Founded by the U.S. Consulate in 1912, the Shanghai American School was discontinued in 1949 and resumed in 1980. SAS has a long history, which has been running for a long time longer than the oldest school in Beijing, Shunyi International School (ISB), and is undoubtedly the leading international school in China.
SAS is part of the Ministry of Education and has two campuses, Puxi and Pudong, which are located in Minhang District, near Hongqiao Airport, and Pudong International Airport. The two campuses each have a complete primary school, middle school and high school, the campus is expansive, all built in the American style of the campus, the school claims to have the largest English library in China, with a total collection of more than 130,000 English books on each campus, even ahead of the libraries of many famous universities.
As a typical American school, SAS attaches great importance to cultivating students' athletic ability, not only providing high-end equipment in terms of venues, facilities and other hardware, but also actively organizing students to participate in various competitive events, such as the Asia-Pacific Games (APAC) and the Shanghai International Schools Games (SISAC), including rugby, basketball, table tennis, badminton, track and field, football, swimming, etc. Physical education is of great significance at SAS, and the curriculum is not just a casual course, but a very targeted one: physical training in the early years is mainly based on activities and games; Junior high school students begin to train in sports, such as rugby, swimming, basketball, etc.; For high school students, the school requires them to go to the gym three times a week. In class, the PE teacher regularly measures the student's heart rate and pulse, and records it in the book as an evaluation, so that if the student has a sports injury during the exercise, he or she can get timely treatment from a full-time rehabilitation teacher in the professional rehabilitation room of SAS. This kind of physical education class is unique in Shanghai.
When examining the qualifications of international schools, the accreditation of the Alliance of International Organizations is the most intuitive. SAS is a not-for-profit school accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC) and a member of the East Asia Regional Council of Schools (EARCOS), the Association of International Schools of China and Mongolia (ACAMIS), the International Schools of Shanghai (SISA), the Council of Schools Abroad in Near Southeast Asia (NESA), and the Association for the Development of International Education (AAIE).
More than half of SAS teachers are from North America, but also from Australia, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and other European countries, and more than 70 percent have earned a master's degree or higher. Like most U.S. schools, every curriculum at SAS is up-to-date with the U.S., with the exception of Chinese classes. For example, at the elementary level, the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) are used in English and math courses, and the Next Generation Science Standards are used in science courses.
In middle school, students begin to combine academic assignments with research activities, including a week of China Alive and Microcampus, where students leave Shanghai for regular courses and research in central or remote rural areas. Another SAS unique program is the Innovation Institute, which gives students the opportunity to enter the Innovation Institute for up to two years of unconventional coursework when they enter Year 9, which challenges students' interdisciplinary learning, problem-solving and collaboration skills. When entering high school, students need to choose between AP and IB preparation systems to prepare for admission to the university of their choice. It is worth mentioning that SAS is qualified to offer the AP Capstone diploma program, which can be given to students who are interested in AP courses.
SAS has always led the way in graduation admissions, and it is difficult to surpass foreign schools that refuse to take exams. In 2017, SAS received the most offers from the Ivy League in Shanghai, along with Yale University, Dartmouth College and Brown University. Other non-Ivy League but top-ranked universities, such as Stanford University, USC, UCLA, New York University, and the top five liberal arts colleges in the United States, are also included in SAS students. Despite SAS's success in admissions, parents should also be aware that elite schools in the United States (especially Ivy League schools) have legacy admissions in college admissions, that is, the children of alumni are given priority. As the best international school in Shanghai, SAS has many parents from prestigious schools and is ahead of other schools in terms of admission results, which is inseparable from the Legacy Admission policy.
Tuition:
Kindergarten: 188,000 yuan/school year
Primary school: 246,500 yuan/school year
Junior high school: 252,000 yuan/school year
High school: 263,500 yuan/academic year
Application fee: 2,500 RMB
*Tuition fees are subject to change, subject to the latest announcement of the school
