St. Michael's International School

St. Michael's International School is located at 3 Chome-17-2 Nakayamatedori, Chuo Ward, Kobe, Hyogo 650-0004, Japan. It sits on the edge of the Kitano residential area in central Kobe, described as a safe, family-friendly neighborhood with easy access to Sannomiya and Osaka. The surrounding area is multicultural, with places of worship and a range of shops and services within walking distance.

The school offers Early Years (Ages 3-5) and Primary, covering nursery and Year 1 through Year 6. The Early Years provision serves ages 3-5, and Primary covers the core year groups up to Year 6 (approximately age 11).

St. Michael's is a British international school operating on a co-educational, day-only model in the Anglican tradition. It is described as co-educational and Day, and its Anglican character is noted in official descriptions.

The school runs a Learning Enrichment Service (LES) implemented since 2010, using a three-wave model to monitor and support students' abilities. English Language Learners (ELL) provision is available as part of the enrichment framework.

The school identifies as a British international school, affiliated with the United Kingdom.

Anglican tradition.

The school day runs from 8:30 AM to 5:00 PM, with the office and school communications reflecting these hours. Lunch is offered on-site in three sittings; students may bring lunch or go home for lunch.

The school provides a bus service. Sign-up is first-come, first-served, with priority given to students who use the bus daily; there is no bus service for after-school activities. Bus safety rules include seat belts, orderly boarding and exiting, and staff monitoring. For those using public transport, discounted passes and timetable assistance are available.

Application & Registration Fees

- Application Fee: non-refundable. Typical published amounts range between ¥40,000 and ¥50,000 depending on the published schedule.
- Registration Fee (one-time, non-refundable): published amounts vary by entry point; examples shown in public fee schedules include Nursery-level and Reception/above categories (example published values: Nursery ¥100,000; Reception & above approx. ¥290,000–¥300,000). The registration fee must be paid within three weeks of an official acceptance offer.

Tuition fees by year group (annual and instalment details)

- The school operates a three-term academic year but invoices tuition in two instalments (payment due in July and January). Therefore a stated annual tuition is typically billed in two equal instalments (July and January). A penalty applies for late payment (see Billing schedule and payment terms).

- Representative annual tuition figures (examples published for the most recent full fee schedule made publicly available):
- Age 3 (Kindergarten 1): Annual tuition component shown as ¥1,304,500 (first-year total is higher because of one-time application/registration/technology fees). Total annual costs (excluding first-year one-time payments) published for ages/grades: ¥1,454,500 for ages 3–4; ¥1,628,400 for ages 5–10 (Grade 1–5). These figures represent the school's published annual-fee structure used in the fee schedule made public by the school and third‑party school-fee aggregators. For budgeting, the annual tuition component is billed in two instalments (July and January).

- Instalment example: where the annual tuition is ¥1,304,500, the standard billing schedule (two instalments) results in two equal payments of approximately ¥652,250 due in July and January. The school's billing practice is to invoice tuition in two instalments rather than on a per-term (three-term) basis.

One‑time and recurring additional fees

- Technology Fee: one-time and non-refundable; applies to all students enrolling in Year One and to new students enrolling in Years Two to Six. Example published amounts in public fee schedules: ¥50,000 (one-time).
- Maintenance Fee: annual and non‑refundable; example published amount ¥150,000. This is charged in full for all students (returning and new) regardless of date of entry and is not pro‑rated. Payment is due in July or at time of enrolment.
- Insurance Fee: annual, paid per child; covers supervised school activities and travel to/from school. The insurance benefit schedule is published by the school (examples of benefit amounts are included in the school policy). Example published premium amounts (in public fee summaries) include figures such as approximately ¥6,400 per child in some published summaries. The insurance premium is not refundable.
- PTA Fee: annual, paid per family; non‑refundable. Example published PTA contribution amounts appear in public fee summaries (e.g., around ¥5,000).
- Library bag and school cap: invoiced with school fees. Replacement costs example: library bag ¥1,800; school cap ¥2,000.
- Uniforms: school and PE uniform are mandatory and are additional to tuition. School lunch, school bus, after‑school activity fees and optional photograph purchases are charged separately.

First-year total (example composition)

- For first‑year budgeting many published schedules separate one‑time items (application, registration, technology) from recurring annual items (tuition, maintenance, insurance, PTA). Example composition published in public fee summaries for first year (illustrative): Application Fee ¥40,000; Registration Fee ¥290,000; Technology Fee ¥50,000; Maintenance Fee ¥150,000; Tuition Fee ¥1,304,500 — producing a first‑year total (illustrative) of ¥1,834,500 for a Kindergarten1 entry. Annual totals for continuing years are lower because one‑time fees are not repeated. Use the annual tuition figures above to compute continuing‑year totals and instalments.

Boarding fees

- St. Michael's operates as a day school (no boarding provision). Boarding fees are not applicable.

Billing schedule, payment terms and penalties

- Tuition billing: invoiced in two instalments; due in July and January. For students entering mid‑year, tuition is charged from the month of entry; other fees must be paid in full at the time they are due. The school operates a three‑term year (August–December; January–March; April–June) for attendance and withdrawal calculations.
- Late payment penalties and consequences: a penalty of ¥30,000 is applied for payments received 15 days after the due date. Students whose tuition is outstanding 60 days after the due date may be suspended; the school may withhold reports, transcripts or transfer certificates while balances remain unpaid. If a student is suspended for non‑payment, reinstatement may require an additional ¥50,000 plus full remaining year's fees payable in advance.
- Withdrawal terms and refunds: a minimum of two months' written notice of withdrawal must be given to the Head of School. Children who leave before the end of the school year will be charged up to the end of the term in which they withdraw. Fees held beyond the final account point are returned within 30 days of leaving. A late withdrawal fee of ¥30,000 applies to families who, after making the July payment, withdraw before the start of the new academic year. Maintenance, insurance, PTA and technology fees are explicitly non‑refundable and are not pro‑rated. In the event of an unexpected school closure where learning continues remotely, full tuition is maintained and no refund is provided.

Other costs to budget for

- Uniforms (school and PE) — mandatory and additional to tuition.
- Optional services: school lunch; school bus; after‑school activities (charged per term); optional photograph purchases.
- Small school accessories invoiced with fees: library bag and school cap (replacement costs listed above).

Fee payment methods and bank details

- Published payment method: bank transfer. Separate bank account details are provided for transfers from within Japan and for overseas transfers (MUFG Bank with SWIFT: BOTKJPJT and the school's account number). Any bank charges are the payer's responsibility. The school's published policy lists bank transfer as the required payment route. No general public statement of standard credit‑card payment acceptance for annual tuition is published in the school's payment policy; banking transfer is the established published method.

Sibling discount

- A 15% sibling discount on tuition applies to younger siblings when two or more children from the same parents attend simultaneously. The discount applies to tuition only; other fees (application, registration, maintenance, insurance, PTA, technology) must be paid in full. The oldest child pays full tuition; the discount applies in order of enrollment.

Summary of non‑refundable items and key penalties

- Non‑refundable: Application Fee; Registration Fee; Maintenance Fee; Insurance Fee; Technology Fee; PTA Fee.
- Penalties: ¥30,000 late‑payment fee after 15 days; suspension and possible withholding of documentation for accounts outstanding 60 days; ¥50,000 reinstatement condition where suspension occurred for non‑payment; ¥30,000 late withdrawal fee in specified circumstances.

Note: the school publishes a narrative "Fees for 2025–2026" and a detailed Payment Policy that sets billing terms, penalties, non‑refundable items and bank transfer instructions; publicly available fee schedules and school‑fee aggregators publish specific annual tuition and one‑time fee figures (examples summarized above) that are used for family budgeting.

Preliminary data indicate around 19 nationalities are represented, with Japanese being the most common at about 50%, followed by dual nationals (around 21%), and other groups such as Indian and Chinese (around 18%) and rest of world (around 11%). Approximately 76% of students are local, with about 26% international students.