๐Ÿ‡น๐Ÿ‡ผ Taipei ยท Schools

Schooling and childcare in Taipei

A small international sector clustered in the north of the city, with strict eligibility rules that catch families out.

Get started in Taipei

The thing people get wrongTaiwan restricts enrolment at licensed foreign schools by nationality and residency status, so a family's options depend on their passports as much as their budget. Check eligibility with the school before you plan anything around it.

Indicative figures

  • Major international schoolsNT$700,000 โ€“ NT$1,100,000/yearSenior years cost most.
  • Bilingual private schoolsNT$250,000 โ€“ NT$500,000/year
  • Public schoolsFreeMandarin-medium, allocated by registered address.

Checked . Ranges, not quotes โ€” your Insider confirms the current numbers in Taipei before you commit to anything.

The sector and who may attend

Taipei American School and Taipei European School are the largest, with Dominican International, the Japanese and Korean schools and several others alongside. Licensed foreign schools are intended for foreign nationals, and eligibility rules around citizenship and residency are applied โ€” dual nationals in particular should confirm their position in writing early. Private bilingual schools following the Taiwanese curriculum are an alternative, and local public schools are free and taught in Mandarin.

  • Foreign schools: eligibility depends on nationality and residency status โ€” confirm first.
  • Bilingual private schools follow the Taiwanese curriculum with English provision.
  • Public schools are free, Mandarin-medium and allocated by household registration area.
  • The international academic year starts in August; the local one in September.

Where they are

Taipei American School is in Tianmu and Taipei European School has campuses in Tianmu and Yangmingshan, which is why the expatriate family map of Taipei points north. Shilin, Tianmu and the Yangmingshan slopes have the larger flats and houses that follow from that, at the cost of a longer trip into the centre.

  • Tianmu and Shilin are where most international-school families live.
  • Buses run from the main residential areas; ask for the route map.
  • The MRT Red Line serves Tianmu and Shilin well.

Applying

Apply directly, early, with the last two years of reports, and expect assessment and an English screening. Places in popular year groups are limited by the size of the sector rather than by demand management, so waiting lists are real. Fees at the two largest schools sit near the top of the Asian range, with a one-off enrolment or capital fee and bus charges on top.

  • Documents: passports, ARC, birth certificate, immunisation record, two years of reports.
  • Application fee plus a refundable or place-holding deposit.
  • Confirm eligibility in writing before committing to anything else.

Bilingual and local schools

Private bilingual schools follow the Taiwanese curriculum with substantial English teaching, cost a fraction of the international sector and admit Taiwanese nationals, which makes them the usual route for dual nationals. Public schools are free, teach in Mandarin and allocate places by registered address. Younger children adapt quickly; a teenager without Mandarin faces a steep climb.

  • Bilingual private schools: entrance assessment in both languages, often in spring for the following August.
  • Public schools: register through the district education office with the ARC and lease.
  • After-school cram schools (buxiban) are part of the local system from primary age.

In order

  1. Confirm your child's eligibility for a foreign school, in writing, before anything else.
  2. Apply directly, early, with passports, ARCs, immunisation records and two years of reports.
  3. Sit the assessment and English screening.
  4. Pay the application fee and place-holding deposit.
  5. Choose housing on the school's bus routes, usually in Shilin or Tianmu.