An expat asks us:
How many international schools are there in Shanghai? And which district hosts the most?
A: There are more than 20 international schools that provide education for expatriate children in Shanghai. Most of them require students to have a foreign passport for enrollment.
International schools are mainly centered in three districts — Changning, Minhang and the Pudong New Area, each of which has about seven international schools or their branch campuses. The others can be found in Xuhui and Qingpu districts.
Nearly 90 percent of international schools were established between 1995 and 2004, a period during which Shanghai's finance and trade sectors were opened wider to the world, attracting a large amount of foreign investment.
As a result, an increasing number of foreigners came to Shanghai to work, bringing along their families, which in turn spurred the need and demand for international schools.
Some international schools have expanded rapidly in the past few years. For example, Yew Chung International School and Shanghai Community International School has several campuses in both Changning District and Pudong New Area.
