One of Hong Kong’s best known and respected schools, Singapore International School Hong Kong was first established in September 1991 in Kennedy Town with an enrolment of 200 pupils in the Primary School. It follows the Singaporean curriculum and offers Cambridge IGCSEs and the IBDP.

Singapore International School Hong Kong (SISHK) offers a Singaporean-style education from Preparatory through to Secondary, and offers Cambridge IGCSEs and the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme.

Established in 1991 with the support of Singapore's Ministry of Education, the school enrols 1,500 students representing about 20 nationalities.

The school says that it "aims to nurture bilingual life-long learners holistically so that they become respectful and responsible global citizens who will rise to the challenges of life creatively and enthusiastically in an ever-changing world."

"Our innovation-led curriculum encourages our learners to be inquisitive and to understand the interconnections across subjects and in the real life; driven by the limitless possibilities of innovation, our students draw on their imagination to explore and build on their interests and passions as they cultivate an entrepreneurial dare to create and seek solutions to future challenges."

Curriculum
SISHK offers a bilingual programme in English and Putonghua from the prep
years through to the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme. Secondary students who are not native Chinese speakers can opt for Chinese as a second language.

The Secondary 1 and 2 curriculum is aligned to the Singapore Lower Secondary curriculum, and students will find that it is a seamless progression from the primary school. Subjects include English Language Arts, First Language Chinese/Chinese as a Second Language, Mathematics, Sciences, History, Geography, Art, Music, Information and
Communication Technology, Physical Education, Pastoral Care, Education, and
Career Guidance.

In Secondary 3 and 4, students prepare for their IGCSEs examinations. Subjects offered include English First Language, Chinese First Language, Chinese as a Second Language, World Literature, History, Geography, Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Mathematics, Additional Mathematics, Art and Design, Information and Communication Technology, Computer Science, Economics, Music, Physical Education, and Pastoral Care.

IB Diploma Programme students are required to study three subjects at higher level and three at standard level, in addition to completing three core components of the IBDP – the Extended Essay (EE), Theory of Knowledge (TOK), and Creativity Activity Service (CAS) Subjects offered include English Language and Literature, Chinese Language and Literature, Chinese – Mandarin, Geography, History, Information Technology in a Globalised Society, Economics, Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Computer Science, Mathematics – Analysis and Approaches, Mathematics – Applications and Interpretations, Visual Arts, and Music.

The focus is not purely on academic outcomes. Students also develop important study skills and habits in addition to language skills. The curriculum is aligned to the IB learning outcomes to ensure that students become not just knowledgeable and reflective thinkers, but also principled, caring, and responsible global citizens, ready to take on the world.

Also, students are encouraged to participate in inter-school, regional, and international competitions. These have included: for Chinese, HK Schools Speech Festival; for Economics, Singapore Economic Development Board (EDB) Economics Short Film Competition; for ICT, Hong Kong First Lego League (FLL) Robotics Tournament Merit and IET/MATE Hong Kong Underwater Robot Challenge 2016; for Mathematics, Highfour Competitions; and for Science, International Junior Science Olympiad, Science – Light Pollution Competition, HKU.

SISHK Secondary School has also developed a strong sporting culture over the years, and various sports teams participate in numerous inter-school competitions – Badminton, Basketball, Individual Fencing, Swimming, Volleyball, Table Tennis, Netball, and Football are among the top sports.

In alignment with the IB CAS aims, SISHK is active in providing opportunities for students to understand more about the world. Annually, students participate in Windows of the World (WOW) trips overseas, visiting countries such as China, India, Spain, and Cambodia, and participating in Community service activities.

There is no question that SISHK is a school with a very clear direction and focus. Whilst much of this has been driven by its very strong curriculum and direct links to Singapore, there is a clear and substantial effort to take into account its Hong Kong location and the strong relationship with mainland China; it also takes into account the international environment to which it has been transplanted and the internationalism which the school strongly encourages its students to adopt.

Academic results

The 2021 cohort of IB students scored an average 40.4 points. The school said the "Class of 2021 has displayed great strengths of resilience and tenacity to produce this set of excellent results".

Four students scored 45/45 points, while five scored 44 points and another eight 43 points. There was a 100% pass rate. 64% of students scored at least 40 points, the highest in the school’s history. Out of 264 subject exams taken by the students, 50% achieved a perfect grade of 7. 

SISHK students accepted university places in the UK, US, Canada, Australia, Singapore and Hong Kong.

Read our roundup of Hong Kong's 2021 IB results here.

Principal Kelvin Tay said: "Among this small and yet diverse cohort, I am very pleased to see our students form a tight-knit and supportive SISHK Family in the process. We are also thankful for the strong support our students received from their families and teachers.”

Read our roundup of Hong Kong's 2019 IB results here.

Admission and fees
Fees range from HKD 164,500 – 198,800 in the secondary school. Students joining SISHK are required to obtain a debenture. The Personal Debenture is valued at HKD 200,000 (Singaporean passport holders pay a reduced fee of HKD 120,000). Other fees include an annual capital levy of HKD 20,000.

Admissions are operated on a rolling basis and applications normally open at least 24 months before the start of the academic year the applicant wishes to enrol in.

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