QSI International School of Dongguan

No. 8, Yuwu Commercial Street, Dongcheng District, Dongguan — the campus is in the Dongcheng area across from Liuhua Park and is close to the Liuhua Park metro stop, making it reasonably accessible by public transport and local taxis. (Address and campus location on the school website).

The school offers programs from Preschool through Secondary (preschool, elementary, middle school and secondary levels). Age-based placement is used across the programs.

QSI Dongguan is a nonprofit, English-language international day school that is U.S.-accredited (operating under the QSI network's curriculum and accreditation). The school is co-educational and there is no mention of boarding facilities.

The school runs an Intensive English program for students needing extra English-language support and lists counseling services and an on-site nurse as part of student services. A third‑party school directory also notes a Learning Resource/learning‑support role for students with special learning needs; families should contact the school directly to discuss specific SEN provisions and whether the school can meet an individual child's needs.

The school is part of Quality Schools International (an international nonprofit school network) and follows a U.S.-accredited, English-language program; it is not listed as being affiliated with any single national embassy or church.

No religious affiliation is stated on the school website; the school presents itself as a secular international school.

School hours: Preschool (2–4 year olds) can be half‑day (8:30 AM–12:30 PM) or full‑day (8:30 AM–2:45 PM); for 5‑year‑old classes through Secondary IV the full day runs 8:30 AM–4:00 PM. (Refer to the school's published school hours for exact timing and any program-specific variations).

QSI Dongguan offers daily school‑bus transportation with scheduled pick‑ups from a number of neighbourhoods and apartment complexes (examples listed include Dongcheng areas such as Dynatown, New World Garden, Wanda Mansion, plus Houjie, Nancheng and Songshan Lake stops). The school names a Transportation Coordinator for enquiries and asks families to contact the school for route details and availability.

QSI International School of Dongguan follows QSI's mastery-learning approach and an American-style curriculum that is reviewed on a seven-year cycle and aligned with the U.S. Common Core State Standards. Preschool (ages 2–4) is a developmentally appropriate, play-related program with specialist classes (music, computers, art, physical education, Chinese), daily routines and growth reports issued three times per year. Elementary (Kindergarten/5‑year‑old and ages 6–11) covers Reading, Writing, Mathematics, Science, Cultural Studies, Art, Music, PE and integrated technology; Mandarin is taught as a foreign language and status reports are issued five times per year. Middle School (ages 11–13) provides Mathematics, Literature/Writing, Science, Cultural Studies/History, Technology, Art, Music and PE, with Mandarin (and French) as foreign languages and unit-based crediting to prepare students for Secondary. Secondary (ages 14–18, Secondary I–IV) is a full secondary program offering math, laboratory sciences, world cultural studies/history, world literature/English, art, music, PE, Mandarin and French; students follow an eight-class schedule, may take Advanced Placement (AP) courses and sit SAT/AP exams on campus. Graduation qualifications offered are: General Diploma (220 credits), Academic Diploma (240 credits) and Academic with Honors (240 credits plus completion of at least two AP courses); the school lists AP offerings such as AP Art, Economics, English, Calculus, Biology, Chemistry, Psychology and History.

QSI Dongguan provides school-wide social and emotional support through its on-site counseling service; the school states that Ms. Allison Levine (American certified counselor) serves students aged 2–18 and runs both individual and group programs. Elementary and middle-school students may be placed in small counseling groups for character-building, self-care, and peer-relationship work, while middle and secondary students have weekly open groups (e.g., boys' and girls' groups, young men's/women's groups) and advisory time for social/emotional follow-up. The secondary program also includes academic advising and college/career counseling coordinated by the counselor. QSI's Success Orientations (trustworthiness, responsibility, concern for others, etc.) are taught and evaluated separately from academic outcomes and are integrated into school practice. These details are published on the school's Counseling and Success Orientations pages.

The school's publicly available pages and its Parent & Student Handbook describe supports such as advisory time and individualized academic placement but do not provide a dedicated statement of special educational needs (SEN) or a published Learning Support team for QSI Dongguan. The Parent & Student Handbook and Student Services pages outline advisory, placement, and referral processes but do not specify the types or levels of special needs the school can formally support. Therefore, QSI Dongguan does not appear to publicly disclose a detailed SEN policy or the specific kinds of SEN it can accommodate on its website. For clarification about individual cases, the handbook directs families to contact school leadership (Director of Instruction / Director).

QSI Dongguan operates a formal Intensive English program for students whose English fluency is below what is needed for mainstream classes; the program uses smaller classes and a higher teacher-to-student ratio to accelerate fluency and comprehension. The school names an Intensive English Coordinator (Velma Coccellato) and lists assessment tools used for placement and monitoring, including STAR Early Literacy, Fountas & Pinnell, MAP, and writing samples. The stated goal is to move students into a full mainstream schedule as quickly as appropriate, with progress tracked by those assessments. Information about placement, program structure, coordinator name, and assessment tools is published on the school's Intensive English page and in the Parent & Student Handbook.

Mental wellbeing support is provided through the school counselor's individual and group counseling services, regular middle- and secondary-school group sessions, and weekly advisory time where student welfare is reviewed. The Child Protection and Health & Safety information notes an on-site health clinic with a certified nurse and campus security measures that contribute to student wellbeing and safety. The Parent & Student Handbook describes the advisory system and lines of communication (teacher → Director of Instruction → Director) for raising concerns about a student's wellbeing. The school's published pages make clear that counseling, advisory time, nurse services, and health/safety procedures form the primary documented avenues for supporting student mental wellbeing.

QSI Dongguan publishes a Child Protection page that links to a Child Protection Policy & Handbook and states the school adheres to CEESA safeguarding commitments; the page affirms that safeguarding and child protection are priorities and that the school implements prevention and intervention practices. The site describes measures including regular on-site training, safe recruitment practices, educating students and adults on child protection, campus ID-card entry and visitor sign-in, and an on-site health clinic. The Child Protection page and the linked handbook are the school's primary public sources for its safeguarding policies and procedures. For the full policy text and reporting procedures the school refers readers to the Child Protection Policy & Handbook linked on that page.

1. The school encourages early enquiries because spaces are limited and applications are accepted year‑round. Parents should have the child's passport and basic school history ready when they call or email.

2. Start the online application — Families begin by completing the online application (OpenApply) linked from the school site. The OpenApply application portal is where you upload required documents and submit the initial application; registering an account ahead of time will speed the process. Expect to be asked for basic family, emergency contact, and previous-school information on the form.

3. Gather and submit required documents — The school requests a student passport, parent/guardian passport copies (one copy per child if applicable), school records/transcripts from the previous two years (with English translations if necessary), and an immunization record. For applicants from Hong Kong, Macau, or Taiwan, the portal notes that travel permits are accepted but Hong Kong/Macau ID cards are not. Have certified translations and up‑to‑date immunization records available before you upload.

4. Pay the non‑refundable application fee — After the school receives and reviews your submission, there is a one‑time, non‑refundable application fee of RMB 2,200 (listed on the OpenApply portal). Keep the receipt and confirmation email—this verifies your application has entered the formal admissions queue. Ask the admissions officer where and how to pay if you do not see an automated payment option in the portal.

5. Admissions testing and interview — Placement testing is used to determine appropriate grade-level or course placement. For students aged 6 and up QSI uses the NWEA MAP (Measures of Academic Progress) computerized adaptive tests (Reading, Mathematics, Language Usage), plus a written essay and an interview; other placement or subject tests may be given as needed. For younger students (preschool/elementary) the school describes age-based placement but will still assess literacy and numeracy to place students at the correct achievement level. Parents should prepare their child for a short interview and a writing sample if applicable, and allow time for testing appointments.

6. Review of records, placement decisions, and possible additional testing — The school requests transcripts to inform placement but notes that transcripts alone may not show mastery; they may administer unit tests for credit or additional assessments if a student's prior learning suggests a different placement. Secondary placement is also tied to credits (e.g., fewer than 50 credits = Secondary I; 50+ = Secondary II, etc.), so older students should provide full transcripts and course descriptions where possible. If your child has special educational needs, the school asks for evaluations or IEPs so it can assess whether it can meet those needs; some students with moderate-to-severe needs may be declined if appropriate programs cannot be provided.

7. Offer, deposit and enrolment — If an offer is made the school will issue an acceptance and instructions to secure the place. The Dongguan site and OpenApply state the application fee is non‑refundable, but the school's public pages do not publish a standard acceptance deposit amount or a full fee schedule—parents should request the fee schedule, deposit amount, payment deadlines, and refund policy from admissions before accepting. For current contact and to request tuition/fee details, use the OpenApply contact and the school contact email.

8. Pre‑start requirements and orientation — After the deposit/payment and paperwork are complete, the school will confirm start dates and any orientation arrangements. Ensure immunization records, any medicine/health plans, and emergency contact information are submitted in advance. Ask about bus routes, lunch program options, school calendar (term start/end dates), and family orientation sessions so your child's first days are prepared.

QSI Dongguan's public pages and the OpenApply admissions portal do not list a scholarships or financial‑aid program for the Dongguan campus. Some other QSI campuses publish scholarship policies (for example, scholarship pages exist for other QSI schools such as Bishkek and Zhuhai), which shows that scholarship practice varies by campus and is often administered locally by an advisory board or school committee. If you wish to explore financial assistance, contact QSI Dongguan admissions directly (dongguan@qsi.org or jenny-rong@dongguan.qsi.org) to ask whether any campus-specific scholarships, fee concessions, or hardship funds exist, and what documentation or timelines would apply. If you prefer, ask whether the broader QSI organization offers any centrally managed financial‑aid programs that could apply to Dongguan.

QSI Dongguan's published admissions information does not describe a formal, published waitlist process. The OpenApply admissions notes that applications are accepted throughout the year but recommends applying “sooner rather than later due to limited space,” which indicates capacity constraints may affect timing and offer decisions. Because the school site does not spell out a waitlist/pooling procedure, parents should explicitly ask admissions whether a waiting list is used, how long it typically lasts, whether offers are made from the list by age/grade/application date, and what (if any) fees or deposits are required to hold a future place. For transparency, request the school's current vacancy status for your child's grade when you apply.