Kunming International Academy

Admissions Overview

The school does not discriminate in its admissions policy on the basis of national, ethnic or racial origin, or language. In addition, KIA respects the religious preferences of parents and students.

KIA also provides an English Language Development (ELD) support program for students in grades 1–10 whose mother tongue is not English. This program focuses on enhancing the Academic English skills (Cognitive Academic Language Proficiency-CALPs) of our students so they can be more successful in the mainstream classroom. Please contact info@kia-china.org for more information regarding admission to the school.

Apply to Kunming International Academy

The completed application and the following items must be submitted to the Admissions office before your child can be considered for admission:

• A copy of the parents’ and student’s visas.
• A copy of the student’s birth certificate that is officially itranslated into English.
• A passport size photo of the student.
• A copy of the picture page of the student and parents’ passports.
• Current school records from previous school(s) officially translated into English. No enrollment decision will be made until current school records are received and all placement testing is complete.
• Immunization records officially translated into English.
• A one-time, non-refundable application fee of 3,000 RMB.
• If the student has had Special Educational Services previously, please provide documentation, such as Special Ed., ELL, ELD, ESL, Behavior Modification, Psycho-education Evaluation, IEP, 504, or any other services.

In the event there are no empty seats for the grade applied for or accepted in, the applicant will be placed on a waiting list.

Admissions Policy

The principal and/or appropriate administrative staff will determine the admission of a student. The decision is based on the following criteria:

• Age of the student
• Test results
• Availability of space
• Previous school records

Although an American style curriculum is followed, students from many different countries and educational systems are accepted. Before placing a student, we consider the factors mentioned above as follows:

First, each grade at the school serves a different age group. For the most part, students are more comfortable if they are with students of their same age. Students must have reached the proper age for a particular grade prior to 1 September of the year that they enter KIA. For example, grade one students must be six years of age by 1 September before being enrolled in grade one.

Second, if a student enters during the year, he/she will be placed in the grade he/she was in at the time he/she withdrew from the previous school. If the former school’s system finished the grade halfway through our school year, most students will be placed in the same level they just completed. Experience has shown that most students are not prepared to skip half a year of school.

Third, placement within a grade depends upon the student’s prior academic record and the results of the placement tests which are given at KIA. Once evaluated, the student will be enrolled in the most suitable grade. The school administration has the authority to make the final decision concerning grade level and the English Language Development (ELD) program placement.