Korea International School (KIS) Pangyo

About Korea International School Pangyo

Korea International School (KIS) is a college preparatory school that follows a U.S.-based curriculum from pre-kindergarten through Grade 12. KIS welcomed its first students in 2000 at the site that is now its Seoul campus, and in 2006 it opened the PK–12 Pangyo campus, which the school says now houses about 1,200 students. The campus is stepped into a hillside and bordered by forest, at 27 Daewangpangyo-ro 385beon-gil, Bundang-gu, Seongnam-si, Gyeonggi-do. The school describes the location as about 9 miles from Seoul and 1 mile from Pangyo Techno Valley.

KIS also runs a separate Seoul campus with its own website (kisseoul.or.kr). This page covers the Pangyo campus.

Curriculum and school day

• Early childhood (PK and JK): play-based, child-led learning; kindergarten adds more structured phonics, reading, writing and math while keeping daily play and outdoor time.
• High school (Grades 9–12): more than 25 Advanced Placement (AP) courses, including AP Capstone. Students take seven classes on a schedule of four 80-minute periods a day, plus a midday club or advisory block.
• Languages: Korean is part of the elementary curriculum, which also offers Spanish and Mandarin. Middle and high school students can choose French, Spanish or Mandarin.
• English support: an English as an Additional Language (EAL) program is available for students who need it, subject to availability.

KIS follows an American calendar, with the school year starting in mid-August and ending in mid-June. Classes run from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. for all grades, and the school reports about 20 students per class. After-school activities run from 3:15 to 4:15 p.m. for elementary students and from 3:15 to 5:00 p.m. for middle and high school. Daily dress is casual; a uniform is required only for PE.

Accreditation and diploma recognition

KIS is accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC) and the Council of International Schools (CIS). The Pangyo campus is registered as a foreign school with the Gyeonggi Provincial Office of Education. Because KIS teaches a U.S.-based curriculum, the school states that completing its program does not count as graduating from a Korean elementary, middle or high school. Families who may later return to the Korean school system should keep this in mind.

School bus

KIS runs school buses with routes covering most areas of Seoul and southern Bundang, with designated stops, ID-card check-in and bus monitors. Regular afternoon buses leave campus at 3:10 p.m., and activity buses leave at 5:15 p.m. (elementary students cannot ride the 5:15 p.m. bus). Routes can change from one school year to the next, so check the current route list on the KIS transportation page before you choose a home.

KIS Pangyo Admissions Process

Who is eligible

Every applicant must meet the eligibility criteria set by the Korean Ministry of Education. KIS lists four ways to qualify:

• at least one parent holds a non-Korean nationality, shown by a residence card (ARC) and the Korean family registry;
• the student has lived overseas for at least three years (1,095 days), shown by an entry and exit certificate from Korean immigration;
• the student is currently enrolled at an accredited international school in Korea; or
• the student has six semesters of official report cards and a letter of attendance from a school abroad (this route applies from Grade 1 upward).

KIS also describes its admissions as selective. Decisions come from an age-appropriate, holistic review of the student’s potential, academic history and co-curricular activities. Children must be able to use the toilet independently.

When to apply

Applications for the following school year open on December 1, and admissions are rolling. Elementary and middle school students can join at any point in the year. High school students usually start at the beginning of a semester, and the school recommends either the start of the school year or the second semester in January. KIS asks families to finish the application, eligibility documents and testing at least one month before the planned first day. Grade placement follows a birth-date table on the admissions criteria page, with each grade covering children born between September and the following August.

Application steps and documents

1. Review eligibility and decide which of the four routes applies to your child.
2. Determine the grade from the birth-date table.
3. Prepare documents: a recent passport-style photo; passport ID pages for the child and both parents; a birth certificate or Korean family registry; the eligibility documents for your route (for example, a parent’s residence card, an entry and exit certificate, or a letter of attendance from the current international school); and school records.
4. Apply online through the school’s OpenApply portal.
5. Schedule the interview and exam once the admissions team has reviewed the file.

School records must be in English or come with a notarized English translation. They can be mailed to KIS in a sealed envelope or sent directly by the current school to kisinfo@kis.or.kr. Pre-kindergarten and kindergarten applicants provide whatever school documents they have; Grades 1–8 provide report cards for the current and previous two years; Grades 9–12 provide official transcripts for the same period. KIS also asks for confidential teacher recommendations through OpenApply: from the homeroom teacher for PK–Grade 5, and from the English and math teachers for Grades 6–12.

Testing, interview and decision

Standardized test scores are optional for PK–Grade 2, although the school may invite PK, JK and kindergarten applicants to campus for an in-person screening. Applicants for Grades 3–12 submit scores from a test taken within the last 12 months; accepted tests include MAP, ISEE, STAR, PSAT, SAT, ACT and most U.S. state assessments. Applicants already in Korea without scores can take an assessment on campus, and those still abroad can sit the ISEE (KIS code 571483). Remote interviews and testing may be allowed for students in the top 10% of their class who submit official standardized scores.

After all documents are in, the admissions team takes three to four business days to review the file and then emails a parent to set up the interview and test. A letter of acceptance or rejection follows five to ten business days after testing. A student who is not admitted can reapply after six months with updated report cards and recommendations.

Tuition and fees

Fees change each year, so we do not list amounts here. See the official KIS tuition and fees page for the current schedule.

Official sources: About KIS, Admissions Criteria, Admissions FAQs, High School and Transportation. Admission rules can change, so always confirm details with the school.

Homes near Korea International School Pangyo

KIS Pangyo sits in Bundang-gu, Seongnam, so most families who want a short school run look at homes for rent in Pangyo and Bundang. Our guides to living in Pangyo and living in Bundang explain the housing types in each area, and you can browse current homes near KIS Pangyo and SIS. If you would rather live in Seoul and use the school bus, tell us your child’s start date and we will check homes against the current bus routes.