Introduction
New International School of Japan (NewIS ) was founded in 2001, in the clear and research-based recognition that dual language and multiage education are good for children! It was specifically established to meet the needs of permanent, international marriage, and/or long-term residents of Japan, regardless of nationality, children transitioning from a monolingual educational system to one where they can learn bilingually or multilingually, and families temporarily in Japan but wish their children to be educated in accordance with the school mission as articulated on the mission page of this website as long as they are here. As of the 2024-25 school year, fifty-five full-time teachers and staff serve about 275 children from age 3 to Grade 12 in two complete buildings and parts of six more.
NewIS is accredited by both the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools (MSA) and the Council of International Schools (CIS), and it is a member of the Japan Council of International Schools (JCIS), the Progressive Education Network (PEN) and the Tokyo Association of International Preschools (TAIP). Graduates attend universities in Japan or abroad.
At New International School, the children maintain and develop their social and academic skills, creativity, and independence in a child-centered environment they can participate in with great enthusiasm. Knowledge, skills and attitudes are developed using a multiplicity of child-centered sources and resources, including especially the Scottish Curriculum for Excellence, The secondary school program owes much to the inspiration of the Compass and Putney Schools in Vermont, USA.
Multiage education, like Montessori education, is constructivist, meaning that the children construct their own knowledge and understanding based on experience. It is, however, a Vygotskian style of constructivism that emphasizes learning and language acquisition as a social process. The students learn from one another as well as from the teachers in a highly interactive environment where they can progress unimpeded by traditional grade-level limitations. From August of the calendar year in which they turn six, the students learn to play the violin by ear, and Mandarin Chinese is offered as an elective.
Interested persons are encouraged to register for an online orientation offered in either English or Japanese.
Welcome!
Steven Parr
Founding Director/Head of School