Admissions Guidelines

We begin to receive applications in mid-November for August of the next school year. Local and overseas applicants to all grade levels may apply at this time.

For local applicants to the ELC, screening sessions are usually held in December, January and February.  

We request the mid-year report cards for most applicants, often available in January.

Admission decisions usually begin in late February/early March and continue through the summer.

There is no general entrance examination. We review school reports, test scores and recommendations. Applicants may be requested to participate in academic, English or other screening prior to an admissions decision.

One or both parents need to be fluent in English to connect linguistically and support their child’s education. English is the medium for all communication at ASIJ.

New to Japan and have school aged children?
Please inquire about seat availability before starting an application.

Families currently living in Tokyo
We do not allow mid-year transfers for families currently living in Tokyo.
Our school year starts in August and ends in June. Applications open in November for the following year.

Kindergarten is offered on both ASIJ campuses: at the Early Learning Center in Roppongi and at our K–12 campus in Chofu. Parents of kindergarten applicants are asked to indicate the campus of their preference when applying.

For ELC, All nursery applicants must be three years old before September 1 of the year of enrollment.

All Kindergarten applicants must be five years old before September 1 of the year of enrollment.

Students applying from schools with calendar year school years (from January or February until November or December, as in Australia and New Zealand) will be considered for admission to the grade that extends their current school year. In other words, students applying for August enrollment should apply to begin the grade they are currently attending, and students applying for January enrollment should apply to join the grade they have just completed.

High School (Gr.9 – Gr.12)**

- 2 full year report cards including the most recent report card*
- 3 teacher recommendations*
- Student Essay
- Standardized test result
- Contact information

Middle School (Gr.6 – Gr.8)**

- 2 full year report cards including the most recent report card*
- 3 teacher recommendations* (Only 2 required for Gr.6)
- Student Essay
- Standardized test result
- Contact information

Elementary School (Gr.1 – Gr.5)**

- 2 full year report cards including the most recent report card*
- 2 teacher recommendations*
- Standardized test result (if available)
- Contact information

Kindergarten
(Early Learning Center at Roppongi & Kindergarten at Chofu)**

- 1 full year report card including the most recent report card*
- 1 teacher recommendation*
- Contact information

*In some cases, further information will be requested
**An application fee of ¥50,000 is required for all applications

‍Names of tests that your child may have taken include Iowa Test of Basic Skills, ISA Test, CogAt Test, MAP Test, Terra Nova, U.S. state tests such as the New York State Mathematics Test, U.K. National Curriculum Key Stage Tests, the Secondary School Admissions Test (SSAT), IGCSEs, Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT), etc. Please contact us if you have questions about standardized testing. If your child has not taken any standardized tests, ASIJ may require that testing be completed and results submitted prior to making an admissions decision. For those students taking the SSAT test, scores should be reported directly to ASIJ using our SSAT school code: 1253

Our recommendation forms include a statement giving your permission for the teacher to provide confidential information about your child. Confidential recommendations are required for all applicants applying to the American School In Japan.

On your application portal, you will be able to enter the teacher/counselor email address and our system will send a digital recommendation form directly to the teacher before starting an application.

Recommendations best practices
Recommendations should be written by teachers who know your child well and can provide an assessment of your child’s academic performance and behavior.
For elementary school students, the best recommenders are your child’s two most recent teachers.
For middle and high school students, one recommender should be a math teacher, the second should be an English teacher and the third should be a counselor/principal.
For students in grade 5 applying to grade 6, you may ask the current teacher, the previous teacher and a counselor/principal.

Recommendations in languages other than English
While recommendations in English are highly preferable, they can be submitted in languages other than English. In most cases, translation by a faculty member is possible. In some cases, you may be asked to have the recommendation translated and certified at your own expense.

* Please note that personal recommendation letters/emails cannot be considered in our admissions process, which is based solely on the official application materials.

‍In most cases, copies of the report cards you received as parents are preferred.

‍Applicants to Nursery, Pre Kindergarten and Kindergarten:
‍Report cards or teacher narrative comments from any prior school years and the current year should be submitted if available. Children at ages 3, 4, and 5 may not have any reports to submit but can still proceed with the application.

‍Applicants to grade 1:
Report cards or teacher narrative comments from any prior school years and the current Kindergarten year should be submitted if available.

‍Applicants to grade 2-12:
Report cards and progress reports for each term should be submitted for the previous two school years, along with any similar reports for the current school year.

If your child has been homeschooled, please contact us for information about how to report your child’s academic program, progress, and results.

‍The application asks you to indicate any supplementary school services your child has received or is currently receiving. These include, but are not limited to, speech and language therapy, occupational therapy, learning support or resource room attendance, gifted and talented education, English as an Additional Language (EAL), English Language Learners(ELL), counseling, and behavior modification. All reports and assessments must be submitted before ASIJ can provide an admissions decision.

These reports include, but are not limited to, educational-psychological study and testing; speech and language assessment, diagnosis, and progress; Individual Educational Plans (IEPs), etc. In particular, reports or recommendations describing any accommodations (changes in curriculum or instruction that do not substantially change the requirements of the class or course) required by your child must be submitted.

Please note that reports for services your child has received at any grade level should be submitted. An exit report and follow up recommendations should be submitted if it has been determined that your child no longer needs therapy or support. ASIJ may require that assessments or evaluations be completed and the results submitted prior to making an admissions decision, and ASIJ reserves the right to revoke an offer of admission if it is found that any relevant reports have been withheld. Please contact us to discuss the learning environment and services that would best meet your child’s needs.