Yes International School

Overview of Costs

YES International School Tokyo is a fully private institution receiving no government subsidies. All operating costs are funded through school fees. For the Tokyo campus, the published fee structure (as reflected on the school's official website and the International Schools Database) is as follows:

Tuition (Annual)

• Pre-K / Kindergarten 1 (PRE-G1): ¥1,412,400 per year
• Grades 1–9 (Elementary and Junior High): ¥1,588,950 per year

One-Time Enrollment Fee

• ¥411,950 (paid within one week of acceptance; non-recurring)

Annual Facility & Equipment Fee

• ¥411,950 per year (covers campus facilities, textbooks, and resources; payable in up to three instalments)

Monthly Teaching Materials Fee

• ¥11,770 per month × 10 months = ¥117,700 per year

Entrance Assessment Fee

• ¥52,800 (one-time, covers the multi-day admissions evaluation period)

Total Annual Cost (Approximate)

• Grades 1–9: ~¥2,118,600 per year (tuition + facility + materials)
• Pre-K: ~¥1,942,050 per year

Additional Costs

• School lunch: Provided by an external nutritionist-planned catering service; priced separately (exact fee not publicly listed)
• After-school programme: Optional extended care with activities such as Capoeira, art, robotics, Mandarin, and calligraphy; fees not published
• Station pick-up service: Teachers escort students to/from a nearby train station; fee status unclear
• Bank transfer fees: Responsibility of the paying family

Comparative Context

At approximately ¥2.1 million per year in total costs, YES Tokyo is positioned at the more affordable end of Tokyo's international school market. Many full K–12 international schools in Tokyo charge ¥3–4 million or more in tuition alone for older grades. However, YES Tokyo does not offer the credentials (IB, A-levels) or facilities of those schools, so direct comparison requires consideration of educational purpose.

Financial Aid and Scholarships

No formal scholarship, bursary, or need-based financial aid is advertised on YES International's official website. No sibling discount is publicly mentioned. A third-party source (Doris School profile) references a Corporate Contribution Programme (CCP) through which scholarships may be available to students whose parents' employers participate—but this is not confirmed on the school's own website and details are unavailable. Families should assume full fees apply unless a private arrangement exists through their employer.

A School Designed Around Belonging

YES International School Tokyo occupies a deliberate niche: it is explicitly neither a traditional Japanese school, an international school in the conventional sense, nor a cram school. The founders describe it as a 'third space'—a place where children who feel out of place in mainstream education can find structure, community, and purpose.

This philosophy is rooted in the founder Kaoru Takeuchi's own experience with school refusal and returnee schooling. Rather than designing a school around exam results or college placement, YES was built around the question: What does a child who struggles in ordinary school actually need?

The Trilingual Framework

At the heart of YES Tokyo's academic identity is a commitment to three languages: English, Japanese, and Programming. The school describes these as equally important tools for communication, logic, and expression in an AI-driven future. This is not simply about language instruction—it reflects a belief that fluency across human and computational languages equips students for a world that demands both cultural agility and technical literacy.

In practice, this means students spend equal time developing literacy in Japanese and English, while regularly engaging with coding and digital creation as a third mode of expression. The school describes itself as uniquely 'trilingual' in this sense, distinguishing it from bilingual schools that treat programming as a minor elective.

Project-Based Learning as the Core Method

All subjects—science, mathematics, social studies, art, and language arts—are taught through project-based learning (PBL). Rather than passive instruction, students engage with real-world problems, conduct experiments, take field trips (e.g. museum visits, cooking classes), build robots, and create digital projects. The school's materials describe lessons as 'inquiry-driven,' challenging students to apply knowledge with confidence and clarity.

This approach is designed to be especially effective for students who disengage from rote, exam-focused instruction. By grounding learning in tangible outcomes and collaborative activity, YES Tokyo aims to rebuild academic confidence alongside genuine skill.

The 3 C's: Character at the Centre

The school's three core values—Critical Thinking, Consideration, and Creativity—are not treated as aspirational slogans but as the explicit daily goals of teaching. 'Consideration' (empathy and social awareness), 'Critical Thinking' (analytical reasoning), and 'Creativity' (expression and innovation) are woven into every subject, group project, and school routine.

Physical education reinforces these values through varied movement: indoor core training, outdoor sports (including Capoeira, soccer, and barefoot grass exercises), and regular hiking trips. The school views physical confidence and intellectual development as inseparable.

An Umbrella for Non-Traditional Learners

YES Tokyo is accredited by the Japan Home School Association as an official umbrella school—the first such institution in Japan. This means it can formally support home-educated families as a kagoku rishu-kō (subject-enrollment school), offering structure and community to children who are legally home-schooled. This accreditation reinforces the school's identity as a deliberately inclusive alternative to mainstream education, welcoming children with school attendance anxiety (futōkō) alongside more conventionally enrolled students.

A Radically Different Admissions Philosophy

YES International School Tokyo's admissions process stands in sharp contrast to the competitive entrance exams found at many international and Japanese private schools. There are no written academic tests, no score thresholds, and no formal ranking of applicants. Instead, the school uses a holistic, observation-based evaluation designed to assess one thing above all else: fit.

The Assessment Period

The core admissions mechanism is the Assessment Period, a multi-day trial of approximately 3–7 days in which prospective students attend regular classes, activities, and group sessions at YES Tokyo. During this time, teachers and administrators observe:

• Behavioural adaptation: Can the child adjust to group routines and classroom norms?
• Social engagement: How does the child interact with peers and respond to teacher guidance?
• Subject-level check: A light level-check in core subjects to understand where the child is academically.

Importantly, there is no pass or fail in the academic sense. The evaluation is about understanding the child's needs and assessing whether YES Tokyo's model can genuinely support them.

The Parent–Principal Conference

Running in parallel with the student trial is a formal meeting between the family and the school's principal and head teachers. This is not a casual chat—it is a structured component of admissions where parents articulate their educational goals and the school explains its approach in depth. Both sides are essentially interviewing each other: the school wants to know that parents understand and embrace the PBL, bilingual philosophy; parents want to confirm the school can meet their child's specific needs.

The school's own language is revealing: 'Every school has a chemistry with its students and parents… If you feel that there is a good match, you may apply for the assessment period.' This positions the application itself as the beginning of a mutual dialogue rather than a competitive selection event.

Year-Round Enrollment and No Waiting List

Unlike many schools that have a single annual intake, YES Tokyo accepts students throughout the year, including mid-year. The International Schools Database explicitly notes: 'Waiting list: No. Students can join after [the] academic year begins.' This reflects the school's alternative-school ethos—children who need support should not have to wait for a September or April intake window.

A secondary testing period is held in October and November for the standard April intake, but families can initiate the process at any time by attending an information session (in-person or online) and requesting the assessment period.

Fees and Timeline

The entrance assessment fee is ¥52,800, covering the full multi-day evaluation period. Families typically receive a decision within days of completion. Upon acceptance, the enrollment fee (¥411,950) must be paid within one week, and the annual facility fee is due at the start of the school year.

Who Gets In?

In practice, YES Tokyo appears to operate with open capacity and does not publish an acceptance rate. The selection is primarily about confirming mutual fit rather than limiting numbers. Families where at least one parent has English proficiency are better positioned to engage with the bilingual environment, and students should have some foundation in either English or Japanese (a beginner English support programme exists for those with limited English). The school is genuinely inclusive by design, particularly toward children with school attendance anxiety or home-schooling backgrounds.

Who Comes to YES Tokyo?

The YES International School Tokyo community is intentionally diverse in one specific sense: it brings together children who might otherwise fall through the gaps of Japan's educational system. The school explicitly serves:

• Futōkō students (不登校) – children experiencing school refusal or attendance anxiety
• Home-schooled children – YES Tokyo is Japan's first accredited umbrella school for homeschoolers under the NPO Japan Home School Association
• Bilingual and internationally-minded families – both Japanese families with international exposure and expatriate families seeking a bilingual environment
• Returnees (kikokushijo) – children returning to Japan after living abroad who struggle to reintegrate into the Japanese school system

This mix creates a community bound not by nationality or academic performance, but by a shared need for a more flexible, supportive learning environment.

Small Scale, Deep Relationships

The school operates at a small scale, which is central to its community identity. Teachers are described as knowing each child's individual pace and providing tailored academic and emotional support. The environment is deliberately described as a 'third space'—not home, not a conventional school—where students feel safe to take risks, make mistakes, and grow.

An in-house educational psychologist is available on-call for any student who needs support, and social-emotional learning is embedded into daily school life through the 'Consideration' value and PBL group work.

Modern Community Channels

One notable community feature is a school-authorized Discord server ('YES Elegant') where students and parents can interact. The server's rules are reportedly student-led, reflecting the school's commitment to student agency. The server is visible to parents, creating transparency and shared ownership of the school's social culture.

This use of Discord—rather than a traditional newsletter or parent-teacher portal—signals the school's comfort with digital community-building and its understanding of how contemporary young people communicate.

Feeder Partnerships and Events

YES Tokyo maintains a partnership with Creative Kids International Preschool, a bilingual early-childhood centre. The two schools hold joint community events, including an annual Halloween celebration, that bring families together across age groups. This creates a sense of educational continuity from preschool through junior high.

Parent Engagement in Admissions

Parent engagement begins at the admissions stage itself. The mandatory parent–principal conference during the Assessment Period ensures that families are not passive recipients of an admissions decision but active participants in a dialogue about fit and educational values. This sets the tone for an ongoing relationship in which parents are expected to understand and support the school's approach throughout their child's enrollment.

A Non-Exam Academic Environment

YES International School Tokyo does not offer the International Baccalaureate, Cambridge International, or any other internationally recognised qualification. The school's leaving certificate is listed as 'N/A'—meaning students completing Grade 9 must transition to a Japanese or international high school for upper secondary education. This is a deliberate choice, not a limitation: the school's academic mission is focused on the foundational years (ages 3–15), and it prioritises depth of learning over credential attainment.

Core Subject Areas

The curriculum covers:

• English Language Arts (ELA) – literacy, reading, writing, and oral communication in English
• Japanese Language Arts – literacy, reading, writing, and Japanese cultural studies
• Mathematics – taught through problem-solving and real-world application
• Science – with the founder's background as a science writer, science is a particular strength
• Social Studies – including Japanese culture and global awareness
• Programming / Information Technology – treated as a core 'language,' not a supplementary elective
• Art and Music – integrated into projects and standalone classes
• Physical Education – a distinctive multi-modal programme (see below)

Programming as a Core Language

Perhaps the most distinctive academic feature is the elevation of Programming to the same status as English and Japanese. Students engage with coding, robotics (Robotics+ is listed as a club/activity), and digital creation as regular parts of their curriculum. The school describes this as training students to 'think in programming'—developing logical reasoning alongside linguistic fluency.

Physical Education as Whole-Child Development

YES Tokyo's P.E. programme is unusually varied. Indoor sessions focus on core strength, flexibility, and coordination. Outdoor sessions include team sports (rugby, basketball, soccer), Capoeira (an Afro-Brazilian martial art/dance), and barefoot training on grass for proprioception and body awareness. Weekly hikes connect students with nature. This breadth reflects the school's philosophy that physical confidence and intellectual development are mutually reinforcing.

Assessment Philosophy

There are no standardised tests, no IB exams, and no national exam preparation at YES Tokyo. Student progress is assessed through project outcomes, teacher observation, and individual portfolio reviews. The school explicitly tailors support to each child's pace—a response to its target community of children who may have struggled with the rigid, exam-focused environments of mainstream Japanese or international schools.

Language Outcomes

The school's stated goal—and self-reported outcome—is that 'the vast majority of our students are proficient in both English and Japanese by the time they graduate.' Alumni testimonials on the school's website support this: one 2023 graduate is noted for rapid Japanese language development, while a 2022 alumnus significantly improved his English during his time at YES. These soft outcomes are the primary metric by which the school measures success at the elementary and junior-high level.