Hangzhou Entel Foreign Language School vs Hangzhou Foreign Languages School
Hangzhou Entel Foreign Language School and Hangzhou Foreign Languages School are both in Hangzhou, about 1 km apart. Both schools offer Cambridge A Levels and Chinese National programmes. Hangzhou Entel Foreign Language School also offers Australian, Cambridge IGCSE, German and Japanese, and Hangzhou Foreign Languages School also offers British and Cambridge International AS Levels. Published annual fees are RMB 61,600 - 150,000 at Hangzhou Entel Foreign Language School and RMB 90,000 at Hangzhou Foreign Languages School, which puts Hangzhou Entel Foreign Language School roughly 18% higher. Hangzhou Entel Foreign Language School takes pupils from 11 to 18, and Hangzhou Foreign Languages School from 12 to 18.
Australian Curriculum, Cambridge IGCSE, Cambridge A Levels, Chinese National Curriculum, German Curriculum, Japanese Curriculum
Curriculum
Chinese National Curriculum, British Curriculum, Cambridge International AS Levels, Cambridge A Levels
Pupils
Pupils
1,300
Pupils
—
Typical class size
Typical class size
6
Typical class size
—
Instruction language
Instruction language
English, English
Instruction language
Mandarin, English
Opened
Opened
2008
Opened
1964
Bus service
Bus service
No
Bus service
No
Essentials
Essentials
Location
Location
Campus address: No.1 Shanghe Road (上和路1号), Yuhang Street, Yuhang District, Hangzhou. The school is in Hangzhou's Yuhang/老余杭 suburban district (near the future‑tech / development areas of Yuhang) — it is reachable by Hangzhou public transport but the school's website gives only the postal/contact details; for exact metro/bus stops or driving directions contact the school or check a map app.
Location
Hangzhou Foreign Languages School (HFLS) is located in the Xiaoheshan higher-education zone in west Hangzhou; the school's English page lists its campus address as 299 LiuHe Road. The campus is part of an area with several universities and research institutes, and Hangzhou's road and public-transport networks connect the district to the city; Shanghai is commonly described as about a two-hour drive away. For exact transit options and commute times from a particular neighbourhood, contact the school or check local maps.
Stages
Stages
The school operates as a combined middle (lower school) and upper school (senior high) and publishes multiple pathways: a domestic (Gaokao) track plus international tracks (A‑Level and country‑specific programmes such as Australian, German and Japanese options).
Stages
HFLS is a secondary school covering middle and high school levels (typically grades 7–12). The school also runs an international/A‑Level programme (the “Cambridge”/A‑Level centre) for senior students as a separate international track.
School type
School type
Hangzhou Entel is a private (民办) full‑time secondary school (initially founded 2008) that includes both junior‑ and senior‑middle years; the school runs international programme streams alongside national curriculum classes. Several school listings indicate on‑campus boarding is available for some students.
School type
HFLS is a public, co‑educational secondary school administered under Zhejiang provincial education authorities. The main campus includes dormitory buildings and the school operates boarding for some students/programmes (for example the A‑Level programme uses a boarding model).
Pupil nationality mix
Pupil nationality mix
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Pupil nationality mix
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Additional learning support
Additional learning support
The school's public profile highlights a low student‑to‑teacher ratio (about 1:6) and small‑class/specialized small‑class teaching (10–20 students), which can support closer teacher attention; the official site does not publish a dedicated Special Educational Needs (SEN) policy or detailed SEN provisions, so parents with specific support needs should contact the admissions office directly to discuss individual arrangements.
Additional learning support
The school's public materials (official English page and municipal summaries) do not list detailed Additional Learning Needs/SEN services or a dedicated SEN department. Parents of children with assessed learning needs should contact the school's admissions or student‑support office directly to discuss individual provisions and any possible accommodations.
Country affiliation
Country affiliation
The school is a Chinese school (located and registered in Hangzhou) offering international curricula but it is not presented as affiliated to a foreign national education authority.
Country affiliation
HFLS is a Chinese public school managed under the Zhejiang Provincial Education Department; it is not affiliated with another country.
Religious affiliation
Religious affiliation
No religious affiliation is indicated on the school website or in its public profile; the school is presented as secular.
Religious affiliation
The school does not list any religious affiliation in its official descriptions or public profiles.
School day structure
School day structure
The school's website gives programme and contact information but does not publish a daily timetable (start/end times, lesson periods or exact break/lunch times). Local and provincial practice allows schools some flexibility in scheduling, so exact day structure and boarding routines vary by year group — please ask the school for a current daily timetable and boarding routines.
School day structure
The school's public website describes campus facilities (teaching buildings, canteens and dormitories) but does not publish a daily timetable or exact start/end times. Boarding students typically follow an extended day that includes evening study sessions; parents should request the current daily schedule (start/end times, break and meal arrangements) directly from the school.
Bus service details
Bus service details
The school's own site does not describe a school‑bus provider or published routes. Local school listings and parent information pages note that Entel operates coordinated student transport (school buses / weekend pickups reported by local sources), but those listings do not give route/provider details; for approved routes, pickup points, safety procedures and fee arrangements contact the school's admissions or logistics office.
Bus service details
There is no clear public listing of regular school‑run bus routes on HFLS's English website or municipal profiles; some neighbouring schools in Hangzhou do operate dedicated school buses, so arrangements vary locally. If a school bus is essential for your family, contact HFLS admissions or the front office for up‑to‑date information on any routes, pick‑up points, costs and booking procedures (the school's English contact details and address are shown on its website).
Fees
Fees
Fee details
Fee details
Application fees - No specific, separate application or registration fee amount is publicly listed in the school's available admissions materials or common public summaries.
Tuition fees — by year group (amounts shown per semester unless otherwise noted) - Primary / elementary: approximately RMB 30,800 per semester. - Junior high (初中): approximately RMB 40,000–40,700 per semester. - Senior high (普通班): approximately RMB 40,700 per semester. Senior-high program fees vary by curriculum track: English/US/Australia/A‑Level oriented tracks are reported higher (examples in public sources show up to RMB 50,000 per semester for some international-track cohorts), and some “foreign-language specialty” tracks are reported at a higher level (examples of RMB 75,000 per semester appear in public summaries). Exact program pricing differs by track.
Billing schedule and payment terms - Core tuition and boarding fees are charged on a per‑semester basis (学期收取). Miscellaneous service fees such as meals, insurance and uniforms are charged separately and are described as collected according to actual use. Meal charges are commonly handled via the campus IC (prepaid) system in public summaries.
Boarding fees (where applicable) - Boarding for junior-high and high-school students is reported in public summaries at approximately RMB 3,000–4,000 per semester (examples include RMB 3,000; RMB 3,500; RMB 4,000 in different years/programs).
Other costs and typical additional charges - School meals: examples show about RMB 2,800 per semester (charged via campus meal/IC card top‑up in cited summaries). - Uniforms: publicly cited approximate cost about RMB 2,500 (one‑off, variable by year). - Insurance and incidental costs: items such as student safety/accident insurance and selected course materials are described as charged as required (examples list insurance ~RMB 310 in past summaries).
Refund information - Publicly available summaries do not provide a detailed, school‑level tuition refund schedule; service items such as meal fees are described in public materials as accounted for on use and adjusted (多退少补) where applicable. No specific school refund table was located in the cited public sources.
Fee payment options - Meal and campus service payments are reported to be handled through the campus IC/prepaid card system. Public summaries do not list a complete, definitive set of tuition payment channels (bank details, online portal or card acceptance) for tuition in the sources reviewed. For billing the school lists contact details for administrative inquiries.
Fee details
Application fees - The school's published admissions notices for the Cambridge (中英合作/剑桥) programme show online registration steps but do not list a separate non‑refundable application or registration fee.
Tuition fees — by programme (per term / per academic year) - Cambridge International High School (杭州外国语学校 剑桥国际高中): RMB 45,000 per semester — i.e., RMB 90,000 per standard two‑semester academic year. - Mainland/domestic programmes (main campus primary, junior and senior sections): the school is a public (province‑level) boarding full‑time school; the school's public materials do not publish a single consolidated per‑term tuition table for domestic mainstream classes on the admissions pages consulted. Any domestic programme charges follow applicable public/municipal fee approvals rather than the international‑programme tariff published for the Cambridge project.
Billing schedule and payment terms - For the Cambridge programme the tuition is stated and charged on a per‑semester basis (RMB 45,000/semester). Specific invoicing dates, payment deadlines and any instalment arrangements are set and communicated by the school's finance/admissions office and are not given in the publicly posted admission notice.
Boarding fees (if applicable) - The school operates as a boarding (寄宿制) school. Boarding or accommodation costs are not included in the published RMB 45,000/semester Cambridge tuition and are shown as separate charge items; no fixed boarding fee amount is published in the admissions notice consulted.
Other costs and typical exclusions - The school explicitly states the published Cambridge tuition does not include: career/college guidance fees, textbooks, accommodation, school uniform, study supplies, certain cooperative elective course fees, international/global examination fees and student‑selected external examination fees. Expect additional items such as cafeteria/meal charges, exam registration fees (e.g., Cambridge/IGCSE/A‑level global exam fees), and optional activity or trip costs.
Refund information - A public refund policy or detailed refund schedule is not included in the school's published admissions statement for the Cambridge project; refund rules (if any) are handled by the school's finance/administration and should be confirmed at invoice/contract stage.
Fee payment options (typical practice) - The school's admissions materials do not list specific payment channels. Common methods used by Chinese schools and universities for tuition are bank transfer/electronic bank payment, school online payment portals or campus account deduction; for international payments families often use bank telegraphic transfer or third‑party educational payment platforms (Flywire / similar). Confirm accepted methods, payee account details and currency with the school finance office when you receive an invoice.
Diving deeper
Diving deeper
Boarding arrangements
Boarding arrangements
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Boarding arrangements
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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
Hangzhou Entel Foreign Language School operates an integrated 6‑year lower/middle school and an upper school that runs both a domestic (Gaokao) track and an overseas track offering A‑Level, Australian, German and Japanese pathways. The lower/middle school follows a 6‑year model with small classes (maximum 36, with math and foreign‑language classes split into 18–20), a mentor system, and more than 70 elective/enrichment courses including second‑language study. The upper‑school domestic track prepares students for China's Gaokao with small‑class teaching, individualized mentoring and implementation of the “3 out of 7” subject‑choice reform. The overseas track provides distinct pathways: an A‑Level programme for UK/US/Canada/Australia/Hong Kong/Singapore admission, an Australian programme aligned to the Group of Eight (with a 2.5‑year high‑school pathway), a German programme routed via Aachen University of Applied Sciences for entry to North Rhine‑Westphalia universities, and a Japanese programme preparing students for four‑year undergraduate study in Japan. Across stages students receive transition programmes (e.g., a 2.5+3.5 transition option), university‑placement guidance and research‑oriented enrichment to support progression to domestic or international qualifications.
Curriculum details
Hangzhou Foreign Languages School (杭外) is a public, integrated junior‑and‑senior middle school (grades 7–12) directly administered under Zhejiang education authorities. It delivers the national compulsory curriculum at both junior and senior stages while emphasising foreign‑language specialism and offering English plus multiple additional languages (French, German, Japanese, Spanish, Russian, Arabic, Italian). The junior‑middle programme (初中, years 7–9) follows the standard national syllabus supplemented by language immersion, small‑class and a “one‑major, one‑minor” language teaching model with elective options. The senior‑middle programme (高中, years 10–12) prepares students for the national senior‑high diploma/Gaokao pathway and also operates a Cambridge international high‑school programme (剑桥国际高中项目) that readies students for Cambridge global examinations (this programme is run separately and has its own fee structure). The school is one of the Education Ministry‑recognised foreign‑language schools with qualification to recommend students under foreign‑language recommendation quotas and integrates language, culture and critical thinking across its curriculum.
Student teacher ratio
Student teacher ratio
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Student teacher ratio
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Exam results
Exam results
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Exam results
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Higher education progression
Higher education progression
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Higher education progression
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Gifted and talented
Gifted and talented
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Gifted and talented
—
Academic calendar
Academic calendar
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Academic calendar
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Wellbeing & support
Wellbeing & support
Social & emotional learning
Social & emotional learning
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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
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English as an additional language
—
Mental wellbeing
Mental wellbeing
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Mental wellbeing
—
Safeguarding
Safeguarding
—
Safeguarding
—
Safeguarding policy
Safeguarding policy
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Safeguarding policy
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Facilities
Facilities
Facilities overview
Facilities overview
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Facilities overview
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Sports facilities
Sports facilities
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Sports facilities
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Academic facilities
Academic facilities
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Academic facilities
—
Extra curricular facilities
Extra curricular facilities
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Extra curricular facilities
—
Parent experience
Parent experience
History
History
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History
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Community
Community
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Community
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Parent teacher association
Parent teacher association
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Parent teacher association
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Extra-curricular
Extra-curricular
Academic & intellectual
Academic & intellectual
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Academic & intellectual
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Arts & creative
Arts & creative
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Arts & creative
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Cultural & language
Cultural & language
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Cultural & language
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Social & hobbies
Social & hobbies
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Social & hobbies
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Community & service
Community & service
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Community & service
—
Leadership & professional
Leadership & professional
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Leadership & professional
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Lifestyle & wellbeing
Lifestyle & wellbeing
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Lifestyle & wellbeing
—
Language provision
Language provision
Language provision
Language provision
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Language provision
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Bilingual teaching
Bilingual teaching
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Bilingual teaching
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Immersion programs
Immersion programs
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Immersion programs
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Reputation
Reputation
Awards
Awards
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Awards
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Accreditations
Accreditations
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Accreditations
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Admissions
Admissions
Admissions
Admissions
1. Confirm eligibility and key dates. Parents should first check whether their child meets the school's geographic /学籍 requirements (the school's published guidance has historically given priority to students with Zhejiang /余杭区 or 临平区学籍 or qualifying local residency status); eligibility rules and the specific registration window are set each year by the school and district — for example the 2025特色班 published timeline used mid-May online registration and school recommendation steps.
2. Online registration and school recommendation. For specialty/high‑track places (e.g., the 2025 语言特色班) parents must complete the online registration form during the stated window (in 2025 that was May 17–20) and the student's current school must complete and submit the official recommendation form and supporting paperwork by the school deadline; the recommendation form is required and each student may normally only be recommended to one specialty class. Parents should note the exact online time window and keep copies/screenshots of submissions and QR codes used to register.
3. Prepare and submit documents for qualification review. After online registration, the school's admissions team performs a materials check and qualifies candidates before they progress; required paperwork (per the published process) includes the signed recommendation form, photocopies of relevant award certificates or special‑talent proofs, and whatever identity /学籍 documents the district requires. Parents should confirm early with the child's current school which paper documents must be delivered to the receiving school by the stated deadline (the 2025 process required the home junior high to forward verified paper materials).
4. Attend the school's entrance assessment and interview. For the 2025 language‑specialty intake the school organised a school‑run language assessment (pen‑and‑paper English test plus an oral interview) on a stated date (May 25, 2025); the written paper in that instance was 120 minutes and the oral interview was scored separately. Admissions are then based on a combined score (in 2025 the weighting was 50% school test and 50% the junior‑high academic exam), with explicit cutoffs and publicised ranking — parents should make sure the student brings required ID (ID card or citizen card) on test day and understands the test format in advance.
5. Offer notification, fees and financial‑aid notes. When offers are made the school publishes the admitted list through the district process; the school's 2025 specialty‑class page lists tuition and boarding as reference figures (for 2025 the published figure was RMB 40,700 per semester for tuition and RMB 3,500 per semester for boarding for the specialty/high track) and specifically notes that tuition does not include meals, uniforms, certain elective costs and external exam fees. The same admissions notice also states the school will provide financial support for families in difficulty and awards scholarships to academically excellent students — however the published procedure gives limited public detail about application steps for those supports, so parents who may need aid or who expect merit awards should contact the school's admissions office early for exact criteria and deadlines.
6. Final registration, supervision and appeals. After an offer is accepted families complete final registration and payment as directed by the school and the district; the 2025 guidance also described oversight (district education bureau supervision) and published complaint / supervision phone lines for the admissions process. If a family has questions about placement, eligibility, or a disputed result the published admissions materials list the district admissions office and the school's admissions supervision telephone numbers — contact those numbers rather than relying on informal channels.
Admissions
1. Check eligibility and timetable. Hangzhou Foreign Languages School (杭外) publishes an annual招生方案 with precise eligibility (for 2025 the intake was limited to students with primary school status in Hangzhou's main urban districts) and exact online registration windows; parents must confirm the current year's registration/opening dates on the school website or WeChat account because the school requires online-only registration and will not accept mailed or in-person initial sign-ups.
2. Register online and provide accurate personal information. Parents/guardians must complete the school's online报名 system (via the school website or the official WeChat platform) and ensure the student's name, ID number and in‑school (学籍) information are entered exactly as on official documents; the school explicitly states it will reject applications with inaccurate or unverified information. Keep your login details and watch the system for the registration deadline and any required uploads (e.g., identity or health information).
3. School verification and announcement of preliminary results. After online submission the school reviews each application for scope and eligibility (e.g., district residency and valid primary‑school学籍); families should check the online system on the date the school gives for审核结果 because only verified applicants proceed to the next stage. If the school finds missing or false information it may disqualify the application, so bring correctly issued identity documents if the system requests later verification.
4. Computerised allocation (派位) to select candidates for assessment. When applications exceed a set multiple of planned places the school conducts a supervised电脑派位 (for 2025 the ratio to determine the assessment pool was 1:6); parents should note the exact time the platform publishes派位 results and understand that the draw is done under municipal/provincial supervision and public‑security/公证 oversight. If overall applicants do not exceed the designated multiple, all applicants proceed to the next stage rather than being excluded by the draw.
5. Language‑learning ability assessment (语言学习能力测评). Students selected by派位 (or where numbers are lower than the threshold, all applicants) attend a school‑organised language learning ability test on the published date and at the published location; the assessment is used to evaluate language interest and aptitude and is a core criterion for admission. Parents must print and bring the test permit/准考证 and a valid ID; the school's notice specifies the testing venue and the items excluded/required (e.g., health suitability for boarding where applicable).
6. Final admission decisions and follow‑up formalities. Admission is offered based on the combined process (eligibility,派位 where used, and language assessment results) and in some cases on further selection rules for specialised streams (for example, the school's剑桥高中项目 uses separate English‑proficiency testing and ranking procedures). Once admitted parents must complete registration and any required fee payments or document submissions by the deadlines published in the offer notice; watch the school's system and WeChat for post‑offer instructions and the consequences of missing reporting deadlines.
Scholarships
Scholarships
The school's official admissions material for recent intakes states two things about financial support: the school will provide funding support for families with genuine economic difficulty and will award scholarships to students with strong academic performance. The admissions notice for 2025 specifically says the school will provide '经费支持' to families in need and '奖学金' for academically outstanding students, but it does not publish a detailed, public step‑by‑step application process or fixed scholarship amounts in that notice — parents should contact the admissions office for the current scheme, eligibility criteria and application deadlines. Separately, the school's programme pages report that graduates in certain overseas tracks have received full university scholarships (for example the Australian programme page notes some students received full scholarships totalling roughly AUD 100,000–200,000 annually), which describes external university scholarships obtained by students rather than an internal tuition‑waiver programme administered by the school. If you want exact, current details (types of school awards available, whether awards are renewable, application deadlines, means‑testing requirements, and how scholarship decisions are made), I can contact the admissions office for you or provide the school's published contact points so you can enquire directly.
Scholarships
Public admissions notices and the school's recent intake documents do not list any school‑run scholarship programme for the junior‑high public intake; the 2025招生方案 focuses on eligibility,派位 and language measurement and states the收费标准 for junior high follows municipal public‑school rules (it does not advertise need‑based or merit scholarships in that notice). For the school's international/high‑school (剑桥) programme there is a clearly stated fee schedule (the 剑桥项目 is recorded in local fee filings as 45,000 RMB per semester) and those programme notices similarly list which charges are excluded (textbooks, accommodation, some exams, etc.) but do not describe a published scholarship scheme—families asking about fee reductions, need‑based assistance or programme‑level scholarships should contact the school's finance or admissions office directly because any special awards or hardship assistance are typically handled case‑by‑case or through municipal student aid channels rather than via the standard admission notice.
Waitlist
Waitlist
The school's published admissions procedures for the 2024–2026 cycles (as presented in the school's 特色班 /招生简章 materials) do not describe a separate, formal public “waiting‑list” process; instead, the process ranks candidates by the stated combination of the school assessment and the district examination and then fills the planned places in order. The 2025 specialty‑class guidance makes clear that students who are not admitted in that round may continue to fill later district application rounds (i.e., submit first/second‑batch preferences) rather than being automatically held on a school‑level waiting list. Because the school and district sometimes handle residual places or mid‑year openings differently, parents who want to know whether a formal school waitlist exists in a given year should confirm directly with the admissions office (the school publishes admissions contact and district supervision numbers).
Waitlist
The school's published procedure (most recently the 2025 plan) describes an online registration, an audit, a supervised computerised allocation to identify candidates for the language assessment, and then selection by measured results. In that scheme the computer派位 is the mechanism used to determine the assessment pool (e.g., 1:6 in 2025) and the school's notice does not set out a separate ongoing public “waitlist” process in the admissions announcement itself; if the number of applicants does not exceed the multiple, all applicants go forward to testing. Families should still monitor the online system and the school's announcements after the main offers are issued: in many local admissions systems any post‑offer vacancies are handled by the education authority or by published补录/候补规则 and are filled in order, so if you want to know whether a ranked候补 list will be published you should ask the school's招生办公室 or the local education bureau for the specific year's practice.