Nanjing International School

What Nanjing International School does

Nanjing International School is an independent, non-profit international school located on an 80,620 sqm LEED Silver-certified campus in Xianlin University Town, Qixia District, Nanjing, China. Founded in 1992 by expatriate parents as the oldest international school in Nanjing, NIS became the first three-programme IB Continuum School in China in 2000 and today operates a Pre-K to Grade 12 instructional programme covering the IB Primary Years Programme, Middle Years Programme, and Diploma Programme, supplemented by the Global Citizen Diploma, Global Online Academy coursework, and more than 150 co-curricular activities spanning ten competitive sports, performing arts, service learning, and Discover China cultural immersion.

The school's technology surface centres on an integrated educational-technology stack, including a one-to-one "Bring Your Own Mac" laptop programme for Grades 5-12 with iPads for Grades 2-4, a dedicated Design Centre, and an in-house AI chatbot ("NISSA") backed by AI Guidance documents and multilingual AI Primers for parents, staff, and students. The platform is used to operationalise a documented digital citizenship and responsible-AI policy posture rather than to deliver proprietary machine-learning capabilities.

NIS is 100% parent-owned, governed by a volunteer board of trustees, and self-funded through tuition fees with all capital projects (Centre 2010, Performing Arts Centre 2011, Design Centre 2014, Early Years Centre 2019) financed internally. The institution holds simultaneous IB, CIS (re-accredited 2023), WASC (since 2022), and NCCT accreditations — stated as the only international school in Nanjing with this combination — and supports 600+ students drawn from 35+ nationalities with 95 teachers from 18 countries at a 1:7 teacher-student ratio. Go-to-market is direct-to-family: prospective parents apply through the OpenApply platform, book campus tours, and are converted through PTA events and expatriate word-of-mouth within the Nanjing international community.

Name

Nanjing International School

Legal name

Nanjing International School

Website

https://nischina.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1992

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Nanjing International School is an independent, parent-owned non-profit international school in Nanjing, China, delivering the full IB Continuum (Pre-K to Grade 12) to 600+ expatriate and local-international students across 35+ nationalities on an 80,620 sqm LEED Silver campus, self-funded entirely through tuition.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

International K-12 Education

NAICS

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

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

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

akta.pro secondary industry

General Language Schools (Multi-Language) (EDAIAEAA)

Keywords

• International K-12 education
• IB continuum programmes
• Expatriate student schooling
• Non-profit international school
• Early childhood learning

Headquarters

HQ city

Qixia District, Nanjing PRC

HQ country

China

HQ region

Asia

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Tuition Fees: As a non-profit independent school, all tuition fee payments are used entirely for the benefit of students and their learning, funding teachers, facilities, technology, and resources. School is self-funded with all building projects paid from tuition fees.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Nanjing International School delivers the full International Baccalaureate Continuum — Primary Years, Middle Years, and Diploma Programmes — from Pre-Kindergarten through Grade 12, on a single 80,620 sqm LEED Silver-certified campus. The school serves more than 600 students from over 35 nationalities and is supported by 95 internationally qualified teachers recruited from 18 countries. The offering is delivered as a non-profit, parent-owned international school and includes the school's own artificial-intelligence learning assistant, NISSA, together with a 1:1 Mac device programme for every student.

Product overview

Nanjing International School is an IB World School and China's first IB Continuum School offering a Pre-K to 12 International Baccalaureate curriculum. The school operates as a single unified educational institution with multiple interconnected academic programmes including the IB Primary Years Programme (Pre-K to Grade 5), IB Middle Years Programme (Grades 6-10), and IB Diploma Programme (Grades 11-12). Supporting the core academic offerings are supplementary programmes such as the Global Citizen Diploma (GCD), Global Online Academy (GOA) consortium membership, comprehensive Language Programmes, Student Support Services, and a robust EdTech programme. Beyond academics, the school provides extensive co-curricular programmes including Athletics (10 sports), Swimming (Pre-K to 12), The Arts (Drama, Music, Visual Arts), over 150 Student Activities, Service Learning, and Discover China cultural trips. Campus facilities include an 80,620sqm LEED Silver-certified campus with specialized centres. Additional services include Bus Services (via HomeCaught), Food Services (via AdenEdge), and Community Activities for families. The school is the only independent, non-profit international school in Nanjing, fully accredited by IB, CIS, and WASC.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Quantifiable outcome

• 100% IB pass rate with average score of 35 points (vs global average 30)
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability3 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

13 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Global Online Academy (GOA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNIS is a member of GOA consortium of leading independent schools offering Secondary students courses to pursue passions, learn with global peers, and acquire modern learning skills. GOA courses taught by faculty from renowned peer schools worldwide.
• Global Citizen Diploma ConsortiumcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNIS belongs to GCD consortium of 11 like-minded leading international schools offering the Global Citizen Diploma programme that validates holistic education beyond IB academics.
• Association of Chinese and Mongolian International Schools (ACAMIS)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorMain Secondary Athletic Conference for core sports of Volleyball, Basketball and Football. NIS participates in Orange Division with teams from Hong Kong, Macao, Mongolia and various parts of China.
• Southern China International Schools Athletic Conference (SCISAC)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorSix-school hotel-stay conference for Grades 7, 8 and 9 participating in Volleyball, Basketball and Football tournaments.
• Shanghai Swim League (SSL)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorGroup of international schools from Shanghai, Suzhou and Nanjing organizing swim competitions for students from Grade 3 upwards. NIS is integral part of this league.
• International Schools of Nanjing Activities Conference (ISNAC)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorLocal Nanjing league of 4 schools for competitive activities across various sports.
• International Schools Theatre Association (ISTA)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorNIS actively participates in ISTA events, attending Primary and Secondary School ISTA events in China and hosting ISTA events.
• Learning Analytics CollaborativeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational education support network membership for data-driven educational insights.
• Special Education Network & Inclusion Association (SENIA)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMembership in special education and inclusion network supporting inclusive learning practices.
• Next Frontier InclusioncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNIS is a founding member of Next Frontier Inclusion initiative, demonstrating commitment to inclusive education leadership.
• AdenEdge (Aden Group)minorOthersHigh-end catering and events branch of Aden providing food services including Western Grill, Asian Station, Salad Bar, and Sandwich Bar options. Founded in 1997 with headquarters in China.
• HomeCaughtminorOthersBus services provider offering safer, purpose-designed school buses with NIS-accredited routes covering international compounds in Nanjing, GPS tracking, and trained drivers.
• Council of International Schools (CIS)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational accreditation organization. NIS received CIS accreditation in 2006 and was re-accredited in 2023.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves15 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• United World Colleges (UWC): Global network of IB schools with strong inclusion and international-mindedness missions. Comparable to NIS in values, IB-only delivery, and emphasis on holistic outcomes.
• Hong Kong International School: Premier IB continuum school in Hong Kong with a similarly strong academic reputation and alumni outcomes at selective universities.
• Shanghai American School: Largest and oldest American international school in China, offering Pre-K to 12 with AP/IB pathways. Highly comparable to NIS as a long-established, parent-supported international school serving expatriate families in mainland China.
• Concordia International School Shanghai: Non-profit IB Continuum school in Shanghai serving expatriate families with similar mission alignment and college-preparatory outcomes.
• Beijing International School: Long-established IB World School in Beijing serving the expatriate community Pre-K to 12. Comparable to NIS on curriculum, accreditation profile (CIS/WASC), and target customer base.
• Western International School of Shanghai: IB Continuum school in Shanghai serving a similar expatriate demographic with PYP/MYP/DP. Closely comparable to NIS on curriculum framework, mission, and target family segment.

Broad incumbents

• Dulwich College International: Premium British-curriculum international school group with multiple China campuses offering IGCSE/IB. Comparable as a premium international school competitor serving expatriate families in China.
• Nord Anglia International School: Global premium international school group operating multiple Chinese campuses with IB programs. Comparable as a competing premium IB provider targeting Nanjing-adjacent families.
• Yew Chung International School: Larger commercial chain offering IB and bilingual curricula across multiple Chinese cities. Comparable as an international school competitor with broader geographic reach.

Emerging players

• Keystone Academy: Beijing-based IB Continuum school with a similarly strong bilingual and inclusion focus. Comparable as a newer entrant building reputation on mission-aligned IB education.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/nischina?lang=en
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCnO2QF2jxl14sEv0kti9KJA
• Facebookfacebook.com/nischina
• Instagraminstagram.com/nischinaorg
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/school/nanjing-international-school

Compliance9 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 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 Nanjing International School