ESF among 8 international school operators that failed to meet non-local student targets

he English Schools Foundation says it has been increasing the proportion of non-local students since the end of the pandemic.

Photo: Sam Tsang Eight international school operators in Hong Kong, including the city’s largest group, failed to admit enough non-local students this academic year, breaching their pledge to the government.

The English Schools Foundation (ESF) said it had been increasing the proportion of “non-local passport holders” since the end of the pandemic, but noted it might take several years to return to mandated levels after being allowed to admit more local students during that period.

The Education Bureau told the South China Morning Post that the proportion of non-local students at some of the schools had fallen to as low as 39 per cent this academic year, compared with targets ranging from 50 to 98 per cent.

According to official data from the bureau, 44,745 students are enrolled in international schools for the 2025-26 academic year.

Among them are a record 15,142 local pupils, accounting for 34 per cent of the total and nearly double the 7,713 local pupils recorded in 2016-17, when they made up 20 per cent of the student body.

The current proportion of local students is the fourth-highest in the past decade.

The peak of 34.9 per cent occurred in 2023-24, reflecting admission cycles that began a year earlier while the pandemic was still affecting the city.

Conversely, the number of non-local students has declined slightly over the past decade, from 30,044 in 2016-17 to 29,603 in 2025-26.

During this period, their share of the student body fell from 80 per cent to 66 per cent.

Seven international schools and the ESF fell short of government admission requirements this year, up from the previous five.

International schools are required to cater to demand from non-local families living in Hong Kong or relocating to the city for work or investment.

Many of these institutions are bound by service agreements with the government that set out requirements for their student mix. “In the 2025-26 academic year, international schools bound by service agreements are required to maintain a non-local student ratio between 50 and 98 per cent,” a bureau spokeswoman said. “Seven schools failed to meet these requirements and fell below the Hong Kong average, with non-local students accounting for only 39 to 64 per cent of their total enrolments.” She added: “The ESF must ensure that at least 70 per cent of its total student population is n

原文链接: 南华早报