a private, co-educational, non-denominational day school located in Tokyo, Japan. Accredited by the Council of International Schools (CIS), authorized by the International Baccalaureate (IB) as an IB World School, and recognized by the Tokyo Metropolitan Government as an educational institution, KIST provides a high-quality international education from preschool to Grade 12 to academically motivated students from diverse cultural and social backgrounds. Founded in 1997, KIST is proud to have grown into one of Tokyo's leading IB schools in its relatively short history, and has been the top-scoring IB Diploma Programme school in Tokyo for the past 5 years. More than 630 students representing over 40 different nationalities are currently enrolled.

KIST is a mission-driven, academically focused, achievement-oriented school that provides opportunities for students to develop academic skills—with an emphasis on language and mathematics—at increasingly higher levels as they progress through a continuum of challenging educational programs in preparation for university entrance after completing Grade 12.

KIST was the first school in Tokyo and the Kanto region, and the second school in Japan to be authorized by the International Baccalaureate (IB) to offer the three IB programs: the PYP, MYP and DP. The DP, in particular, is recognized around the world as being an extremely challenging program that prepares students for university entrance. With its emphasis on critical thinking, intercultural understanding and exposure to a variety of viewpoints, we believe that the DP is well aligned with our mission as it challenges students to acquire knowledge and develop skills essential to becoming "competent and compassionate individuals who make meaningful contributions to our global community." Achieving high scores in the DP provides proof that these skills have been acquired at a high level. One of the benefits of achieving high scores in the DP is that it provides students with a wider range of opportunities to gain admission to leading universities where competition for places has become particularly demanding. Our ultimate goal at KIST, therefore, is for all students to achieve high scores in the DP, not only as proof that they have acquired the knowledge and skills that will enable them to contribute to society, but also in order to gain matriculation to universities of their choice, regardless of their family background or financial situation. We also aim for students to become caring individuals who demonstrate their compassion by helping others in need and believe that such actions can help make the world a better, more peaceful place.

With regards to university entrance, KIST graduates have a proven record of success in gaining acceptance to leading universities around the world, including Japan. In fact, almost 100% of our graduates have been successful in gaining entrance to universities, many with scholarships as based on the high scores they have achieved in their final DP examinations. For students with financial concerns, this may be the deciding factor as to whether they will be able to enter the university of their choice, and is one of the reasons why it is important for students to continue working hard in their studies right up to the end of Grade 12.

As we look ahead to the future, we continue to reflect on the quality of our educational services and seek to implement further initiatives and improvements in order to provide an even higher-quality international education for our students. Furthermore, while striving to maintain our position as the highest-ranking school offering the IB DP in Japan, we also hope to increase our position as one of the highest-ranking IB schools in the world and to achieve greater recognition as an institution of academic excellence on an international scale in the future. With the continued efforts of our students, parents/guardians and staff, we believe this goal is well within our grasp. In fact, KIST is proud to announce that we have been ranked 12th in the world's top 50 IB schools for 2019. (https://www.ib-schools.com/page.asp?t=Global-Top-50)

KIST provides opportunities for students from Grade 1 and above to participate in a wide range of extra-curricular activities, and places importance on providing a balanced education for our students. Athletic teams in a variety of sports (including but not limited to soccer, basketball, volleyball, track and field, badminton, and baseball, depending on student interest) compete in the two major sporting leagues for the international schools in the greater Tokyo area, and recreational teams and clubs are available in a variety of other sports.

KIST also facilitates several clubs to promote the arts. Both the Secondary School orchestra and band perform at school concerts and events, as well as participating in various community events and outreach projects. Students from Grade 4 and up are invited to audition for the school musical each year, and students also participate in various dance and performance-based clubs such as the hip-hop and Indian dance clubs and the glee club. Visual arts clubs such as the drawing club and the digital art club are available for students looking to express themselves through visual art. There are also two school concerts yearly, for which students may audition to perform solo or in small groups.

KIST offers a variety of community service and volunteering groups, as well, from worldwide organizations such as Habitat for Humanity to initiatives started by KIST students, such as the KIST Green Team, a student group dedicated to the educating the KIST community about environmental awareness and conversation.

*All extracurricular activities are subject to change due to student interest, staff availability, and other factors.

IB Primary Years Programme (PYP)—K1 to Grade 5. IB Middle Years Programme (MYP)—Grades 6 to 8 IGCSE—Grades 9 and 10. IB Diploma Programme (DP)—Grades 11 and 12.

We offer 3- and 4-year-old classes through the IB Primary Years Programme (PYP). These are full day inquiry-based academic programs that include a balanced curriculum of age-appropriate English literacy, numeracy, inquiry-based lessons, physical education, visual arts, music education, outdoor playtime, excursions and field trips, and Japanese language acquisition classes. An optional lunch service is available to all students.

The KIST Community Association (CA) is an organization for parents/guardians of enrolled students. All families are members of the CA while they have children enrolled at the school.

The CA supports and fosters the partnership between students, parents and the school in accordance with the school’s mission, vision and guiding beliefs through planning and implementing events and providing services, equipment, materials and resources which directly enhance the educational experiences and well-being of students.

The CA is governed by an Executive Committee consisting of a President, Vice President, Treasurer and Secretary. All officers are elected annually through an online election process through the school website to encourage as many families to vote as possible. Election results are announced at the Annual General Meeting held in May.

Various sub-committees are also established and parents/guardians are encouraged to join a committee or volunteer as the committee chair. Getting involved in a committee is a great way to meet new people, and can also be a lot of fun.

Current committees include:

-Communications and Community Relations Committee

-Events Committee

-IT Committee

-Library Committee

-Service Committee