A well-establed, high-achieving, multicultural school that successfully provides a balanced curriculum using a blend of British and IB curricula. With a brand-new campus and exceptional new leadership team, pupils have the opportunity to be continuously exposed to the French language while following a British-based curriculum.
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Overview
- Student numbers
- 2,800
- Curricula
- French
- British
- International
- SEN provision
- SEN considered case by case
- Pre school provision (up to 4)
- Yes
- Religion
- Non-denominational
- Fees
- HK$ 135,906 - HK$ 207,158
Head of school
Interim head of school
Bertrand Ferret
Since August 2025, Bertrand Ferret. Brings over 15 years leadership experience in multi-stream French international schools having previously been head of school at Lycée Français International Théodore Monod in Abu Dhabi, and before that Dallas
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Learn what pupils and parents really think of this school, along with our expert opinion on the headteacher’s leadership style, the school’s academic results and facilities, the focus on pastoral care, and the range of extra-curricular activities.
Entrance
Selective - all children undergo an assessment. For younger children, this focuses on skills such as pencil grip, eye contact and peer interaction; older children sit a formal admissions test.
As with all Hong Kong international schools, we
Exit
Generally, ‘two to three per class leave each year’ in the primary, but these spaces are filled ‘quickly and with the same cultural mix’. As a through-school, gaining places to senior schools is not it’s raison d’etre, but parents say the school is
Latest results
In 2024, IB average of 34 (against a world average of 30) with a fifth of all students achieving 40 points or more. 25 per cent of students achieved bilingual diplomas.
In the same year at IGCSE: 50 per cent A*/A, 25 per cent A*. 71 per cent of
Teaching & learning
FIS has two distinct streams: international and French. Students in the French section follow the national curriculum set by the French Ministry of Education. Previously, it was led by the Agency for French Education Abroad (AFED), but the school
- Curricula & qualifications
- French - Le Diplôme National du Brevet des Collèges (DNB)
- French - French National Curriculum
- British - International General Certificate of Secondary Education (IGCSE)
- International - International Baccalaureate (Diploma)
- International - International Primary Curriculum (IPC)
- French - French Baccalaureate
- Bilingual programmes
- French/English
Learning support & SEN
Entrance is competitive and selective (particularly higher up the school) but there are a limited number of places available for children with special needs that ‘can be met within a mainstream setting’.
Children with a SEN will have an
Language support
Children must have a good grasp of spoken English to enter the international stream.; French is not a requirement. French and Mandarin are compulsory subjects, and programmes are in place to maintain a consistent level for all students. Those wanting
Arts & extracurricular
Drama and arts are ‘a bit of a weakness’ and music lessons are quite theoretical and ‘could be more fun’. The performances and plays are perhaps not as polished as at other international schools. This is possibly a cultural difference as French
Sport
There is no swim team in the primary school, which is surprising as the primary campus at Jardines Lookout has a pretty good pool - unusual for a primary school.
In the senior school, students take part in inter-school competitions arranged by
Ethos & heritage
FIS started with 30 students in 1963 to educate the children of French engineers and technicians who came to build the Shek Pik dam. The International Stream was opened in 1984 in Jardine’s Lookout.
In 1988, FIS was the first international school
Pastoral care, inclusivity & discipline
Discipline has been totally transformed over the last few years, thanks to the current management team. Parents being ‘knocked sideways’ by children running through corridors is a thing of the past. ‘Everything and everyone is smarter’.
Parents
Classroom & community
While the teachers and teaching are pretty consistent from one campus to the next, the demographic of the students is quite different. Jardine's Lookout and Blue Pool Road are surrounded by the expat meccas of The Peak, Southside, Happy Valley and
- School year
- September – June
- School hours
- 8:30am – 3:30pm depending on days of the week and year group
- Student nationalities - total
- 45
- Uniform requirements
- No
Money matters
Whilst the French Section fees are subsidised by the French government (and hence slightly lower), International Section fees sit somewhere in the middle of the Hong Kong international school fee range.
In addition to tuition fees, there are the
- Annual fee range
- HK$ 135,906 - HK$ 207,158
- Fee information
- Application fee: HK$ 2,200
For pupils applying to French stream bilingual classes: HK$ 500 per student, non-refundable and non-transferable.
For pupils applying to International stream classes: HK$ 1,000 per student, non-refundable and non-transferable.
Canteen, bus, uniform, stationary, extra-curricular and outings are all extra.
The last word
A well-establed, high-achieving, multicultural school that successfully provides a balanced curriculum using a blend of British and IB curricula. With a brand-new campus and exceptional new leadership team, pupils have the opportunity to be
Accreditations, inspections & memberships
- Accreditations/Inspections
- Authorised by International Baccalaureate Organization (not to be confused as an inspection or accreditation agency)
None (school may be licensed, or may be "inspected" by its own owner, but it is not independently accredited or inspected by recognised agency or organisation)
French Ministry of Education- Memberships
- AEFE