My oldest son went to International Secondary School last year. In fact, it was his first time to go to school – we had homeschooled prior to that. This year my younger son also attended – again his first school experience. ISS is a very small school of about 50 students in Mita with students from Grade 6 through 12. They have about 6 teachers and sometimes bring in teachers for specific needs for specific students. It is like other international schools, very expensive, and so it is not an option for everyone.
I liked the school because they have been very flexible about meeting my sons’ needs. I haven’t chosen to get formal credit for the classes the boys have taken but they offer credits through distance learning programs in the U.S. They are moving to a program in conjunction with Laurel Springs.
I also like that ISS offers quite a few special interest project type courses including theater, IT (information technology), sports, producing magazines, animation, band, gardening, woodwork. What they offer depends a bit on what the students are interested in. Any programs they offer after school are open to the public and as they are very flexible I think they would allow students to attend specific classes if that was what you wanted. The principal is very approachable. My oldest son has loved attending ISS and thinks I made a great decision to send him there and my youngest son has enjoyed it too. I would certainly recommend ISS if you want a more individual approach to learning as the class size is usually around five students. They offer study periods where students can get additional help if needed. The student mix is very diverse. It is also very supportive of students who learn differently.
EDUCATION IN JAPAN COMMUNITY Blog 