International Kindergarten, Elementary & Middle School in Beijing

Beijing International Bilingual Academy (BIBA):
Beijing International Bilingual Academy (BIBA), situated in the Shunyi area in the north-east of the city, is one of the fastest growing international day-schools in Beijing. The Academy provides a strong learning environment in both English and Chinese to children from Kindergarten through Middle School Grade 8. Over 400 students originating from over 20 countries study together within a school culture which promotes respect, cross-cultural understanding, creativity and of course, the joy of learning.

International, Bilingual Day-school With Subjects Through English and Chinese

Subjects include:

English Curriculum:
- Based on US national standards
- Chinese as a Second Language (CSL)
- Science
- Mathematics
- Physical Education
- Music
- Art
- Social Studies

Chinese Curriculum:
- English as a Second Language (ESL)
- Chinese national standard
- Language Arts
- Mathematics

Kindergarten Program (2-6 Years)
BIBA’s Western and Chinese teachers, plus Teaching Assistants, provide a stimulating, yet warm and caring environment for our younger students aged 2 – 6 years. Kindergarten classes are separated by age/year group, with 1-3 classes per year group.

Overall, in Kindergarten, the mix of Chinese and English is about 50/50 - and we have proven that thanks to our unique blend of Western and Chinese teachers and Western and Chinese programs, the ability of our Kindergarten students to make rapid progress in the fluency of 2 or more languages is almost guaranteed.

Add to this solid development in numeracy, general knowledge, physical, artistic, social and other skills. Our program is overflowing with a huge range of activities for young, growing minds, leaving them stimulated and hungry for more. And, as a bilingual Kindergarten, we cover development in not one, but two languages, so it is a fun and busy place to be.

Elementary School (Grades 1 - 5)
Throughout our Elementary Department, our bilingual program is taught in either Chinese or English according to the subject, with overall instructional time per language at approximately 70% English, 30% Chinese.

English dominates because our students are ultimately preparing to graduate from middle school and move to international, therefore English based high schools and thereafter universities. The US standard curriculum is used for most subjects at BIBA, although we adapt it to suit our special bilingual, in-China requirements

Across all subjects, we use creative and inquiry based teaching techniques, and as students progress up the grade levels, so they piece together more pieces of the puzzles, at increasing levels of complexity, to increase their knowledge of the subject in question.

Middle School Program (Grades 6 - 8)
BIBA’s Middle School curriculum, based upon US and Chinese National curricula, is designed to provide students with foundational skills in Social Studies, English Language Arts, Mathematics, Physical Education and Science necessary for academic success in high school and university.

And as BIBA is a bilingual school, all MS students are expected to study Chinese Language Arts and Chinese Mathematics. In addition to these core areas, students are also given the opportunity to build skills, problem solve, and explore interests, in various arts, trades, and languages through elective and specialist classes.

After-school Activities
Each department of BIBA has its own list of activities, which begin a few weeks into every semester, and finish a week or two before the end. Many of the activities change from semester to semester, which adds further variety. 

Some activities which are run by our BIBA teachers are free of charge, but others which require us to find a specialist or require materials to be purchased eg ballet or cooking, have a fee attached, which should be paid by the student in advance.