Guangzhou - Post Report Question and Answers
What is the availability of international schools? What has been your general experience with them, if any?
Many good schools here. Most US consulate families send kids to AISG, which is about 10-15 mins drive away for the elementary school. The middle and high school is about a 40 minute drive away. Good experience so far and very high quality. Some parents complain that it's becoming a US prep school for local Chinese and doesn't cater to expats like it did previously. There are concerns that expat kids are left behind because local Chinese students learn the curriculum from their tutors and speed through the classroom discussions. - Apr 2023
Good schools. - May 2019
Our daughter is at the American school (AISG). Our experience has been generally positive but it's important to note that the school is at least 75% Chinese kids with foreign passports. I think the administration is starting to skew towards the interests of the Chinese parents. - Nov 2015
I have no personal experience with the international schools, but the people I knew who had kids seemed pretty pleased with them. I heard some rumblings that the academic environment at the American school was very high-pressure and intense, which didn't fit the needs of some families, and also that there had been a couple instances of bullying that weren't really resolved, but that was quite a while ago now and may have been resolved. Aside from the American school, there's also Utahloy, which attracts a lot of Aussies, and the British school. Some families also opted to send their kids to local schools, which seemed to work out well, though you should be prepared for some cultural differences. - Aug 2014
French school: I have heard reports that the teachers there are not so great. The school is very small, so socialization is notably limited. Utahloy international has a robust sports program. The American International School, I hear, is pretty good. The high school is quite far from the city, though. Local schools are quite good if you'd like your children to learn Chinese. - May 2013
We don't have kids, but I have heard great things about the American school here. - Apr 2013
I don't have kids, but those who do seem thrilled with the International School. - Jan 2013
No direct experience. American International School Guangzhou is located on Ersha Island and has many American and British teachers. I have not heard any complaints. - Oct 2011
Supposed to be good, no direct experience. I think there's at least an American one, British one, and a Canadian one. - May 2011
I have no experience with the schools, but my colleagues are very happy with their children's school experience. - Jul 2009
No experience, but I haven't heard too many people complain. Most of the consulate children attend the American International School Guangzhou. - Jan 2009
