Admissions

InfoSessions / Events
Admission Process
Fees
FAQ

InfoSessions / Events

Infosession

16January

Thursday 13:30~14:30
School Tour

29January

Wednesday 14:00~14:30
School Tour

31January

Friday 14:00~14:30

Admission Process

We always encourage returnees to apply for admission anytime during the year.
While in Japan, school year starts from April, at MIST the school year starts from September.

Apply Now

<Apply>
Applicants need to submit all required documents online and make payment for the Application Fee.

<School informs applicant about the interview schedule>
The date and time of the interview will be announced after the applicant has completed the application process.

<Interview>
Interviews are usually held between 13:30 and 16:00 on school days and depending upon the Year level selected, may take anywhere from 1-3 hours.

<Result notification>
The applicant usually receives the result in about a week's time.

* Scheduled dates are for reference only and may be changed, if deemed necessary.

Please refer to Admissions Policy for the requirement and expectation for students who hope to join MIST.

Fees

Below is the general fee schedule of MIST for School Year 2024-2025. Fees may vary based on timing of entry, installment method and number of consecutive years the student has attended. For detailed information, please contact the school office.

(Currency: Yen. All tax included.)

		Kindergarten*1	Elementary School	Middle School	High School (Upper Secondary)	High School (Advanced)
Initial Fees	Application Fee	-	34,500	39,500	82,500	89,500
	Registration Fee	-	200,000	200,000	200,000	200,000
	Entrance Fee23	-	300,000	310,000	385,000	480,000
	Internal Student*4	-	-	248,000	-	384,000
	Campus Development Fee*3	-	210,000	210,000	210,000	210,000
	Initial Fees Total	-	744,500	759,500	877,500	979,500
Annual Fees	Tuition Fee*5	-	1,269,000	1,371,000	1,422,000	1,508,000
	Maintenance Fee	-	120,000	120,000	120,000	120,000
	Event Fee	-	100,000	150,000	150,000	150,000
	PTA Fee	-	5,000	5,000	5,000	5,000
	Annual Fee Total	-	1,494,000	1,646,000	1,697,000	1,783,000

*1 MIST Kindergarten was relocated and partly integrated to Aoba-Japan Bilingual Preschool Mitaka Campus as its Musashi International Course in September, 2023.
*2 Entrance Fee: Discount is applicable for applicants from Aoba-Japan group schools
*3 Entrance Fee and Campus Development Fee:
Required when progressing into Middle School and High School (Post Secondary and Senior High) respectively.
*4 From Elementary School onwards, internal students that have attended a given number of consecutive years in the last division of MIST (see below) enjoy a discount in Entrance Fee.
・Middle School: Attended at least 3 consecutive years in the Elementary School of MIST.
・High School (Upper Secondary): Attended at least 3 consecutive years in the Middle School of MIST.
・High School (Advanced): Attended at least 5 consecutive years in the Middle School and High School (Upper Secondary) of MIST.
*5 Single installment and three-time installment options are available for Tuition Fee payment. A 20,000 yen discount will be applied for single installment option, provided that the student is enrolling at the beginning of a school year. A second child gets a 10% discount on the tuition fee; the third child gets a 15% discount. For three-time installment payments, the process fee is added as follows: 3,300 yen to December's payment, 6,600 yen to March's payment.

FAQ

1. Tell me more about an "international school".: An "international school" generally offers a curriculum that is not tied to the national curriculum established by the educational ministries of each country, assuming the acceptance of foreign children and students. On the other hand, some schools offer a curriculum of specific countries, such as American School, British School, Indian School, etc.
MIST is an international school that belongs to the former. The Cambridge programmes are used as a Cambridge International accredited school. It is not the curriculum of a specific country, and therefore students are directed to becoming global citizens who are capable of living anywhere in the world with deep understanding about global perspectives, cross-culture, and diversity.

2. When is the best time of the year to enter?: Like other international schools, the school year at MIST starts in September. In general, it is best for your child to start attending school at MIST in September. Some students transfer from Japanese schools in April, but it may be necessary to do some catchup work since two thirds of the one year curriculum would be finished by the time of enrollment. However, you may choose any time that works best for you. We have returnees and foreign students of families who move to Japan joining us throughout the year. We recommend that students who are not proficient in English yet enroll as soon as they decide to join MIST so that they have more time to get used to the new environment.

3. My child currently attends a preschool and enjoys the English environment. We are wondering whether to send my child to an international school after graduating preschool.: There are many cases where the English level that rapidly increased by being in an English environment suddenly dropped after moving into a Japanese environment. It is easy to imagine the difficulty of making the decision since the child’s English level is most likely already above the level taught in programs such as summer schools meaning their English level cannot be supplemented or improved by joining those programs. Decisions should be made upon each family’s policy, however the below is some general information for your reference.
Several researches regarding the age of moving to a different country and their mother tongue (or the language that was spoken in the country) says that those moving to a different country before entering elementary school tend to forget their mother tongue and some even completely forget their mother tongue. On the other hand, those moving to a different country after the age 10-12 tend to be able to maintain or improve their mother tongue.
This research shows that any child is able to gain language skills despite their individuality or heredity during early childhood, however at the same time the language skills gained could also easily be forgotten during this stage. Some solutions are to send the child to after school classes or seasonal classes on a regular basis, create an English environment at home, or send the child to English camps outside Japan, but large costs would need to be considered here.
Thus, decisions should be made upon the family’s policy, however, if the child is enjoying the English environment in a preschool, and the parents believe that the improvement of English skills, which may result in the child becoming bilingual, would be something positive for their future, we suggest that entering MIST would be meaningful.

4. My child is still a little child and has almost no English skills at the moment. Is there anything to consider?: In kindergarten at MIST, the English level is checked as an entrance examination in order to determine whether additional support would be needed after enrollment, but the examination does not affect the result of admission. However, Year 1 which starts from age 5 is required to have a certain level of English at the time of enrollment. In kindergarten, the Foundation Stage program is adopted in order to smoothly transition to Year 1 in Cambridge Primary. We accept enrollment in the middle of the year as well. We suggest entering as soon as you have decided to use the best stage for the child to become bilingual, which is early childhood,or when there is a possibility of sending your child to an international school from Elementary.
If you decide to have your child be enrolled in kindergarten near the time of graduation to enter Year 1, the student may be asked to join the Intensive Growth Program, “IGP” (extra fee required). This program is held 2-3 times a week, but the program generally finishes quicker than those joining from Cambridge Primary.

5. My child is in Elementary school but does not have much English skills. Would my child still be able to get admitted to the school?: Generally, most students enroll from kindergarten at the age 2-5 or Year 1and Year 2 of Primary (which is nencho or Year 1 in the Japanese system). This is most likely due to the fact that it becomes more difficult to naturally acquire language skills as age rises and the critical stage of language acquisition ends. It is possible for students to enroll even if they lack in English skills, however more time would be needed for catchup as the age rises, so it would be better that the student themselves and not the parents have a strong desire to actively take part as a global-minded person in the future.
If there is a possibility of applying for entrance exams to get into universities around the world in the future or have the desire to nurture the child to become a globally active citizen, the earlier would be the better.

6. Does the school provide support to students who are not fluent in English at the time of enrollment?: Depending on the result of the entrance examination for MIST, it may be necessary for students to join the Intensive Growth Program, “IGP”, a program that is held after school 2-3 times a week. This program requires extra cost. This program will take more time to finish as the starting age rises, but if the student is still in kindergarten or early Primary, it usually only takes about one or two semesters. There is also a possibility of entering a level lower than their age and use after school programs to catch up to the original age group. In this case, there will also be additional support to gradually move back to their actual age group level.

7. What can we do at home despite the fact the parents are not good at English.: One important point for catching up as quickly as possible is showing English picture books, internet, programs at home to the level that does not stress out the child until their English mind is built to a certain level. If the contents are something that interests the child, they should be able to enjoy them without realizing that they are studying.
At MIST, we belong as members of various services such as an online picture book system where you can listen to the stories read out loud in English, and a service to view educational video clips. Families are welcome to enjoy using these systems at home.

8. Please tell us about the Japanese classes that are held in Primary.: Japanese classes followed by textbooks used in public Japanese schools are held four times a week from Year 2-7 (corresponds to 1st-6th grade in Japan). The classes move on at about the same pace as it would in public Japanese schools. Although more Japanese classes are provided when compared with other international schools, the number of classes is less than that of public Japanese schools, so it would be better if families could provide support at home.

9. We are stationed abroad at the moment, and my child attends an international school. Is there anything to consider?: If your child is attending an international school at the moment, the question would generally be how to maintain their English level after coming back as well as whether to have the child take regular Japanese entrance exams to get into schools. Since MIST offers education with a reasonable fee (fee of private schools in Japan +α), we receive many inquiries about the school. We also run online information sessions about the school, so please feel free to apply to these sessions. Since there are 10,000 Cambridge accredited schools around the world, education will be based on the same curriculum in each of the schools. Moreover, since Cambridge curriculum is built with the awareness of other curriculums in other countries, which is not frequently done in other international curriculums, even if the child is attending a non Cambridge school, it should be fairly easy for them to transfer to Cambridge curriculum.

10. There is a possibility of being transferred overseas in the future. Are there any advantages in having the child join MIST?: There are many parents who send their child to international schools while based overseas. Since there are about 10,000 Cambridge International Schools around the world located in most of the cities, it can be said that students will be able to smoothly transfer to the school with not much learning gaps by sending the children to a Cambridge International School. The same thing could be said for entering MIST after returning to Japan.

11. Please tell us about the entrance exams for MIST?: Depending on the age of the student, exams are conducted to determine their basic age level of understanding and proficiency in English (there is no requirement for children to know English before joining kindergarten). Please note that to enter High School, previous evidence of academic capability is essential as the course work is rigorous and intense.

12. Should the parents know/speak English to enroll the children at MIST?: It is not necessary. We have English and Japanese speaking staff who shall assist. Most information/communication from the school is made in both English and Japanese.

13. We want to know more about Cambridge International and the curriculum that is provided.: Since Cambridge International is the most well-known international curriculum, please check the official website for information in English and search keywords to find out what you are interested in knowing about. Our website also offers information provided by Cambridge International here.
On the other hand, there is not much information written in Japanese. Our website may be providing the most amount of information in Japanese at the moment.
By taking our school tour, you would be able to find out more information and also view the actual textbooks authorised by Cambridge International that our students are using. If you are interested, please make a reservation.

14. Could you tell us the details of the school info session ? Is it also held online?: By joining our school tour, you would be able to receive information about the school, take time to tour around the school, receive explanations about the Cambridge International curriculum (Early Years Foundation Stage for kinder), have an opportunity to view the textbooks and materials that are used, and join a Q&A session. It will be a 90 minute tour and children are also welcome to join with the parents. Please register here.
We also hold an online tour as well. Although you will not be able to tour around the school or view the textbooks, please feel free to register for it.
If you are interested in the Junior high and the Senior high, we will also be able to provide you with an individual guide, so please feel free to contact us.

15. How do parents get school information once the child is enrolled?: The Head of School conducts parents meetings on a regular basis, and school letters are sent out quite often. Since it is a small school and the Head of School has an open door policy, please feel free to make an appointment with the school at any time. We will arrange an interpreter if necessary as well.

16. If a serious matter like COVID19 occurs and schools in Tokyo are needed to be closed down, what actions would be taken?: With regard to school closure, we make decisions based on the guidelines announced by the government of Japan, Tokyo, ministry of Education, Municipal of Mitaka and so on. We believe that it is our responsibility as a school to take actions in order for students to not get behind or stop with their learning. Although the school was physically closed till the middle of the spring semester in 2020, online classes were held for all levels including morning classes for kindergarten and full day classes from 9:30-15:30 for Elementary and up. Although many people were surprised with our action since most schools were only able to provide a limited number of online classes, we only did the same thing as other schools around the world, and this was necessary in order to continue our education. Please check our news articles posted on the school website for more details about the online classes that were held.

17. What are the backgrounds of the teachers?: International schools value a multinational environment. Though MIST is a small school, there are teachers from more than 10 countries. The teachers hold bachelors/masters/PhD degrees from various universities of repute and also specialize in the subjects they teach. They are also trained further for a minimum of three months followed by another six months of assistance during teaching. Several of our Kindergarten teachers have been working for over 10 years. All teachers from Primary to Secondary are Cambridge certified for teaching and evaluation. Teachers of different nationalities bring their unique perspective to teaching.

18. What kind of physical education does the school provide?: Students are trained to perform various exercises using many apparatus. Students participate in sports at the Mitaka city’s sports center or the 5th floor rooftop at MIST to practice various sports/ athletics including swimming, badminton, basketball and track & field.
The school has hosted the annual Sports Day event (since inception) which is attended by the students’ families and friends of the students.

19. Do the students go on educational trips?: Yes. The students participate in two or three outdoor activities every year. They visit several places on field trips and also enjoy hands-on learning experiences. Camping, Ski-trips, visits to Museums, Aquariums, Zoos and other activities are scheduled throughout the year.

20. Do you have provisions to keep children till late hours or other after school classes?: We provide child care after class until 5:30 PM for students in Kindergarten and Primary. Additional fees are needed for the child care. There are classes such as robot programming for after school classes.

21. Would my Japanese children be able to enter a public Junior High school in Japan after studying in Elementary of an International school?: Yes, it is possible to move up to a public Junior high school in Japan. Although children would enter a Japanese public Junior high school on the assumption that they have graduated an Elementary school, schools do accept international school graduates since education is compulsory. There are students who move up to private schools that accept international school graduates. However, it may be a big burden for students to spend their elementary school years at an international school and move up to a Japanese school where the education method and culture is totally different. We recommend you to not presuppose of moving into a different school and instead continue the education at an international school to become a truly globally-minded person. As a fact, not many students move into a public Japanese school at the age of entering a Junior high school.

22. Are there any siblings discounts?: If more than two students are enrolled during the same period, the second student would get a 10% discount, the third or more students would get a 15% discount.

23. Are there school buses that operate? How do students go to school?: There are four school bus routes that operate.
From age 2 to around Year 2 students:
①Kokubunji, Koganei areas　②Suginami-ku area ③Fuda-Kichijoji areas
For any grade level:
④Mitaka station, Kichijoji station, Inokashira-dori Avenue, Eifukucho, Nishi-Shinjuku areas
Most students above Primary use public buses. Attending by bicycle is accepted for students above Junior High, and some students walk from the Mitaka station (about 20 minutes).