Tsukuba International School

Tsukuba International School is an IB World School in Tsukuba, Ibaraki, Japan. Since our founding in 1992, we have been dedicated to promoting international-mindedness in the northern Kanto Region.

We offer a rich educational program for students from pre-kindergarten (age 3) to Grade 12 (age 18). We have 235 students in our school (as of September 2017). We are authorized to offer the Primary Years Programme (PYP), the Middle Years Programme (MYP), and the Diploma Programme (DP) of the International Baccalaureate (IB). IB World Schools share a common philosophy—a commitment to high quality, challenging, international education. For further information about the IB and its programmes, visit the International Baccalaureate website or the Ministry of Education website (in Japanese).

We are accredited by the Council of International Schools (CIS). We are registered as an educational organization by Ibaraki Prefecture. This is the standard category for international schools in Japan that are registered as schools in their local prefecture. (We are the only international school registered in Ibaraki Prefecture.) We are also a member of the Japan Council of International Schools (JCIS).

Tsukuba International School takes its role advocating for and safeguarding children very seriously. The school child protection policy is in accordance with the recommendations of the International Task Force on Child Protection, endorses the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, of which Japan is a signatory, and is in accordance with Japanese Law.

If you are interested in learning more about our school, please use the menus below or to the right to explore our site. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us in English or Japanese.

External assessments are an important tool for reflecting on and improving student learning at our school. It is important for students, parents, and teachers to have many data points upon which to base decisions regarding our students’ education. In addition, it is important for us, as a school, to have a sense of the context in which our school is operating, and how students at our school perform in comparison with students at other schools around the world.

The library at our school houses approximately 10,000 volumes and is used as a resource for our students’ independent learning projects. We also have computers in every classroom. Students in Grade 4 and above are required to bring their own laptop computer to school. The internet is available in every classroom and it is used widely for research, learning activities, and interaction with other students around the world. The school provides students with accounts to learning sites such as RAZ Kids, which lets them record themselves reading books aloud and send the resulting file to their teachers, and Mathletics, an interactive math site used by more than 10,000 schools around the world. For student research needs, we have subscriptions to EBSCO databases and Encyclopedia Britannica.

Our curriculum is based on the standards and principles of the International Baccalaureate Primary Years Programme (PYP), Middle Years Programme (MYP), and the Diploma Programme (DP). You can read more about the International Baccalaureate at TIS, and you can download our weekly schedules and term overviews on the PYP and MYP pages.

We are very proud of our school buildings, which are two two-storey loghouses designed with the idea of providing very large classrooms for small classes. The West Building (completed in 2009) is made of imported Finnish pine and won a “Loghouse of the Year” award for its design. The East Building (completed in 2016), is a mirror image of the West Building, and is made of Japanese cedar and cypress from the local area. (The school received a subsidy from the government for making effective use of local lumber in the building.) Our classrooms give teachers the ability to offer various learning environments within one room. The wooden structure gives the school an at-home feeling that is very different from typical concrete school buildings. The school is located in a forested area and the students have many opportunities to interact with nature in the forest and on our school fields.

TIS students in Grades 4 to 12 are asked to bring their own computers (laptops) to school. Students must take personal responsibility for their own computers and must learn to keep them well-maintained and in good working order. It is not possible for siblings to share one computer. Each student must have his/her own computer.

It is fine for students to have a used/secondhand laptop rather than a new one for this purpose. If you will find it difficult to supply your children with a computer, please talk to the school about your options.

Tsukuba International School (TIS) relies on the kind generosity of the people and corporations in our community. Donations that we receive are used to purchase educational resources and equipment, and to offer scholarships to our students.

As TIS is registered as a “special public interest promotion corporation” donations to the school are tax deductible for individuals and corporations.

If you would like to make a donation to Tsukuba International School, please fill out this form and return it to our Financial Officer, then transfer the donation to the following bank account!