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The 2026 visiting season
Beijing schools concentrate their open days and experience days in the spring, broadly from March to May, when families are deciding on the following August intake. That timing is deliberate: it lets schools show classes in full session and gives parents enough lead time to complete an application before the popular year groups fill. Two formats dominate. Larger schools run scheduled open houses and experience days, where children join a trial class while parents attend an information session and a guided tour. Others, including some of the most established campuses, prefer individual bookable tours throughout the year rather than a single dated event. For how those visiting dates sit against the wider calendar, see our Beijing school holidays and term dates 2026 guide.
Confirmed WAB experience days
The Western Academy of Beijing, in the Chaoyang district, has published dated events for the 2026 season, which makes it a useful anchor for planning a spring visit. The confirmed dates are below.
| Event | Date 2026 |
|---|---|
| Early Years experience day (ages 3 to 4) | Thursday 19 March |
| High School experience day | Thursday 19 March |
| Middle School open house | Wednesday 8 April |
| Early Years and Elementary open house | Tuesday 21 April |
| Elementary twilight tour | Wednesday 29 April |
One scheduling note matters for visiting families: WAB is closed for spring break from 28 March to 5 April 2026, and campus tours are not available during that week, so plan around the 6 April return. Booking is required for these events, and places are limited, so register through the school's admissions page rather than arriving unannounced.
Build a visit shortlist first
The school finder narrows Beijing schools by curriculum, district and stage, so you only book tours at campuses that genuinely fit your child.
Use the school finderSchools that run year-round tours
Several leading schools do not publish a single open day and instead invite families to book an individual visit whenever suits. The International School of Beijing, in Shunyi, encourages prospective families to arrange a campus tour, a virtual tour or an introductory chat before applying, with a dedicated admissions officer handling the visit. Dulwich College Beijing, also in Shunyi, structures entry around defined intake grades and welcomes tours tied to those points. Because these schools assess fit on a rolling basis, a year-round tour is often more useful than a crowded open day, and it can be arranged to coincide with a house-hunting trip. Whichever format a school uses, confirm the slot directly, because dates and capacity change through the year.
Planning a visit
Three practical points help a visiting trip pay off. Cluster tours by district to save time, since Shunyi and Chaoyang sit on opposite sides of the city and the leading campuses are spread between them; our Beijing primary schools guide shows where the main clusters lie. Bring questions on the specifics a tour answers best, class size, language support, transport and wraparound care, rather than the headline facts a website already gives. And align the visit with the admissions calendar so a tour leads straight into an application while your year group is still open; our Beijing admissions deadlines 2026 page sets out those windows, and the how to apply to international schools in Beijing walkthrough covers what follows the visit.
Beijing open days 2026: FAQ
Most Beijing international schools concentrate open days and experience days in the spring, from roughly March to May, when prospective families are deciding on the following August intake. The Western Academy of Beijing has confirmed several dated events in 2026, while schools such as ISB and Dulwich run bookable campus tours throughout the year rather than fixed open days. Always confirm dates on the school's own admissions page before travelling.
Yes. WAB has confirmed an Early Years experience day on 19 March 2026, a High School experience day on 19 March 2026, a Middle School open house on 8 April 2026, an Early Years and Elementary open house on 21 April 2026, and an Elementary twilight tour on 29 April 2026. WAB is closed for spring break from 28 March to 5 April 2026, so visits resume after 6 April.
Yes. The International School of Beijing encourages families to book a campus tour, a virtual tour or an introductory chat before applying. Tours run through the year rather than on a single open day, so contact the admissions office to arrange a slot that suits your visit.
It is strongly advisable. Most Beijing schools prefer that families tour the campus before committing to an application, and a visit is the best way to read the atmosphere, facilities and fit that a website cannot convey. If you cannot travel, ask whether a virtual tour is available.