Canadian International School of Beijing

CIS Beijing is on a single downtown campus at 38 Liangmaqiao Road in Chaoyang District (the Liangmaqiao/3rd Embassy area of central Beijing), within easy reach of the embassy and Sanlitun neighbourhoods. The school describes itself as a downtown campus and gives the full address and admissions contact on its website.

CISB covers Early Years through Grade 12: Early Years (from around 6 months to 5 years), Elementary (Grades 1–5), Middle School (Grades 6–8) and High School (Grades 9–12). The site also notes the school delivers the IB PYP, MYP and DP within a Canadian (New Brunswick) curriculum framework.

CISB is a co‑educational, private day school; the school's public materials describe a single downtown day campus. External summaries list it as a private day school; the official site does not describe on‑site boarding.

The school operates a Student Support/Student Support Services structure and states in its admissions information that it accepts students with mild learning disabilities and certain physical disabilities, with placements considered case‑by‑case. Elementary facilities listed on the site (for example a sensory room) indicate specific resources used in support and inclusion.

CISB follows a Canadian curriculum in partnership with the New Brunswick provincial system and presents itself as a Canadian international school on its website. The school combines that Canadian curriculum with the IB continuum (PYP/MYP/DP).

The school does not list any religious affiliation on its public materials and presents itself as a secular international school. No faith or religious denomination is indicated on the official site.

Division‑specific schedules are published for families (for example through the Parent Portal and the Student/Parent handbooks), and the school calendar shows regular school days plus occasional early dismissals. School transport timings on the site indicate buses arrive around 8:00–8:10 a.m. and regular dismissal is mid/late afternoon (see bus times below); for exact start/end times by division check the school's Student Handbook or contact Admissions.

CISB operates an on‑site school bus service; the school says its fleet typically arrives at campus each morning around 8:00–8:10 a.m. and departs after school at about 3:45 p.m. (Mon–Thurs) and 2:45 p.m. (Friday). A later bus for after‑school activities is available (about 4:45 p.m. Mon–Thurs and 3:45 p.m. Friday); most stops serve north‑east Beijing and the school will consider new stops when there is sufficient demand. The school lists a dedicated bus email and phone extension for enquiries and publishes a bus policy and stop/fee details.

Canadian International School of Beijing (CISB) delivers a New Brunswick (Canadian) curriculum taught within the International Baccalaureate framework and is authorized to offer the PYP, MYP and DP. Early Years (6 months–5 years) includes a Montessori nursery and early-years programming that prepares children for the Primary Years Programme. Elementary School (Grades 1–5) follows the IB Primary Years Programme. Middle School (Grades 6–8) comprises the first three years of the five-year MYP (MYP covers Grades 6–10) and teaches the eight MYP subject groups, including Language & Literature, Language Acquisition (Mandarin or French), Mathematics, Sciences, Individuals & Societies, Design, The Arts and Physical & Health Education. High School (Grades 9–12) provides senior secondary courses with the two-year IB Diploma Programme in Grades 11–12, and students who complete the IB Diploma at CISB also qualify for the New Brunswick High School Diploma.

CISB states that Social-Emotional Learning is integrated across its IB programmes and is supported through a daily Advisory programme with extended Advisory sessions on Wednesday afternoons for deeper SEL work. Elementary structures include daily morning meetings, classroom agreements and a response-to-intervention model for tiered support. Teachers receive training in responsive classroom approaches and work with the school counsellor when students need individual or small-group interventions. The school names specific leaders involved in SEL delivery, including the Middle/High vice-principal and school counsellors who contribute to programme design and delivery.

CISB's admissions information states the school accepts students with mild learning disabilities and certain physical disabilities but notes it cannot accept students whose needs it cannot effectively meet. The school has a Learning Support role on staff (for example, Paul Amos is listed as Learning Support) and an Inclusion Policy describing differentiated instruction and support. Where needs exceed school capacity the admissions process and support planning involve observations, external assessments and collaboration with parents and external professionals. CISB is not presented as a specialist SEN institution; support is provided within its mainstream programmes.

CISB is an English-medium school and explains that non-native speakers complete WIDA assessments during admission; the school runs an English as an Additional Language (EAL) programme for students who need extra support. The EAL department describes a co-teaching model in which EAL teachers co-teach content classes (especially Individuals & Societies and some Sciences, Maths and Design) and collaborate with content teachers on scaffolding and sheltered instruction. The website also lists EAL staff and sets WIDA-based proficiency requirements by grade for progression.

CISB publishes that it employs school counsellors and psychologists who provide one-to-one and group counselling, workshops and wellbeing programmes (for example, stress-management and meditation sessions) across Early Years through High School. The school's counselling team is named in staff pages and news items, with counsellors trained in approaches such as CBT and with external training like ASIST noted for some staff. Counsellors work with teachers, parents and external specialists (occupational therapists, speech and language therapists and clinical psychologists) when needed to create support plans. The school describes advisory and counselling as central elements of student wellbeing provision.

CISB publishes a detailed Safeguarding & Child Protection Policy (effective February 2025, revised May 2025) that sets out roles, reporting procedures, definitions of abuse, staff responsibilities and links to Chinese law and international best practice. The policy names the Designated Safeguarding Lead (David Bremner) and a Deputy DSL (Hisham Farghaly) and states that all staff must be trained and required to report concerns. The school's Policies page links explicitly to the full child protection policy and to related policies (Inclusion, Health & Safety, Complaints). The document therefore provides the formal procedures and contact points for safeguarding and child-protection matters.

1. Once you inquire, the school assigns a dedicated Admissions Officer who will guide you through paperwork, tours, and next steps; keep that officer's contact details for follow-up. Parents should be ready to explain the child's current school placement, intended start date, and any learning-support needs during this stage.

2. Visit — The Admissions Officer will offer an on-campus visit or a virtual meeting so your family can view facilities and meet staff. During the visit you can ask specifically about how CISB integrates the IB programmes with the New Brunswick (Canada) curriculum and how the school supports transitions from other curricula. If you cannot visit in person, request a virtual tour and ask for sample timetables, examples of student work, and a description of typical class sizes (average 18–20; maximum 25).

3. Application — Complete the OpenApply application and upload all required documents listed on CISB's Application Checklist (two full years of school reports notarized and translated into English, confidential school reference for Grade 1+, passport and visa copies for student and parents, birth certificate, medical insurance proof, completed Enrollment Agreement and Health Questionnaire). A non-refundable application fee of RMB 2,000 is required when you submit the application; keep receipts and record the OpenApply application ID. Parents should ensure transcripts are full (all terms/semesters), officially notarized and translated where necessary — incomplete or non-notarized records delay review.

4. Assessment & Interview — After documents are reviewed, CISB schedules the appropriate assessment(s), observation and an interview (often a Principal interview) for the student and family. English language ability is measured with the WIDA assessment across Listening, Speaking, Reading and Writing (levels 1–6); there are minimum English proficiency requirements from Grade 5 upward, so check FAQs for grade-specific thresholds. Be prepared to provide recent school reports and, where relevant, samples of work or teacher references; if your child needs additional language support, discuss available EAL/learning-support options during the interview.

5. Decision & Enrollment — CISB reviews each application holistically (academic records, assessments, interview and references) and aims to notify families within 1–3 working days after assessment completion (allow 5–7 working days in peak periods). The school operates rolling admissions and class placement depends on seat availability; note that applications received in March or later for Pre‑School and Elementary may require Principal approval and could be deferred to the next academic year. Once accepted you will be asked to return the signed Enrollment Agreement and follow the school's payment and registration instructions — confirm deadlines and refund/withdrawal dates with Admissions to avoid losing a place.

Note on tuition/fees: CISB's full tuition schedule is published on the School Fees / Tuition page; the application fee of RMB 2,000 is specifically listed in the application checklist. Independent fee aggregators (which mirror published school figures) list per-grade annual tuition ranges for 2025–26 (for example, total first‑year costs and annual tuition by grade). Tuition amounts can change year to year — contact admissions to request the official current fee schedule, payment options, and details about extras (bus, meals, ASA, uniform).

CISB runs an internal Scholarship and Bobcat Grants programme that is intended primarily for current CISB students (awards are credited to tuition for the stated academic year). For 2025–2026 the school has allocated up to RMB 3,000,000 across Scholarships and Bobcat Grants; Scholarship categories include Academic Scholarships (examples published include up to RMB 200,000 for IB/NB Diploma students and RMB 100,000 for Grades 9–12), CISB Excellence Scholarships (for Leadership, STEM and the Arts) and Bobcat Grants (up to RMB 5,000 per student per trip for extracurricular team support). All awards require a formal application to the CISB Scholarship Committee with the documentation specified for each award; decisions are internal, final and applied as tuition credit for the stated year, so families should check deadlines, eligibility criteria, and whether new applicants (incoming students) may apply for particular scholarships.

CISB does operate a waiting‑list system when a grade level is full. Accepted students for whom no place is immediately available are placed on the waiting list in strict chronological order based on the date their application was completed. The school applies priority criteria when offering places from the waiting list; priority groups explicitly include Canadian Embassy staff, CISB alumni/returning students and siblings of current students — if you think you may fit a priority category, notify Admissions and supply supporting documentation. When a space becomes available CISB will offer it according to that order; parents should confirm with Admissions how long waitlist offers remain open and whether any deposit or re-confirmation is required.