Senri International School of Kwansei Gakuin

The 'Two Schools Together' Philosophy

One of the most distinctive features of Senri International School of Kwansei Gakuin (SIS) is its co-location and deep partnership with Osaka International School (OIS) on the Kwansei Gakuin Senri International Campus in Minoh, Osaka. This arrangement, described officially as 'Two Schools Together', is far more than a shared address — it represents an intentional educational philosophy.

What Does 'Two Schools Together' Mean in Practice?

SIS and OIS operate as two distinct schools with separate curricula, student bodies, and administrative structures, yet they share:

• Campus facilities: the library, sports field, heated swimming pool, gymnasium, theatre, cafeteria, science labs, art studios, and music rooms are all shared resources
• Club activities: the majority of extracurricular clubs and sports teams are run jointly, with SIS students and OIS students participating side by side
• Some academic crossover: IB Diploma students from SIS may access OIS's IB infrastructure, and the IB MYP framework influences the combined campus approach

The Vision Statement

The official vision statement captures this ethos directly: 'Senri International School and Osaka International School form a unique community which celebrates diversity, each student's gifts, and the love of learning.'

Benefits for Students

This model creates a uniquely diverse peer environment. SIS serves a student body that is approximately half returnee/foreign students and half Japanese domestic students, while OIS serves primarily English-medium international students. Together, this creates a campus community of students from many nationalities, language backgrounds, and educational histories.

For SIS students in particular, daily campus life involves interacting with peers who may have studied in North America, Europe, Southeast Asia, or Australia before returning to Japan — exactly the kind of international exposure that SIS's founders intended when establishing the school in 1991 specifically to support Japanese returnees.

Implications for Admissions

Families should note that while the schools share a campus, they have separate admissions processes, fee structures, and curricula. SIS follows the Japanese Ministry of Education curriculum with an optional IB Diploma in Grades 11–12, while OIS offers a full international curriculum. The shared campus means that regardless of which school a student attends, the day-to-day social environment is genuinely multicultural.

A Curriculum Designed for the Globally Mobile Student

At most Japanese secondary schools, students follow a fixed annual curriculum locked to a specific grade level, entering in April and following a prescribed path through the year. SIS deliberately breaks from this tradition with a system built around the realities of internationally mobile families.

The Trimester Structure

The SIS academic year is divided into three equal terms — Spring, Autumn, and Winter — each comprising exactly 60 instructional days. This is not merely an administrative choice; it reflects a core pedagogical principle: courses are designed to be self-contained within a single term, so that a student who joins mid-year can enter a course at its beginning rather than picking up from the middle.

This structure accommodates three major international school calendar systems:

• April (Japanese school year start)
• September (North American/European school year start)
• December/January (Australian school year start)

A family relocating from New York, London, or Sydney can enroll their child at the start of any of SIS's three terms without the child falling behind.

Free Course Selection (自由選択制)

High school students at SIS do not follow a fixed timetable shared with their classmates. Instead, they build individual schedules from available courses each term, choosing subjects that align with their academic goals and university plans. This means no two students at SIS have the same weekly schedule — a striking departure from the highly standardized Japanese high school norm.

No Fixed Grade Groupings (無学年制)

For course selection purposes, SIS uses a non-graded system: students are not restricted to courses designated for their year level. A highly able Grade 8 student can take a course typically taken by Grade 10 students if they are ready for it. Conversely, a returnee student who gaps in a particular subject can take a more foundational course without stigma.

Credits and Assessment

Units of credit are awarded per term upon successful course completion, rather than annually. This means academic progress is measured more granularly, and students who arrive mid-year do not lose an entire year's credit for having missed earlier months.

IB Diploma Programme in Grades 11–12

For academically ambitious students, SIS offers the IB Diploma Programme in the final two years (Grades 11–12). The DP runs alongside the Japanese Ministry curriculum, and students can opt in from Grade 11. The DP provides internationally recognized university entry qualifications and is particularly valuable for graduates considering study abroad.

A School Born from Japan's Globalizing Economy

The late 1980s and early 1990s saw a surge in Japanese corporations sending employees abroad for extended postings. When these families returned to Japan, their children — who had spent formative years in foreign schools — often struggled to reintegrate into Japan's rigid, exam-focused educational mainstream. SIS was founded specifically to address this challenge.

Founding (1991)

In April 1991, the Senri Kokusai Gakuen educational foundation — supported by Hankyu Railway and a coalition of Kansai-region businesses — opened 'Osaka International Bunka Middle/High School' in Minoh, Osaka. The school's founding purpose was explicitly to 'actively receive returnee students' (帰国生徒を積極的に受け入れる). From its first day, the school welcomed students who had lived abroad alongside Japanese domestic students, creating a deliberately multicultural environment.

First Renaming (1999)

Eight years after opening, in April 1999, the school was renamed 'Senri Kokusai Gakuen Middle/High School' (千里国際学園中学校・高等学校), reflecting its growing identity as a flagship international school in the Senri Hills area of northern Osaka.

Partnership with Kwansei Gakuin (2005–2010)

In 2005, the school entered a cooperative agreement with Kwansei Gakuin University (関西学院大学), one of Japan's most prestigious private universities, creating a preferential admissions pathway for SIS graduates. This partnership was so successful — and the alignment between SIS's international education philosophy and Kwansei Gakuin's own internationalization agenda so strong — that merger negotiations formally began in 2008.

In April 2010, the merger was completed. Senri International School became Kwansei Gakuin Senri International Junior/Senior High School (SIS), and both SIS and Osaka International School were placed under the Kwansei Gakuin umbrella as constituent schools of the Senri International Campus.

Post-Merger Recognition

Since joining Kwansei Gakuin, SIS has received Super Global High School (SGH) designation from Japan's Ministry of Education (MEXT), recognizing its contribution to developing globally competent students. The school also holds memberships in the Council of International Schools (CIS), Japan Council of International Schools (JCIS), and WASC accreditation through its campus partnership with OIS.

An Admissions Process Built Around International Families

SIS's admissions system is unusual among Japanese secondary schools in both its frequency and flexibility. While most Japanese high schools hold a single annual entrance exam in February or March, SIS runs seven separate entrance examination cycles per year — a direct reflection of its trimester academic calendar and its mission to serve internationally mobile students.

Six Returnee/Overseas Exam Sessions

For students returning from abroad (帰国生), SIS offers six exam windows per year, each aligned to different points in the academic calendar. Crucially, returnee applicants can take these exams online from anywhere in the world, removing the logistical barrier of requiring families to travel to Japan solely for an entrance examination.

Examination content for returnee applicants typically includes:

• Written tests in Japanese language and Mathematics
• An essay in either Japanese or English (student's choice)
• A student interview (conducted in Japanese or English)
• A parent interview

One General Exam Session

For domestic Japanese students without overseas experience, SIS holds one general entrance exam per year. This track is more competitive given fewer available places.

Four Entry Categories

SIS formally distinguishes between four applicant categories:

1. 帰国生 (Returnee students): Japanese nationals returning from living abroad
2. 海外生 (Overseas students): Students currently living abroad
3. 一般生 (General students): Domestic Japanese students
4. 国際生 (International students): Non-Japanese students residing in Japan

Exam Fee and Practical Considerations

The application fee is ¥28,000. Once admitted, students pay an entrance fee (入学金) of ¥300,000 (reduced to ¥150,000 for students moving from SIS Middle School to SIS High School internally).

No Published Acceptance Rate

SIS does not publish acceptance rate data. Given that annual graduating classes run approximately 90–101 students and the school is well regarded among the returnee community, competition for places — particularly at the general student level — is assumed to be meaningful. Families uncertain about their exam category can contact the admissions office at [email protected] or use the school's online diagnostic tool.

Daily Life on the Senri International Campus

The Kwansei Gakuin Senri International Campus in Minoh — a leafy suburb of northern Osaka — offers SIS students an environment that feels distinct from both a typical Japanese school and a traditional international school.

Award-Winning Drama Program

One of SIS's most celebrated strengths is its drama and performing arts culture. In recent years, the school's drama program has earned:

• Osaka Prefectural Board of Education Award at the Drama Festival (2023)
• Top prizes at the Osaka High School Drama Contest (2023–2025)

These are not minor local competitions — they represent recognition at the prefectural level in one of Japan's most competitive performing arts regions. Drama productions are staged in the campus's dedicated theatre/concert hall, a large performance space used each term.

Clubs and Extracurriculars

SIS offers more than 30 clubs and sports teams, the majority run jointly with OIS students. The range spans:

• Team sports (soccer, basketball, volleyball, baseball, softball, tennis, badminton, touch rugby, triathlon, swimming, running)
• Arts and culture (Japanese tea ceremony, competitive karuta, dance, photography, illustration, Japanese drama, English drama)
• Academic and intellectual (debate, mathematics competition, robotics, computer science, team science, eSports, scholars)
• Community service (Love is All, Earth Defense Squad, SDGs for Children, EJAAD)
• Cultural and quirky (juggling, occult research, train club, light music/CLUB AID)

The seasonal sports system (branded as 'Sabers Sports') means students typically play one or two team sports per year, competing in regional inter-school leagues.

The Akebono Dormitory

For students whose parents are posted abroad or who commute long distances, SIS operates the Akebono Dormitory — a co-educational two-story residence located a five-minute walk from campus. With capacity for 34 students (16 boys, 18 girls), the dorm is small and community-focused. A live-in house master family provides pastoral support, and a resident caretaker couple is available 24 hours. Students from Grade 9 (approximately age 14) are eligible. The dorm entrance fee is ¥50,000.

Campus Facilities Highlights

Key campus amenities include:

• 25m heated indoor swimming pool (5 lanes) — used for curriculum swim and clubs year-round
• 60m × 35m artificial turf sports field
• Bilingual library (renovated 2021)
• 5 science laboratories plus a planetarium
• 3 art studios with kiln
• Japanese tatami room for tea ceremony and karuta
• Student cafeteria with set and à la carte meals