Daewon Foreign Language High School

What Daewon Foreign Language High School does

Daewon Foreign Language High School is a public specialized foreign language high school located in Junggok-dong, Gwangjin-gu, Seoul, South Korea, operating under the supervision of the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education and the Daewon Academy (대원학원) educational foundation, which also operates Daewon High School, Daewon Girls' High School, Daewon International Middle School, and Daewon Kinder Academy. The school offers three language tracks — Korean, English, and Chinese — and serves students aspiring to overseas university study through its Global Language Program (GLP), which has produced 1,603 cumulative acceptances to major global universities (including Ivy League and top US, Japanese, and Hong Kong institutions) from 2000 to 2020. Its core technology consists of standard consumer education platforms — Google Classroom for learning management and a dedicated YouTube channel for school communications — with no proprietary AI or technology product.

The school's revenue model is that of a public educational institution: government-regulated tuition, quarterly meal fees collected via the CMS auto-deduction system (4,170–4,800 KRW per day depending on year and meal), after-school program fees, and development fund (발전기금) contributions. It has built an international exchange network spanning 6 sister school partnerships across Taiwan, Japan, Germany, China, and the USA, plus 11 university admission information exchange agreements with universities in Hong Kong and Japan, including principal-recommendation and International Division recommendation pathways. The go-to-market is purely the Seoul high school admission system: prospective families attend admission information sessions, apply through the regulated process, and select transfer admission where applicable. The school has no commercial customers, no venture funding, no stock listing, and is not an investable entity in the traditional PE/VC/M&A sense; its competitive position is anchored in regulatory designation, decades of brand reputation, and a reciprocal international partnership ecosystem.

Name

Daewon Foreign Language High School

Legal name

Daewon Foreign Language High School (대원외국어고등학교)

Website

https://dwfl.hs.kr

Company type

Private

Founded year

1971

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Daewon Foreign Language High School is a public Seoul foreign language high school under Daewon Academy, offering Korean, English, and Chinese tracks plus the GLP program preparing students for overseas university admission through 6 sister schools and 11 university partnerships.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Secondary Foreign Language Education

NAICS

Elementary and Secondary Schools (611110), Elementary and Secondary Schools (6111), Elementary and Secondary Schools (61111)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Public High Schools (EDAJAAAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

English Learner (EL/ESL/ELL) & Bilingual Education Programs (EDAJAGAB), World Languages Instruction (School-Delivered) (EDAJAFAJ), English Language Schools (ESL/EFL) (EDAIAEAB)

Keywords

• Foreign language education
• Secondary school programs
• International university preparation
• Study abroad guidance
• Student exchange programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Seoul

HQ country

South Korea

HQ region

Asia

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Tuition and Fees: Public high school funded through government-regulated tuition and quarterly tuition payments from students. Additional revenue from meal services and after-school programs.

Pricing tiers

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Daewon Foreign Language High School is a specialized public secondary school in Seoul delivering three-year high school education focused on foreign-language proficiency across Korean, English, and Chinese tracks. The school supplements its core curriculum with the GLP (Global Language Program), an after-school overseas-university preparation offering, and maintains an international exchange network through six sister-school partnerships in Taiwan, Japan, Germany, China, and the USA, plus admission information-exchange agreements with universities in Hong Kong and Japan.

Product overview

Daewon Foreign Language High School is a specialized foreign language high school offering a comprehensive educational portfolio centered on three language tracks (Korean, English, Chinese). The core offerings include the GLP (Global Language Program) for overseas university preparation, international exchange partnerships with schools in Taiwan, Japan, Germany, China, and the USA, and specialized foreign language curriculum. The school provides supporting services including career guidance, after-school programs, student clubs, and meal services, operating under a grade-level department structure (1st year: Creative Character, 2nd year: Safety & Whole Person, 3rd year: Career Guidance).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• GLP (Global Language Program)
• International Exchange Programs
• Foreign Language Curriculum
• Career and College Guidance Program
• School Meal Service

Quantifiable outcome

• 1,603 GLP graduates admitted to major universities from 2000-2020, including Ivy League and top US/Japan/Hong Kong institutions

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

17 partnerships are on record, tiered core and major.

• 청도대원학교 (China)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 September 2015Sister school partnership with Qingdao Daewon School in China. Regular student and teacher exchange with education program exchange.
• Punahou School (USA)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 2 March 2014SGLI (Student Global Leadership Institute) member school since 2014. Regular summer vacation student/teacher exchange program.
• 게이오대학 부설 쇼난후지사와고등학교 (Japan)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 9 March 2009Sister school partnership with Keio University-affiliated Shonan Fujisawa High School since 2009. Annual vacation student/teacher exchange with homestay program.
• 인민대부속중고등학교 (China)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 19 May 2005Sister school partnership with Renmin University-affiliated high school in China since 2005. Annual winter vacation student/teacher exchange with homestay program.
• Hainberg Gymnasium (Germany)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 20 May 1994Sister school partnership with German high school since 1994. Biennial student and teacher exchange with homestay program.
• 협화우덕고등학교 (Taiwan)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 20 May 1991Sister school partnership established in 1991. Activities include correspondence exchange and student/teacher exchange programs.
• University of Hong KongmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerUniversity admission information exchange partnership with school principal recommendation agreement.
• Hong Kong Baptist UniversitymajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerUniversity admission information exchange with International Division recommendation agreement.
• Hong Kong Polytechnic UniversitymajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerUniversity admission information exchange with school principal recommendation agreement.
• Chinese University of Hong KongmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerUniversity admission information exchange with International Division recommendation agreement.
• City University of Hong KongmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerUniversity admission information exchange with International Division recommendation agreement.
• Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific University (Japan)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerUniversity admission information exchange partnership.
• Doshisha University (Japan)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerUniversity admission information exchange partnership.
• Osaka University (Japan)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerUniversity admission information exchange partnership.
• Waseda University (Japan)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerUniversity admission information exchange partnership.
• Keio University (Japan)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerUniversity admission information exchange partnership.
• iCLA International Division (Japan)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerUniversity admission information exchange with simplified application process and International Division recommendation agreement.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Seoul Foreign Language High School: Also a public foreign language high school in Seoul operated under the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education, offering similar trilingual foreign language tracks and overseas university preparation pathways. The closest direct peer by mission, structure, and student profile.
• Daejeon Foreign Language High School: Public foreign language high school in Daejeon with comparable curriculum emphasis on foreign language mastery and overseas university preparation. Operates under a similar government-regulated framework targeting the same type of student.
• Anyang Foreign Language High School: Public foreign language high school in Gyeonggi Province serving Greater Seoul. Direct peer in structure, mission, and target student demographic, with parallel curriculum and university admission programming.

Regional players

• Daegu Il Foreign Language High School: Foreign language high school in Daegu serving the Gyeongsang region. Comparable in curriculum and mission but primarily serves a different regional catchment in Korea.
• Busan Foreign Language High School: Public foreign language high school in Busan with similar trilingual and overseas university preparation offering. Regional peer serving the southeastern Korean market rather than Seoul.

Broad incumbents

• Seoul International School: Larger, established international school in Seoul offering K-12 education with international curricula (IB) and stronger English-language orientation. Competes for the same internationally-minded Seoul families but with a heavier tuition-based model.
• Dwight School Seoul: Private international IB school in Seoul offering globally-oriented K-12 education with significant foreign student enrollment. Competes for Seoul families seeking international preparation, but operates with flexible private tuition rather than government regulation.
• Seoul Foreign School: Established private international school in Seoul (founded 1912) serving foreign and Korean families with English-language instruction and international curricula. Overlaps with Daewon on overseas university preparation but operates as a private institution.

Others

• Punahou School: Sister school partner of Daewon Foreign Language High School since 2014 and fellow SGLI member. Comparable in offering globally-focused secondary education, but is a private US K-12 institution rather than a Korean public school.
• Keio University Shonan Fujisawa Secondary School: Sister school partner of Daewon since 2009 and one of the most prestigious Japanese secondary schools. Comparable in its foreign language emphasis and international exchange orientation, but operates as a private Japanese institution.

Market position

Strengths3 records

Weaknesses3 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UC1PC4GOVNcHvONwwT04o-8g

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about Daewon Foreign Language High School