Merchiston International School is one of the British schools families consider when they move to Shenzhen. It opened to pupils in August 2018 as the first overseas campus of Merchiston Castle School, the long established independent boarding school in Edinburgh, and it brought the Scottish boarding model to a purpose built site in the Longhua District. For parents who want an English system education with the option of full boarding rather than a day only American or IB route, the questions are usually how the boarding ethos works in practice and where the school sits on cost, and that is what this profile addresses.
Merchiston International School at a glance
| Detail | Summary |
|---|---|
| Curriculum and exam boards | English national curriculum; IGCSE in the middle years; A Levels in the sixth form, with Mandarin taught alongside English |
| Stages | Roughly ages 5 to 18, with boarding and day places for younger pupils and a primarily boarding senior school |
| Founded | 2018, the first overseas campus of Merchiston Castle School, Edinburgh |
| Accreditation | Affiliated with Merchiston Castle School; authorised by the local education authorities in Guangdong. External British school accreditation not published |
| Fee band | Premium for the Shenzhen market, with boarding charged on top of tuition |
| Campus area | Longhua District, central Shenzhen, north of Futian |
Curriculum and academics
The school follows the British curriculum in its English national form, taught in English with Mandarin running alongside it from the junior years so that pupils build genuine bilingual literacy rather than treating Chinese as an add on. In the middle years pupils sit IGCSE, the international version of the English GCSE recognised by universities worldwide, and the sixth form is built around A Levels, the subject specialist qualifications that English system universities expect. Boarding is central to the school's identity, and the daily routine of supervised study, sport and house life is modelled directly on the parent school in Scotland.
Because the school is young by the standards of the city's established names, the honest first step is to ask for its recent IGCSE and A Level results and its university destinations rather than relying on the reputation of the Edinburgh school. Ask too how the boarding houses are staffed, what the pastoral structure looks like, and how new arrivals who join partway through a stage are settled in, since the boarding model asks more of children socially than a day school does.
It helps to set Merchiston against its neighbours before deciding. Families who want a globally portable diploma often prefer an IB school, and those drawn to an accelerated American route look at an Advanced Placement school, while Merchiston leans on the familiarity of IGCSE and A Levels plus a full boarding option that few Shenzhen schools offer. None of these is better in the abstract, so match the programme to how your child learns and to whether boarding suits your family.
Weighing Merchiston against other Shenzhen schools?
Put it side by side with up to two other schools to compare curriculum, fees and boarding at a glance before you visit.
Merchiston International School fees
Merchiston International School sits in the premium band for the city, and as a boarding school it carries costs that day schools do not. Our Shenzhen international school fees guide sets out how the local market is tiered, and Merchiston falls toward the upper end once boarding is added. The headline tuition figure is only part of the picture, so read the published schedule in full before you plan a budget.
Alongside tuition, budget for a one off application or registration fee, a deposit, and the boarding charge for pupils who board, plus optional extras such as meals, the school bus for day pupils and uniform. Fees tend to rise year on year, so assume increases across a multi year stay rather than a flat rate, and check whether the boarding fee is billed per term or per year.
For a sense of where that leaves you against the rest of the city, our fees guide groups Shenzhen schools into broad tiers, and Merchiston's combined tuition and boarding places it among the more expensive options. The deciding factor for many families is therefore whether boarding is worth the premium for their child. Ask whether sibling discounts or corporate billing apply, since employers often meet part of the cost for relocating staff.
Admissions
The academic year starts in late summer and the main intake follows that calendar, with places offered across the year where they exist. As an international school in mainland China, the school admits foreign passport holders and residents of Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan in line with the rules for schools serving the children of foreign nationals, so confirm your family's eligibility early.
The process combines an application with school reports and an age appropriate assessment, and for boarding places the school will also want to gauge whether a child is ready to live away from home. Demand for the junior years is steady, so apply ahead of your move where you can, and discuss the right entry point and whether to board or attend as a day pupil with the admissions team.
It is worth preparing for the assessment rather than treating it as a formality. Gather recent school reports, any standardised test results and a record of the curriculum your child has followed, and be candid about additional learning needs so the school can tell you honestly whether it can support them. Places at popular entry points can fill before the start of the year, so register your interest as soon as your move is confirmed, and ask how the waiting list is prioritised if a place is not immediately available.
Location and who goes there
The campus is in the Longhua District in the centre of Shenzhen, north of Futian, an area that has grown quickly from an industrial fringe into a residential and business district served by the metro. That central position, combined with boarding, means the school draws pupils from across the city and beyond rather than from one expatriate enclave, which sets it apart from the schools clustered in Shekou and Nanshan to the west.
For day families, Longhua and the neighbouring parts of Futian offer newer housing at lower rents than the western districts, with the trade off of a longer trip to the traditional expatriate hubs. The metro connects Longhua to Futian and the Hong Kong border crossings, which keeps weekend travel manageable, and the boarding option removes the daily commute altogether for families based further afield or overseas.
To see how Merchiston compares with the other schools across the city and where comparable families tend to live, start from the Shenzhen city hub and work outward by curriculum and budget.
Merchiston International School reviews
We do not yet hold any verified parent reviews for Merchiston International School. GlobalSchoolGuide is an independent guide and no school pays to be listed, so we publish a rating only once we have collected enough verified first hand accounts to be fair to both the school and to families reading them. We would rather show nothing than show an invented score.
If your family has attended the school we would value your account of the boarding houses, teaching, pastoral care and value for money. Share it through our school reviews hub and we will add verified contributions to this page.
Frequently asked questions
What curriculum does Merchiston International School follow?
Merchiston International School teaches the English national curriculum, with Mandarin alongside it in the junior years, then IGCSE in the middle years and A Levels in the sixth form. It is the first overseas campus of Merchiston Castle School in Edinburgh.
How much are Merchiston International School fees?
Merchiston International School sits in the premium band for Shenzhen, and boarding adds a further charge on top of tuition. Budget for an application fee, a deposit and optional extras, and confirm the current schedule with the school.
Is Merchiston International School a boarding school?
Yes. Merchiston International School offers both boarding and day places for younger pupils, while its senior school is run primarily as a boarding school, following the model of its parent school in Scotland.
When did Merchiston International School open?
The school opened to pupils in August 2018 as the first school in the Longhua District of Shenzhen, after the company behind it was established in 2016 in partnership with Merchiston Castle School in Edinburgh.
Where is Merchiston International School?
The campus is in the Longhua District in the centre of Shenzhen, a fast growing residential and business area north of Futian that is well connected to the rest of the city by metro.
