Globalization Impacts Admissions: A Report on Salesian International Primary School International Class Entrance Exams

Original Japanese article published Nov. 27, 2025.
日本語版はこちら.

A Report on the Salesian International Primary School International Class Entrance Exams

This year’s Schedule B exam drew 8.1 applicants for every seat, and measured against the school’s earlier days as Seibi Gakuen, total applications rose by more than 220 over the previous year. We take a close look at what lies behind those numbers and at the reality for applicants.

Editor’s note: Schools often hold entrance examinations on more than one date. Schedule A and B refer to two offered exam dates, and applicants could sit either round or both. This led to higher competition in the Schedule B exam.

Among Tokyo’s English and international-education elementary schools, the one that drew especially strong attention this year was the Salesian International Primary School International Class, opening in 2026.

Though it is an Article 1 school—a fully accredited Japanese school under the School Education Act—it teaches its classes in English, and this “almost-international” model had drawn significant attention from information-savvy parents looking for progressive education. At the International Education Expo held in October 2025, a long line continued unbroken from opening to closing, and the turnout showed just how much interest the school is attracting.

Through its own interviews with people connected to the school, the International School Times (IST) editorial team has shed light on the 2026 application trends, the backgrounds of the applicants, and the scene on exam day.

Our publication was the first to report on the school’s opening, and here we look at what actually happened in this year’s exams, the first the school has ever held.

Applications Up 220 to 230 Over the Previous Year

The first striking point is that applications to Salesian International Primary School as a whole, including the Progressive Seibi Class, are already up 220 to 230 over the previous year. A private elementary school is considered to have made a major leap with an increase of 20 to 100 applicants year on year, so this school’s growth is a startling figure.

Several factors likely explain its popularity.

Article 1 School × International

The school earned high marks as an Article 1 school that, as an “almost-international” school, can reliably develop English ability alongside diverse values. For English-capable preschool graduates, the international classes at private elementary schools have drawn growing interest.

A Match for English Preschool Graduates’ and Returnees’ Desire to Keep Their English

For the rapidly growing number of English preschool graduates and returnees in Tokyo, the school was appealing as a domestic option where they could continue in an English environment.

More Families Seeking English-Plus-Inquiry Education

A growing number of families want to combine English ability with inquiry-based learning, rather than traditional Japanese education alone.

Changing Attitudes About Future Paths: Internal Progression and Overseas Study

More and more families are thinking about how to prepare their children to thrive on the world stage. Because the Salesian International Primary School International Class allows internal progression to Salesian International School Junior and Senior High School, the prospect of 12 years of continuous international education is another draw.

Many families with children at preschools in the greater Tokyo area made comments such as, “more schools where you can study seriously in English in Japan are appearing,” and “there are schools besides foreign international schools where you can build English ability.” This surge in applications reflects a nationwide rise in enthusiasm for English education.

High Competition Ratios: 8.1x for Schedule B, 2 to 3x for Schedule A

The school’s popularity showed up in its competition ratios as well. This year’s exams saw strong demand on both Schedule A and Schedule B.

– Schedule A: 2 to 3x
– Schedule B: 8.1x

The 8.1x figure for Schedule B is extremely high even for an English-focused elementary school. Several parents told us, “Schedule A was hard, and Schedule B was an even tougher fight,” and “international schools may have higher ratios than ordinary elementary schools.” There were also confirmed cases of children who didn’t pass Schedule A but were accepted on Schedule B.

80% of Applicants From English-Speaking Backgrounds

A distinctive feature of the International Class is the background of its applicants.

– Children from English-speaking environments, such as English preschool students and returnees, made up 80% of the total.
– About half of the general applicants who sat the exam in Japanese were also enrolled at English preschools.

That said, there were cases of children with no prior English study being accepted. As the “English pathway” from preschool to an English-focused elementary school becomes common, the school’s International Class was embraced by many parents as one such option. At the same time, the fact that children with no English experience were also accepted points to an admissions process that opens its doors to motivated, capable children even when their English is starting from zero.

What the Exams Emphasized

What surprised us in our interviews was that there were several cases of acceptance among families who had done no early-childhood prep classes or exam preparation at all.

What the school valued was not mere test-taking skill, but abilities like these:

– Unconventional thinking and creativity
– The ability to handle unfamiliar tasks
– Communication among children
– Leadership that seeks to improve the group
– A willingness to enjoy new environments

Creativity in particular was tested across all three parts: the interview, the paper test, and the group activity.

The Scene on Exam Day

Drawing on interviews with several applicants and parents, along with accounts from people connected to the school, we’ve put together the following picture of the exams.

Paper Test: general elementary entrance-exam questions testing age-appropriate comprehension and thinking, along with a creativity question that asked children to draw a picture in response to a prompt. The paper for international applicants was set entirely in English, read aloud by a foreign teacher.

Group Activity: children watched an English video, followed instructions to draw a picture, and then presented to the group. What was evaluated was not the skill of the drawing but creativity and expressiveness, with weight on non-cognitive skills such as how a child behaves when they don’t understand something and how they treat other children.

Interview: for the children, the questions were mostly natural ones. For general applicants taking the exam in Japanese, the aim seemed to be checking not English ability but whether the child had any aversion to English, while international applicants also had their English assessed. Parents were asked about their daily life, language environment, and family approach, and here too the interviewers were clearly more interested in the child’s true character than in rehearsed answers.

Why Salesian Is Popular

The IST editorial team sees the following as reasons for the school’s popularity.

1. An “English plus Japanese-style education” hybrid that fits the times. Beyond the wish to build English and international awareness while still giving children a Japanese education, the school won support for education that develops thinking ability and prioritizes real ability over tradition.

There also seems to have been the reassurance that, as a fully accredited Article 1 school, it doesn’t limit which junior high schools a child can go on to.

2. A rapid rise in English-track applicants as the numbers of preschool graduates and returnees grow. With more than 300 preschools in Tokyo alone, this worked in the school’s favor. We believe English-capable young children had been waiting for a school where they could keep learning in English when the time came to choose an elementary school.

3. A community where information spreads quickly. IST was the only outlet to publish information about the school’s International Class, but preschool and international-kindergarten families are highly attuned, and word of mouth spread all at once.

4. The forward-looking “Ohashi Brand.” Early English education is drawing attention for how much it widens a child’s future options, whether that means succeeding on Japan’s increasingly English-focused university entrance exams, studying at universities abroad, or working overseas.

Salesian International School in particular is currently being reformed by its head of school, Ohashi, who led successful reforms at Hiroo Gakuen and MITA International School of Science, and its junior high competition ratios have been rising year by year.

Because the Salesian International Primary School International Class is the first elementary school Ohashi has taken on, it drew strong attention from parents who follow junior high entrance exams closely and from those with an eye on overseas study.

5. Good access from central Tokyo. The school can be reached by a single train from the city center, on uncrowded outbound services. According to the school, many applicants came from central areas such as Minato, Chuo, Chiyoda, and Shibuya wards. Akabane, where Salesian International School is located, is served by the Tokyo Metro Namboku Line, the Keihin-Tohoku Line, and the Saikyo Line. For education-minded families in central Tokyo, it turned out to be a conveniently located spot that has stayed under the radar.

Upcoming Exams: One Returnee Exam Planned for Early in the New Year

Having finished the Schedule A and Schedule B exams, the International Class will hold one more exam, for returnees. Given this surge in competition ratios, the returnee exam is also expected to draw strong attention.

We’ve been informed that there are no plans to open grades above the incoming first-year class from next year onward. As a result, ratios are expected to climb further from next year, when the school marks its full opening.

The 2025 Salesian International Primary School International Class exams had the following features:

– Applications up 220 to 230
– 2 to 3x for Schedule A, 8.1x for Schedule B
– 80% of applicants from English-speaking backgrounds
– Cases of acceptance even without English experience
– Cases of acceptance even with no early-childhood prep classes

It also reflects a broader trend in which English is moving from a subject studied in class to the everyday environment of school life.

Our publication will continue to report on developments at Salesian International Primary School, the characteristics of successful applicants, and what learning looks like after enrollment.