Before becoming the best international school in China by Hurun, YK Pao Experimental School had been popular in Shanghai for a long time with its ultimate holistic education. In addition, with the extremely high entry threshold, Pao School has almost become the most popular private school in Shanghai in the eyes of parents.

Pao School has a short history, but the Bao family established the school in 2007 in honor of the Chinese ship king Bao Yugang. The school provides a continuous education from the first grade of elementary school to the twelfth grade of high school, and has three divisions: elementary school, junior high school, and high school. The Elementary School (Grades 1-5) is located in Changning District, downtown Shanghai, and the Middle School (Grades 6-8) and High School (Grades 9-12) are located in the New Hongqiao Campus and Songjiang District, Shanghai.

As a not-for-profit bilingual school, all tuition fees and donations received by Pao School are invested in daily operations and renovations, so the environment and facilities of Pao School are well matched by the high tuition fees. Taking the Songjiang campus as an example, the school is located in the Thames town full of European style, and the school building design is designed by British architects, which has a sunny appearance. The state-of-the-art sports facilities include athletics tracks, football pitches, indoor sports halls, fencing halls, underground sports halls and indoor swimming pools, while art classrooms include three theatres, three art classrooms, a pottery studio, a design lab, five music studios and a dance studio.

Pao School's curriculum framework incorporates the characteristics of Chinese and international education, with students in Years 1-5 taking the Shanghai curriculum, which is based on the Shanghai Curriculum Reform Standards. The 'Shanghai' programme is for students in Years 6-8 and is a combination of the Shanghai curriculum and the English National Curriculum. Entering Year 9, students begin their two-year IGCSE course, during which Chinese students are also required to take Pao School's self-propelled entrance exam, which leads to a junior high school diploma certified by the Education Commission. Students in Years 11-12 are expected to devote themselves to the IBDP programme. It is worth mentioning that Pao School has a mix of Chinese and foreign students, and Chinese and English are taught in the same class, which is not common in bilingual schools, and according to Pao School, this is to promote cultural exchange and enhance mutual learning between China and the West. In addition, from Year 9 onwards, more than 85% of the courses are taught in English.

Pao School is a role model in terms of quality education, placing less emphasis on academic achievement than other schools, and instead caring more about the "whole person development" of students. Pao School does not rank students' grades, but all students are required to attend Pao School's unique character education classes. Students are actively involved in sports and extracurricular activities, including art, music, and student clubs. The Parents' and Teachers' Parents' Partnership (PTA) also meets regularly to integrate parents' resources and organise informative activities for their children.

Boarding is one of the hallmarks of life at Pao School. After bidding farewell to primary school, students in the middle and high schools can choose to board in school, and some students choose to go to school every day. The student residence hall is equipped with a music practice room, activity room, kitchen, games room, TV room and student center, and there is at least one teacher's apartment on each floor for easy management.

In 2017, Pao School welcomed its first class of graduates and made its debut at the world's top universities, including Columbia University, Dartmouth College, and Brown University, as well as the California Department of Los Angeles and Berkeley. In 2018, Pao School's cohort of graduates was also successful, with the likes of Brown University, Cornell University, Carnegie Mellon University and many more.

Tuition:

Wuding Campus

Grades 1-5: 78,000 RMB/semester

Hongqiao Campus:

Grade 6: 95,000 RMB/semester

Songjiang Campus:

Grades 7-9: 95,000 RMB/semester

Grades 10-12: 105,000 RMB/semester

*Tuition fees are subject to change, subject to the latest announcement of the school