Education in Hong Kong is free, and school is compulsory from between ages 6 to 15 (primary and junior secondary schools). Children in public schools in Hong Kong attend primary schools for six years, followed by three years of junior secondary education, and another three years of senior secondary education.
Private International Schools: Privately run schools aimed at international students; high admittance fees.
Education in Hong Kong is largely modelled on that of the United Kingdom, particularly the English system. It is overseen by the Education Bureau and the Social Welfare Department.
In the 2026/20 school year, there are 587 primary schools and 504 secondary schools in Hong Kong.
The academic year begins mid-year, usually starting in September.
Pre-school education
Pre-school education in Hong Kong is not free and fees are payable by pupils’ parents. However, parents whose children have the right of abode in Hong Kong can pay for part of their fees with a voucher from the government under the Pre-primary Education Voucher Scheme (PEVS). In 2013, the amount of subsidy under the PEVS is $16,800.
Primary and secondary education
Every child in Hong Kong, without any reasonable excuse, is required by law to attend a primary school after the child has attained the age of 6. They are also required to attend a secondary school after primary education and is completed before he/she attains the age of 18. However, a student who has completed Form 3 of secondary education and whose parent can produce evidence to the satisfaction of the Permanent Secretary for Education, shall not apply. Education in the public sector is free. Public primary schools admit students via the Primary One Admission System.
School years
| Age in school year | Year | Curriculum Stages | Schools | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3-4 | Kindergarten 1 | Preschool Education | Kindergarten | Nursery School | ||
| 4-5 | Kindergarten 2 | |||||
| 5-6 | Kindergarten 3 | |||||
| 6-7 | Primary 1 | Primary Education | Primary Level | P.1-P.3 (KS1) | Primary School | Middle School |
| 7-8 | Primary 2 | |||||
| 8-9 | Primary 3 | |||||
| 9-10 | Primary 4 | P.4-P.6 (KS2) | ||||
| 10-11 | Primary 5 | |||||
| 11-12 | Primary 6 | |||||
| 12-13 | Secondary 1 | Secondary Education | Junior Secondary | S.1-S.3 (KS3) | Secondary School | |
| 13-14 | Secondary 2 | |||||
| 14-15 | Secondary 3 | |||||
| 15-16 | Secondary 4 | Diploma of Secondary Education (HKDSE) | Senior Secondary | S.4-S.6 (KS4) | ||
| 16-17 | Secondary 5 | |||||
| 17-18 | Secondary 6 | |||||
| ≥18 | University | Varies of Further Education | University | High School |
Secondary education
Secondary education is separated into junior and senior years. In junior years, the curriculum is a broad one where history, geography, science are studied alongside subjects that have already been studied at primary schools. In senior years, this becomes more selective and students have a choice over what and how much is to be studied. Almost all schools but PLK Vicwood KT Chong Sixth Form College and its feeder junior secondary college have both sessions.
Annually, Form 6 students studying in local schools in Hong Kong sit for the Hong Kong Diploma of Secondary Education (HKDSE) between early March through early May. However, a minority of local secondary schools in Hong Kong also offer the International Baccalaureate Diploma Program (IBDP) for their students as an alternative choice to the HKDSE curriculum, for example, Po Leung Kuk Choi Kai Yau School and St. Paul’s Co-educational College.
Further education
The commerce stream in secondary schools is considered vocational. Students in the Commerce stream would usually enter the workplace to gain practical work experience by this point. Further education pursuits in the Hong Kong Institute of Vocational Education or universities abroad are common. The Manpower Development Committee (MDC) advises the government on coordination, regulation, and promotion of the sector. Also, the Vocational Training Council (VTC) ensures the level of standard is met through the “Apprentice Ordinance”. The VTC also operates three skills-centres for people with disabilities. secondary schools in Hong Kong are going to be cut down to only two years due to the switch in the government.
Alternative education options
International institutions provide both primary and secondary education in Hong Kong. International institutions like schools within the English Schools Foundation, Li Po Chun United World College, Hong Kong International School, American International School Hong Kong, Chinese International School, Victoria Shanghai Academy German Swiss International School, Canadian International School, Hong Kong Japanese School, Hong Kong Academy, French International School, Yew Chung International School, Po Leung Kuk Choi Kai Yau School, Singapore International School, Mount Kelly Hong Kong and Harrow International School Hong Kong teach with English as the primary language, with some sections bilingual in German, French and Chinese. International school students rarely take Hong Kong public exams. British students take GCSE, IGCSE, and A-levels. US students take APs. Increasingly, international schools follow the International Baccalaureate Diploma Program (IBDP) and enter universities through non-JUPAS direct entry. International students apply on a per-school basis, whereas Hong Kong local students submit 1 application for multiple local universities as a JUPAS applicant.
Medium of instruction
In 1990s, following the handover of Hong Kong, most secondary schools in the territory have switched their medium of instruction from English to Chinese (Cantonese). The remaining 114 schools (about 20-30%) are being known as EMI schools and are often being viewed as prestigious. From year 2009, schools which use Chinese as medium of instruction are also being allowed to have classes that use English as medium of instruction.
In addition, Hong Kong government have push the use of Putonghua (Standard Mandarin Chinese) as medium of instruction in Chinese language subject (PMIC). As of year 2015-2016, about 16.4% primary schools and 2.5% secondary schools have adopted Putonghua, instead of Cantonese, in teaching the Chinese language subject across all grades and classes. An additional 55.3% primary schools and 34.4% secondary schools have adopted Putonghua in some of their grades and classes. Remaining 28.3% primary schools and 63.1% secondary schools still use Cantonese in all their grades and classes.
Tertiary and Higher education
University of Hong Kong.Main article: Higher education in Hong Kong
Higher education remains exclusive in Hong Kong. Fewer than 20,000 students are offered places funded by the government every year, although this number has more than doubled over the last three decades.The Chinese University of Hong Kong
As a result, many continue their studies abroad, as can be seen in the following table.[7]
| Country | 1975 | 1984 | 1986 | 1988 | 1990 | 1992 | 1994 | 1998 | 2000 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hong Kong | 11,575 | 21,538 | 25,995 | 29,591 | 34,556 | 42,721 | 52,494 | 59,528 | 59,408 |
| Australia | 572 | 1,658 | 1,687 | 1,889 | 3,864 | 6,707 | 11,932 | 17,135 | 20,739 |
| US | 11,930 | 9,000 | 9,720 | 9,160 | 12,630 | 14,018 | 12,940 | 8,730 | 7,545 |
| UK | 4,434 | 6,500 | 6,935 | 7,300 | 7,700 | 7,600 | 7,400 | 5,450 | 5,200 |
| Canada | 6,644 | 7,723 | 6,730 | 5,840 | 6,372 | 6,600 | 6,589 | 5,000 | 5,000 |
| Taiwan | 2,626 | 3,816 | 3,854 | 3,850 | 3,633 | 3,450 | 2,663 | 1,487 | 1,171 |
Bachelor’s degrees issued in Hong Kong have honours distinctions: first class, second class upper division, second class lower division, and third class.
Adult education
Adult education is popular, since it gives middle age adults a chance to obtain a tertiary degree. The concept was not common several decades ago. The EMB has commissioned two non-profit school operators to provide evening courses. The operators have fee remission schemes to help adult learners in need of financial assistance. Adult education courses also provide Vocational Training Council through universities and private institutions. The Open University of Hong Kong is one establishment for mature students. Several secondary schools operate adult education sessions, the first being Cheung Sha Wan Catholic Secondary School, while PLK Vicwood KT Chong Sixth Form College offers associate degree and joint-degree programmes.
Education for immigrant and non-Cantonese-speaking children
The Education Bureau provides education services for immigrant children from Mainland China and other countries, as well as non-Cantonese-speaking Hong Kong children. Free “Induction Programmes” of up to 60 hours have been offered to NAC by non-government organisations. The EMB also provides a 6-month full-time “Initiation Programme” incorporating both academic and non-academic support services, for NAC before they are formally placed into mainstream schools. The social issue aroused the interest of academic researchers to publish work about NACs’ adaptation and school performance
In 2017 the Hong Kong government schools had 6,267 Pakistani students, the largest non-local bloc, and 818 white students of any national background. In 2013 there were 556 white students of any background in Hong Kong government schools. Historically non-local students from other Asian countries attended government schools while white students attended private schools instead. In 2018 Angie Chan of The New York Times reported that increasing numbers of white students were enrolling in Cantonese medium government schools. This was due to increasing tuitions from international schools which received influxes of wealthy Mainland Chinese and desires from parents for white students to learn Cantonese.
International education
As of January 2015, the International Schools Consultancy (ISC) listed Hong Kong as having 175 international schools. ISC defines an ‘international school’ in the following terms “ISC includes an international school if the school delivers a curriculum to any combination of pre-school, primary or secondary students, wholly or partly in English outside an English-speaking country, or if a school in a country where English is one of the official languages, offers an English-medium curriculum other than the country’s national curriculum and is international in its orientation.” This definition is used by publications including The Economist.
While the ISC definition allows for an objective number is does also mean that the count of “International Schools” is often considerably higher than the number of schools that would be relevant to an international, expatriate audience. WhichSchoolAdvisor.com, a review based site that looks exclusively at schools attended by expatriates, has 100 international schools listed in its directory, less than the ISC count, but still 17 more than its great city rival, Singapore. Of these 24 schools follow in part or in full a UK based curriculum (largely the I/GCSE up to 16, A Level post 16), while others follow a UK/International Baccalaureate blend with the IB Diploma offered for post-16 study. Some 33 schools in Hong Kong currently offer the Diploma.
Hong Kong’s international schools are not subject to independent inspection reports by the territory’s regulator, meaning word of mouth tends to drive reputation as to what are considered to be the best performing international schools in the territory. A large number of parent forums exist that help parents new to Hong Kong make an often very difficult decision.
Private, international schools come at very different prices. The most expensive school is currently Li Po Chun United World College of Hong Kong, with average annual fees of HKD $360,000 (USD $46,450.13). These fees are skewed by the fact that this school is boarding only, and only for the students studying the last two years of the IB. The next most expensive school in the territory is the Chinese International School (CIS), an IB continuum, bi-lingual school (Mandarin and English). Its average fees across year groups is currently HKD 216,500 (USD $27,935).
In addition to the international day school, Hong Kong’s Japanese population is served by a weekend education programme, the Hong Kong Japanese Supplementary School (香港日本人補習授業校, Honkon Nihonjin Hoshū Jugyō Kō, HKJSS).
In 2018 Angie Chan reported that increasing numbers of Chinese students, including Hong Kong Chinese and Mainland Chinese, were enrolling in private international schools. In 2017 the percentage of foreign students in such institutions was under 75%, with Hong Kong Chinese being 21.6% and Mainland Chinese being about 4%. In previous eras virtually the entire international school student body was foreign.
There are top-rated exempted courses where courses offered overseas are collaborated with local institutions in Hong Kong to broaden the scope of Tertiary Education in Hong Kong. MIT has an innovation node in Hong Kong.