Bilingual Schools in Nantong: A 2026 Guide for Expat Families

Last reviewed: October 2026 by David from ISA. Fee ranges are indicative; always confirm with the school.

Nantong is rarely a city that expat families plan for years in advance. A posting to a shipyard, a chemicals plant or a factory in the development zone comes up, and the school search starts from scratch with a few weeks to spare. The honest picture of bilingual schools in Nantong is that there are only a handful, two of the three main options follow the Chinese national curriculum, and many families end up weighing a Nantong school against boarding or living closer to Shanghai.

Below we look at the three schools on International School Advisor one by one, classify each by how it actually teaches rather than by its name, and set out indicative fees in renminbi. Because none of the profiles publishes prices, every figure is a rough band to test against the fee schedules you receive.

Living in Nantong: the river, the rail link and where the schools are

Nantong lies on the north bank of the Yangtze, close to where the river meets the sea, facing Suzhou and Shanghai's Chongming Island across the water. For a long time the river made the city feel further from Shanghai than the map suggested. The Sutong road bridge to the Suzhou side changed that for drivers, and the railway changed it for everyone else: the Shanghai to Suzhou to Nantong railway, carried across the Yangtze by the Hutong bridge, opened on 1 July 2020, bringing Nantong within roughly an hour of Shanghai by train.

Most foreign residents come for industry. Nantong has a long textile history and is today known for shipbuilding, offshore engineering, chemicals and construction, and the Nantong Economic and Technological Development Area (NETDA), beside the Yangtze, is home to many foreign-invested manufacturers. Chongchuan is the old centre, ringed by the Hao River, while Tongzhou and Haimen have become districts of a growing city. Compared with Shanghai, cross-town drives are usually manageable, though new housing compounds, factories and schools are spread across a wide area.

Only one school gives an address on its profile. Nantong Stalford International School sits at No.46 Hongxing Road in NETDA, which makes it convenient for families whose employer is in the zone. The Hiba Academy and Nord Anglia profiles list no address, so check each campus location, and the bus routes that serve it, before you settle on an apartment.

What bilingual means in Nantong, and the curricula on offer

The word "bilingual" on a Chinese school sign is a legal category as much as a teaching method. A bilingual private school is licensed as a Chinese school: it teaches the national curriculum in the compulsory years, usually with a large share of lessons in English and international programmes layered on top, and it enrols mainly Chinese children. A school for children of foreign nationals works under a different licence, teaches mainly in English and is generally open only to foreign passport holders. China's 2021 private education regulations bar foreign control of private schools at the compulsory stage (grades 1 to 9), which is one reason why internationally branded groups in China often run bilingual schools for Chinese families alongside, or instead of, schools for foreign nationals.

In Nantong, that means the two bilingual schools are designed first for Chinese pupils, and a foreign child who joins them is likely to study much of the Chinese curriculum in Mandarin. That can be an excellent route for a family staying several years, and a hard one for a ten-year-old arriving with no Chinese. The curricula listed on the three profiles are:

• Chinese national curriculum taught bilingually: Nord Anglia School Nantong builds on the national curriculum with Chinese and native English-speaking teachers, and Hiba Academy Nantong says its primary curriculum fully meets national requirements while integrating the UK curriculum.
• English Early Years Foundation Stage: Hiba Academy Nantong blends EYFS with the Chinese early years curriculum for children aged three to six.
• Cambridge IGCSE and A Level: Nantong Stalford International School is a Cambridge examination centre preparing students for IGCSE, O Level and A Level, and Hiba Academy Nantong also teaches through to A Level.
• IB Primary Years Programme: Stalford says it is an authorised IB World School offering the PYP to all students aged 6 to 12.

To judge a language policy, ask for a list of teachers by subject and language for your child's grade, and find out which subjects are examined in Chinese at the end of junior secondary. A school that cannot answer those questions clearly is telling you something.

The three schools, classified honestly

Nantong Stalford International School

Among the three, Stalford is the school whose profile presents an English-medium international model. Teaching is in English, it is a Cambridge examination centre for IGCSE, O Level and A Level, and it says it offers the IB Primary Years Programme to students aged 6 to 12, describing its provision as primary, secondary and pre-university. The campus is at No.46 Hongxing Road in NETDA.

Two questions are worth asking early. First, which passports can it admit in grades 1 to 9, since that determines whether your child is eligible at all. Second, how pupils make the move at around age 12 from the inquiry-based PYP to the more exam-focused Cambridge years, because that shift suits some children better than others.

Hiba Academy Nantong (formerly Huili School Nantong)

Hiba Academy Nantong describes itself as a bilingual English-Chinese immersive boarding school, part of Wellington College Education (China), teaching from nursery through primary and secondary to A Level. The nursery combines EYFS with the Chinese curriculum, the primary years integrate the Chinese and UK curricula, and the high school prepares pupils for public examinations and university entry. Boarding houses are close to the teaching buildings, and the theatre, sports hall and swimming pool are open to boarders in the evenings, alongside a library, dining hall and healthcare centre.

The profile mentions a scholarship programme of up to 100% tuition remission for high-performing children in a field chosen by the school, so ask what the fields are and when applications open. It also notes that Wellington College Education (China) international schools hold CIS, IB and COBIS accreditation; check which, if any, apply to the Nantong campus itself. You may still see the Huili name in older documents and on some signs.

Nord Anglia School Nantong

Nord Anglia School Nantong is a bilingual day and boarding school with primary (ages 6 to 12), junior secondary (ages 13 to 15) and senior high (ages 16 to 18) sections. It is built on the Chinese national curriculum and mixes Chinese and international teaching methods, with lessons shared between Chinese teachers and native English-speaking teachers. Through the Nord Anglia group, students join a STEAM programme run in collaboration with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and UNICEF projects on the UN Sustainable Development Goals. Facilities listed include a sports hall, a performing arts centre, music and art rooms and a technology workshop.

Its profile description starts at primary, so families with children under six should check whether an early years section is open. For older pupils, ask what the senior high pathway leads to, Chinese university entrance or overseas applications, because the profile does not say.

Fees for bilingual and international schools in Nantong

All three profiles say fees are available on request, so the bands below are indicative estimates for these kinds of school in a Jiangsu city of Nantong's size, not prices published by the schools. Fees are set in renminbi and usually billed in two semester instalments. Families comparing with Shanghai will generally find international school fees there higher. Dollar figures assume roughly RMB 7.1 to the US dollar.

• Nursery (ages 3 to 6): roughly RMB 50,000 to 120,000 a year, about USD 7,000 to 17,000.
• Primary and junior secondary (grades 1 to 9): roughly RMB 80,000 to 180,000 a year, about USD 11,000 to 25,000.
• Senior high, IGCSE and A Level years: roughly RMB 120,000 to 220,000 a year, about USD 17,000 to 31,000.
• Boarding, if charged separately: roughly RMB 15,000 to 40,000 a year extra.

What usually sits outside the headline tuition figure:

• An application or entrance assessment fee.
• A place deposit on acceptance; ask whether it is refundable if your posting is cancelled.
• A one-off enrolment or development charge at some schools.
• Uniform, sports kit and boarding bedding.
• School bus places, priced by distance from campus.
• Lunches for day pupils, and full board for boarders where it is not included.
• Cambridge exam entry fees in the IGCSE and A Level years.
• A personal device, residential trips and optional activities.

Assignments in Nantong are often shorter than a full school career, so read the refund clauses carefully: if you leave mid-semester, find out how much of the term's fees you will recover. If your pay is in a foreign currency, budget with a margin for exchange rate moves, and ask your employer whether school fees can be invoiced directly to the company.

Practical advice for families choosing in Nantong

Accept that the shortlist is three schools. With so few options, visit all of them, even the one that looks least likely on paper. Ask each school about places in your child's year group early, because places in a single grade can be limited, and ask how mid-year arrivals are handled if your start date does not match the September intake.

Weigh boarding against the Shanghai option. The train via the Hutong bridge makes weekly travel to Shanghai realistic, but a daily school run there is not. Some families keep the children at a Nantong bilingual school with boarding during busy weeks; others base the family in Shanghai and let the working parent commute to Nantong. Price both options, including housing, before committing.

Ask how pupils move between tracks. In the bilingual schools, a foreign child in grades 1 to 9 will usually follow the Chinese curriculum alongside English programmes, then move into exam courses later. Find out at what age that switch happens, whether pupils can transfer from the national track into A Level or IGCSE classes, and how much Mandarin support a newcomer receives in the first year.

See how Nantong compares across Jiangsu

If none of the three fits, the wider province, including Suzhou and Nanjing, offers more choice. Start with our ranking of the best international schools in Jiangsu to compare options before you decide where to live.

More guides to schools in Nantong

• International school fees in Nantong
• International school admissions in Nantong
• ranking of the best international schools in Jiangsu

Frequently asked questions

Is there an English-medium international school in Nantong?

Nantong Stalford International School, at No.46 Hongxing Road in the NETDA development zone, teaches in English and is a Cambridge examination centre for IGCSE and A Level, with the IB Primary Years Programme for ages 6 to 12. Ask admissions which passports it can accept in grades 1 to 9 before you apply.

Can we live in Nantong and send our children to school in Shanghai?

Daily commuting is hard to justify for children. The train across the Hutong bridge takes roughly an hour, but door-to-door journeys with station transfers take much longer. Families who want a Shanghai school usually choose weekly boarding there, or live in Shanghai while the working parent travels to Nantong.

From what age can children start at a bilingual school in Nantong?

Hiba Academy Nantong takes children into its nursery from age three, blending the English Early Years Foundation Stage with the Chinese early years curriculum. Nord Anglia School Nantong describes its programme as starting at primary, from age six, so families with toddlers should check whether a kindergarten section is open there.