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China, Shanghai
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Shanghai Community International School (SCIS) was established in 1996 as one of the first international schools in Shanghai. It began as a single campus in the Changning district with seven teachers and fewer than 50 students, and has since expanded to three campuses serving more than 1,500 students. The school was founded to provide an internationally minded, community-centered education and has developed incrementally since its opening. SCIS is overseen by a Board of Directors appointed under the bylaws of the school's Deed of Foundation.
SCIS describes itself as a diverse, multicultural community — in recent years the school has reported students from more than 65 countries speaking over 45 languages. Community life includes regular, school‑wide and campus events that bring families together, such as the annual Winter Carnival, International Food Fair and campus cultural festivals, plus city‑based learning experiences like guided City Walks. The school also runs many after‑school activities and extended China trips that connect classroom learning with the city and region.
SCIS's parent organization is the Parents and Friends Association (PAFA), founded in May 1996; all SCIS parents are members and are invited to participate. PAFA meets regularly with school leadership to coordinate parent involvement, communicate community needs, raise funds, and support activities that sit outside the regular curriculum. The association organizes and supports major community events — for example, PAFA coordinates the International Food Fair at Hongqiao and has led cultural festivals at the Pudong campus — and maintains a roster of parent clubs (from Mahjong to Hoopers) that provide social and volunteer opportunities. PAFA publishes its mission, vision and goals on the school site and lists campus PAFA contacts and committee members for parents who want to get involved. The association's activities are a primary way families contribute time, resources and cultural programming to the wider SCIS community.
Shanghai Community International School (SCIS) is an International Baccalaureate (IB) Continuum World School founded in 1996 and operating three campuses in Shanghai: Hongqiao Early Childhood (ages 2–6), Hongqiao Main (Grades 2–12) and Pudong (Nursery–Grade 12). SCIS offers the IB Primary Years, Middle Years and Diploma Programmes. The school's tuition is all‑inclusive (examples: school-issued MacBook for Grades 6–12; bus service; school lunches for full-day students are included). Campuses include facilities such as 25m, 6-lane pools, a 700-seat auditorium and a 10,000 sq ft Black Box theatre. SCIS publishes average class-size ranges (Early Childhood 14–18, Lower School 18–20, Upper School 20–22) and highlights language learning (English instruction with Mandarin, EAL, French, Spanish, Korean and Dutch curricular provision and additional extracurricular languages). SCIS also notes recent recognition as an Apple Distinguished School. All points above are taken from the SCIS website.
