Kellett School – Kowloon Bay Preparatory and Senior School vs Yew Chung International School - Secondary
Kellett School – Kowloon Bay Preparatory and Senior School and Yew Chung International School - Secondary are both in Hong Kong, about 3 km apart. Both schools offer Cambridge IGCSE programmes. Kellett School – Kowloon Bay Preparatory and Senior School also offers British, Cambridge A Levels and Pearson Edexcel IGCSE, and Yew Chung International School - Secondary also offers IB. Published annual fees are close, at HK$208,800 - 267,100 for Kellett School – Kowloon Bay Preparatory and Senior School and HK$228,980 - 255,000 for Yew Chung International School - Secondary. Kellett School – Kowloon Bay Preparatory and Senior School takes pupils from 4 to 18, and Yew Chung International School - Secondary from 12 to 17. The two are similar in size, at around 1,550 and 1,250 pupils. Both keep typical class sizes around 23.
British Curriculum, Cambridge IGCSE, Cambridge A Levels, Pearson Edexcel IGCSE
Curriculum
IB (DP), Cambridge IGCSE
Pupils
Pupils
1,550
Pupils
1,250
Typical class size
Typical class size
23
Typical class size
23
Instruction language
Instruction language
English
Instruction language
English, Mandarin
Opened
Opened
2013
Opened
1985
Bus service
Bus service
Yes
Bus service
Yes
Essentials
Essentials
Location
Location
The Kowloon Bay campus is situated in East Kowloon, just across Victoria Harbour from Hong Kong Island. Families can access the school easily via public bus and minibus services, in addition to a dedicated school bus network.
Location
The Secondary Campus is located at 3 To Fuk Road, Kowloon Tong, Hong Kong. The site is in the Kowloon City District with convenient access to transport links.
Stages
Stages
The campus houses both Preparatory (Reception–Year 6) and Senior & Sixth Form (Years 7–13). This structure allows students to begin at age 4 and continue through to age 18 within the same campus.
Stages
This campus provides education from Lower Secondary (Years 7–9) through IGCSE (Years 10–11) and the IB Diploma Programme (Years 12–13).
School type
School type
The school is a co-educational day school. It does not offer boarding facilities.
School type
Co‑educational day school (no boarding) serving secondary level students.
Pupil nationality mix
Pupil nationality mix
—
Pupil nationality mix
—
Additional learning support
Additional learning support
Kellett provides Additional Support Needs (ASN) services, delivered by qualified teachers and assistants. Support may be in-class or targeted depending on individual needs. It is a mainstream school and not a specialist SEN institution.
Additional learning support
YCIS hires Learning Support Teachers to work with students who need extra support academically. They assess learning/emotional needs, collaborate with teachers, and help implement interventions.
Country affiliation
Country affiliation
The school follows the British (English National Curriculum) and is accredited as a British international school.
Country affiliation
The school is not affiliated with any country.
Religious affiliation
Religious affiliation
Kellett has no religious affiliation.
Religious affiliation
The school is founded on Christian values and integrates character education grounded in those values, but it functions as a broad international private institution.
School day structure
School day structure
In the Preparatory School, the day runs from 8:00am to 3:00pm, with a morning break and a lunch break (timings differ slightly by year group). Senior School timetables follow a similar start time and structured breaks through the day.
School day structure
The school does not have their day structure publicly available.
Bus service details
Bus service details
Yes, the school offers a dedicated bus service. The Kowloon Bay service is operated by Lewis Motors Company Limited, with published routes and fees. This service covers multiple districts across Kowloon and Hong Kong Island, providing reliable transport to and from the campus.
Bus service details
The school provides a bus service.
Fees
Fees
Fee details
Fee details
Application Fees Reception – Year 4: HKD 2,000 (non-refundable) Year 5 – Year 13: HKD 2,500 (includes assessment fee; non-refundable)
Annual Capital Levy / Debenture All new offers made after 31 August 2025 require an Annual Capital Levy (ACL) of HKD 40,000 per student. This fee is non-refundable and non-redeemable, supporting the school’s estates and infrastructure. Every student must be covered by a Debenture or ACL.
Annual Association Fee Each family pays an Association Fee of HKD 500 annually, which grants voting rights on Board membership.
Tuition Fees (Per Year)
Reception: HKD 208,800 Years 1 – 6: HKD 214,200 Years 7 – 11 (I/GCSE): HKD 251,400 Years 12 – 13 (A Levels): HKD 267,100
Fees are billed in three instalments per year as follows: Term 1: 40% Term 2: 30% Term 3: 30%
Additional Fees Uniforms, lunch, bus services, overseas educational visits, examination entry fees, and some Extra-Curricular Activities (ECAs) are charged separately. Senior students must provide their own devices (laptops and iPads).
Transportation Fees School bus services are available through external providers. Routes and fees are published annually and invoiced separately by the operators.
Refund Policy Tuition fees are non-refundable once paid for the current or past terms, including in cases of permanent exclusion or required withdrawal.
Payment Options Payments are made via bank transfer. Parents are responsible for any bank charges. Other payment methods are not specified publicly.
A non-refundable, one-off payment of HK$20,000 for all new students joining Secondary.
The Capital Levy supports long-term campus development and infrastructure enhancement.
Debenture
Parents may choose to purchase a non-interest-bearing, refundable debenture (amount not specified in the document).
The debenture will be refunded within 2 months after the student’s last day, provided all school fees are cleared.
Refund Policy
Tuition Fees: No refund or reduction of fees for absence, withdrawal, or dismissal once a term has begun.
If a student withdraws before the start of the school year, tuition already paid for the upcoming term will be refunded, less any outstanding fees.
If a student leaves during the school year, written notice must be submitted at least one full calendar month in advance. If not, one month’s tuition will be charged in lieu of notice.
Payment Methods
The school does not accept cash.
All payments must be made via: Autopay Bank Transfer Crossed Cheque
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
The school follows the English National Curriculum, adapted to its international setting. In the Preparatory School (Reception–Year 6), students study a broad range of subjects, including English, mathematics, science, humanities, expressive arts, and Mandarin. In Senior School (Years 7–9), the curriculum continues with a wide scope of academic and creative subjects, alongside public speaking through LAMDA. In Years 10–11, students prepare for International GCSEs (I/GCSEs) with a choice of subjects from different disciplines. In the Sixth Form (Years 12–13), students specialise through A Levels, supported by additional programmes such as the Extended Project Qualification (EPQ), LAMDA, and a Mini-MBA developed with IE Business School. Instruction is in English, with additional language options including Mandarin, French, and Spanish.
Curriculum details
For students aged around Years 7–13 (12‑18 years), this campus offers lower secondary (Years 7‑9) aligned with the National Curriculum for England, followed by the Cambridge IGCSE (Years 10‑11) and the IB Diploma Programme (Years 12‑13). Instruction is bilingual (English and Chinese) and the Chinese language programme is differentiated for native and non‑native speakers.
1. Initial enquiry and review: Families can apply at any time, as applications are accepted on a rolling basis. Parents are encouraged to review the school’s Admissions Policy and relevant documentation before submitting an application, particularly since places at some year groups are often full.
2. Preparing documents: Applications must include a recent passport-sized photograph of the student, copies of the student’s passport and birth certificate, and Hong Kong ID if applicable. Families must also provide the most recent two years of school reports, if available, to support the application.
3. Application submission and payment: Applications are submitted online via OpenApply, and must be accompanied by the appropriate application fee. These fees are non-refundable.
4. Assessment and placement: Depending on the year group, applicants may be required to attend an assessment to confirm readiness for the curriculum. Placement decisions are made with reference to the school’s admissions criteria and curriculum requirements.
5. Offer and acceptance: If a place is offered, families must secure it through either a debenture or the Annual Capital Levy, as set out in the school’s fees policy. Tuition and other costs are then billed according to the school’s published termly schedule.
Admissions
1.Online Application Applicants complete an online application via YCIS’s admissions portal. Supporting documents must be uploaded, such as passport or HKID, previous school reports, and photos.
2.Review & Eligibility Check The admissions team reviews submitted materials to confirm eligibility (identity documents, prior schooling, etc.).
3.Assessment / Interview Depending on the applicant’s year level, assessments and/or interviews are conducted (written tests, English evaluation, interview) to evaluate academic ability, English proficiency, and social readiness.
4.Placement Decision Based on the assessments and other factors (academic background, language ability, date of birth, learning needs), the school assigns students to the appropriate year level and programme (IGCSE, IB, etc.).
5.Offer & Confirmation If accepted, families receive an offer letter. To secure the place, parents must follow the instructions for fee payment (reservation, debenture, etc.).
6.Waiting Pool / Waitlist (if needed) If a year level is full, successful applicants may be placed into a waiting pool until a vacancy opens. Priority is sometimes given to siblings and internal transfers.
Scholarships
Scholarships
The school does not publicly provide information about scholarships.
Scholarships
The Madam Tsang Chor‑hang Memorial Scholarship This award recognises students with outstanding academic performance across subjects, leadership potential, and service contribution. Recipients may receive a 50% to 100% tuition waiver, and support can last up to 4 years.
Yew Chung Yew Wah Subject & Talent Award This award is given to students excelling in specific subject areas or talents (e.g. music, art, sports). It typically offers 25% to 50% tuition waiver, and is valid for one year.
Yew Chung Yew Wah IGCSE / IB / A Level Award This award targets students performing strongly in IGCSE, IB Diploma, or A Level studies. It may provide 50% to 100% tuition waiver, and the support may span 2 to 4 years.
Waitlist
Waitlist
Kellett states that a waitlist is in operation for certain year groups, and in recent years, classes have been full with families placed on waiting lists. Waitlist movement depends on availability, and parents are advised to maintain contact with the Admissions team for updates.
Waitlist
YCIS operates a waitlist system if classes are at capacity. Applicants who meet the admissions criteria but cannot be offered immediate placement due to full classes are placed on a waitlist. Placement from the waitlist depends on space availability and other factors, such as priority considerations (e.g. siblings already enrolled at the school or debenture holding families).
