American School... But why?

Here is a list of international schools in Taipei + some similar schools elsewhere in Taiwan as of 2024: One source of schools in Taipei is the International Schools Database for Taipei

City School Name Curriculum Ages Annual Tuition Fees (NT$) Source
Taipei City Taipei American School American, IB 4 to 18 890,370 – 981,880 Taipei American School
Dominican International School American, Catholic 4 to 18 354,246 – 591,715 Dominican International School
Acton Academy Taipei American 6 to 14 400,000 Acton Academy Taipei
Taiwan International Montessori Experimental School Montessori 3 to 15 Not Public Taiwan International Montessori Experimental School
The Primacy Collegiate Academy American, Christian 14 to 18 645,000 The Primacy Collegiate Academy
Grace Christian Academy American, Christian 6 to 18 428,000 – 478,000 Grace Christian Academy
Taipei European School IB, British, German, French 3 to 18 506,800 – 765,000 Taipei European School
Taipei Kuei Shan School IB, Christian 5 to 18 Not Public Taipei Kuei Shan School
Taipei Adventist American School American, Adventist 6 to 14 472,000 – 520,000 Taipei Adventist American School
Taipei Japanese School Japanese National Curriculum 6 to 15 Not Public Taipei Japanese School
Taipei Korean School Korean National Curriculum 6 to 12 Not Public Taipei Korean School
New Taipei City Asia American International Academy American 11 to 18 644,400 – 678,400 Asia American International Academy
Kang Chiao International School IB, American 12 to 18 Not Public Kang Chiao International School
Morrison Academy Taipei American, Christian 5 to 18 577,000 – 688,000 Morrison Academy
Hsinchu City Hsinchu International School American 3 to 18 346,000 – 484,000 Hsinchu International School
Hsinchu American School American 6 to 18 473,000 – 553,000 Hsinchu American School
Taoyuan City Taoyuan American School American 6 to 18 499,900 – 548,960 Taoyuan American School
Taichung City Morrison Academy Taichung American, Christian 5 to 18 577,000 – 688,000 Morrison Academy
Taichung Japanese School Japanese National Curriculum 6 to 15 Not Public Taichung Japanese School
Tainan City International Bilingual School at Tainan Science Park (IBST) American, Bilingual (English/Mandarin) 6 to 18 Not Public IBST
National Nanke International Experimental High School Taiwanese National Curriculum, Bilingual 6 to 18 Not Public National Nanke International Experimental High School
Kaohsiung City Kaohsiung American School American, IB 4 to 18 363,400 – 425,000 Kaohsiung American School
I-Shou International School IB (PYP, MYP, DP) 4 to 18 359,040 – 519,980 I-Shou International School
Morrison Academy Kaohsiung American, Christian 5 to 18 577,000 – 688,000 Morrison Academy
Dominican International School Kaohsiung American, Catholic 4 to 12 297,101 – 423,269 Dominican International School Kaohsiung
Kaohsiung Japanese School Japanese National Curriculum 6 to 15 Not Public Kaohsiung Japanese School
Kaohsiung Korea School Korean National Curriculum 6 to 12 Not Public Kaohsiung Korea School

Note: Tuition fees are based on the 2024/2025 academic year and may vary. Some schools do not publicly disclose their fees.

I would really like to know more about these schools. Is there any equivalent to niche.com for Taiwan?

Here is the result of a quick search of experimental and alternative schools in Taiwan

School Name Location Type Annual Tuition (NT$) Known For Notable Features
Ci Xin Waldorf Yilan Waldorf 180,000 Largest Chinese-speaking Waldorf in Asia 600 students, grades 1-10, 10 kindergarten groups
Leichuan Waldorf Taichung Waldorf 160,000 Music focus 160 students, grades 1-8, school orchestra
Kuang-He Waldorf Kaohsiung Waldorf 150,000 Comprehensive language program First Waldorf high school in Southern Taiwan, multiple foreign languages
Seedling Experimental Wulai, New Taipei Nature-based 124,000 Tribal learning system 95 students, minimal compulsory subjects
Renoir Creative Taoyuan Creative 215,000 Theme-based learning 180 students, round-island graduation trip
Xue Xue Institute Taipei Arts & Design 230,000 Creative industries focus 73 students, practical finance instead of traditional math
Taipei Fuhsing Private Taipei Bilingual 280,000 Dual track system Local and international divisions, 100% university placement
TCS Experimental Linkou, New Taipei Canadian 350,000 BC curriculum Dual diploma program
VIS@betterworld lab Taipei Project-based 320,000 Global university prep PBL focus, innovation emphasis
Heping Experimental Taipei Self-regulated 120,000 Theme-based approach High competition (356 applications/23 slots)

I think there are different ways to look at this:

  • programs and activities that the school itself offers - athletics, the arts, the Tech Cube
  • TYPA
  • stuff TAS families do that are convenient and target those families: ADL and Ascent for debate, GDS for basketball – these supplement or complement what the school offers and opens the students to interact with students from other elite schools, like 臺北市私立復興實驗高級中學 (Fuxing Experimental HS), TES, DIS, and schools mentioned at the top, etc