📚 Overview of Bilingual and International Schools in Shanghai Admitting Both Chinese and Foreign Students | 上海招收中外籍学生的双语学校与国际学校概览
Shanghai's education landscape is a dynamic mosaic of traditional Chinese schooling, bilingual institutions, and fully international schools. For families navigating this ecosystem, a key distinction lies in which schools accept both Chinese nationals and foreign passport holders. This article provides a comprehensive overview of the bilingual and international schools in Shanghai that welcome students of all nationalities, exploring their types, curricula, admissions, fees, and how they compare with expatriate-only schools.
上海的教育版图是一幅由传统中式教育、双语学校以及完全国际化学校交织而成的动态画卷。对正在探索这一生态的家庭而言，关键区别在于哪些学校同时招收中国公民和外国护照持有者。本文全面概览上海那些欢迎各国籍学生的双语与国际学校，探讨其类型、课程、招生、费用以及与外籍人员子女学校的对比。
1. Understanding Shanghai's International Education Scene | 了解上海的国际教育环境
As a global financial center, Shanghai hosts a large expatriate community alongside a growing number of Chinese families seeking global competencies for their children. The city offers three main categories of internationalized schooling: public school international divisions (predominantly for foreign passport holders), international schools for expatriates, and private bilingual schools that mix Chinese and international elements and enroll both local and foreign students. This mixed-admission sector has expanded rapidly, making Shanghai one of the most diverse markets in Asia.
作为全球金融中心，上海不仅有庞大的外籍社群，还有越来越多为子女寻求全球竞争力的中国家庭。这座城市提供三类主要的国际化教育：公立学校国际部（主要面向外籍学生）、外籍人员子女学校，以及融合中外元素且招收本地和外国学生的民办双语学校。这种混合招生板块发展迅速，使上海成为亚洲最多元的教育市场之一。
The term "bilingual school" in Shanghai usually refers to a private school that implements the Chinese national curriculum but supplements it with international programmes such as IB, AP, or IGCSE/A-Level. Crucially, these schools are permitted to admit Chinese students under the local education authority's framework, often through the unified lottery for compulsory education, while also accepting foreign students who meet visa and residence requirements. This dual eligibility makes them a focal point for globally minded families.
在上海，"双语学校"通常指实施中国国家课程、同时以IB、AP或IGCSE/A-Level等国际项目加以补充的民办学校。关键的是，这些学校获准在当地教育主管部门框架下招收中国学生（义务教育阶段通过统一摇号），同时接收符合签证和居留要求的外国学生。这种双重资格使它们成为具有国际视野家庭的焦点。
2. Types of Schools Accepting Both Chinese and Foreign Students | 招收中外籍学生的学校类型
Three main models exist. The first and largest group consists of private bilingual schools such as Shanghai Pinghe School, Shanghai World Foreign Language Academy, and YK Pao School. These institutions self-identify as "non-government bilingual schools" and follow a mixed curriculum that balances the Chinese compulsory education requirements with internationally recognised qualifications.
存在三种主要模式。第一类也是最大的一类是民办双语学校，例如上海平和学校、上海市世界外国语中学和包玉刚实验学校。这些学校自称为"民办双语学校"，课程体系融汇中国义务教育要求与国际认可资质，双轨并重。
The second model is the Chinese-foreign cooperatively run high school, exemplified by Shanghai Qibao Dwight High School, a partnership between Qibao High School and Dwight School New York. These schools typically admit students regardless of nationality and offer courses leading to dual diplomas or standalone international qualifications. They operate under a special license from the Ministry of Education.
第二类是中外合作高中，以七宝中学与纽约德怀特学校合办的上海七宝德怀特高级中学为代表。这些学校通常不限国籍招生，提供可获双文凭或独立国际资格认证的课程，并持有教育部特别许可。
A third, more recent development is the bilingual division within a larger international education brand. For instance, Huili School Shanghai sits alongside Wellington College International Shanghai, and HD Bilingual School operates under the Hurtwood House umbrella. These divisions are designed for Chinese families, often as "local" campuses, yet they actively welcome international students and deliver a curriculum that leans more heavily on Chinese cultural immersion while preparing students for international examinations at upper secondary level.
第三类是较新的模式，即大型国际教育品牌旗下的双语学部。例如，上海惠立学校与上海惠灵顿外籍人员子女学校并行，赫德双语学校则依托英国赫德伍德豪斯公学。这些学部主要面向中国家庭，定位为"本土"校区，但积极招收国际学生，在强化中国文化沉浸式教育的同时，为学生在高中阶段参加国际考试做准备。
3. Representative Bilingual Schools with a Mixed Student Body | 具有混合学生群体的代表性双语学校
Shanghai Pinghe School (Pinghe) was founded in 1996 and comprises a bilingual primary and middle school alongside an international division. It is well known for its customised "Pinghe curriculum" that merges Shanghai's academic standards with IB Primary Years and Middle Years Programme frameworks. The school enrolls both Chinese and foreign students, with Chinese admissions managed through the district lottery and expatriate admissions evaluated individually.
上海平和学校成立于1996年，包含双语小学、初中和一个国际部。该校以融合上海学术标准与IB小学及中学项目框架的定制"平和课程"著称。学校招收中国和外国学生，中国学生通过所在区摇号录取，外籍学生则单独评估。
Shanghai World Foreign Language Academy (WFLA) operates under the Jun Yao Group and offers a continuum from primary to high school. WFLA provides a bilingual track that incorporates the national curriculum and a separate international division delivering IBDP and Rockville High School (USA) joint programs. The bilingual section accepts both local and expatriate children, with Chinese students subject to the Xuhui District lottery.
上海市世界外国语中学隶属均瑶集团，提供从小学至高中的一贯制教育。世外设有融合国家课程的双语通道，以及提供IBDP和美国罗克维尔高中联合课程的国际部。双语部招收本地和外籍儿童，中国籍学生须参加徐汇区摇号。
YK Pao School, founded in memory of the shipping magnate Sir Yue-Kong Pao, is a non-profit private school spanning primary, middle, and high school. It integrates the Shanghai curriculum with IGCSE and subsequently the IB Diploma or the Chinese national high school diploma pathway. The school prides itself on a deliberately diverse community, actively recruiting from local and international families, and practices a holistic review for admissions beyond the lottery framework for the high school years.
包玉刚实验学校为纪念船王包玉刚爵士而创办，是一所非营利民办学校，涵盖小学、初中和高中。它将上海课程与IGCSE衔接，后续可选择IB文凭或中国高中文凭路径。该校以刻意打造的多元社区为傲，积极从本地和国际家庭招生，高中阶段在摇号框架外采用全人评审录取。
4. Curriculum Frameworks: Blending East and West | 课程框架：中西融合
Mixed-admission bilingual schools must navigate a dual curriculum mandate. By law, the compulsory education years (Grades 1-9) must fulfill the Chinese national curriculum standards in subjects such as Chinese, Mathematics, Morality and Law, and History. Schools creatively embed international frameworks — typically the IB PYP/MYP, Cambridge Lower Secondary, or school-designed thematic units — to deliver content bilingually and develop inquiry skills.
混合招生的双语学校必须应对双重课程要求。法律上，义务教育阶段（一至九年级）必须在语文、数学、道德与法治、历史等科目上达到中国国家课程标准。学校创造性地融入国际框架（通常是IB PYP/MYP、剑桥初中课程或校本主题单元），以双语方式教授内容并培养探究能力。
In high school (Grades 10-12), students typically choose between two tracks: a "domestic track" leading to the Chinese Gaokao and a bilingual graduation certificate, or an "international track" offering globally recognised qualifications such as the IB Diploma, A-Levels, or Advanced Placement (AP) courses. Most bilingual schools orient toward the international track, but they retain elements of Chinese literature, civics, and sometimes philosophy to honour the national context.
在高中阶段（十至十二年级），学生通常在两条路径中选择："国内高考方向"可获中国高中毕业证书并参加高考，"国际课程方向"则提供IB文凭、A-Level或AP等全球认可的资格。大多数双语学校侧重国际方向，但保留了中国文学、政治及有时哲学等元素，以体现国家背景。
The resulting timetable often splits at 50:50 or 60:40 in terms of instructional language, with Chinese teachers covering national curriculum components and bilingual or expatriate teachers delivering the international components. Co-curricular programmes further bridge the cultures, including Chinese calligraphy, debate, Model United Nations, and community service projects recognised by both local and international accrediting bodies.
由此产生的时间表通常在授课语言上按50:50或60:40分配，中方教师负责国家课程板块，双语或外籍教师负责国际板块。课外活动进一步架起文化桥梁，包括中国书法、辩论、模拟联合国以及受到本地与国际认证机构认可的社区服务项目。
5. Admission Policies: Navigating the Lottery and Beyond | 招生政策：解读摇号及更多
For primary and middle school entry (Grades 1-9), the admission of Chinese students into private bilingual schools is governed by Shanghai's unified "citizen lottery" (gongmin tongzhao) system, implemented since 2020. If applications exceed the number of available places, a random computer draw is used. Foreign students, holding valid foreign passports and a Chinese residence permit, may also participate in the same lottery, but some schools have a separate quota for international applicants or assess them through an individualized review process after the lottery.
针对小学和初中入学（一至九年级），中国学生进入民办双语学校受上海自2020年实施的统一"公民同招"摇号制度约束。若报名人数超过招生计划数，则采用电脑随机录取。持有效外国护照及中国居留许可的外国学生也可参加同一摇号，但部分学校为国际申请者设有单独名额，或在摇号后通过个性化审核录取。
High school admission (Grades 10-12) is completely autonomous. Schools set their own entrance examinations, often including English proficiency tests, mathematics in English, and an interview. Both Chinese nationals and foreign applicants are evaluated through these standardised assessments. Some schools, such as Qibao Dwight, hold multiple assessment days where students submit past academic records, personal statements, and perform in group discussions.
高中招生（十至十二年级）完全自主。学校自行设置入学考试，通常包括英语能力测试、英文数学及面试。中国籍和外国申请人一样通过这些标准化评估选拔。部分学校如七宝德怀特，会举办多次评估日，学生需提交过往学业记录、个人陈述并参与小组讨论。
For children of foreign nationals, additional flexibility may exist: some bilingual schools accept students who hold foreign passports even without the residence permit required for Chinese children to attend school locally, provided the foreign child's guardian obtains an appropriate visa. However, schools are cautious to comply with regulations that prevent local families from using foreign passports to bypass the lottery.
对于外籍儿童，可能还有额外灵活性：一些双语学校接受持外国护照的学生，即使没有中国儿童本地入学所需的户口或居住证明，只要其监护人获取适当签证。但学校谨慎遵守规定，防止本地家庭利用外国护照规避摇号。
6. Tuition and Fees: Planning Your Investment | 学费与费用：规划教育投资
Annual tuition in mixed-admission bilingual schools ranges significantly, broadly from RMB 120,000 to RMB 250,000, depending on the grade level and the school's reputation. High school international tracks tend to be the most expensive. The following table gives an indicative comparison for the 2024-2025 academic year (figures may vary by campus and programme).
混合招生双语学校的年学费范围较广，大致在12万至25万元人民币之间，取决于是哪个年级及学校声誉。高中国际方向通常最贵。下表给出2024-2025学年的参考比较（费用因校区和课程可能有所差异）。
| School | Primary (RMB/year) | Middle School (RMB/year) | High School (RMB/year) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shanghai Pinghe School | 92,000 | 100,000 (bilingual) | 150,000 (IB/AP) |
| WFLA | 110,000 | 120,000 (bilingual) | 130,000 (international) |
