Clifford International School vs Guangzhou Huamei International School

	C Clifford International School Guangzhou, China	G Guangzhou Huamei International School Guangzhou, China
Snapshot	Snapshot
Fees / year	Fees / year RMB 67,500 - 88,000	Fees / year RMB 61,000 - 130,000
Age range	Age range 6 - 18 years	Age range 2½ - 18 years
Type	Type Co-educational (boarding)	Type Co-educational (boarding)
Curriculum	Curriculum Canadian Curriculum, Chinese National Curriculum, Advanced Placement (AP)	Curriculum Advanced Placement (AP), Bespoke Curriculum, Cambridge A Levels
Pupils	Pupils 550	Pupils —
Typical class size	Typical class size 24	Typical class size —
Instruction language	Instruction language English	Instruction language English, Mandarin
Opened	Opened 2014	Opened 1993
Bus service	Bus service No	Bus service No
Essentials	Essentials
Location	Location Clifford International School is located inside Clifford Estates in Panyu district, Guangzhou — mailing address 1 Xueyuan Road, Clifford Estates, Panyu, Guangzhou 511495. The school sits on a larger Clifford campus with multiple entry gates and an underground parking/arrival area intended to keep drop-off dry in bad weather.	Location Huamei International School is located at No. 23 Huamei Road in the Tianhe education core area of Guangzhou (Longdong, Tianhe District). The school occupies a large campus (about 160,000 m²) at the foot of Phoenix Mountain and gives the address and contact details on its website. For exact directions and transit options contact the admissions office; the site lists a service hotline and email.
Stages	Stages CIS runs a Canadian (Manitoba) international program across elementary, middle and high school: Elementary Grades 1–5, Middle School Grades 6–8, and High School Grades 9–12.	Stages The school runs a full sequence from kindergarten through primary and middle school to an international/high‑school division and an International Students Division — effectively K–12 with an international high‑school program. The website has separate sections for Huamei Kindergarten, Primary School, Middle School and International High School.
School type	School type The school is co-educational and operates as an accredited overseas school affiliated with the Province of Manitoba, Canada. CIS offers both day places and optional boarding (dorm) arrangements; the admissions page lists semester boarding fees alongside tuition.	School type Huamei is a co‑educational private school that operates as a full‑time day and boarding school; the website describes full‑time boarding international education from kindergarten to high school and also lists day‑school options. Third‑party school listings also describe it as co‑educational.
Pupil nationality mix	Pupil nationality mix —	Pupil nationality mix —
Additional learning support	Additional learning support The school provides targeted English-language support through an International Learning Centre that helps students (notably Grades 1–8) needing extra English to be successful in class. In addition, CIS has a guidance/counseling department that supports academic planning and university preparation for secondary students.	Additional learning support The kindergarten materials describe attention to individual development, individual development plans and a personal growth portfolio for each child; the campus also reports on‑site medical staff and 24‑hour health services. The school website does not publish a detailed, school‑wide SEN/ALN policy page, so prospective parents with specific support needs should contact admissions to discuss assessments and provision.
Country affiliation	Country affiliation CIS is affiliated with the Canadian province of Manitoba as an official affiliated overseas school; it follows the Manitoba provincial curriculum for its international program.	Country affiliation The school is a Chinese private school in Guangzhou and was founded by returned overseas students; it is not presented on the website as officially affiliated with a foreign government.
Religious affiliation	Religious affiliation The school does not have a religious affiliation and does not practise religion as part of the school program.	Religious affiliation No religious affiliation is specified on the school's public pages; the school presents itself as a non‑religious, international educational institution.
School day structure	School day structure The campus lists regular business hours as Monday–Friday, 08:00–17:00; for classroom scheduling OpenApply lists a typical school-day start at about 08:30 with an end around 16:10 (4:10 pm). For exact daily bell times, breaks and grade-specific timetables refer to the school calendar or contact admissions (the site posts an annual calendar/PDF).	School day structure The website does not publish a single, detailed daily timetable for all year groups. Kindergarten pages note a structured daily programme (including six meals for boarders/young children) and the school offers both boarding and day options; for exact start/end times and break/lunch arrangements you should contact admissions or request the current timetable.
Bus service details	Bus service details Public access to Clifford Estates is served by local buses and there is a Clifford Estates bus terminal nearby; the school's listings also note that a school bus service is available and that bus fees are separate from tuition. Parents should contact the admissions office for current routes, pickup points, costs and whether specific stops serve your neighbourhood, since routes and availability can change each year.	Bus service details The school advertises weekly city‑wide and daily district‑wide school bus pick‑up and drop‑off services, indicating organised transport for students across the city and district. The website does not list specific routes or providers on the public pages, so ask the admissions office for current routes, stops, costs and enrolment procedures.
Fees	Fees
Fee details	Fee details Application fees No application fee amount is published on the school's public admissions pages. The admissions materials and fee notices on the school site list tuition and boarding amounts but do not state an application fee. Tuition fees (detailed by year group) All amounts published by the school are expressed per semester in RMB. The school publishes the following semester tuition rates: - Grades 1–6: RMB 67,500 per semester (RMB 135,000 per year). - Grades 7–8: RMB 74,500 per semester (RMB 149,000 per year). - Grades 9–12: RMB 88,000 per semester (RMB 176,000 per year). Billing schedule and payment terms The school's published fee table is presented on a per-semester basis (fees are shown per semester). Specific due dates, installment plans, late-payment penalties, and detailed payment terms are not published on the public admissions page. For precise billing dates and payment deadlines, contact the admissions office. Boarding fees (if applicable) Boarding (dorm) is charged per semester as published: RMB 3,950 per semester. The school's published per-semester totals including boarding are: - Grades 1–6 boarding total per semester: RMB 71,450 (RMB 142,900 per year). - Grades 7–8 boarding total per semester: RMB 78,450 (RMB 156,900 per year). - Grades 9–12 boarding total per semester: RMB 91,950 (RMB 183,900 per year). Other costs or fees (uniforms, meals, etc.) The school explicitly notes that Meals Fee and uniform fee are excluded from the published tuition figures; specific amounts for meals, uniforms, textbooks, extracurricular activities, transport, or other ancillary charges are not provided on the public fee page. Refund information A public refund policy or details about refundable/non-refundable deposits and the conditions for refunds are not published on the school's admissions/fees page. Refund terms are not specified in the publicly visible fee summary. Fee payment options The school's public admissions and fee summary pages do not list accepted payment methods (bank transfer, credit card, online portal, etc.). For confirmed payment methods and instructions, contact the admissions office at adm@clifford-school.org.cn or by phone (numbers listed on the school contact page).	Fee details Application fees - The school does not publish a single, standard one‑time application or registration fee amount on its public English pages. No fixed application fee was available from the school's public enrolment pages during the search. Tuition fees (by year group; per term and per year where published) - Primary (普通小学): RMB 50,000 per semester (this figure expressly includes boarding); annual equivalent RMB 100,000 per year. - Junior secondary / Middle (初中): RMB 48,900 per semester (includes boarding); annual equivalent RMB 97,800 per year. - International / programed tracks (annual rates reported by enrollment/education program pages): - Kindergarten (international/whole‑day): RMB 88,000 per year. - Elementary (ordinary international track): RMB 61,000 per year; elementary international‑student class listed at RMB 86,000 per year. - Junior secondary (ordinary international track): RMB 68,000 per year; international‑student middle class listed at RMB 98,000 per year. - Senior secondary (varies by program): Phoenix/regular/HK‑Macao classes ~RMB 68,000/year; Canada DCP / aviation classes ~RMB 98,000/year for early grades and ~RMB 108,000/year for final year; AP / CIS / some AP‑track figures reported up to ~RMB 130,000/year. These published program fees are reported by multiple enrollment/education information sources. Billing schedule and payment terms - For the municipal‑approved ordinary primary and junior‑secondary rates the school bills by semester (per the municipal fee approval). - International program fees are reported as annual tuition amounts on program pages; billing cadence and installment options vary by program and are set at admission. Boarding fees - For the municipal primary and junior‑secondary fee approvals, boarding is explicitly included in the semester fees. International program listings also describe “学杂宿费” / “学杂食宿费” (tuition + boarding + related items) as included in some program totals. Other costs and extras - Items commonly identified as additional costs: school uniform, Chinese textbooks, insurance and medical cover, extracurricular activities/trips, and incidental service fees. A published note for weekend/holiday residential stays appears as RMB 100/day in third‑party listings. Refunds - Refunds for private/民办 schools in Guangzhou follow regulated rules: new students who register and pay but do not enroll are eligible for substantial partial refunds (examples in local rules: ~90% refund when not enrolled; ~95% if fees were charged by year), and schools must process refunds and pro‑rata returns according to municipal/provincial refund formulas and timelines. Schools must handle refund processing promptly per local regulation. Fee payment options - Payments are required to the school's designated bank account and/or through the school's enrolled payment portal used for admissions and in‑school billing; the school uses an enrolment system platform and provides school contact channels for payment queries. Local regulatory documents require school receipts and payment into designated school accounts. Search coverage note - Municipal fee approvals were used for ordinary primary and junior‑secondary semester rates; international‑program annual figures come from published program/enrolment pages and education portals. A single, consolidated public fee schedule (including an explicit one‑time application fee amount) was not located on the school's publicly accessible English pages during the search.
Diving deeper	Diving deeper
Boarding arrangements	Boarding arrangements —	Boarding arrangements —
Uniform requirement	Uniform requirement —	Uniform requirement —
Food options	Food options —	Food options —
House system	House system —	House system —
Governance and ownership	Governance and ownership —	Governance and ownership —
Academics	Academics
Curriculum details	Curriculum details Clifford International School delivers the Manitoba (Canada) provincial curriculum across Elementary (Grades 1–5), Middle (Grades 6–8) and High School (Grades 9–12) and is an affiliated overseas school of the Province of Manitoba. In Elementary (Grades 1–5) homeroom teachers cover four core subjects—English Language Arts, mathematics, science and social studies—while Manitoba‑certified specialist teachers deliver physical & health education, visual arts, music and ICT. The Middle School program (Grades 6–8) emphasizes academic preparation for high school alongside development of interests and social‑emotional skills, taught by Manitoba‑certified specialist teachers. High School (Grades 9–12) leads to Manitoba high‑school credit and diploma; students take required and optional courses and may enrol in selected Advanced Placement (AP) subjects (examples include AP Psychology, Calculus AB, Statistics, Computer Science and AP Chinese), with AP courses earning Manitoba credit and the option to sit AP exams, and the school also serves as an on‑site SAT test centre. Finally, the Chinese‑Canadian Dual Program (Manitoba program) is authorized by the Guangdong Education Department and endorsed by Manitoba Education; eligible Mainland Chinese students who complete it can receive both a Chinese diploma and a Manitoba high‑school diploma.	Curriculum details Guangzhou Huamei International School is a full-time boarding Chinese–English school that provides a continuous pathway from kindergarten through high school on a single campus. Kindergarten follows IB PYP principles and runs full‑day English IB integrated classes (ages ~2.5–6) with bilingual immersion and inquiry‑based activities. The primary division uses the school's “Rongchuang” curriculum which blends the Chinese national curriculum with Western approaches, offering immersive English lessons, city‑themed PBL, SEL and science/STEAM courses; the primary program is also linked to Cambridge English initiatives. The middle school implements the national curriculum with expanded English instruction and specialist talent/innovation pathways while preparing students for both domestic senior high and international routes. The international high school provides multiple external qualifications and pathways — AP and A‑Level courses, a Canadian stream (CIS/OSSD) and a Double Curriculum Program awarding Chinese and Canadian diplomas, plus aviation and bilingual Hong Kong/Macao/Taiwan tracks — to support university applications abroad.
Student teacher ratio	Student teacher ratio —	Student teacher ratio —
Exam results	Exam results —	Exam results —
Higher education progression	Higher education progression —	Higher education progression —
Gifted and talented	Gifted and talented —	Gifted and talented —
Academic calendar	Academic calendar —	Academic calendar —
Wellbeing & support	Wellbeing & support
Social & emotional learning	Social & emotional learning —	Social & emotional learning —
Special educational needs (SEN)	Special educational needs (SEN) —	Special educational needs (SEN) —
English as an additional language	English as an additional language —	English as an additional language —
Mental wellbeing	Mental wellbeing —	Mental wellbeing —
Safeguarding	Safeguarding —	Safeguarding —
Safeguarding policy	Safeguarding policy —	Safeguarding policy —
Facilities	Facilities
Facilities overview	Facilities overview —	Facilities overview —
Sports facilities	Sports facilities —	Sports facilities —
Academic facilities	Academic facilities —	Academic facilities —
Extra curricular facilities	Extra curricular facilities —	Extra curricular facilities —
Parent experience	Parent experience
History	History —	History —
Community	Community —	Community —
Parent teacher association	Parent teacher association —	Parent teacher association —
Extra-curricular	Extra-curricular
Academic & intellectual	Academic & intellectual —	Academic & intellectual —
Arts & creative	Arts & creative —	Arts & creative —
Cultural & language	Cultural & language —	Cultural & language —
Social & hobbies	Social & hobbies —	Social & hobbies —
Community & service	Community & service —	Community & service —
Leadership & professional	Leadership & professional —	Leadership & professional —
Lifestyle & wellbeing	Lifestyle & wellbeing —	Lifestyle & wellbeing —
Language provision	Language provision
Language provision	Language provision —	Language provision —
Bilingual teaching	Bilingual teaching —	Bilingual teaching —
Immersion programs	Immersion programs —	Immersion programs —
Reputation	Reputation
Awards	Awards —	Awards —
Accreditations	Accreditations —	Accreditations —
Admissions	Admissions
Admissions	Admissions 1. Create an account on the school's admissions portal. Parents must upload a photo of the child's identification when creating the account and select the correct portal (Grades 1–5 or Grades 6–12). Be prepared to supply basic family and contact information in the portal so the admissions team can reach you. (See the school's application portals and instructions.) 2. Wait for contact from the Admissions Office to schedule testing. The school's admissions staff will contact you to arrange a test time — make sure previous school report cards and other relevant documents are submitted before that test date. If you have questions or need to schedule around travel/visa dates, raise that at this stage so the team can advise. 3. Entrance assessment(s). For applicants to Grades 1–8 the school runs a one-on-one entrance assessment (typically about 30 minutes); applicants to Grades 9–11 sit a longer written exam covering English and math (about 3 hours). The school explicitly states students do not need to “study” for these assessments, but you should ensure the child is well-rested and that any previously requested documents are available on test day. If English is not the child's first language, confirm with admissions whether any language supports or alternative arrangements are available. 4. Acceptance and enrolment arrangements. After the assessment the admissions office will notify you of the decision; if accepted, the office will help you complete the enrolment steps and make practical arrangements for start date and orientation. The school posts its academic calendar and fee schedule for the 2025–2026 year on the site, so check those dates and the payment schedule before finalizing enrolment. Note that the site flags that tuition is subject to change and that some items (meals and uniform) are excluded from the published tuition.	Admissions 1. Initial enquiry and application: Contact the school's Admissions Office to request the correct application form for the programme you want (main campus programmes, International Students Division (ISD), or the International High School/Canadian track). Parents can register online for many divisions or visit the admissions office in person; the ISD page on the school site lists phone and email contacts for enquiries. Keep a record of the exact programme name you are applying for (for example ISD, AP/CIS/DCP or the bilingual primary programme), because fees, timelines and required documents differ by programme. 2. Prepare and submit required documents: For local-entry primary pupils the school's published instructions mention bringing a photocopy of the household register (hukou) and a small portrait photo and completing the school's Student Information form; non-local or international applicants must submit passport and previous-school transcripts or study certificates. International or overseas-student applications typically require a passport copy, recent school transcripts, and sometimes a birth certificate and recommendation letter—confirm the exact checklist for your programme with admissions before you apply. Originals are commonly required for verification at enrolment, so allow time to gather certified copies or translations if needed. 3. Entrance assessment and interview: The school organises placement assessments and interviews; for the ISD online/in-person intake the school describes subject tests (Science, Math, English and HSK for Chinese) with published durations and an application/test fee (the ISD FAQ shows test structure and an application fee reference). For other streams (international high‑school tracks such as AP/CIS or Canadian programs) admission decisions are typically based on a combination of grades, municipal exam placement (where applicable), the school's own written tests and an interview or family meeting. Parents should plan for at least one in-person or virtual interview and for the possibility of additional subject testing to determine appropriate class placement. 4. Offer, deposit and registration: If the school makes an offer you will normally receive written acceptance instructions and a deadline to return a signed acceptance and pay any required deposit or first-term tuition; the timing and amount vary by programme and intake. Boarding, weekend-stay permissions and other optional services (if relevant) are typically charged separately—check the offer letter for the exact line items and payment deadlines. Keep receipts and an itemised copy of the contract; the school's official communications and brochure pages list programme contacts you should use if anything in the offer is unclear. 5. Medical/visa and arrival steps for international students: For non‑Chinese nationals there will be additional steps before term starts, including visa paperwork (for long stays) or residence-permit guidance, vaccination/health checks, and submission of authorised medical certificates where required. The ISD materials and the school's international-students pages note that online applicants must meet China's legal and school health requirements before formal enrolment. Parents should allow multiple weeks for visa processing and international-travel planning and confirm the school's arrival/boarding check-in dates. 6. Programme-specific timelines and special-admissions: For specialised streams (sports/talent classes, golf or other special-admission cohorts) the school publishes separate admissions brochures and schedules; these streams may run their own trials, interviews or selection events and have separate application windows. For the international high-school tracks the school follows municipal selection principles in addition to its own testing schedule (the school's international-high-school pages note multiple intake/test rounds across March–June for certain cohorts). If you are applying for a special programme, download that programme's brochure or ask admissions for the exact calendar and selection criteria. 7. After acceptance — enrolment, uniforms and start-of-term: After you pay the required fees and complete registration paperwork the school will provide details on uniforms, textbooks, meal/boarding arrangements and the student timetable. Ask admissions for an itemised schedule of mandatory and optional charges (transport, boarding weekend fees, extra-curricular or exam centre fees) so you can budget for the full first year. If anything in the package is unclear (for instance weekly boarding vs full-term boarding rules), request the school's written policy before final payment.
Scholarships	Scholarships —	Scholarships ISD (International Students Division): The school's ISD materials explicitly state that applicants with excellent entrance-test results may apply for scholarships; the ISD FAQ and recruitment materials describe both full and half (50%) scholarships awarded on the basis of test performance. The ISD documentation also states an application/test fee and the test structure; families applying to ISD should confirm the scholarship application steps, deadlines, and whether scholarship offers require a separate application or are awarded automatically after testing. Other school-level and programme scholarships: Huamei runs targeted scholarship or special-admissions programmes from time to time (for example talent/sports cohorts and selective cohorts in the international/high‑school streams); these are handled per programme and the amounts and criteria vary by year. The school's special-admissions brochures (sports/golf and other talent programmes) describe selection and support mechanisms for successful candidates; however, the main website does not publish a single, centralised and up‑to‑date scholarship tariff covering every programme. Because scholarship availability, amounts and eligibility criteria change frequently, ask the Admissions Office for the current scholarship brochure and the exact deadlines and documentation required for any scholarship application. Practical next steps I recommend: (1) confirm which programme you are applying for (local bilingual primary, international high school / AP/CIS, or ISD) and request the specific programme brochure from admissions; (2) ask admissions for a current tuition and fees table for that programme (including boarding, weekend‑stay and meal charges); and (3) if you are interested in scholarship consideration, request the current scholarship criteria and deadline in writing. Contact details are on the school pages (Admissions/ISD).
Waitlist	Waitlist —	Waitlist Publicly available information on the school's English and Chinese pages does not include a clear, school‑wide description of a formal waitlist or pool system. I searched the school's admissions and ISD pages and did not find a published, programme-level waitlist policy or a one‑page explanation of how a waitlist is operated on the school website. Because practices differ by programme (for example municipal placements, special-admissions cohorts, and ISD intakes), some programmes may maintain an internal waiting list and contact families if places become available; however, that procedure is not explicitly described in the school's public admissions materials. For certainty: if you want to know whether your child would be placed on a waiting list (and to learn the school's notification timelines and priority rules), contact the Admissions Office and ask for the programme's waitlist policy and how you will be notified; the school's admissions contacts are published on the ISD and main site pages.
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