International School of Beijing


The International School of Beijing is an independent, co-ed, non-profit day school in Beijing, offering an English language program for students in PreK3 – Grade 12. ISB is recognised by the Beijing Education Commission as an independent school for expatriate children.
In 2010 Sarah Leung of the South China Morning Post wrote that ISB was "Recognised as one of the most academically rigorous international schools in Beijing". In 2013 Mike Embley, the headmaster of the British School of Beijing, stated that ISB was, along with BSB and Western Academy of Beijing, one of the top three English-language international schools in Beijing, all having long waiting lists. Citing Embley's definition of two lower tiers of Beijing Anglophone international schools which have vacant student spaces, Tristan Bunnell, the author of The Changing Landscape of International Schooling: Implications for Theory and Practice, stated that this was an instance of the idea of "'superior' and 'inferior' schools" shared by teachers and parents.
ISB is situated on a 32-acre campus in Shunyi district, approximately 30 minutes from downtown Beijing and close to expatriate residential compounds. Two purpose-built sports domes sit side by side over 8,500 square meters. In addition, ISB has four fully equipped gymnasiums ; baseball and softball diamonds; two full-sized turf soccer fields; a rugby pitch, running track and 665 seat stadium and an aquatics center with a 25-meter pool and diving boards.
In the main school building are 12 science labs, a student cooking lab, a visual arts wing in the middle and high school, and art studios in elementary school. The performing arts wing consists of a 600-seat theater, Black Box theater, rehearsal space, and studio stage. The main school building also has two library-media centers with more than 82,000 volumes and over 160 magazine subscriptions. ISB supports a one-to-one MacBook laptop program for each student in grades 2 through 12.

Organization

ISB is a non-profit school governed by a 12-member Board of Trustees. These 12 volunteers are responsible for setting and approving school policy, overseeing ISB's financial status, recruiting, supporting and evaluating the Head of School and guiding strategic direction of the school.

Finances

The majority of ISB's income comes from tuition and capital fees, with bus fees, interest income and grants making up the remainder.

Student body

As of the 2018–19 school year, ISB had 1,750 students originating from more than 50 countries. 56% of ISB's students originate from the US and Canada, while 9% originate from Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan. ISB is not permitted to take Mainland Chinese students without foreign passports because it is a "school for foreign personnel".
There is high turnover in the study body since many students have parents reassigned by their employers from Beijing to other cities in their jobs and vice versa. Each year the school has roughly 350 new students and 160 students graduate, although there is a 20% rate of application success.

Timeline

Among the activities offered at ISB are band, orchestra, jazz band, choir, dance, forensics and drama. The high school also has its own honour choir, named "Impromptune", theatre group "Thespians". There are two theatre productions per year and a One Act Festival. In terms of the Jazz Band, this little section of the performing arts department has grown over the years and has become quite strong at the school, with great talent in each of the different jazz-related instruments. The AMIS Honour Jazz Festival was held at ISB in October 2010 and 8 ISB students were successful enough to be a part of the festivities.
In elementary school, there are activities such as juggling and basketball. In these activities, students learn new skills and after a few months, put on a show. In 5th grade, students write a script and perform a chapter of the Chinese novel "Journey to the West.". A variety of new activities are offered in middle school, with elective coming in the 2019–2020 school year.
The International School of Beijing is also the headquarters of the Global Issues Group International Conglomeration, consisting of over 15 Chapter schools in international schools around the world. Further, the Model United Nations is another program that is widely participated in. Students can participate in one of three travelling trips, including BERMUN, THIMUN Qatar, and CISSMUN. The THIMUN organisation is the only Model United Nations program recognised by the United Nations, and the International School of Beijing has been a member of the organisation since its inception. In addition, MUN is a student run program assisted by a teacher advisor, and the ISB MUN Executive Council organises and runs the Beijing International Model United Nations, the third largest high school MUN conference in Asia, annually. 2017 marked the 25th Anniversary of the BEIMUN conference and it was hosted in the school campus.

Athletics

The School is located on a campus in Shunyi District, close to popular residential compounds. Highlights of the school facilities include:
The International School of Beijing is heavily involved with charity work as extra-curricular activities. Students, primarily beginning in high school, have a variety of philanthropic clubs that they can become members, and possibly officers, of.
Philanthropic clubs at ISB are coordinated and supported by both Student Council and the ISB Service Council, composed of the heads of each organisation with support from three faculty facilitators.

Accreditations

ISB is a member of the East Asia Regional Council of Overseas Schools and the National Association of College Admissions Counselors.

School governance

ISB is governed by a Board of Trustees which consists of a 12-member group of volunteer parents, 9 elected by the ISB Association of Parents and 3 appointed to 3 year terms by the current sitting board at time of appointee vacancies. The ISB board of trustees provides strategic oversight and governance. Although the board is strategic in nature, its operational responsibilities are in hiring and evaluating the Head of School. Additionally, the ISB board is also responsible for final budget approvals, and have ultimate fiduciary responsibility for the schools financial health.
The ISB Board of Trustees oversee the operation of ISB according to the Association's Bylaws.

ISB Association of Parents

All parents with children attending ISB automatically belong to the Association as long as they have children that are in attendance.

Notable alumni