Tohoku International School

Tohoku International School (TIS) is located at 7-101-1 Yakata, Izumi-ku, Sendai, Miyagi 981-3214, Japan. The campus sits in Izumi Ward in Sendai city, within the Miyagi Prefecture in the Tohoku region of northern Honshu. It is accessible by public transit, with bus routes stopping near Izumi Village 1-chome and 2-chome and a School Bus Map available for planning. From Sendai Station, you can take bus 910; from Izumi Chuo, take bus 21 or 22 to reach the school area.

Kindergarten, Elementary, and Secondary (K-12) are offered. The Elementary School is an authorized International Baccalaureate Primary Years Programme (IB PYP). In the Secondary School, the Diploma Programme (DP) is available, with English-language instruction across the curriculum and additional language supports such as EAL and Japanese Language classes.

Tohoku International School is a private, co-educational day school. It is described as the only international school in the Tohoku region offering a full K-12 program. Boarding is not indicated; the school operates as a day school with fee-based admissions.

Public sources describe TIS as hosting an international student body with around 100 students from approximately 20 countries; exact nationality breakdown is not published by the school. The student body is characterized as diverse and international.

The school provides English as an Additional Language (EAL) support with a policy and tiered monthly fees; levels are reviewed twice a year. There is also a Japanese Language Class to support learners with language development.

Japan. The school is located in Sendai, Miyagi, Japan, and is described as a private international school in Japan; it does not list a separate country affiliation.

No religious affiliation is publicly listed by the school. The materials focus on international and IB programs rather than religious orientation.

Exact daily start and end times are not published on the site. The school operates a three-route bus service with morning pickups around the start of the school day and afternoon drop-offs; school trips and after-school activities (ASA) are offered and transportation is provided after ASA.

The school offers three bus routes (A, B, and C) with multiple stops across Sendai Station and Izumi-area neighborhoods. Bus A runs stops including Sendai Station, Kita Yobancho, Kimachi Higashi, Sakuragaoka 3-chome, Chomeigaoka, and TIS, with morning pickups around 8:00–8:45 and afternoon drop-offs around 15:40–16:20 depending on the stop. Bus B serves Yaotome, Daikannon, Nakayama Yoshinari, and TIS, with similar morning/afternoon windows, and Bus C covers Akaishidai Nishi, Shogen 4-chome, Katsura 3 Green-Mart, Takamori, Tapio, and TIS, with comparable timings. Monthly bus fees vary by route (roughly 5,000–7,000 yen per month). The ASA program (After-School Activities) also provides bus transport.

Tohoku International School (TIS) offers a full K-12 IB program with English as the language of instruction and dedicated EAL support. Kindergarten is based on the IB Early Years Programme with a weekly schedule of Music 60 minutes, Physical Education 80 minutes, Art 110 minutes, Japanese 80 minutes, and Library 40 minutes. Elementary follows the IB Primary Years Programme (PYP), using a six-unit Program of Inquiry around the themes Who We Are; Where We Are in Time and Place; How We Express Ourselves; How The World Works; How We Organize Ourselves; Sharing the Planet, with Language Arts, Mathematics, Units of Inquiry, Physical Education, Art, Music, Japanese, and integrated technology along with EAL support. Secondary (Grades 7–12) offers the IB Diploma Programme (DP); students select six subjects across Groups 1–6 and complete the Core: Extended Essay, Theory of Knowledge, and CAS, with available subjects including English A, Japanese B, Spanish B, Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Geography, Psychology, Business Management, Economics, and Visual Art. The BYLT Bring Your Own Laptop program supports technology in the Secondary program, and IB Diploma Programme authorization was achieved on May 1, 2021.

Tohoku International School supports Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) through an inclusive, school-wide framework. The school uses a Multi-tiered System of Supports (MTSS) to provide targeted and systematic assistance to students with varying needs. Regular Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) classes are included as part of Tier 1 universal supports. A designated Student Support Lead coordinates interventions, supports differentiation strategies, and reviews data to ensure students receive needed support. An EAL/SEL Teacher contributes to SEL by addressing language-related social-emotional needs within the learning program. Safeguarding and inclusion policies underpin SEL by emphasizing wellbeing and a safe, supportive environment (turn6view0; turn7view0; turn4view0).

Tohoku International School describes an inclusive approach to SEN within its Inclusion Policy. The policy outlines a Multi-tiered System of Supports (MTSS) and an Individual Learning Plan (ILP) process developed in collaboration with the student, parents, teachers, and Leadership. Possible additional educational needs are categorized as cognition and learning, communication and reading, behaviour, social and emotional, and physical and sensory. A designated Student Support Lead coordinates addressing student concerns, developing resources, and reviewing data to ensure interventions are available. English as an Additional Language (EAL) is included within MTSS, with differentiation and accommodation to enable access to the curriculum. Admissions decisions for students with additional needs consider resource availability; inclusion is described as ongoing but constrained by resources (turn6view0; turn6view0; turn6view0; turn6view0; turn6view0).

EAL services are provided under an EAL policy that promotes equality of opportunity for learners for whom English is an additional language. The policy notes that students requiring English language support incur an EAL fee, and the level is reviewed twice a year. The EAL team includes an EAL Teacher and an EAL Coordinator who deliver language support and integrate it with the mainstream curriculum. EAL support is integrated with MTSS and the Inclusion Policy to ensure access to learning. Instruction is delivered primarily in English, with emphasis on developing students' mother tongue and targeted pull-out lessons as needed (turn6view0; turn7view0; turn8view0).

Mental wellbeing is supported through SEL within MTSS and safeguarding practices. Regular SEL classes are part of universal supports under MTSS, contributing to students' social and emotional development. Safeguarding policies emphasize the protection of physical, emotional, and mental well-being and safety. The Student Support Lead coordinates well-being interventions and reviews data to tailor supports. The EAL/SEL Teacher contributes to student wellbeing by addressing language-related social-emotional needs (turn6view0; turn4view0; turn4view0; turn7view0).

Safeguarding at TIS centers on protecting the well-being of students and staff within a safe and inclusive environment. Safeguarding focuses on prevention, identification, and management of child safety. The Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL) is Dianna Dawson and the Deputy Designated Safeguarding Lead (DDSL) is Robert Zehmke. If safeguarding concerns arise, contact safespace@tisweb.net, monitored by the DSL and DDSL. The Safeguarding Policy follows international and local best practices and includes ongoing staff training and clear reporting procedures (turn4view0).

1. STEP 1: Make a visit to TIS if possible. You will learn a lot about TIS by speaking with the team and watching classes in action. If an in-person visit is not feasible, request a virtual tour. TIS provides an English-medium K–12 program and operates as a day school with no boarding facilities.

2. STEP 2: Fill out the admission application digitally. Save the form as a PDF and email, mail, or bring it to the school with all required documents. Applications are accepted up to six months in advance. If you use a phone or tablet to complete the form, you must download the PDF and fill it out by hand.

3. STEP 3: The school will conduct an Application Review. Staff review all documents to determine whether they can offer a place for your child. Admission decisions are made throughout the year and depend on space availability.

4. STEP 4: An in-person entrance interview will be conducted to understand the student's abilities and any required EAL support. The interview typically lasts about an hour and includes reading, writing, speaking, and mathematics components. The school will also determine whether EAL support is needed.

Scholarships: TIS does not publish scholarships or a school-based financial aid program on its Tuition & Fees page. The published fees cover entrance, administration, and annual tuition, with additional costs such as EAL and bus fees where applicable.

There is a separate fee-reduction arrangement related to Tohoku University: children of full-time foreign faculty members at Tohoku University may receive preferential treatment for entrance and tuition fees at TIS under a formal agreement between the two institutions. If you wish to pursue this option, apply for admission to TIS and indicate interest in the agreement.

There is no published waitlist or pool system for TIS. Admissions are described as occurring throughout the year based on space availability, with an application review process that considers each student's fit for the program. This indicates that places are offered as space permits rather than through a formal waitlist.