Schools in Tokyo: international school fees, free local schools and kindy

The choice in Tokyo is stark: around ¥3 million a year for an international school, or a free local school where your kid learns in Japanese from day one.

The short version

• Big-name international schools charge roughly ¥3 million to ¥3.8 million a year in tuition in 2026, before entry fees [5][6].
• We couldn't find a school in Tokyo teaching the Australian Curriculum. Your realistic options are British, American, IB or Canadian programmes, or Japanese schools.
• Local public elementary and junior high schools are free for tuition and textbooks, and foreign children can enrol through the ward office [1][2].
• For under-sixes, hoikuen (daycare for working parents) and yochien (kindergarten) are different systems. Fees are now free for ages 3 to 5, and some Tokyo wards have made daycare free for a first child aged 0 to 2 from September 2025 [3][4].
• The Japanese school year starts in April, not late January, which matters for both arriving and going home.

International schools: what you get for the money

Tokyo has a deep bench of English-language schools. The Tokyo Metropolitan Government runs a Tokyo International Schools Portal listing 23 of them, from the American School in Japan to K. International School Tokyo, Aoba Japan International School, the Canadian International School Tokyo and the India International School in Japan [7].

What you won't find, as far as we could tell, is an Australian-curriculum school. Families usually pick by what's easiest to slot back into at home:

• IB schools are the smoothest bet for older kids. The IB Diploma is recognised by Australian universities.
• British schools run the English National Curriculum and IGCSE/A levels. Year groups line up with Australian ones reasonably well.
• American schools run grades K–12 with Advanced Placement courses.

What it costs in 2026

These are published figures from two of the best-known schools. Treat them as the top of the market; smaller schools can be cheaper.

The one-off costs add up fast. The British School in Tokyo charges a ¥40,000 application fee for 2026–27, a ¥500,000 enrolment fee and a ¥680,000 educational resources fee for new students [6]. The metropolitan portal warns that listed fees may not be the full cost of attending, and buses and lunches are usually extra [5].

Convert ¥3 million at today's rate and you're well into five figures in Australian dollars per child, every year, before uniforms and trips. If your employer is sending you, ask about an education allowance before you sign. It's the single biggest line in most expat packages.

Waitlists and timing

Popular schools fill early, especially in the lower years and for siblings. Apply as soon as you know you're moving, ideally before you've signed a lease. Many families choose a neighbourhood around the school bus route rather than the other way round. The American School in Japan's main campus, for example, is in Chofu, with an early learning centre in Roppongi [5].

Local Japanese schools: free and full immersion

Compulsory schooling in Japan covers six years of elementary school and three of junior high. Foreign children aren't obliged to attend, but they're welcome, and the ward will enrol them.

At Minato City schools, for example, enrolment, tuition and textbooks are free during compulsory education. Parents pay for school lunches, supplies, other teaching materials and school trips [2].

How enrolment works

1. Register your address at the ward office first. Schools are allocated by where you live.
2. Go to the ward's school affairs section with your child's residence card and your own. Minato's office is on the 7th floor of City Hall [1].
3. Bring an interpreter if you can. Wards ask for this [1].
4. Get your school allocation. Kids usually go to the school for their district. Some wards, including Minato, let you request a nearby school instead, with a lottery if too many apply [1].
5. Start. Mid-year entry is normal. You don't have to wait for April.

For April 2027 entry in Minato, elementary first-graders are children born between 2 April 2020 and 1 April 2021 [1]. Japan's school year runs on a 2 April to 1 April birthday cut-off, so check which grade your child falls into. It may not match their Australian year level.

Language support

This varies a lot by ward. Minato is unusually generous: two elementary schools run an English Support Course for foreign children expecting to stay about two years, and several schools run Japanese classes once or twice a week for kids who need extra help [1]. Other wards offer less. Ask the school affairs section what's available before you choose a district.

Expect your kids to walk or take the train on their own. Minato doesn't allow children to cycle or be driven to school [1]. It's one of the big lifestyle shocks for Australian parents, and most kids love it.

Under six: hoikuen vs yochien

Japan's preschool world has two tracks, and Australians often confuse them.

There's also the hybrid kodomoen, which combines both [3].

Fees for under-threes

In Nerima, nursery fees for under-threes are set by your household's resident tax, with second and later children free [3]. Since September 2025, Tokyo has gone further: in Minato, for example, the first child in the 0 to 2 class at certified nurseries is now free too [4]. Check your ward's current rules, because subsidies for unlicensed and Tokyo-certified (ninsho) nurseries have their own caps [4].

The catch: getting a place

Hoikuen places go to families who need care most, which in practice favours households where both parents work full time. A trailing spouse who's still job hunting can find it hard to get a place. Many Australian families use an English-language preschool or international school nursery for the first year, then apply for a ward place.

Keeping the move home on track

Most Australian families in Tokyo are here for two to five years. Plan the return from day one.

• Keep records. Report cards, curriculum outlines and any test results. Australian schools will want them, translated if they're in Japanese.
• Mind the calendar. Japan's year starts in April; Australia's starts in late January or early February. Moving in December can mean finishing one year early or repeating a term.
• Keep their English literacy strong if they're in a Japanese school. Reading and writing in English at home is a must.
• Think about Year 11 and 12. Arriving home mid-senior school is hard in any system. The IB Diploma or A levels can be finished in Tokyo and still count for Australian university entry.

Our guide to schooling Australian kids abroad and coming home covers re-enrolling, the senior years and university entry.

If you're comparing schools, other parents are your best source. Join Cooee Japan, our Facebook group for Australians in Japan, and ask who's on which waitlist, which ward school has the best support and how kids found the switch.

Sources

1. For foreign national children entering school in April 2027 – Minato City
2. Education costs – Minato City
3. Child-raising handbook: nursery schools and kindergartens – Nerima City
4. No childcare fees for the first child from September 2025 – Minato City
5. The American School in Japan – Tokyo International Schools Portal, Tokyo Metropolitan Government
6. Fees – The British School in Tokyo
7. School list – Tokyo International Schools Portal, Tokyo Metropolitan Government

Keep reading

• Learning Japanese in Tokyo: ward classes, language schools and the JLPT
• Renting in Tokyo as an Australian
• Moving to Tokyo from Australia: the complete guide
• Schooling Australian kids abroad and coming home