Taipei - Post Report Question and Answers
What is the availability of international schools? What has been your general experience with them, if any?
Most people send their kids to Taipei American School (TAS) but some also send their kids to Taipei European School. TAS is fantastic. I can only speak for the lower school, but they push kids while making it fun. My kids have learned and grown so much, and the facilities are amazing. Families seem happy with TES but there is no school bus until Grade 3. - Apr 2023
The 2 most popular international schools are Taipei American School (TAS) and Taipei European School (TES). We also know expats who send their kids to the Taipei American Adventist School and Dominican International School. Our kids attend TAS. The last two years they have been in grades 2-3 and grades 1-2. It was a big adjustment as they came from a much smaller school, but have come to really love TAS! Their teachers have all been excellent—caring and dedicated to their students. It is academically rigorous, but there is minimal homework for the lower school grades (mostly reading and Mandarin). When TAS closed for a few weeks in 2020 due to COVID-19, teachers went above and beyond to ensure all kids were on target. Extra curricular activities are handled by a separate organization called, Taipei Youth Program Association or TYPA (https://www.typa.org.tw/) TYPA activities are located at the TAS campus. - Jul 2020
There are quite a few international schools, most AIT people go to Taipei American School, though a good portion use Taipei European School and Taipei American Adventist School as well. We have used TES, and found it to be really a great environment for our child. They have a holistic approach to the child learner. Everyone I know at TAS loves it, says the teachers are amazing and the facility is new and amazing. There are also quite a few expats who utilize local schools, both private and public. Lih Jen is a private school near AIT Da’an and has a few AIT families, it's a bilingual curriculum but has a lot of homework compared to what most US schools demand so the families have to be really committed to Chinese language learning. There are also a number of expat families at Shidong elementary in Tianmu and at other local schools around the city. Taipei has a lot of ABC or mixed-nationality families whose kids are at local schools, so odds are any place you're looking at will have had an expat at some point. - Dec 2018
There are two big international schools: Taipei European School (TES), and Taipei American School (TAS). Academically, TES is a bit better, but they're both good schools with excellent results, with a steep tuition however. Both have plenty of after-school activities. For high school, TES has IB Diploma Program, while TAS has AP. Both schools will get your child into good US colleges, while IB is better for European universities. Most parents of course choose the school that is most in line with the school their kids attended before moving to Taipei, or will possibly attend after. TES has more international students, TAS has a nicer campus (TES is building a new one) and has a more convenient location. You can't go wrong with either school, if you can afford them. There are also some (very) Christian (more or less international) schools around the city, if you want religion to be a big part of the education. - Jul 2018
Taipei American School; Taipei European School; Morrison Academy. We have a child who is a Jr/Sr. at this post. TAS has been a very challenging academic and social environment. TAS is a local school with an American curriculum making it very difficult for expat students to integrate. - Nov 2016
Taipei American School, which is about 85% rich Taiwanese kids who have an American or Canadian or Japanese passport, and the Taipei European School. TAS is good, although not as good as they revel in telling you they are, every week. The gap between TAS and a good Fairfax county high school is not that high. The school manages to confuse frequency of communication with effectiveness, so despite a multitude of emails each week they mange to leave out useful, needed information. And if your child likes to play sports, know that the school does not care about athletics. Parents will have to provide all of the support for the team. The kids sometimes get disheartened because they see how little support they get from the school administration. We do have more kids now going to TES, for a variety of reasons. I am not at all sure that if we had the decision to make over again that we would not send our child to TES instead. - Sep 2015
there is the American school and the European school. Most families send their children to one of those. There are also some local or bilingual schools. - Aug 2015
The American School is amazing. The facilities are out of this world, better than some U.S. colleges. Still, the academics are intense and some parents are put off to find their previously "gifted" student isn't in the highest level math class, for instance. All the local parents are convinced their kid is going to a school in Boston, and have 2-3 after hour tutors lined up to help make that happen. I think TAS recognizes this and seems to have increased the number of "normal" classes, support staff, sports, activities etc, to support those 13 year olds who aren't in Calc II, for expample. Still, this intensity sees some families choose the European School, which also has a good reputation. - Apr 2015
Taipei American school and Taipei European School are the go-to places. I don't have kids yet, so no direct experience, but both schools are very well respected. - Sep 2013
No kids, but hear great things about the Taipei American School. - Jul 2013
Most State Department families send their kids to Taipei American School. It is a great school that is highly respected in the international school community. We have had a great experience there. However, it is a highly competative school with a lot of homework. We have had to hire tutors for our kids. If your kids are gifted, there is no better place for them. If they are normal, average students, they will struggle. Most of the students come from very wealthy local families who are trying to get their kids into US Ivy League universities. Tiger Moms abound! And the school caters to those families. But the school has lots of money and resources for helping kids catch up to their standards. Quite a few State Department families also send their kids to Taipei European School. Families seem happy with it. There are also a few religious schools. If TAS or TES won't accept your kids, the religious schools usually will. - May 2013
The three I know something about are Taipei American School, Taipei European School, and Taipei Adventist American School. It seems they all have their issues, but they are still good schools. - May 2012
No school-age children yet, but lots of families are starting to switch to the European School instead of the bigger American School. - Jun 2009
