Updated May 2026 · 5 min read
Shanghai is the deepest premium British curriculum market in Asia. Seven schools sit in the British Schools Asia index, with top-year fees ranging from approximately USD 41,400 to USD 58,600, the highest fee band of any city in the region.
Harrow International School Shanghai ranks first in the city (#23 in Asia). Opened in 2016 in the Waigaoqiao Free Trade Zone in northern Pudong, the school runs the English National Curriculum through IGCSE to A Levels, unusual within Shanghai's premium British school segment, where the IB Diploma dominates. AP courses were added alongside A Levels in 2025.
Dulwich College Shanghai Pudong ranks second in the city (#25 in Asia). Established in 2003, it was the first international campus in the Dulwich College International network and remains the network's flagship in mainland China. The Jinqiao campus enrols approximately 1,600 students and posted an average of 38.6 points in the 2025 IB Diploma, the highest mean in China.
Dulwich College Shanghai Puxi ranks third in the city (#26 in Asia). It opened in 2016 to serve the western side of the city, with around 1,400 students at the Maqiao campus and the same curriculum model as Pudong. Admission is restricted to foreign passport holders.
Britannica International School Shanghai, fourth in the city, is a smaller school of around 410 students that, unusually for Shanghai, runs A Levels rather than the IB Diploma. Wellington College International Shanghai, fifth, opened in 2014 on a riverside site in the Qiantan (New Bund) financial district and is the largest international school site in downtown Shanghai. It runs ENC through to the IB Diploma.
Nord Anglia International School Shanghai, Pudong (sixth in the city) and The British International School Shanghai, Puxi (seventh) are operated by Nord Anglia Education and serve the Kangqiao (Pudong) and Huacao (Puxi) areas respectively. Both run ENC through IGCSE and the IB Diploma, with access to Nord Anglia's global collaboration programmes with MIT and Juilliard.
Fees in context
Shanghai is the most expensive city in Asia for British schooling. Top-year fees start at around USD 41,400 (Britannica) and rise to USD 58,600 at the two Dulwich campuses, with Harrow, Wellington and the Nord Anglia schools all sitting between USD 56,000 and USD 58,500. Most schools also charge a one-off capital development fee or refundable enrolment deposit on top of annual tuition. Fees are billed in RMB; foreign-currency payments are converted at the bank's middle rate at the time of payment.
What parents should know
Pudong or Puxi is the first decision. Pudong (eastern Shanghai) has the largest concentration of English-medium British schools, Dulwich Pudong, Harrow, Wellington, NAIS Pudong, Britannica, clustered around different residential expat zones. Puxi (western Shanghai) is served by Dulwich Puxi and BIS Puxi. Cross-river commutes for primary children are best avoided.
Pathway choice is the second. Most Shanghai British schools route students to the IB Diploma in Sixth Form. If you want A Levels specifically, the choice narrows to Harrow Shanghai or Britannica.
Mainland regulation is the third consideration. International schools in China are typically restricted to foreign passport holders only, and that applies to most schools in the index. Confirm passport eligibility early in the admissions process.
For a full breakdown of every school, visit the Shanghai city page or browse the full rankings.