What is the history of A-JIS?
How many students are there?
How many teachers are there?
What qualifications / experience do the teachers have?
When is the school year?
Does the school have a High School?
Are there any plans to expand the school?
Are International Schools approved by the Ministry of Education and Science ("Monbu-Kagaku-Sho")?
Why should my child come to A-JIS?
How safe are the school campuses?

Information about Classes

What is the ratio of students to teachers in your classes?
How many kindergarten classes are there?
How many classes are there in each grade?
What are the Intensive Classes?
Are there any differences for Intensive students?
What time does school start and finish?
Is there school on Saturdays?
Do the students study Japanese?
How can we find out about the school's curriculum?

Information about Facilities and Buses

What kind of facilities does A-JIS have?
How do the students utilize information technology at A-JIS?
How big is the library in the Suginami Campus?
Does the school have a bus service?
How many buses are there?
What are the bus routes?

Student Life at A-JIS

Does the school have any after school activities?
How do Parents / Guardians and teachers keep in contact?
Does the school provide students with a guide for their life at school?
Does the school have a uniform?
Does the school look after student health needs, allergies or special diets?
What happens when the students graduate?

General Information

What is the history of A-JIS?
The Meguro Campus was founded in 1976 and subsequently what is now the Suginami Campus in 1980. Both schools were established by Mrs. Regina Doi Rogers and have been expanding ever since. In the near future a new campus is planned that will host the High School, meaning that students will be able to attend one school from the age of two until entering University or beginning their careers.

How many students are there?
There are approximately 110 students at the Meguro Campus and 470 students at the Suginami Campus.

How many teachers are there?
There are more than 60 teachers on both campuses. The majority of the teacher body comes from the US, Canada, the UK and Australia.

What qualifications / experience do the teachers have?
All teachers are required to be certified and to have relevant qualifications in the areas they are teaching. The school has highly qualified teachers in the areas of Mathematics, English, Science, Music, Japanese and PE with a number of teachers having more than 20 years teaching experience!

When is the school year?
The school year starts at the beginning of September and finishes in mid June. Summer school runs from the end of the regular year until the middle of July. For Suginami students the year is divided into three terms, the first from Sep to Dec, the second from Jan to April and the third from mid April to Mid June. For Meguro students there are two terms that run from Sep to Jan and then Feb to Mid June.

Does the school have a High School?
At present A-JIS classes go up to and include the ninth grade. Students who graduate from A-JIS move on to other international schools in Japan or other schools around the world. The school offers placement counseling to all grade 9 students and has strong ties with many schools around the globe.

Are there any plans to expand the school?
The school is actively seeking to develop a new campus allowing for the expansion of a High School that will allow students to begin and finish their schooling all in the one school. This is one of the main goals of the school for the future.

Are International Schools approved by the Ministry of Education and Science ("Monbu-Kagaku-Sho")?
International schools are not accredited by the "Monbusho". A-JIS is accredited by both the European Council of International Schools and the New England Association of Schools and Colleges. A-JIS is also a member of the Japan Council of International Schools.

Why should my child come to A-JIS?
A-JIS offers a unique opportunity for students attending an International School in Japan. The curriculum is comprehensive and comparative to other schools, however, the school believes that students living in Japan should also be provided with opportunities to explore the country and the language, with Japanese being studied by all students. A wide range of after school activities are offered to enhance students' learning and also to allow them to be involved in extra-curricula experiences. All of this takes place in a relaxed family atmosphere, which promotes student and student teacher friendships that last for a lifetime!

How safe are the school campuses?
All campuses have state of the art video monitoring installed and auto locking doors on entrances. All visitors to the school must report to reception and sign in to receive a visitor's pass. The entrances are monitored at all times by staff and the security cameras record all activity outside the school buildings. The Suginami campus is also only 70m from the Takaido Police Headquarters!

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Information about Classes

What is the ratio of students to teachers in your classes?
In the elementary and kindergarten classes the ratio is 1 teacher to 15 students. For Junior High classes the ratio is 1 to 20. In the Meguro Campus the ratio is 1 teacher to between 7 to 20 students, depending upon the age group.

How many kindergarten classes are there?
In Meguro campus there is one class for two year olds, two classes for three year olds, two classes for four year olds and two classes for five year olds, a total of seven kindergarten classes. The Suginami campus has one class for four year olds and two classes for five year olds.

How many classes are there in each grade?
For grades 1 to 3 there are three classes in each level. In grades 4 to 7 there are 2 classes in each level and there is one class in each level for grades 8 to 9. There are 2 classes in the Lower Intensive and Middle Intensive levels, and 3 classes in the Upper Intensive level.

What are the Intensive Classes?
The intensive program at A-JIS is for students who have little or no English skills. It requires the students to concentrate their studies on English, in all areas of the language. Students stay in the intensive program until they are competent enough to move into the mainstream classes. The Intensive classes are only held on the Suginami Campus.

Are there any differences for Intensive students?
The Intensive school year is the same as the mainstream school year except that students must attend summer school and Saturday school.

What time does school start and finish?
At the Meguro Campus classes start at 8.30am and finish at 11.30am for level 1 students, with full day classes finishing at 3pm. For Suginami Campus, Kindergarten classes start at 8.45am and finish at 3.10pm and all other Elementary and Junior High classes start at 8.45am and finish at 3.25pm

Is there school on Saturdays?
Yes. The school has a Saturday School program that runs approximately two Saturdays every month. It is optional for mainstream students but compulsory for all intensive students. There is no Saturday school for kindergarten students.

Do the students study Japanese?
At the Meguro Campus JSL (Japanese as a Second Language) classes are held for level 2, 3 & 4 students and Japanese classes are held for level 3 & 4 students. All students at the Suginami Campus study Japanese for one class per day. Students who have little or no Japanese proficiency take JSL classes. Students who have native level proficiency attend Kokugo classes. For elementary students Aikido classes and Soroban classes are also taught in Japanese.

How can we find out about the school's curriculum?
A-JIS has a well-rounded and fully developed curriculum. For more information please make an appointment to meet with the Admissions Officer at either Meguro or Suginami Campus.

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Information about Facilities and Buses

What kind of facilities does A-JIS have?
The Meguro campus is located next to Saigoyama Park in Meguro-ku and classes are conducted in a stimulating, home-like atmosphere. The Suginami campus facilities include the school Library, computer room, two music rooms, the art room, a cafeteria / general-purpose hall and a basketball / tennis court. The school also uses the VIM Sports Avenue, next to the school, for swimming lessons and the Miyamae Gymnasium for indoor sports.

How do the students utilize information technology at A-JIS?
All students, except Kindergarten, attend computing classes at least once a week. Every homeroom class has a computer, which students are able to use and there are also computers available in the Library for student use. Students are taught the basics of computer use and also use technology as part of their integrated units of work.

How big is the library in the Suginami Campus?
The library contains approximately 10,000 resource materials, with the majority of these being books. Over the last school year more than 1000 new books were purchased and the library was upgraded to use industry standard circulation and cataloging software. The library catalog is available for viewing online on the school Intranet and ID cards are used to allow students to borrow books and make reservations.

Does the school have a bus service?
Yes the school has a bus service. Availability is based on the address of the students wishing to use the service. Every effort is made to make the bus service available to as many students as possible, however, Meguro students must be aged four or older to use the service.

How many buses are there?
The school has 8 buses in total. One bus is for Meguro campus, six buses are for Suginami campus and one bus is for transporting sports teams and is not used on regular routes. Each regular school day there are 297 seats available on A-JIS school buses for students!

What are the bus routes?
The buses travel from the school towards downtown Tokyo. There are no buses traveling west from the school.

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Student Life at A-JIS

Does the school have any after school activities?
At the Meguro campus students are able to take gymnastics and private lessons are available on a case-by-case basis. The Suginami campus offers a wide range of after school clubs to students on topics ranging from sports to foreign languages or music. Junior High students can also participate in inter-school sports with teams from the other major international schools. Tutorial sessions are also offered for students who would like extra help with their studies.

How do Parents / Guardians and teachers keep in contact?
There are numerous events aimed at allowing Parents / Guardians to interact and question their child's teachers throughout the school year. Parent Teacher Conferences are scheduled formally twice a year in Meguro and once a year in Suginami. Parents / Guardians are also able to contact the school and arrange a conference with a teacher at other times.

Does the school provide students with a guide for their life at school?
Yes. Every student receives a Student Handbook at the beginning of the year, which details rules and procedures for all aspects of their schooling. Parents / Guardians and students are asked to refer to the handbook whenever they are unsure about rules or procedures.

Does the school have a uniform?
Yes. The school uniform is available for purchase from the Shinjuku Isetan store. The uniform requirements are stated in the Parents / Guardians - Students handbook, which is available upon acceptance of the child into the school. The Family Chapter also organizes a second hand uniform sale towards the end of each school year at the Suginami Campus. Click here to see pictures of the uniforms.

Does the school look after student health needs, allergies or special diets?
The School Health Service controls all aspects of student health, including medication, health checkups, injuries and allergies. The cafeteria menu is carefully planned each month and offers a broad range of food to students. Students with special dietary requirements are able to join the school lunch program if they wish (except when a child requires a very strict/special dietary restriction). Food is prepared for them taking into account their dietary requirements.

What happens when the students graduate?
The school has an excellent placement program that assists students in making the difficult choices concerning their futures. Mr. Allen Huies , the Director of Placement, and Ms. Nami Taguchi, Assistant Placement Director, is always available for student counseling or to answer parent questions regarding placement. The school makes every effort to help our graduates find a place in an institution that will allow them to achieve their academic and personal goals.