Shibuya Educational Academy

What Shibuya Educational Academy does

Shibuya Educational Academy (渋谷教育学園渋谷中学高等学校, branded as 'Shibu Shibu' / 渋渋) is a private junior and senior high school located in Shibuya, Tokyo, founded in 1996 as part of the Shibuya Educational Academy school corporation. The institution operates a unified 6-year integrated curriculum for students aged 12-18, with approximately 460 students admitted annually through three general entrance examination rounds plus a separate returnee track for students with overseas living experience (currently ~10% of the student body). Its core educational technology is a proprietary block-based differentiated curriculum (A/B/C blocks spanning two years each) coupled with a unique 6-year 'Syllabus' (シラバス) self-study planning roadmap that shows students where they are in the overall learning trajectory.

The school monetizes through monthly tuition of 47,500 yen per student (with total monthly payments of 76,000-86,500 yen including facility and support fees), one-time enrollment fees of 360,000 yen, tiered entrance examination fees (23,000-53,000 yen), supplementary spring/summer/winter course fees, and Furusato hometown tax donations routed through Shibuya City. Specialized programs include a flagship 2-year Self-Research Thesis Program (10,000-character research papers from grades 10-11), the SOLA (Shibuya Olympiad in Liberal Arts) student-organized international competition now in its 6th year, overseas study programs in 7+ countries, second foreign language courses (Chinese, French, Spanish, Korean), Model UN, and English debate. The institution is a UNESCO Associated Schools Network member, MEXT WWL Consortium designated school (since 2019), and Japan's representative in GALESS, with documented university placements of 36-50 Tokyo University, 100+ Waseda, and 70+ Keio acceptances annually, plus alumni at Harvard, Yale, Princeton, Oxford, and Cambridge.

Customer acquisition is event-driven: prospective families attend Hiryusai cultural festival open days, school information sessions, and entrance examinations held January-February, with all applications processed through the miraicompass online platform. The school holds partnerships with Tokyo University of Foreign Studies (2013) and University of Electro-Communications (2016) for mid-higher education articulation, and a ~20-year student/faculty exchange with Raffles Institution in Singapore. Operationally it runs a single main campus in Shibuya (9 floors above ground, 1 below, built 1996) plus a Kawasaki athletic ground, employs 251-500 staff, and is led by Chancellor Tetsuo Tamura (published author of 'Legendary Principal's Speeches') and Principal Itsuko Takagiwa.

Name

Shibuya Educational Academy

Legal name

渋谷教育学園渋谷中学高等学校

Website

https://shibushibu.jp

Company type

Private

Founded year

1996

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

Shibuya Educational Academy is a private junior and senior high school in Shibuya, Tokyo, founded 1996, delivering a 6-year integrated curriculum to approximately 2,760 students with a self-directed learning philosophy, generating revenue primarily through tuition and enrollment fees.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Private Secondary Education

NAICS

Elementary and Secondary Schools (6111), Language Schools (611630)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

International/Global Curriculum Schools (IB, Cambridge, etc.) (EDAJABAG)

akta.pro secondary industries

Integrated Language + Academic Skills (EAP) Bridging Programs (EDAIAJAF), Subject-Specific Short Courses & Academies (e.g., STEM, Business, Arts) (EDAIAIAC), Overseas Summer School Programs (Secondary) (EDAIAHAC)

Keywords

• Private secondary education
• Junior senior high school
• International education programs
• University entrance preparation
• Self-directed learning curriculum

Headquarters

HQ city

Tokyo

HQ country

Japan

HQ region

Asia

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Tuition and Fees: Primary revenue from tuition (授業料), enrollment fees (入学金), facility fees (施設費・施設拡充費), and educational activity fees. Monthly tuition is 47,500 yen. Enrollment fee is 290,000 yen for middle school and 230,000 yen for high school. Additional fees include training reserve funds, student council fees, and parent support association fees.
2. Entrance Examination Fees: Revenue from examination application fees: 23,000 yen per exam attempt, with multi-exam discounts (2 exams: 38,000 yen; 3 exams: 53,000 yen). Returned student examinations are separate and independent.
3. Summer/Winter/Spring Course Fees: Revenue from supplementary educational programs offered during school breaks. Courses are offered across multiple terms (e.g., 3 summer terms) for various grades, with materials fees charged separately.
4. Furusato Tax Donation Program: The school receives approximately 80% of contributed amounts through the Shibuya City furusato (hometown tax) donation program for school法人支援. Donations support overseas training subsidies, international conference participation, and foreign language education.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Shibuya Educational Academy operates a 6-year integrated private junior and senior high school in Shibuya, Tokyo, delivering classroom instruction, a 2-year Self-Research Thesis Program, and the student-organized SOLA international academic competition. It supplements core academics with overseas study programs, second foreign language courses, scholarship programs, and Model UN/English Debate extracurriculars, all built around its self-directed learning philosophy.

Product overview

Shibuya Educational Academy (渋谷教育学園渋谷中学高等学校) operates as a unified private junior and senior high school in Shibuya, Tokyo. The institution offers a comprehensive educational portfolio centered on its foundational philosophy of '自調自查' (seek and think for oneself). Core offerings include a 2-year Self-Research Thesis Program where students develop independent research capabilities, and SOLA (Shibuya Olympiad in Liberal Arts), a student-organized international educational event. The school provides diverse enrichment programs including overseas study opportunities, second foreign language courses (Chinese, French, Spanish, Korean), string instrument lessons, special lectures with Iwanami publishers, Model United Nations, and English Debate clubs. Scholarship systems support students through tuition assistance and special student programs. The institution serves approximately 10% returnee students through dedicated Honors English curricula.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Self-Research Thesis Program (自調自考論文プログラム)

Quantifiable outcome

• 36-50 students admitted to Tokyo University annually; 100+ to Waseda University; 70+ to Keio University annually
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration2 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core, flagship and minor.

• University of Electro-Communications (電気通信大学)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 3 March 2016Mid-higher education partnership agreement signed March 3, 2016. Both institutions share the goal of cultivating future leaders who can demonstrate leadership in the increasingly globalized society and fostering scientific and technological curiosity among students.
• Tokyo University of Foreign Studies (東京外国語大学)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 9 July 2013Mid-higher education partnership agreement signed July 9, 2013. The agreement facilitates educational exchange and collaboration between TUFS and Shibuya Educational Academy's two schools (Shibuya and Makuhari campuses). Both institutions share the goal of cultivating leadership talent capable of functioning in an increasingly globalized and信息化 society.
• Raffles Institution (Singapore)flagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerOngoing mutual exchange relationship spanning approximately 20 years. Shibuya Educational Academy has maintained continuous student and faculty exchange with Raffles Institution, one of Singapore's top schools. The relationship expanded into the GALESS network of leading global schools.
• British School in TokyominorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPart of the Shibuya Educational Academy group of related schools. UESHIMA MUSEUM opened on the former BST campus site in June 2024, with school founder participation in opening ceremony.
• GALESS (Global Alliance of Leading-Edge Schools for Sustainability)flagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerShibuya Educational Academy selected as Japan's representative in GALESS, a network of top global schools. The alliance organizes international student conferences Tiltshift (social sciences) and Water is Life (natural sciences) alternately each year. Shibuya co-hosted Water is Life 2018 in Tokyo and Makuhari.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Azabu High School (麻布中学・高等学校): Iconic Tokyo private boys' prep school with similar university-admission-driven positioning and traditional K-12 curriculum. Competes for the same primary-school-graduate applicants in the Tokyo prep school market.
• Waseda Jitsugyo (早稲田実業学校): Elite Tokyo private K-12 with similar university-admission-focused operations and a comparable independent-learning ethos. Competes for high-achieving primary graduates targeting top-tier Japanese universities.
• Keio Gijuku Senior High School (慶應義塾高等学校): Affiliated with Keio University, this elite Tokyo K-12 competes for the same university-bound applicant pool and similarly emphasizes independent learning, with comparable placement to top Japanese universities.
• Seikei Gakuen (成蹊学園): Long-established Tokyo K-12 with similar independent-learning curriculum philosophy and comparable university-admission outcomes. Operates as a private school corporation with similar pricing and admissions structure.
• Gakushuin (学習院高等科): Historic Tokyo K-12 prep school with comparable independence-of-study emphasis and university placement results; serves a similar high-achieving family demographic.
• Kaisei Academy (開成中学・高等学校): One of the most prestigious private K-12 boys' schools in Tokyo serving the same university-prep market. Competes directly for the same applicant pool targeting top Japanese universities, with comparable Tokyo University placement scale.
• Shibuya Educational Academy Makuhari: Operated by the same school corporation as Shibuya Educational Academy, this is the Makuhari sister school sharing the same 自調自考 philosophy, secondary curriculum, and Tokyo-prep school positioning. Direct comparable for operational model and placement outcomes.
• Kunitachi High School (国立学園高等学校): Another elite Tokyo private K-12 competing for the same top-tier university-bound applicant pool. Provides a comparable scale of Tokyo University placements and similar pricing/discount structure.

Emerging players

• The British School in Tokyo: Tokyo-based international K-12 school with related-party ownership within the Shibuya Educational Academy group and overlapping returnee/English-immersion programming. Adjacent positioning for globally mobile Tokyo families.

Broad incumbents

• Raffles Institution (Singapore): Singaporean elite secondary school with ~20-year mutual exchange partnership; comparable 6-year integrated K-12 model, similar top-tier university placement scale, and a member of the same GALESS network of leading-edge global schools.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks4 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCwAuuGG0dcRUa_EaUZvdo3w
• Instagraminstagram.com/hiryusai30

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Shibuya Educational Academy