If you have been searching for international schools in Okayama prefecture and coming up almost empty, you are not searching badly — the options genuinely are thin. This guide lists every international school and English-immersion preschool we could verify inside Okayama prefecture (14 in total), organised by area, with fee ranges and official sources. It also names the problem nobody puts in a headline: Okayama has real choices for toddlers and real choices for teenagers, and almost nothing in between. By the end you should have your family’s realistic shortlist down to three or four paths.
Quick Answer: Your Options in Okayama
If you only read one section, read this. Below are the areas where schools can be confirmed, with their school names, plus the online option — so you can see every route side by side before the details.
- Okayama City, Kita Ward (5 schools) — Abroad International School Okayama / Earth 8 Universal School / Edison International School Okayama and 2 more (5 in total)
- Okayama City, Naka Ward (4 schools) — English Rose International School / Alpha International School / Lobal International Kids Garden
- Kurashiki City (3 schools) — Franklin School Kurashiki / International School Little Bear (Kojima Jidoen)
- IB at secondary level — Asahijuku Secondary School
- NIJIN GLOBAL ACADEMY (online) — Ages 6–18 / opening September 2027, currently taking opening-update registrations / fees around one-fifth of a typical campus international school / Japanese-language support. An option when distance or fees are the wall.
International schools in Okayama prefecture: the landscape and fee ranges
Start with the map. Okayama prefecture does have institutions teaching in English. We verified 14 by name and address: five in Okayama City’s Kita Ward, four in Okayama City’s Naka Ward, three in Kurashiki City, and two Article 1 schools (fully accredited Japanese schools) running International Baccalaureate programmes.
Now the fact that matters most. Of the 12 institutions that call themselves international schools, almost all serve ages 1 to 5 or 6 — preschool and kindergarten. We could not verify a single full-time, non-Article 1 international school in Okayama prefecture that takes students through elementary, middle and high school. For elementary-age children, the local format is an after-school English programme, not a day school.
At secondary level, though, Okayama is unusually strong for the Chugoku region. Asahijuku Secondary School holds both IB MYP and IB DP authorisation, and Okayama University of Science High School runs an IB Diploma course. So the shape of international education here is a clear U: rich at preschool, close to empty at elementary, then strong again from middle and high school.
Fees, in ranges. Enrolment fees at Okayama preschools and international kindergartens run roughly ¥18,000 to ¥103,000 (average around ¥54,600), and full-day monthly tuition runs roughly ¥49,500 to ¥82,500, according to Preschool Park’s Okayama fee data. Annualised, that is broadly ¥400,000 to ¥1,300,000 per year. The two IB Article 1 schools come to roughly ¥740,000 to ¥930,000 for the first year, before IB-specific charges. Compared with Tokyo’s flagship international schools at ¥2.9m–¥3.4m a year, Okayama is genuinely affordable. If you want to understand why those numbers differ so much, see our breakdown of what international school tuition actually pays for.
For context on demand: Okayama prefecture’s foreign resident population reached a record 38,886 as of the end of December 2024 (Okayama Prefectural Government). Internationalisation is progressing steadily — but the prefecture still lacks the concentration of families needed to sustain a full K-12 international campus.
Every international school in Okayama prefecture, by area
Fees are listed only where they are published. Where they are not, we say so rather than guess.
Okayama City, Kita Ward (5 schools)
This is the centre of gravity. Everything below is within about a 15-minute drive of Okayama Station.
- Abroad International School Okayama (Yanagimachi, Kita Ward — about 12 minutes on foot from Okayama Station)
The only IB PYP authorised early-years international school in the prefecture, taking children from age 1 through kindergarten (Infants & Toddlers, Preschool, Pre-K, Kindergarten). Fees: ¥163,000 admission plus ¥89,000 annual maintenance, with term-based tuition working out to roughly ¥650,000–¥1,100,000 per year depending on programme and days per week (official fee page). Eligible for the ¥37,000 monthly government childcare subsidy; 10% sibling discount. Also runs a Saturday School and an after-school programme for elementary students. - Earth 8 Universal School (Shimonakano, Kita Ward — 7 minutes from Bizen-Nishiichi Station)
A bilingual school for ages 1 to pre-school entry, with organic meals, Harvard-informed English literacy work, forest and island nature programmes, and STEAM inquiry. Fees: ¥50,000 enrolment, tuition of ¥432,000 per term across three terms, plus ¥15,000 per term facility development (official fee page). Okayama City subsidy of up to ¥444,000 a year applies to eligible families. Elementary-age after-school options include inquiry and STEM classes (¥19,800/month each) and English (¥14,800/month). - Edison International School Okayama (Kita Ward)
An all-English kindergarten combining Montessori practice with immersion, for ages 2 to school entry, plus afternoon after-school English for kindergarten and elementary children. Enrolment ¥51,000; monthly ¥51,000–¥66,300, or roughly ¥610,000–¥800,000 a year. Subsidy-eligible, with sibling discounts. - Earlybirds International School (Ima, Kita Ward)
Preschool for ages 3–6, with a short course (9:00–13:30) and long course (9:00–14:30), plus an after-school course for elementary students. Enrolment ¥50,000; monthly ¥49,500–¥82,500, or roughly ¥590,000–¥990,000 a year. Designated for Okayama City childcare support. - Okayama ISOE (International School of English) (Sanmon-Nakamachi, Kita Ward)
Okayama’s first officially recognised Cambridge English preparation centre and authorised learning centre. Programmes run from early-years English through elementary, middle and high school classes, Eiken and IELTS preparation, and adult classes. Because it is class-based rather than a full-day kindergarten, fees are on enquiry. The draw is measurable progress against CEFR levels.
Okayama City, Naka Ward (4 schools)
Naka Ward’s options are smaller, mostly registered as unlicensed childcare facilities (ninka-gai). Smaller does not mean worse — for a three-year-old, ten minutes from home beats forty.
- English Rose International School (Hirai, Naka Ward)
Ages 1 year 0 months to 5, capacity 25, open 8:30–18:00. Small and family-like. Fees on enquiry. - Alpha International School (Kokufuichiba, Naka Ward — about 13 minutes on foot from Takashima Station)
An unlicensed childcare facility offering short courses from around 18 months and after-school English for elementary students. Fees on enquiry. - Play Group Okayama (Haraojima, Naka Ward)
Three tiers: preschool (pre-kindergarten preparation), kinder school, and after school for elementary students — so a child can continue through the same provider from age 1. Fees on enquiry. - Lobal International Kids Garden (Naka Ward)
An internationally oriented kodomo-en. Details and fees on enquiry.
Kurashiki City (3 schools)
The prefecture’s second city has its own independent options. From Kurashiki, Tamano, Soja or Hayashima, staying inside Kurashiki usually beats commuting into Okayama City.
- Play Group Kurashiki (Tanoue, Kurashiki)
Uses the American Creative Curriculum, with an M&M parent-and-child class from age 1, preschool for ages 2–3, kinder classes, and after school for grades 1–3. Fees on enquiry. - Franklin School Kurashiki (Kurashiki)
Bilingual education from age 0, in English-immersion childcare and English class formats. Enrolment ¥50,000; monthly ¥32,400–¥54,400, or roughly ¥390,000–¥650,000 a year — among the most accessible price points in the prefecture. - International School Little Bear (Kojima Jidoen) (Kojima Ekimae, Kurashiki)
Ages 1–5, and unusually for Okayama it offers immersion in both English and Chinese with native-speaker teachers. Monthly ¥70,000 for 9:00–16:00 or ¥80,000 for 8:30–17:30, roughly ¥840,000–¥960,000 a year. Extended care available; subsidy-eligible.
IB at secondary level: Okayama’s two authorised schools
Both are Article 1 schools, so attendance satisfies Japan’s compulsory education requirements and leads to a recognised high school diploma.
- Asahijuku Secondary School (Mitsu-Shiko, Kita Ward — a six-year school covering grades 7–12)
The first school in the Chugoku region authorised for both IB MYP (January 2021) and IB DP (October 2020). MYP starts in grade 7; DP begins in the second year of upper secondary, leading to the IB Diploma. The school joined the UNESCO Schools network in April 2025. First-year lower-secondary costs: ¥70,000 admission + ¥354,000 tuition + ¥384,000 facility fee + ¥124,000 other = about ¥932,000 (JS Nihon no Gakko). IB students additionally pay ¥20,000 a month in DP facility maintenance from January of upper-secondary year 1 to December of year 3. Meals, materials and residential trips are extra. - Okayama University of Science High School, International Baccalaureate Course (Ridai-cho, Kita Ward)
An early IB DP course among Okayama high schools, with substantial English-medium teaching and a deliberate mix of global and local (Okayama-based) inquiry. First year: ¥70,000 admission + ¥297,600 tuition + ¥259,200 facility fee + ¥21,600 other = about ¥738,400. IB course students also pay ¥400,000 for overseas study trips (two trips combined) and ¥300,000 in each of years 2 and 3 as an IB programme fee (JS Nihon no Gakko).
Northern Okayama (Tsuyama, Mimasaka) and the rest of the prefecture
Honestly: northern Okayama has almost nothing. Tsuyama City has one verifiable English preschool; in Takahashi, Niimi, Bizen and Mimasaka we could not verify any permanent international-school facility. Commuting from Tsuyama to Okayama City takes roughly an hour by expressway each way — not a daily school run for a young child.
Among public options, Okayama Prefectural Joto High School’s International Liberal Arts stream is worth knowing: a credit-system general course built around research projects, cross-cultural exchange and an overseas study trip, at public-school fees.
To compare Okayama with the rest of the country, see our index of international schools across all 47 prefectures. If the Article 1 versus non-Article 1 distinction is new to you, start with what an international school in Japan actually is.
Note: all figures reflect publicly available information as of July 2026 and may be revised. Confirm current fees on each school’s official website.
Three realistic paths when there is nothing for elementary age
This is where Okayama families get stuck: a child builds real English at preschool, then turns six and the prefecture has nowhere to put them. There are three honest answers.
1. Use a school in a neighbouring prefecture. Kobe and Hiroshima are each about 35 minutes from Okayama by Shinkansen, and Hyogo prefecture alone has around 25 international schools. But daily Shinkansen commuting is punishing in both cost and energy, so in practice this means relocating rather than commuting.
2. Aim at the Article 1 IB route. Attend a local elementary school, maintain English at home, then enter Asahijuku’s IB MYP from middle school, or the Okayama University of Science IB course or Joto’s International Liberal Arts stream at high school. This works entirely inside the prefecture — but those six elementary years of English maintenance are on your family.
3. Stay at your local school and add international education online. This is the double school model: keep your Japanese school place, and study subjects in English after school or at weekends. In a prefecture with no commutable international school, it is quickly becoming the most realistic third path.
Comparing your options honestly
The useful thing about this table is that no column scores well on everything. Early-years international schools give rich immersion and rich physical experience — then stop at six. Okayama’s IB Article 1 schools offer real continuity and academic depth, but location (Mitsu, Ridai-cho) and the full cost including IB fees are genuine barriers. Online is strong on cost and commute and cannot replace a playground, a school festival or a corridor conversation.
So work in this order: how old is your child, and which stage will they enter in how many years? Is there a place for that stage within commuting distance? Can you fund the total — tuition plus trips plus transport — all the way to graduation? Written down, those three questions narrow things fast in Okayama.
See how learning works online →
If nothing is within reach: the online option
NIJIN GLOBAL ACADEMY (NGA) is an online international school opening in September 2027, operated by NIJIN Inc. in Japan. Our alternative school in Japan, NIJIN Academy, already has more than 1,000 students enrolled.
We serve students aged 6 to 18 across Asia and Oceania, and location makes no difference: central Okayama City, Tsuyama, or a town in the far north of the prefecture — the same school. We deliberately reject ranking children by test scores, and build around small-group dialogue. English does not arrive all at once; the design assumes Japanese-language support and eases students into English. We are aiming for roughly one-fifth the cost of an in-person international school.
The honest caveats: we have not opened yet, so our track record is still ahead of us. And this is not the same experience as an in-person international school. Running across a field at break, walking through the school gate in uniform, the accidental conversations that only happen in a shared classroom — online cannot reproduce those. What we can offer is the ability to keep learning in English, connected to the world, without your address deciding the ceiling. If that single thing matters to your family, put us on the list.
Frequently asked questions
Can we commute from anywhere in Okayama prefecture?
Realistically, the commutable zone is Okayama City (Kita and Naka wards) and Kurashiki City. From an Okayama City facility you can cover the city plus Hayashima and Soja; from a Kurashiki facility, Kurashiki, Tamano and Hayashima. From Tsuyama, Takahashi, Niimi or Mimasaka in the north, one-way travel exceeds an hour, which makes a daily run impractical. For secondary school, Asahijuku (Mitsu, Kita Ward) and Okayama University of Science High School (Ridai-cho) may be able to discuss transport or boarding arrangements, so ask them directly.
Could we use an international school in a neighbouring prefecture instead?
Kobe and Hiroshima are both about 35 minutes away by Shinkansen, so on paper it is possible. In practice, daily Shinkansen commuting for an elementary-age child is heavy on both budget and stamina. If you are looking across prefecture lines, plan around relocating rather than commuting. Some families instead combine a weekend Saturday School with short intensive programmes during school holidays.
What if our child has little or no English yet? Is Japanese-language support available?
Most early-years international schools in Okayama have Japanese-speaking staff, and children entering at ages 1–3 typically start with no English at all. The harder entry point is school age: the IB Diploma assumes subject learning in English, so students need to have built real English capacity by the end of middle school. If you are considering an online international school, always confirm whether mentors can support your child in Japanese. NGA is designed around Japanese-language support with a gradual shift into English.
You do not have to conclude that Okayama makes it impossible
Honestly described, international education in Okayama prefecture is lopsided: real choice for toddlers, a gap at elementary, then strong options again from middle and high school. You will not find the number of schools that a Tokyo or Kobe article lists.
But having fewer options is not the same as having none. One of these 14 schools may fit your child right now. You might target IB from middle school and carry the elementary years with home and online support. You might find in Kurashiki what Okayama City does not have. What matters is not stopping the search at “there’s nothing in Okayama”.
How your child connects to the world is not decided by where you live. That you read this far is already evidence of that.
International School Guides for Other Prefectures
- International Schools in Hiroshima Prefecture
- International Schools in Yamaguchi Prefecture
- International Schools in Hokkaido Prefecture
- International Schools in Kanagawa Prefecture
- International Schools in Aichi Prefecture
- International Schools in Hyogo Prefecture
- International Schools in Chiba Prefecture
- International Schools in Okinawa Prefecture
- International Schools in Saga Prefecture
- International Schools in Saitama Prefecture
- International Schools in Shiga Prefecture
- International Schools in Shimane Prefecture
- International Schools in Shizuoka Prefecture
- International Schools in Tochigi Prefecture
- Browse all 47 prefectures of Japan
