International Friends School

What International Friends School does

International Friends School (IFS) is a private, nonprofit 501(c)(3) independent school operating on a single 5-acre campus at 556 124th Ave NE in Bellevue, Washington. It delivers Mandarin Chinese immersion education to children from Toddler through 5th grade, with Mandarin comprising 75-80% of instructional time and supplementary English and Spanish exposure. The curriculum integrates Quaker values (simplicity, peace, integrity, community, equality, stewardship) with project-based, bilingual learning across content areas, and the campus's forest, gardens, and meadows support a nature-based experiential pedagogy.

Core offerings are age-tiered classroom programs: Toddler (Koi), Preschool (Pandas), PreK 1 (Sky + Sea Dragons), PreK 2 (Fire + Golden Dragons), Kindergarten (Tigers), First Grade (Phoenix), Second Grade (Qilin), and Third Grade (Xuanwu). Enrollment is capped at 16-20 students per class with low teacher-student ratios (1:7 to 1:10). Specialty enrichment includes STEAM, music, art, PE, and Spanish, plus a recently launched 2026 five-week summer camp ("Rooted & Renewed") and an After School Experience with extended care and extra-curricular classes that are partially open to non-enrolled siblings, alumni, and Jingmei students.

The school's revenue model is predominantly tuition-driven (~92% of operating costs), supplemented by an annual Friends Fund charitable campaign ($272,000 target for 2025-26) that covers roughly 8% of operating expenses. Additional revenue is generated from summer camp fees ($3,300 full session, $720 per week, $160 per day) and extended-care/after-school fees on a monthly subscription basis. IFS markets directly to consumers in the Bellevue/Washington area through its website, campus tours, open houses, and word-of-mouth referrals, and it employs AI tools (built by parent volunteers) in storytelling curricula. Governance rests with a Board of Trustees led by Head of School Xiaorong Li.

Name

International Friends School

Legal name

International Friends School

Website

https://ifschool.org

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

International Friends School is a private, 501(c)(3) Mandarin Chinese immersion independent school in Bellevue, Washington, serving children from Toddler through 5th grade with a curriculum built on Quaker values, project-based learning, and nature-based programming on a 5-acre campus.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Private K-12 Education (Mandarin Immersion)

NAICS

Elementary and Secondary Schools (611110), Language Schools (611630)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Child Day Care Services (8351)

akta.pro primary industry

Language Immersion & Bilingual Private Schools (EDAJABAL)

akta.pro secondary industry

Youth & Teen Language Camps (Summer/Winter) (EDAIAEAF)

Keywords

• Mandarin immersion education
• Bilingual private school
• Early childhood education
• Elementary private school
• Quaker education values

Headquarters

HQ city

Bellevue

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Tuition Revenue: Primary revenue stream from tuition payments covering approximately 92% of annual operating costs. Tuition is paid by families for preschool through elementary education programs.
2. Friends Fund (Annual Fundraising): Annual fundraising campaign bridging the gap between tuition and full operating costs. For 2025-26 school year, the goal is $272K. Funds support financial aid, field trips, professional development, campus care, and meal programs.
3. Summer Camp Fees: Summer camp program fees: $3,300 for 5-week full session, $720 per week for weekly enrollment, $160 per day for drop-in. Extended care available for $30/day.
4. Extended Care/After School Fees: After-school extended care and extra-curricular classes available for current students and siblings from 3:30-6:00 PM weekdays.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

International Friends School is a Mandarin Chinese immersion independent school serving students from toddler through 5th grade on a 5-acre forest campus in Bellevue, Washington. The school delivers classroom-based education programs at 70-80% Mandarin immersion, integrated with Quaker values (peace, integrity, community, stewardship), project-based learning, and nature-based outdoor education. Supplemental fee-based offerings include a five-week summer camp and after-school extended care.

Product overview

International Friends School is a Mandarin Chinese Immersion independent school offering a unified educational program spanning early childhood through elementary (toddler to 5th grade). The core program consists of age-differentiated classroom programs (Toddler/Koi, Preschool/Pandas, PreK 1/Sky+Sea Dragons, PreK 2/Fire+Golden Dragons, Kindergarten/Tigers, First Grade/Phoenix, Second Grade/Qilin, Third Grade/Xuanwu) all featuring Mandarin Chinese immersion alongside English and Spanish instruction. All programs are built on Quaker educational values and include specialty enrichment in STEAM, music, art, physical education, and social-emotional learning. The school supplements its core academic programs with optional enrichment offerings including the 2026 Summer Camp (Rooted & Renewed) themed around the Five Elements, and an After School Experience providing extended care and extra-curricular activities.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Toddler Program (Koi)

Quantifiable outcome

• 100% of students meet or exceed grade level English reading standards by kindergarten
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability6 records

Feature3 records

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• French American School of Puget Sound: Mercer Island-based independent school offering French immersion alongside English. Directly comparable as a Pacific Northwest language-immersion private school competing for bilingual-education-seeking families in the same metro.
• Eastside Preparatory School: Independent K-12 private school in Kirkland, WA (adjacent to Bellevue). Direct competitor for premium Pacific Northwest families seeking values-driven K-12 education, though without the bilingual immersion focus.
• The Bush School: Seattle independent school with Quaker heritage, serving K-12. Comparable along the independent-school, values-based dimension and the Seattle-area private school market IFS competes in, though without the Mandarin immersion focus.
• Yinghua Academy: Minneapolis-based Mandarin immersion school serving preschool through 8th grade. Most directly comparable to IFS in core pedagogy (Mandarin immersion curriculum), although it is a public charter rather than an independent private school.
• Lakeside School: Independent private school in the Seattle/Bellevue area serving grades 5-12. Comparable as a premium-fee Pacific Northwest independent school competing for the same high-income, mission-driven Bellevue families IFS targets.

Regional players

• The Bear Creek School: Independent faith-based K-12 school in Redmond, WA, near Bellevue. Comparable as a regional Pacific Northwest private school competing for similar east-side families, but with a Christian rather than Quaker/Mandarin focus.
• Bellevue Montessori School: Bellevue-area independent school serving early childhood and elementary. Comparable as a Bellevue-region alternative for families seeking independent private education, though with Montessori rather than immersion pedagogy.
• University Child Development School (UCDS): Seattle-based independent preschool and elementary school. Comparable as a progressive, project-based independent elementary school competing for the same progressive-family segment in the Seattle/Bellevue metro.
• Sammamish Montessori School: Eastside independent school offering early childhood and elementary programs. Comparable as a regional private school alternative for east-side families, though differing in pedagogy and without language immersion.

Emerging players

• Siddhartha School: Smaller Mandarin-immersion schools serving the U.S. Pacific Northwest and broader West Coast. Comparable in the niche of Mandarin immersion K-8 education but typically smaller in scale than IFS.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/international-friends-school

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 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 International Friends School