Western Academy of Beijing

WAB's campus is in Laiguangying, Chaoyang District (10 Lai Guang Ying Dong Lu), northeast Beijing — about 500 m off Jingmi Lu. The school is near bus stops on Jingmi Lu and is reachable from Line 15 (Cui Ge Zhuang) with local buses to the Ma Nan Li stop; visitor parking is available on campus.

WAB is an Early Childhood–Grade 12 international school, organised into an Early Childhood Center, Elementary School (Junior/Senior Grade 1–Grade 5), Middle School and High School (Grades 9–12). The school follows IB programmes across the sections.

WAB is an independent, non-profit international school and an authorised IB World School. It is co-educational and operates as a day school (no boarding facilities).

WAB uses an integrated student-support model; services include learning support, English as an Additional Language (EAL), counseling, educational psychology and psychological services, and access to therapies such as speech and occupational where needed. Teachers work with the Student Support team and parents to create individualised plans and reasonable adjustments.

The school is an independent international school founded to serve the expatriate community and is not affiliated with a particular country.

WAB is nonsectarian and does not have a religious affiliation.

Standard school hours are 8:30am–3:20pm Monday–Friday. Elementary and Early Childhood bell times and break/lunch windows are published (for example, ES morning break and a lunch window around midday; detailed bell times are available on the school's ‘School Day' page).

WAB runs a student bus service to and from campus; buses typically arrive between 8:00–8:30am and afternoon buses depart around 3:25–3:30pm. The school also offers ASA (after-school activity) buses and a limited ‘late bus' service; families must communicate changes to the Transportation Manager and follow the school's procedures for bus changes. Public city bus lines and subway connections are also listed for families using public transport.

Application fees
- Application fee: RMB 2,100 per applicant (non-refundable).

Annual tuition fees (by year group) — published for 2025–2026
- Early Years (3/4 years old, half day): RMB 146,500 per year.
- Early Years (3/4 years old, full day): RMB 246,500 per year.
- Junior Grade 1 – Senior Grade 1: RMB 293,100 per year.
- Grades 2–5: RMB 314,300 per year.
- Middle School (Grades 6–8): RMB 333,500 per year.
- High School (Grades 9–10): RMB 367,100 per year.
- High School (Grades 11–12): RMB 376,700 per year.

Per-term (per-semester) guidance — calculated
- WAB's academic calendar is structured in two semesters. The per-term figures below are calculated by dividing the published annual fee by two to provide a per-semester amount (this is an inferred per-term breakdown for database use; WAB publishes annual fees).
- Early Years (half day): RMB 73,250 per semester (RMB 146,500 ÷ 2).
- Early Years (full day): RMB 123,250 per semester (RMB 246,500 ÷ 2).
- Junior Grade 1 – Senior Grade 1: RMB 146,550 per semester (RMB 293,100 ÷ 2).
- Grades 2–5: RMB 157,150 per semester (RMB 314,300 ÷ 2).
- Middle School (Grades 6–8): RMB 166,750 per semester (RMB 333,500 ÷ 2).
- High School (Grades 9–10): RMB 183,550 per semester (RMB 367,100 ÷ 2).
- High School (Grades 11–12): RMB 188,350 per semester (RMB 376,700 ÷ 2).

Billing schedule and payment terms
- Returning students: full annual tuition is due by April 30, 2025.
- Newly admitted students: tuition fees must be paid within 21 calendar days of the invoice date.
- A non-refundable portion of RMB 30,000 of the annual tuition is required each school year to secure a student's enrollment.
- Prorated tuition is available for students enrolling after the October break: a 10% reduction of tuition per calendar month applies from October (excluding the non-refundable RMB 30,000).
- Late payments incur a surcharge of 2% per month on overdue balances.

Boarding fees
- Boarding is not applicable; WAB does not operate a boarding programme.

Other costs and common additional fees
- Laptops and calculators: students are required to purchase their own laptops and calculators (cost borne by the family).
- Lunch and snacks: not included in tuition; lunch purchases via SmartCard typically range from RMB 30 to RMB 45 per meal.
- Optional/extra-cost items not covered by tuition: intercity travel for competitions, conference-related travel, individual music lessons, additional after-school swim lessons, and home language programs.
- Enriched Inclusion Program Fee (if applicable) is non-refundable.
- Transportation: standard WAB school bus service within the designated WAB network is provided without an additional tuition charge.
- Any school uniform costs or optional activity fees are treated as additional charges when applicable (families should expect occasional optional fees for external activities or equipment).

Refund information
- Application fee (RMB 2,100) is not refundable.
- RMB 30,000 of the annual tuition is non-refundable.
- The remaining portion of the annual tuition (the refundable Grade Level Tuition Fees) is refundable according to a tiered schedule when the Admissions Office receives written withdrawal notice. The published refund schedule (examples of key cutoff points) is: on or before May 30, 2025 — 100% of the refundable portion; August — 90%; September — 80%; October — 70%; November — 60%; December — 50%; January — 40%; February — 30%; March — 20%; April — 10%; May and June — no refund. Specific dates and percentages are published by the school. Refunds require return of the original WAB fapiao and must be claimed within three months of the student's last school day.

Fee payment options and instructions
- Invoices are issued in RMB. WAB accepts bank transfers in RMB or other currencies (families should ensure the full invoiced amount is received after any bank charges). The school provides CITIC Bank account details and requires the invoice number or student number to be included with the remittance. SWIFT code and account information are published with invoices. Overseas RMB cash deposits may also be accepted.
- Card payments: overseas debit/credit cards incur additional fees (example published rates: Visa/Master 2.8%; AMEX 3.0%; JCB 3.5%). Local credit/debit card handling fees are also noted (example: 0.6% for local credit cards plus RMB 20 administration on debit transactions). All bank fees are the payer's responsibility.
- Fapiao (official Chinese tax receipt) will be issued for tuition only after full payment; WAB Finance issues fapiao on request and provides instructions for corporate and personal payers.

Notes for records
- The figures above are WAB's published annual tuition rates for 2025–2026 and the school's published payment and refund rules. Per-term numbers shown under “Per-term (per-semester) guidance” are calculated by dividing the published annual tuition by two to align with WAB's two-semester calendar and to provide a per-semester amount for database use (this division is an inferred breakdown; WAB's official invoices are issued as described above).