Shanghai offers plenty of schooling options for expatriate children, with a level of education that is on par and perhaps even better than in their home country. There are several high-quality international schools to choose from with state-of-the-art facilities. The curriculum is taught in English at most schools, while others offer a French, German, Japanese or Korean medium. Most also offer Chinese language courses. Academic programs differ from school to school, however British, American, German, French and Korean curriculum as well as IB and Montessori are all options in Shanghai.

Spaces for international schools can be limited, and there are often waiting lists, particularly for well-known larger schools such as Shanghai American School, Concordia and Dulwich, and it is advisable to apply as early as possible as waiting lists can be up to 1.5 years.

While all of the international schools are located in the suburbs, some are closer to town than others. In Puxi, Yew Chung and Shanghai Community International School are both quite central, surrounded by expat neighborhoods and just 20 minutes from downtown. Pudong features two schools in the Jin Qiao area, Dulwich, Concordia, that are within walking distance of the housing communities and expat neighborhoods.

Most schools, international or otherwise, have admissions procedures that may include an interview, submission of previous academic records, an entrance exam, or an ESL (English as a Second Language) assessment, and applicants usually need to pay a non-refundable deposit as part of the application. Many schools offer ESL programs for non-native English speakers. Detailed information on the application procedure can usually be found on the school website, but before submitting the papers it is important to confirm whether there is availability for the child/children in their particular grade. APA can help with this and liaise with the school on a family's behalf to monitor availability.

Recent laws have changed so that expatriate children now have the option to consider local schooling as well. Expatriate children who attend local schools are immersed in Chinese culture and language, but parents should keep in mind that the approach to education is different in China than in the West, with less emphasis on independent thinking and more emphasis on rote learning. An option for families who wish to strike a balance between the international schools and local schools are bilingual schools, in which students are taught in both English and Chinese. This seems especially popular for younger students, who will be able to pick up Chinese or English fairly quickly.

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