Hiba Academy Shanghai vs Lucton School Shanghai

	H Hiba Academy Shanghai Shanghai, China	L Lucton School Shanghai Shanghai, China
Snapshot	Snapshot
Fees / year	Fees / year RMB 170,000 - 220,000	Fees / year RMB 195,000 - 255,000
Age range	Age range 6 - 18 years	Age range 12 - 18 years
Type	Type Co-educational	Type Co-educational (boarding)
Curriculum	Curriculum Chinese National Curriculum, British Curriculum, Cambridge IGCSE, IB (DP)	Curriculum British Curriculum, EYFS (Early years foundation stage), Cambridge IGCSE, Cambridge A Levels
Pupils	Pupils 1,400	Pupils —
Typical class size	Typical class size —	Typical class size —
Instruction language	Instruction language Mandarin, English	Instruction language English, Mandarin
Opened	Opened 2018	Opened 2018
Bus service	Bus service No	Bus service No
Essentials	Essentials
Location	Location Hiba Academy Shanghai is at No. 235 Linyao Road, Pudong New Area, Shanghai (200126). The school is in Pudong (near the Qiantan / Front Beach international business area) and is reachable via Pudong transport links; the address and location are listed on the school website.	Location Lucton School Shanghai is in Pudong New Area, at 90 Puhong West Road (上海浦东新区浦红西路90号) on a dedicated boarding campus. The school site and contact page list this postal address and campus location. For practical commuting or public-transport details the website does not give a full schedule — contact admissions for current travel advice.
Stages	Stages The school is organised into Primary, Junior High and High School. The Junior High section is described as covering grades/years 6–9; curriculum pages detail offerings for each level.	Stages Lucton is an upper‑school (Year 10–13) serving students aged about 14–18: Years 10–11 follow two‑year IGCSE courses and Years 12–13 follow two‑year A Level courses. The admissions booklet and curriculum pages set out the IGCSE and A Level structure.
School type	School type Hiba Academy Shanghai is a private (民办), Chinese–English bilingual school that operates as a day school; the site describes a mixed Chinese and expatriate teaching team and a ‘nationalised' private high school model. The website does not advertise boarding or residential provision.	School type The school is an independent, full‑boarding, mixed‑gender (boys and girls) British‑curriculum school. The admissions material and the boarding pages describe Lucton as a 100% boarding school for its student cohort.
Pupil nationality mix	Pupil nationality mix —	Pupil nationality mix —
Additional learning support	Additional learning support The school has an Inclusion Team that provides individual and group counselling and learning support; staff work with teachers to develop individualised support plans for pupils with additional needs.	Additional learning support The school offers ESL (English as a Second Language) support and an academic/pastoral team (academic tutors, house staff and a school nurse) with supervised study and evening prep. The school's public materials do not describe extended special‑needs provision, and an independent school directory notes the school is not currently able to recruit students with significant special learning needs — parents with specific SEN requirements should contact admissions to discuss individual cases.
Country affiliation	Country affiliation Hiba Academy Shanghai is governed within the Wellington College Education (China) group and is linked to Wellington College in England (the governance pages describe WCEC oversight and the Wellington connection).	Country affiliation Lucton School Shanghai follows a British curriculum and is presented as an extension of the Lucton (UK) tradition; the school materials link the Shanghai campus to Lucton's UK history and curriculum model.
Religious affiliation	Religious affiliation The school website does not list any religious affiliation; its materials and governance information present the school as a secular, bilingual/academic institution.	Religious affiliation The school's published materials do not indicate any religious affiliation; Lucton Shanghai presents itself as a secular British‑curriculum boarding school.
School day structure	School day structure The website describes lesson programmes, wellbeing lessons, breaks and school lunches but does not publish specific daily start and finish times. For exact daily hours (and any year-level differences) the school asks parents to contact admissions.	School day structure A typical weekday timetable (example from the school booklet) shows breakfast 07:10–08:10, lessons from 08:10 with breaks and staggered lunches, co‑curricular/activity blocks from around 16:40–18:20, supper 18:20–19:00, evening prep 19:00–20:00, free time 20:00–21:30 and lights‑out at about 22:30. The admissions booklet provides this sample timetable and a more detailed school timetable in the handbooks.
Bus service details	Bus service details The school provides a daily school-bus service (available for pupils in Grade 1 and above) and states it cooperates with a professional transport provider to run routes; specific routes, stops and registration are managed through the school's admissions/school services team. For practical details contact admissions at admissions.has@hibaacademy.org or the school phone.	Bus service details The school notes shuttle/coach transport is used for off‑campus activities such as sports and trips, and the boarding handbook sets out arrival/drop‑off procedures for return days. The website and handbooks do not list a regular daily commuter bus route for day pupils (the school is 100% boarding), so parents should contact the admissions office for specific transport arrangements, schedules or third‑party providers.
Fees	Fees
Fee details	Fee details Application fees - Hiba Academy Shanghai does not charge or accept any application or admissions fees. Tuition fees (per semester and per academic year) - Primary (Grades 1–5): Semester I RMB 85,000; Semester II RMB 85,000 — Annual total RMB 170,000. - Junior High (Grades 6–9): Semester I RMB 98,000; Semester II RMB 98,000 — Annual total RMB 196,000. - High School (Grades 10–12): Semester I RMB 110,000; Semester II RMB 110,000 — Annual total RMB 220,000. Billing schedule and payment terms - Tuition is published on a per‑semester basis (Semester I and Semester II) for the 2025–2026 academic year. No specific invoice dates, payment deadlines or detailed late‑payment terms are published on the school's public admissions or parent resources pages. Boarding fees - Hiba Academy Shanghai does not operate a boarding programme; the school provides a daily school bus service for pupils in Grade 1 and above (bus service fees are charged separately). Other costs and typical additional charges - Meal fee: RMB 37.5 per meal (charged on actual consumption). - School bus fee: RMB 10,750 per semester (within 15 km) or RMB 12,250 per semester (over 15 km). - Uniform fee: published per set by grade and gender (examples: Boys G1‑2 RMB 3,575; Girls G1‑2 RMB 4,040). The school operates an online uniform shop and provides an online purchasing guide. - Voluntary extras charged separately by external providers: co‑curricular activities, school trips/events and individual instrumental tuition — these are billed separately and paid directly to providers. Refund information - The school's public admissions and parent resources pages note fee items but do not publish a detailed refund policy or specific refund procedures; the site does state government subsidies (where applicable) are deducted from tuition. No explicit refund schedule or terms are published on those pages. Fee payment options - The school's public admissions and parent resources pages list fees and suppliers (e.g., the online uniform shop) but do not publish a comprehensive list of accepted payment methods (bank transfer, card, Alipay/WeChat, etc.) or payment portal details. For the uniform shop the school links to an external online shop for orders.	Fee details Application fees - Admission deposit (入学意向金): RMB 20,000. This deposit is non‑refundable and is credited against the first year's tuition once the student enrolls. Tuition fees (annual and per‑term equivalents) - Annual tuition: RMB 195,000 per academic year. The school's published fee schedule shows a single annual tuition for its secondary/IGCSE–A Level programme rather than different tariffs by year group. - Termly equivalent: the school requires full‑year payment and does not publish termly billing; as an arithmetic equivalent (not published by the school), RMB 195,000 divided into three equal terms would be RMB 65,000 per term. (The school's published policy is to collect the full annual tuition.) Billing schedule and payment terms - The school states that parents are required to pay one year's tuition in a single payment (one‑off annual payment). The admission deposit is payable to secure a place and is non‑refundable. No separate termly billing schedule is published. Boarding and catering fees - Boarding fee (annual): RMB 34,700 per year. - Meals / catering fee (annual): RMB 25,300 per year. Other costs and charges - The following are explicitly stated as not included in the published tuition and are charged separately as applicable: private music tuition, school uniform, personal sports equipment, textbooks, external examination fees, and school trips or activities outside the published teaching programme. The school issues bills or separate notices for these items and charges according to the student's actual participation. A sibling discount of 20% on annual tuition for direct siblings is listed. Refund information - The admission deposit of RMB 20,000 is non‑refundable (it is offset against the first year's tuition after enrollment). No further published general refund schedule for tuition or boarding is provided on the school's fee page. Fee payment options - The school's published fee page does not specify accepted payment methods (for example, bank transfer, credit card or other channels) or detailed invoicing instructions. Payment method details are not listed on the published fee page.
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 Hiba Academy Shanghai delivers a bilingual, China–international integrated curriculum from primary through senior secondary, combining the Chinese national curriculum with internationally recognised programmes. Primary years use 部编版语文 and Shanghai curriculum standards alongside immersive English, bilingual mathematics, inquiry learning, the arts, physical education and ICT. The junior-high programme (Grades 6–9) continues the bilingual model, follows national curriculum requirements while introducing broader subject depth (e.g., split sciences, geography, history, and expanded arts and PE) to prepare students for international courses. Senior secondary offers Cambridge IGCSE (age 14–16, across a wide subject range) followed by the two‑year International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme in Grades 11–12; the school is both a Cambridge International School and an IB World School. The high school also provides structured university and career guidance (a “Five Year Roadmap”) to support IGCSE/IB subject choices and tertiary applications.	Curriculum details Lucton School Shanghai follows a British secondary pathway: Years 10–11 study IGCSE and Years 12–13 study two‑year A‑Level programmes, with ESL support for English learners. The IGCSE offer (Years 10–11) includes core academic English, Chinese and Mathematics and a broad range of options such as Additional Mathematics, Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Business, Economics, Computer Science, Design & Technology, Art & Design, Music, PE, Global Perspectives, Psychology, Drama and Japanese. At A Level (Years 12–13) students normally take three to four subjects from options including English, Chinese, Mathematics and Further Mathematics, Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Economics, Business, Computer Science, Design & Technology, Art & Design, Psychology, Music, Drama and modern languages; the school also offers an extended independent research qualification (EPQ/IPQ) and academic English preparation. Examinations are taken through standard UK international exam boards (Cambridge/CAIE, Edexcel and Oxford AQA) and the school is listed as an authorised centre for A‑Level examinations. The academic programme is complemented by STEAM, sports, music and other co‑curricular activities and is delivered in a full‑boarding, small‑cohort secondary setting for Years 10–13.
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. Decide eligibility and read the school's published admissions rules. Parents should confirm age and residency criteria (for example, the 2025 brochure specifies primary applicants born between 1 Sep 2018 and 31 Aug 2019 and that the school's招生范围 is Pudong). Confirm whether your child is applying as a local-age candidate, a直升 (internal promotion) candidate, or as an插班/transfer — each category has different documentary requirements. 2. Prepare required documents and proof of eligibility. For local/统招 places the school and district require identity and residency documentation (e.g., household registration or proof of eligibility) and, for some categories, employer contracts or social-insurance evidence (for staff-child categories). Have originals and clear copies ready because the District Education Bureau will verify资格材料. 3. Submit your application through the official municipal systems during the published window. The brochure and admissions page state that parents must register online through“一网通办” or the 上海市义务教育入学报名系统 in the specified dates (example 2025 windows shown in the 招生简章). Do not pay any third‑party intermediaries; the school states it only accepts direct family applications. If you are applying for an插班/transfer (middle or high school entry outside the unified window), the site asks you to complete the school's information/registration form so the admissions team can follow up. 4. Note selection method and verification steps. For standard义务教育招生 the District organizes分类计划 and (where applicable) conducts computer-based random allocation (电脑随机录取) and dossier verification on specified dates — students who fail verification are not admitted. Parents should watch the official schedule and be prepared to provide any additional verification requested by the district on the verification dates. 5. Understand assessments and interviews (where relevant). The school's public materials for the compulsory-education intake state the school will not run advance tests, interviews or academic exercises for those admissions categories (the brochure lists three commitments to this effect). For non-compulsory or transfer admissions, the school's admissions page indicates the office will contact families after you submit the transfer registration form; follow the admissions officer's instructions about any school assessments or meetings. 6. Offer, acceptance and fees. If an offer is made or a place is allocated, parents must follow the school's instructions and the district's timelines to accept the place and complete enrolment paperwork. The school's published tuition and service fees (term-by-term tuition, canteen, bus, uniform rates) and the statement that the school does not charge application or registration fees are on the admissions/fees page — parents should budget for the listed tuition and voluntary activity fees and confirm the current year's final approved rates with the school. 7. Final enrolment steps and practical matters. After acceptance, complete payment, submit any outstanding documents, and make arrangements for transport, uniforms and optional activities. If you expect to request fee adjustments (for example, as a student who qualifies for public subsidy), discuss this with the admissions office because the site notes some public subsidies will reduce billed tuition.	Admissions 1. Submit the online application and documents. Parents should complete the school's application form and upload required documents through the school's application portal (the site links to luctonstaff.schoolis.cn). Prepare scanned copies of current school reports, passport/ID and any English-language evidence (transcripts, certificates) before you start so the upload step is smooth. 2. Testing and interviews arranged by the admissions office. After you submit the application the school arranges the UKiset online test (the school references the official UKiset site for details), a student oral test and a parent interview; the school lists the test/interview location as Lucton School Shanghai (Pudong). Expect the admissions office to notify you of test dates and the materials the student should prepare (e.g., reading/writing tasks, short presentation or portfolio for arts candidates). 3. Admissions committee review and decision. The school's admissions committee evaluates the application, test results and interview; successful applicants receive either conditional or unconditional offers. If offered a place parents must sign the admissions agreement and pay the non-refundable RMB 20,000 enrollment intention deposit by the specified date — that deposit is credited against the first year's tuition once the student enrolls. 4. Waitlist or non‑acceptance outcomes. The school states that if intake is full applicants will be placed on a waiting list; applicants who do not meet the entrance standard will be informed that they are not accepted. Parents should note the school's wording that placement on the waiting list occurs when places are full, and should keep the admissions office informed of any change in the child's circumstances (e.g., updated reports or test results) while waiting. 5. Final enrolment steps before term starts. Once the tuition payment deadline is met and documents/forms are returned, the school will confirm enrolment and invite the family to the school's orientation/enrolment guidance day; the site also notes that tuition for the year is normally collected in a single payment. Parents should check the school's invoice and receipts carefully, and be ready to pay additional out-of-fee items (books, private music lessons, extracurricular trips) which are billed separately.
Scholarships	Scholarships The school publishes two named scholarship programmes and guidance on applying: - “叔蘋奖学金”: a high‑level Wellington (China) group scholarship aimed at academically and behaviourally strong students from domestic working‑class households. It is available to students in Year 8 and above; the school states the award level can reach up to 110% of the annual tuition and successful recipients may be able to continue the award to graduation if they meet ongoing conditions. Applicants who receive the scholarship are also offered university‑guidance and career support. Application/selection details are handled by the school; the admissions page describes eligibility and scope. - 惠立奖学金: introduced in 2020 and targeted at students (also from Year 8 and above for 2025–26) who show strong academic, sporting or artistic performance, leadership potential and alignment with 惠立 values. The award can cover up to 50% of annual tuition and is intended to recognise broader contribution to the school community. How to apply and assessment process: applicants are asked to submit a bilingual personal statement (no more than one A4 page) that states the category being applied for and reasons for the application, sent to admissions.has@hibaacademy.org. Successful applicants will be invited to a school scholarship assessment event. The site also refers to additional personalised support programmes — contact admissions for timelines, document templates and current deadlines. Note that scholarship availability, criteria and amounts are published for the 2025–26 cycle on the admissions page; confirm current‑year details with the admissions office before applying.	Scholarships The school publishes a formal scholarship programme with several named categories and clear percentage reductions of tuition. Awards are described as requiring selection by exam and interview and applicants must meet entrance requirements; the main categories listed are: the Peirpont (皮尔蓬特) all-round scholarship (100% tuition reduction), an academic scholarship (50% tuition reduction), and a set of specialist scholarships — arts, music, sports and equestrian — each described as giving 20% off annual tuition. For many categories the page lists required supporting materials for the selection process (examples include transcripts and competition certificates for academic awards; portfolios and recommendation letters for arts; multiple instrument certificates and performance for music; competition records and a recommendation for sports; training videos, certificates and a recommendation for equestrian candidates). All scholarships are awarded as a percentage reduction of tuition (the page states they apply to the tuition component) and the school says awards are reviewed annually — continuation into subsequent years depends on meeting the school's performance expectations. For application deadlines, the scholarship application form and any current availability, the school asks families to contact the admissions office directly.
Waitlist	Waitlist Hiba Academy Shanghai follows the municipal and district procedures for义务教育 allocation rather than operating a conventional school‑run waiting list for its standard intake: the 招生简章 describes classification of plans, district verification and computer random allocation (电脑随机录取) as the official route for admitted students. For internal直升 students there is a separate直升录取 process and published直升结果; for插班/transfer requests the school asks parents to submit an information/registration form and the admissions office will contact families — in practice that creates a contact/interest pool for transfers but the school does not describe a formal, published waitlist mechanism for the unified intake. If you want to be placed on any informal transfer pool or be informed of openings, submit the school's information form and request that the admissions team keep your details on file.	Waitlist Lucton School Shanghai operates a waiting list when admissions are full. The school's published process states that when the intake is full an applicant will be placed on a candidate/WAITLIST rather than being offered immediate admission; the site does not publish details such as waitlist order, typical wait times or explicit prioritisation rules. Because the public page gives only this high-level statement, parents who want to understand their child's current position, expected wait time, or whether any deposit is required if/when a place becomes available should contact the admissions office directly (the site lists phone +86 21 5809 3060 and admin@luctonsh.com).
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