Updated May 2026 · 4 min read
Shenzhen's international school market is small, premium, and concentrated. One school in the city qualifies for the British Schools Asia index, and it sits firmly in the upper fee band of mainland China.
Harrow International School Shenzhen is the only Shenzhen entry in the index, ranked #31 in Asia. Opened in 2020 and part of the Harrow family of international schools affiliated with Harrow School in London, the campus sits on a 40,000 square-metre site in the Qianhai Co-operation Zone, Shenzhen's flagship free-trade and innovation district in western Nanshan. The school takes around 900 students from Pre-Nursery through Year 13, with both day and boarding places available.
The curriculum is the English National Curriculum from Early Years through to A Level, with IGCSE in Years 10–11. There is no IB pathway, Harrow Shenzhen is unambiguously a British curriculum school, all the way through.
Fees in context
Top-year fees at Harrow Shenzhen run to approximately USD 47,900, placing the school below Shanghai's Dulwich and Wellington campuses (USD 56,000–58,000) but above Beijing and Hong Kong's premium tier. Boarding is charged separately for families taking that option. 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
Qianhai is where this school's positioning lives. The zone is purpose-built for foreign business and finance, and Harrow Shenzhen anchors the educational offer for senior expat hires and Hong Kong cross-border families relocating north. If your work base is in central Shenzhen or further east in Luohu, expect a meaningful commute.
Boarding is the second consideration. Harrow Shenzhen is one of very few British schools in mainland China offering boarding, including for cross-border families whose children study here while parents remain in Hong Kong. If boarding is part of your decision, Harrow Shenzhen is one of the only options in the region.
Mainland regulation is the third consideration. International schools in China are typically restricted to foreign passport holders only. Confirm passport eligibility early in the admissions process.
For a full breakdown, visit the Shenzhen city page or browse the full rankings.