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Future Infographic
Design
Your Future
Korea International School provides a PK-12 standards-based education. Our curricular design, commitment to applied learning, and co-curricular activities create opportunities for students to connect to their learning, transfer knowledge and skills, and engage with their community.
Global Citizenship
Understand and value our planet, diverse cultures, communities, and perspectives with compassion
Adaptability
Embrace challenge, transfer knowledge, and apply learning to meaningful contexts
Empowerment
Personalize learning, take positive risks, and lead with confidence
Integrity
Choose to be ethical, fair, honest, and responsible citizens who create supportive inclusive environments
Balance in Life
Nurture physical, social-emotional, creative, and intellectual wellness
KIS HIGHLIGHTS
Phoenix Stories
Get a sense of the learning community and culture at KIS. Our students, educators, administrators, and parents share their KIS experiences.
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A great school at a glance
7:1
student to faculty ratio
14
average years of teaching
17
athletics teams
26
daily buses
1200+
students
29
countries represented
7
years average teacher tenure
73%
faculty hold advanced degree
26
AP courses
20+
student support staff, including 8 counselors
9-8-1
prime location
OUR COMMUNITY
KIS Voices
Jasmine Cipryk
Junior Kindergarten Teacher
Jasmine practices empathy with her students to foster their love of learning. “When they experience something new, you do too,” she says.
When Jasmine Cipryk was in kindergarten she learned about plastic waste and knew what to do. She told her parents the family had to pack lunches without plastic packaging. They listened. Jasmine remembers what it felt like for her teacher to believe that any kindergartener could make a difference.
Jasmine believes in her own junior kindergarteners too. “Small children are amazing human beings,” she says. “They are confident and capable. They are excited about everything!” Early childhood education is an important part of a child's life. Jasmine practices empathy with her students to foster their love of learning. “When they experience something new, you do too,” she says.
Jasmine values student voice and partners with parents to create a positive school experience and classroom environment that reflects and responds to student needs and interests. Her teaching and learning philosophy draws from the Reggio Emilia approach to early childhood education. Community is central.
Willie Watson
Middle School English Teacher
Willie’s students know that he knows they are capable learners. He sees where a student is and understands what they need. “Leaving space for conversation and thinking is necessary for growth,” he says. When a student struggles with a task, Willie helps them identify the point of confusion and possible next steps.
Willie Watson taught high school English for twenty years in Chicago before moving abroad to Guatemala where he began teaching middle school. At KIS he teaches grade seven and has a fondness for ages that feel in the middle. “Grade seven is an important year,” he says. “You are growing up, being your best self.” Willie watches his students develop confidence and resilience as they learn what they can do for themselves.
He believes that trust is central to strong classroom relationships. Willie has a kind presence. His students know that he knows they are capable learners. He is unhurried in the classroom so that he can read where a student is and understand what they need. “Leaving space for conversation and thinking is necessary for growth,” he says. When a student struggles with a task, Willie helps them identify the point of confusion and possible next steps.
One of the KIS core values is integrity. “I am a real person in my class,” Willie says. “Kids know if you aren’t being real.” Through daily interactions, Willie shows students that he sees each of them as individuals. And through his own actions, speech, and shared reflection he models how a person can have and express emotions, care for others, and help make the classroom a welcoming community. Willie appreciates how an environment of good rapport supports learning.
"This is the reason I’m teaching,” he says of moments when a student comprehends something new or makes a connection or helps another student. At the end of class when students talk about what they’re learning as they walk into the hall, delight.
Mia
High School Basketball and Soccer Player
At KIS you can find multiple ways to connect with others, including through co-curricular activities.
Mia arrived at KIS at the start of tenth grade, her first year living abroad. Though she was nervous she knew she was not the only new student in school. “You meet people in the same situation as you,” she says, “and so you can relate to one another.” Mia felt welcomed by other students and by her teachers. Still, it can be a challenge to find belonging in a new school.
During her first months at KIS, Mia focused on her academics. In the classroom, she appreciates that student voices are part of the learning process. Her teachers create respectful classroom environments that support conversation and collaboration and Mia likes to hear what her classmates think and know.
Mia also values the perspective and guidance KIS teachers give. When her PE teacher suggested she play in the upcoming basketball season, Mia realized her teacher recognized her athletic potential. “I’d never played before,” Mia says, “but my PE teacher was supportive. She worked with me to improve my skills.” This experience changed how Mia thought about being involved at KIS. She realized you can find multiple ways to connect with others. During that first basketball season, Mia joined a team – and a community.
Now Mia wants her peers to take a similar risk. “It’s a challenge to put yourself out there,” she says. At KIS co-curricular activities enrich the learning experience as students explore interests and grow their potential.
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FIND US
An Amazing
Location
KIS Pangyo campus is in a prime location, nine miles from Seoul, eight miles from Suwon, and one mile from Techno Valley. Our families join from across the city.
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OUR FACILITIES
A Unique
Campus
In 2006 KIS built its Pangyo campus, uniquely stepped on a hill and bordered by forest. Our learning spaces purposefully accommodate elementary, middle, and high school needs.