The British School in Tokyo

Focus

Nurturing unique potential

Day fees 2025/26

$19,000-$19,700

Term dates

• Term 1: 25 August to 12 December 2025
• Term 2: 6 January to 27 March 2026
• Term 3: 14 April to 27 June 2026

Ages

3-18

Pupil count

1,415

Spear’s Review

Established in 1989, the British School in Tokyo (BST) is a leading independent school for boys and girls aged 3 to 18.

BST’s academic programme is based on the UK curriculum and encourages children to develop organically and achieve their potential. From two campuses – one for nursery to Year 6 and the other for Year 7 to Year 13 – students can study a vast range of subjects, including all core subjects, arts and humanities, languages and sciences, to a very high level. Students also learn Japanese from pre-prep and engage in frequent exchanges with local Japanese partner schools. The school currently offers (I)GCSEs and A-Levels, and as of August 2025 offers the IB diploma course. The 2026 cohort will be the last to sit A-Level exams.

Just as important as academics are the co-curricular opportunities, and there many sports, clubs and activities to choose from – including badminton, cricket, football, volleyball and yoga. Clubs, too, are just as diverse; students can partake in anything from Minecraft club to banned book club to sewing and textiles. There are also facilities for West-End style drama productions, and the extensive primary and secondary libraries regularly acquire the latest bestsellers and even loan to parents.

Academics

In 2025:

• 68 per cent of (I)GCSE results were grades 7-9
• 59 per cent of A-Level results were A* or A

Head teacher

Ian Clayton joined BST as principal in 2024, bringing with him a wealth of experience. Originally from the UK, Clayton has served as head of the senior school at the British School Manila, vice principal at the English Schools Foundation and head of the international stream at the French International School in Hong Kong. 

University and college destinations

BST students go on to matriculate at some of the best universities in the world: 95 per cent of the graduating class of 2025 continued their studies at university. One student went to study at Cambridge University, and others have matriculated at Ivy League schools in previous years.

Admissions

BST is not an academically selective school, but proficiency in English for both the child and at least one parent is required. Sometimes, the school may carry out interviews or assessments, and applications are thoroughly reviewed.

Accessibility

Haneda International Airport: 20 minutes

Location

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