Admissions Policy and Process

The International School of the Sacred Heart educates children and young women of the international community in Tokyo to believe, learn, serve, connect, and grow. Families who choose our internationally-minded education believe that the Sacred Heart Goals and Criteria provide an ideal environment for their children to develop courage and confidence. Applicants and their parents/guardians are expected to support the Goals and Criteria of the International School of the Sacred Heart.

The school serves girls and boys in Pre-K and Kindergarten (ages 3-5) and girls in Grades 1 to 12. The educational program is provided through English and our common social and communication language is English, while recognizing the value of a student’s heritage language(s). One of the parents must be able to speak and read English.

Our community is made up of families for whom the Japanese education system is not a viable option. From Grade 1 to Grade 9 an applicant or one of her parent’s must hold a non-Japanese passport. Our school community welcomes and respects persons of diverse beliefs and educates toward an understanding of the religions and spiritual traditions of the world.

Siblings of currently enrolled students and children of alumni are given priority, however, acceptance is not automatic. The school accepts students transferring from accredited international schools in Tokyo on a case by case basis. An applicant may apply up to a maximum of three times.

The admissions committee considers factors such as language, educational background/ability, and alignment of family values with the Sacred Heart Goals and Criteria. The school seeks diversity of culture/ethnicity at each grade, and also a healthy balance of language proficiency and learning styles. For information regarding age guidelines, English Language Acquisition (ELA) and learning support, please refer to the Admissions Guidelines.

Applications are submitted online. No third party school placement agency or consultant directly represents ISSH; such services are not necessary for our personal admissions experience. ISSH admits girls and boys in kindergarten, and girls in grades 1-12, and follows demographic information on the passport. The school does not discriminate on the basis of religion, creed, socioeconomic status, culture, language, accent, national origin or ancestry, race, color, ethnicity, gender identity, sexual orientation, or physical appearance. ISSH cannot accommodate every need and accepts students who will be able to thrive within our programs.

Child Protection Policy

High School Profile

Guidelines

A STUDENT'S AGE

Kindergarten 3: 3 years old by September 1
Kindergarten 4 : 4 years old by September 1
Kindergarten 5: 5 years old by September 1
Grade 1: 6 years old by September 1
Grade 2: 7 years old by September 1
Grade 3: 8 years old by September 1
Grade 4: 9 years old by September 1
Grade 5: 10 years old by September 1
Grade 6: 11 years old by September 1
Grade 7: 12 years old by September 1
Grade 8: 13 years old by September 1
Grade 9: 14 years old by September 1
Grade 10 to 12: Depend on the credits earned

STUDENTS REQUIRING SUPPORT IN ENGLISH LANGUAGE ACQUISITION (ELA)

The ELA program supports students who are in the process of acquiring academic English language skills. The program is a combination of in-class support and small group lessons.
Applicants from schools where English is not the language of instruction upon application take an English language assessment test (WIDA).
Applicants will be accepted on a case-by-case basis depending on their level of English (beginner/intermediate), space-availability and academic background. After Grade 10, an intermediate level of English is required.

STUDENTS NEEDING SUPPORT BEYOND THE SCHOOL’S RESOURCES

Applicants accepted to the school are expected to function at grade level in the regular classroom.
The school has a Learning Support Office to serve students through the Middle School years. The scope of the support offered is not unlimited. Services at school may be a combination of in-class support and pull out lessons; outside tutoring or educational therapy may be needed at the family’s expense.
Applicants are required to submit a copy of documentation for exceptional circumstances such as:
- an assessment by an educational psychologist for those unable to work at grade level and those who are able to work well beyond grade level
- a current Individualized Educational Plan (IEP)
- emotional or learning therapy services
- a diagnosis for a mental health or medical condition.
If documentation is not provided during the application process, or if discovered after enrollment, then the student may be required to withdraw from the School and fees paid will not be refunded.
Applicants with physical mobility concerns may not be able to navigate all areas of the campus.
Applicants to Grades 9-12 are expected to meet grade level expectations without the services of a Learning Support Office.
If a student, following enrollment, is referred for specific assessment or specialized services (speech therapy, occupational therapy, educational testing, etc.), these services are at the family’s expense.
Should exceptional circumstances arise, the School has the right and responsibility to review the student’s needs and the school’s resources to determine the appropriateness of the student continuing at the School.

SCREENING AND ASSESSMENT

Process

1. Apply Online (below) and submit the Application Fee
2. Admissions Assessment/Screening (K5 to G12)
3. Interview, scheduled by the Admissions Office
4. Admissions Decision Communicated
5. Signed Enrollment Contract due to ISSH one week after an offer
6. Registration fee due one week from signing the Enrollment Contract

Please contact the Admissions Office if you have any questions.

Apply

APPLICATION TIMELINE

Applicants interested in August enrollment transferring from schools with an academic year that starts in August or September should not submit reports and recommendation forms earlier than November, after the first progress report is received. Applicants for Grades 1–12 should aim to finalize their applications by early December to ensure they are considered for available seats. Please see below for the specific timelines for K3–K5:

K3/K4

Application cutoff date for first round interviews	December 13, 2024
First round of interviews for selected candidates	February 2024
Second round of interviews for selected candidates	March 2024 onwards

Priority Application Period	September 1, 2024 to November 15, 2024
Group Screening	January 11, 2025
Interviews for selected candidates	January and February 2025
Admissions Decisions	February 2025

Application Fee

The 30,000 yen application fee is a non-refundable fee required for ISSH to process your child’s application. We are able to accept this fee by bank transfer only. Please note that the payer is responsible for any bank processing charges incurred. Please include the applicant’s name in your bank transfer information (e.g. in the “notes” field.) If you are not able to or forget to do this, please contact the Admissions Office and share a photo or scan of your receipt so that we may attribute the fee to your child’s application in a timely manner.

Please note that even in the event that there are no places available in your child’s grade, payment of the application fee is required to proceed to the application review and, if the review is successful, secure your child’s place in the waiting pool.

Bank information:
Account Name: International School of the Sacred Heart
Bank/Branch: Mizuho Bank, Ltd. Roppongi Branch
Account Type: Ordinary Account
Account No.: 2236320
Swift Code: MHCBJPJT

Application Documents

Please read the Admissions Policy and Guidelines and these steps carefully before submitting an application.

The documents below are required to complete the application:

School Records - All records from applicant's previous school(s), including report cards, progress reports. For Middle and High School, please submit school records or transcripts from the previous full two years and the most recent record from the current grade.
Any standardized test results
Recommendation Form from current school teachers. For Middle and High School, recommendation forms from English and Math teachers.
Copies of the applicant's and parents' passports
For Junior School, if your daughter is currently at a school where the language of instruction is not English or in a bilingual school, you are required to submit a score from one of the TOEFL series of Tests. If English support (ESL) is required, the applicant will also be asked to take our English assessment.

School Name