The International Schools Review Forum

Interested in living in China, but not interested in having my kids develop asthma from the pollution in Beijing or Shanghai.

We're looking for a school with a mix of expat kids so my kids won't be the only foreigners in their classes.

Any suggestions for good schools in China outside the two biggest cities?

Thanks!

If your exclusively eliminating only Beijing and Shanghai and only want top tier schools then I would look at the AISG (American School of Guangzhou). You really dont find tier 1 schools outside of HK, BEJ, SH, and GZ. Of course opinions will differ.

I agree with Psyguy there, the American International Shcool of Guangzhou is the first one that jumps out. Maybe also take a look at Suzhou Singapore International School too. I don't think you'll find more than that really, and even the Suzhou school maybe wouldn't be considered top tier.

Thanks for the information! I'll definitely look into those two schools.

I'll jump in here and also endorse AISG. The package is pretty good (not quite as high as Shanghai AS) and it is a well run school.

I'd be nervous about the school in Suzhou simply because, unlike AISG, it is a proprietary school. Although the Head of School is well regarded, I have still heard some negative stories about working there.

For the record, teachers have moved from Suzhou to AISG, but not the other way around.

I wouldn't consider any of the schools in Suzhou to be top tier and, aside from the beautiful gardens available for your perusal (they don't call it the garden city for nothing), there's not much to do there.

AISG was the first school that came to mind. Also take a look at International School of Tianjin. That's considered a pretty solid school, though Tianjin is nothing to write home about.

I know that the pollution in Beijing is off the charts. How bad is Shanghai in Comparison?

For a visual, I saw this a few days ago - [url]http://www.theatlantic.com/infocus/2013 ... ky/100449/[/url][/url]

AISG was the first one that came to mind. I've also heard really good things about Nanjing International School from people that work there and others that have been there. I'm not sure that it is quite Tier 1 though.

Shanghai's air quality is better than Beijings but on some days that isn't saying much. The same crappy conditions that have been impacting Beijing have had an impact in Shanghai as well though the readings in Shanghai were anywhere between 180 and 280 as opposed to 300+.

When coming to China air quality isn't something to dismiss lightly. Take a look at the photo spread in the Atlantic mentioned by the previous poster. Its all too real and it has an impact on your life, both in and out of school. For example, ISB recently built a large complex for their elementary students and PE classes to use on pollution alert days.

I can't say anything about SSIS, other than that they are located in Suzhou's industrial park (its not surrounded by factories). I would wonder whether Suzhou's air quality is any different from Shanghai's. You pass factory after factory on the drive between the two cities. If you look at the AQI readings I think Shanghai and Guangzhou are fairly similar in terms of their air quality. At this very moment the US consulates are reporting an AQI of 148 in Guangzhou and 77 in Shanghai and 146 in Beijing.

[quote="Teachermom"]Interested in living in China, but not interested in having my kids develop asthma from the pollution in Beijing or Shanghai.

We're looking for a school with a mix of expat kids so my kids won't be the only foreigners in their classes.

Any suggestions for good schools in China outside the two biggest cities?

Thanks![/quote]
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I have heard good things about Nanjing Int'l (although second/third hand). Last time I looked, the package was quite good too.

Can't believe I forgot about Nanjing. Nanjing International School has a fantastic reputation within the IB community, and it's not without good reason. Very good package, progressive, well run and very well established. I'm not bothered about Nanjing as a place, but I'd love tot work at the school.

I agree with the above comments about Suzhou Singapore. I got the impression that they were about on a par with Tianjin international school. The good thing about both of these is that Suzhou is only 30 mins train ride away from Shanghai, and Tianjin is only a couple of hours away from Beijing, though Suzhou is much more touristy and probably nicer to live in. For either, although you are somewhere away from the biggest cities, you are never too far away from somewhere to stock up on western groceries or do something different.

Yeah id put Nanjing IS in the tier 1 category, good school, but the location isnt anything to get excited about.
I wouldnt consider any of the ISs in Suzhou as being upper tier either.

Shanghai is better then Bejing when it comes to pollution, but everywhere in China is better then Beijings pollution. Though from being on the ground, id need someone with HD gas chromatography to tell me there was a difference on some days. Above a certain point of "bad" you cant really tell the difference, its like trying to say breathing water is better for you then breathing oil, both are going to kill you.

Thanks, everyone! That Atlantic article is shocking, to say the least. When I lived in Cairo, I had constant ear/nose/throat issues for the first months....loved the big city vibe, but that pollution really got to me!

It seems hard to find reliable and easy to understand data on the air pollution issue.

@Teachermom

Not really find the nearest regional US consulate/embassy in the area and they usally have a link or resource in areas that are known for pollution .

I like Nanjing (the city, don't know about NIS) quite a bit. I think it's more interesting than Suzhou, Tianjin, or Hangzhou for similar second tier Chinese cities. There are some historic sites that haven't been destroyed in the Cultural Revolution or in development. It was China's capital at different times in the past, which the locals are quite proud. The huge park complexes, like the Purple Mountain and Xuanwu Park, are great. I also like the fact that the area has some topography unlike Shanghai.

Not as fast paced as Shanghai or Beijing, but not as expensive either. It used to be a 3 1/2 hour train ride to Shanghai. I bet it's faster now.