Ages 
People choose this school for its strong Christian ethos, the warm, family atmosphere and for its central location on an attractive campus. It has a very mixed ability range and aims to help every girl find what she is good at and to excel. Everyone we spoke to was very enthusiastic about the spiritual warmth and sense of community here. A good school for girls who 'like to be big fish in a small pond', as one parent put it. Its traditional atmosphere makes it feel very safe and nurturing.
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Overview
- Student numbers
- 585
- Curricula
- American
- International
- SEN provision
- SEN considered case by case
- Pre school provision (up to 4)
- Yes
- Religion
- Catholic
- Fees
- JPY¥ 2,420,000 - JPY¥ 2,720,000
Head of school
Head of school
Anne Wachter
Since 2023, Anne Wachter. Educated in the USA - a bachelor of business administration and secondary education from St Mary's College Notre Dame, IN, and later an MA in educational administration from University of San Francisco. After nearly 40 years
Entrance
The school’s admissions policy states that it enrols students who will benefit from the education offered here; those whose parents (and older students) believe in the philosophy of the school. In the kindergarten and junior school, at least one of
Exit
Graduates are accepted into colleges and universities worldwide but the majority heads to a wide range of US colleges, including (in 2025) Harvard, Yale, Cornell, Dartmouth, University of Pennsylvania, UCLA, UC Berkley and University of Michigan. In
Latest results
School is a College Board AP school and does not publish its exam results. However, 100 per cent of students proceed to university/tertiary education.
Teaching & learning
The co-educational kindergarten is based in the new building with bright classrooms and an Open Area and its own library. Classes are for pupils from three to five, following the International Primary Curriculum. The emphasis is on individual
- Curricula & qualifications
- American - Advanced Placement (AP)
- American - American high school diploma (College Preparatory)
- International - International Primary Curriculum (IPC)
Learning support & SEN
The admissions policy addresses special learning needs and can accept children with mild learning problems.
Language support
Students knowing no English will be accepted on a case-by-case decision, depending on the space-availability. ESL students can be accepted with no knowledge of English up to grade 10, provided they have a strong academic background and EAL is
Arts & extracurricular
The performing and creative arts are very strong – striking art and ceramics displays on display everywhere. Music features prominently with instrumental groups and the school’s own band. Choral singing is another strength.
The usual range of
Sport
Sport is important in both middle and high school, particularly tennis and basketball, cross country and swimming. There are teams for these sports and games are played against other Tokyo and sometimes Yokohama schools. In middle school there is a
Ethos & heritage
The Society of the Sacred Heart was founded in Amiens, France on November 21st, 1800 by Saint Madeleine Sophie Barat to educate girls to assume a more important role in a changing world.
The success of this initiative is shown by the existence of
Pastoral care, inclusivity & discipline
The Catholic foundation of the school and the core values which are instilled in the parents as well as the students, emphasise a sense of responsibility towards the community as a whole. ISSH does have a disciplinary code for infringement of the
Classroom & community
The majority of families come from the USA, then Australia, Canada, India, Korea and the UK. Most of the parents are corporate executives or embassy employees but there are also owners of small businesses. The school has a strong network of
- School year
- August – June, with two semesters
- School hours
- 8:20am – 3:30pm depending on year group
- Student nationalities - total
- 52
- Uniform requirements
- Yes
Money matters
The school is dependent on the school fees and the fundraising by the parents for bigger projects.
- Annual fee range
- JPY¥ 2,420,000 - JPY¥ 2,720,000
- Fee information
- Application fee: JPY¥ 30,000
Registration fee (once): JPY¥ 300,000
Educational & building fee (once): JPY¥ 600,000
Annual Building/Maintenance Fee: JPY¥ 220,000
The last word
People choose this school for its strong Christian ethos, the warm, family atmosphere and for its central location on an attractive campus. It has a very mixed ability range and aims to help every girl find what she is good at and to excel. Everyone
Accreditations, inspections & memberships
- Accreditations/Inspections
- Council of International Schools (CIS)
Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC)- Memberships
- AGSA, EARCOS, JCIS, WIDA.
