Shanghai American School

"Shanghai American School (SAS) stands as one of the oldest and most established international schools in Asia, offering families in Shanghai a rigorous, American-style education grounded in over a century of experience serving the international community."

Founded in 1912, SAS has built a reputation as a trusted educational home for the children of expatriate families, diplomats, and relocating professionals who seek academic excellence alongside a genuinely global perspective. The school serves students from prekindergarten through grade 12 and follows an American curriculum framework, supplemented at the upper school level by the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme (IB DP). This combination gives students both the familiarity of an American educational structure and the internationally recognized rigor of the IB, making SAS graduates well-prepared for university admissions in the United States and around the world. The school's status as a U. S. State Department assisted school further underscores its strong ties to the American expatriate community and its commitment to maintaining high educational standards. As a private, not-for-profit institution, SAS is mission-driven rather than commercially oriented, with its resources directed toward the quality of the student experience. The school operates two campuses in Shanghai, allowing it to serve families across different areas of this sprawling, dynamic city. This dual-campus model reflects both the scale of Shanghai's international community and SAS's long-standing commitment to being accessible to the families it serves. The student body at SAS is composed of children of foreign nationals living and working in Shanghai, creating a richly diverse community that spans many nationalities, backgrounds, and perspectives. For families relocating from the United States or elsewhere, this environment offers children the rare opportunity to build genuine cross-cultural friendships and develop a global mindset that will serve them well throughout their lives. At the same time, the American curricular foundation provides continuity and familiarity for students who may have come from schools in the United States or who plan to return there for higher education. English is the primary language of instruction at SAS, which is a practical and reassuring consideration for newly arriving families who may be navigating the complexities of a move to China. The school's long history in Shanghai — now well over a hundred years — means it has deep institutional knowledge of what international families need during a transition, and a well-developed community infrastructure to support both students and parents through the adjustment. What ultimately distinguishes Shanghai American School is the rare combination of longevity, academic breadth, and community strength it offers. Few international schools anywhere in the world can claim roots reaching back to 1912, and that history has allowed SAS to develop a culture, a network of alumni, and a depth of programming that newer institutions are still working to build. For expat families arriving in Shanghai and seeking a school that balances academic ambition with a warm, supportive international community, SAS represents one of the most established and respected choices the city has to offer.