Shanghai High School International Division

At a glance

Where a detail is not officially published we mark it clearly rather than guess. Always confirm current figures with the school.

Curriculum and academics

SHSID follows a United States style curriculum from Grade 1 upward, then branches in the senior school into three international pathways so families can choose the route that suits their child. Pupils may sit Advanced Placement courses with the College Board, follow the IB Diploma Programme, or take international A levels with Cambridge, and the school is an authorised centre for all three as well as a TOEFL test centre. Our Shanghai city guide shows how this compares with the other large campuses in the city.

The school opened in 1993 as the international division of Shanghai High School, one of the best known state schools in the country, and it has grown into one of the larger international providers in Shanghai across several campuses. It runs a broad world languages programme, with French, Japanese, Spanish, German and Korean among the options, alongside music, drama and visual arts, and a STEAM and innovation strand. For families weighing the American route, our guide to the American curriculum explains how AP and a United States style transcript lead to university.

Academically the school is selective and results driven, and it publishes strong outcomes across its examination pathways each year. Because it is a sizeable school with more than one campus, families should ask which campus serves their neighbourhood and which senior pathway is offered there, since provision can differ by site.

Shanghai High School International Division fees

SHSID publishes its tuition and bills it by semester rather than by year. For 2025/26 the school listed around RMB 70,000 a semester in the primary grades, about RMB 75,000 a semester in the middle grades and roughly RMB 78,000 a semester in the high school, which works out to a headline of about RMB 140,000 to RMB 156,000 across a full year. That places it in the upper mid band for Shanghai rather than at the very top.

A helpful feature is that the school describes its tuition as broadly all inclusive, folding in items that many schools charge on top, such as a school issued laptop for older pupils, bus service and lunches for full day students. For the wider picture our guide to international school fees in Shanghai divides the market into bands, and you can line up the senior figures in our Shanghai secondary fees breakdown. Confirm current figures with the school, since it revises them each year.

• Tuition billing: charged per semester rather than annually.
• Inclusive items: laptop for older grades, bus and full day lunch reported as included.
• Application fee: an application fee applies; confirm the current amount with admissions.
• Senior pathways: AP, IB Diploma and A level are offered without a separate curriculum surcharge.

Admissions

The main intake follows the August start of the school year, and SHSID is a selective school, so applicants sit age appropriate assessments and, for older pupils, an English proficiency check. Places in popular grades fill early, so families are advised to begin the process well ahead of their preferred start date and to confirm which campus has availability.

Relocating families should contact the admissions office directly about mid year places and about which senior pathway a given campus offers, since AP, IB Diploma and A level are not all available on every site. Ask too about the world languages on offer if keeping up a home language matters to your child.

Location and who goes there

The founding campus sits in Xuhui in the Puxi half of the city, close to the parent Shanghai High School, and the international division also operates in Pudong. The multi campus footprint means the commute varies a good deal depending on which site your child attends, so it is worth mapping the journey before you apply.

The community is a mix of returning Chinese families, regional expatriates and long term international residents, drawn by the selective ethos and the choice of senior pathways. Many families comparing SHSID also look at the large American and British campuses, so our Shanghai city guide shows how the options line up on curriculum, stage and fee band.

Reviews

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Frequently asked questions