American School in Japan

Since 2025, Eric F Niles BSc. Brings over 25 years of experience in leadership roles in independent schools, including a 15-year tenure as head of The Athenian School in Danville, California. Prior to that he was assistant head at Emma Willard School

Admissions looks to see if there is a fit to the school’s curriculum, values, ethos and insist there is not a quota or priority on any nationality – ‘fit not passport’. That said, returnee Japanese families and alumni are considered highly.There are

The vast majority (68 per cent) go on to colleges in the US, with Canada, Japan and the UK the next most popular tertiary destinations. The long and established reputation of the school opens doors to wide range of universities - without fail, there

In 2022, 406 students completed 1003 AP exams, with 233 students receiving an AP Scholar Award. An impressive 146 AP Scholars with distinction, seven AP Capstone Diploma awards.

The class of 2023 have 45 per cent of all students enrolled for

With 24 AP courses on offer, 117 high school course options, access to electives offered by the Global Online Academy (GOA) and the Syracuse University Project Advance programme, there is no shortage of options and no complaints about the range at

A broad range of SEN is well supported under a director of student support, who is said to have improved an already a comprehensive offering - an ‘A-star service,' according to one parent. Teaching staff are alert to students who need additional

English assessed on admission. High school EAL services involves complementing the mainstream grade level academic classes with explicit academic language instruction through an English for Academic Purposes course with an EAL specialist.

On any given Saturday, the school is abuzz with activity – games in the gyms, competitions in the pool and tournaments on the field. There is often a musical rehearsal happening in the theatre too.

The theatre and music facilities are top class –

Sport is dominant. Teams do well in competitions against other international schools in the Tokyo area (the Kanto Plain Association of Secondary Schools). The school counts junior Olympic swim or ski team members among its ranks. Much attention is

Advisory groups meet daily (middle school) or every other day (high school) and students have access to counsellors. Students are comfortable with LGBTQ+ and parents are pleasantly surprised that their children can confidently discuss issues of race,

As befits the name of the school, students are predominantly Japanese, American or both. Other nationalities are represented too, usually because the families have college ambitions in the US. So expect Koreans, Taiwanese and other East Asians but

Tuition fees cover 94 per cent of their annual operational costs. Parents, faculty and alumni give generously to the annual fund; there is also a relatively recent, but impressive, endowment programme. Tuition increases are modest but steady.

A solid, established school delivering the American curriculum more than credibly, but also conscious of the need to leverage its unique position in Tokyo and long heritage to constantly evolve and provide a better education experience for its