In anticipation of the Beijing International School Expo on January 24-25, we will be highlighting local and international schools around Beijing from the upcoming 2015-2016 beijingkids School Choice Guide, which comes out on January 20.
Beijing No. 55 High School is a city-level key school. Upon the approval of the Chinese Foreign Ministry and Beijing Municipal Government in 1975, the school was opened to foreign students. In 1994, the International Baccalaureate Organization approved the school to become its first Chinese member. Soon, the school became widely acknowledged as one of the most exemplary schools in the Asian-Pacific region. On the basis of its quality education and teaching resources, dual-course system, and various activities against a multi-cultural backdrop, the school has provided students with a variety of extra-curricular courses suited to each individual’s age, gender, capabilities, and language skills, enabling them to become active, creative, caring and responsible global citizens.
Founding date: 1975
Age range: 10-17
Grades offered: Grades 7-12
School type: Local public school
Number of students: 600
Is the school accredited by the Ministry of Education? Yes
Accreditations: IB
Foreign passport holders accepted? Yes
Local Chinese students accepted? Yes
Tuition fees (2014-2015 academic year):
• Application fee: RMB 2,000
• Junior Middle School (Grades 7-9): RMB 31,600 (Chinese class), RMB 41,600 (English MYP class)
• High School (Grades 10-12): RMB 36,000 (Chinese), RMB 48,600 (DP foundation program and class)
• Deposit for books: RMB 3,000
• Transportation fee: RMB 5,000-6,000 per year
• Lunch fee: RMB 20 per day
Lunch offered: Chinese meals
Nationality of students: US, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, South Korea
Primary teaching languages: Chinese and English
Average class size: 10-22
Average teacher/student ratio: 1:6
School hours: 8.30am-3pm
After-school activities: Soccer, basketball, taekwondo, Beijing opera, diabolo, street dance, music, robot building, band, painting, comic club, print, Chinese calligraphy, traditional Chinese painting, tai chi with fans, chess, oil painting, computers, design, crafts and French
Scholarships offered? Scholarships for outstanding graduates
School facilities: Playground, indoor basketball gymnasium, indoor badminton gymnasium, indoor taekwondo gymnasium, two libraries, outdoor soccer field, small theater, lecture hall, four chemistry laboratories, four physics laboratories, four biology laboratories, biology classroom with scene, geography classroom, history classroom, three art classrooms, two music classrooms
School nurse or doctor available? Yes, full-time
Contact: 12 Xinzhong Jie, Dongcheng District (6416 9531/9575) www.bj55iss.com 东城区新中街12号
Word from a Parent:
“No. 55 presents some very unique teaching features and contributes to the success of young learners. Although my son has already transferred schools to continue his education in Guangzhou, he has benefited a lot from his previous years at No. 55. The knowledge and skills that he gained were crucial to his personal development.”
– Ring Denzelbane, parent of a Grade 9 student
Photo: Courtesy Beijing No.55
