Canadian Academy

Canadian Academy is on Rokko Island, a man-made community in Kobe, Hyogo Prefecture, Japan. The island is connected to the mainland by the Rokkoliner rail line, placing the campus in a residential area with easy access to services. It is about 20 minutes from downtown Kobe and about 37 minutes to Osaka by public transport, with restaurants, shops, and a hospital nearby for convenience.

The school is organized into three divisions: Elementary School (Grades 1–5), Middle School (Grades 6–8), and High School (Grades 9–12). An Early Learning and Activities Center (ELAC) supports early years, with the ELAC library space on campus.

Canadian Academy is co-educational and operates as a day and boarding international school. It maintains a boarding program with on-campus Gloucester House housing to support older students.

The student body includes more than 40 nationalities. The largest group comes from North America, with representation from East Asia and Japan as host country; languages spoken exceed 15. Historically, local Japanese students have comprised about a quarter of the community, with international students making up about three-quarters of the student body.

The Student Services department provides English as an Additional Language (EAL), Learning Support, and Counseling through a multidisciplinary, inclusive approach. Differentiated instruction supports diverse learner needs.

There is no formal country affiliation. The school is a Japan-based international school with historical Canadian roots.

Religious affiliation is not indicated; CA operates as a non-sectarian international school.

The standard school day commonly runs from 8:30 a.m. to 3:25 p.m. with a 2:25 p.m. dismissal on Wednesdays. Secondary-level mornings include an advisory period to start the day.

Canadian Academy offers bus routes on Rokko, Ashiya, and Osaka lines, with multiple stops. Registration is required, seating is limited, and options can be for full year or a semester; buses include monitors and CCTV on board. Fees and stops depend on distance.

The school offers the International Baccalaureate (IB) continuum from Pre-K through Grade 12. The Elementary program (Grades 1–5) uses the IB Primary Years Programme (PYP) with six transdisciplinary Units of Inquiry, drawing on AERO, Next Generation, and ACARA standards, and incorporating Balanced Literacy and Bridges mathematics. The Middle School program (Grades 6–8) follows the IB Middle Years Programme (MYP), comprising eight subject areas—Language Acquisition, Language and Literature, Individuals and Societies, Sciences, Mathematics, Arts, Physical and Health Education, and Design—and culminating in a Grade 10 Personal Project. High School (Grades 9–12) offers three graduation pathways: the CA Diploma paired with the IB Diploma Programme; the CA Diploma paired with the IB Bilingual Diploma; or CA Diploma with IB Course Certificates, with the IB Diploma core of Extended Essay, Theory of Knowledge, and CAS. The Japan Experience is a one-year program for Grade 9 (and sometimes Grade 10) that uses the IB MYP framework with a Japanese-focused curriculum and boarding options. English language support and Learning Support are available across the school as part of Student Services, including EAL and Learning Support for both elementary and secondary levels.

CA supports Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) through the Student Services department, which uses a multidisciplinary, team-based approach to address each student's social-emotional needs and to develop adaptive learning skills, with counseling helping students understand perseverance, their emotions, goals, and conflict resolution.

Learning Support and English as an Additional Language are provided as part of CA's inclusive Student Support Services, focusing on differentiated and inclusive strategies to support all learners; CA describes itself as an inclusive learning community and does not identify itself as a specialist SEN institution.

EAL support is provided in-class as part of CA's EAL Program, led by an EAL coordinator, with daily in-class support integrated into core activities such as Unit of Inquiry, Writer's Workshop, and Reader's Workshop; elementary EAL efforts are described as in-class rather than pull-out.

Mental wellbeing is supported through Counseling as part of Student Services, with a counseling team addressing perseverance, emotions, and conflict resolution; in boarding, Head of Residential Life, dorm parents, and a dorm nurse monitor well-being and coordinate care.

Canadian Academy has a Child Safeguarding Policy that is reviewed annually; all staff and outside contractors in teaching or supervisory roles receive safeguarding training, and a designated Child Safeguarding Team oversees implementation.

1. Online Application: Families may submit an application up to one year in advance of enrollment. The family creates an online account and can return to the application at any time; one application is required per child. Required supporting documents become available during the online process, and the act of submitting an application does not guarantee acceptance. After submission, the Admissions Committee reviews the application to assess fit relative to grade-level availability.

2. Supporting Documents: During the online process, submit the child's school records/transcripts for the past three years (where possible), standardised test results if available (e.g., ITBS, MAPs, PSAT, TOEFL), and any relevant testing/assessments or evaluations (IQ tests, psycho-educational, occupational, or speech therapy, socio-emotional evaluations). Include a copy of the child's passport and a clear digital photo (color, at least 400x600 pixels). These documents help the school understand the student's learning needs and profile.

3. School Reference: The Admissions process requires confidential recommendations: one for elementary applicants (PreK-3 through Grade 5) and two for secondary applicants (Grade 6-12). Provide the email addresses of the child's current teachers/principal/counselor so the school can request these recommendations. A confidential recommendations form becomes available during the online application process.

4. Application Fee: The application fee is ¥90,000 per application and is paid online to cover administrative costs. After payment, the child's application and supporting documents are reviewed by the Admissions Committee. The fee is non-refundable. If the applicant is placed in the waiting pool, the application remains active for two academic years (the year of application and the start of the following academic year), with potential requests for updated documentation.

5. Admissions Interview: Following the receipt of the application, documents, and fee, and subject to seat availability, the Admissions Committee reviews the submission to determine fit. An interview is scheduled that includes a spoken component with the child and an opportunity for questions. Depending on age and criteria, there may be mathematics, reading, and writing assessments, and non-native English speakers are evaluated for English as an Additional Language (EAL) support. Face-to-face interviews are preferred, but online interviews can be arranged for applicants outside the Kansai area; a second interview may occur for additional information.

6. Acceptance of Offer: After the interview, the Admissions Committee makes a recommendation to the Head of School, who makes all admissions decisions. Families applying for the current school year are typically notified of the decision by email and in writing within about one week of the interview. If accepted, families have one week to sign and return the Acceptance of Offer, and the Registration Fee is due one month after notification. If the required documents or fees are not submitted, the seat may be offered to other applicants.

Fees overview (context for admissions): The 2025-26 fee schedule includes an Application Fee of ¥90,000, a one-time Registration Fee of ¥400,000, a one-time Capital Contribution Fee of ¥600,000, and a Building & Development Fee of ¥300,000. Tuition by level ranges from ¥2,000,000 (Pre-K / Kindergarten A) to ¥3,210,000 (Grade 12), with a Boarding Fee of ¥3,200,000. These fees are reviewed annually and are subject to modest annual increases.

Canadian Academy does not publish any scholarship offerings on its official admissions/tuition pages, and there is no CA-listed scholarship program described in the admissions FAQs. Families interested in financial support should consider external avenues, such as government programs or other external scholarships, rather than CA-provided awards. The school does offer corporate partnership arrangements (Corporate Contribution Plan) that can affect financing for eligible families, but these are not scholarships awarded to students.

Yes. Canadian Academy maintains a waiting pool when spaces are not available in a given grade. To enter the waiting pool, applicants must complete the entire application process. For the current 2025-26 timeline, spaces are limited; applications for grades without availability will be considered for the start of the 2026-27 school year. When a seat becomes available, all applicants in the waiting pool are reviewed, and selections are made from the pool. Updated documentation may be requested over time. Applicants are typically notified of admissions decisions within a short window after the interview, and the pool remains active through the relevant academic years.