Academic performance

IB Diploma Programme (DP) Exam Results

KIST offers two IB programs (PYP and DP) with curriculum content tailored for success in the culminating Diploma Programme. All students in Grades 11 and 12 at KIST study in the Diploma Programme.

For each graduating class since our inception, the KIST DP average score has been well above the DP world average score. The Class of 2024 achieved an average score of 41.5, ranking 4th in the world according to IB-Schools.com.

The statistics for DP performance at KIST from the past 5 years are shown in the table below.

Students in the IB Diploma Programme study 6 subjects and can attain a maximum of 7 points in each subject. Three additional points may be attained from completing the core Diploma required assessment components of Extended Essay and Theory of Knowledge course. Candidates can thereby attain a maximum score of 45 points in the Diploma Programme.

*Globally, statistical averages indicate that less than 50% of students take the full DP with approximately 80% of those students attaining the IB Diploma.

IGCSE Course Average Results

KIST is a Pearson Edexcel IGCSE school and all KIST students sit the IGCSE exams in Grade 10.

IGCSE tests are graded on a scale of 1 to 9, with 9 being the maximum possible score.

IGCSE Exam Results June 2024. This table shows the IGCSE subject average at KIST AND compares the percentages of students who achieved Levels 9-7. The 9-7 attainment is a benchmark used worldwide for comparison. The last column is simply the difference between KIST and world attainment figures.

SAT Results

K. International School Tokyo is an official SAT test center. It is a standardized assessment implemented by the College Board that measures proficiency in mathematics and evidence-based reading and writing and is optionally taken by Grade 11 and 12 students. Internationally, it is offered on seven occasions throughout the year on Saturday mornings. The SAT is required from some U.S. universities for entrance and is optional for others in the U.S. and worldwide. It is designed to measure college readiness and is used with other components during a holistic university review process. More information about the SAT can be found by clicking here.

Below is a comparison of 2023-24 KIST Grade 12 student performance against global averages published by the College Board. This year, KIST students continued performing well, reporting within the highest averages of any school in Japan.

This data confirms that the introduction of various initiatives over the past years is having positive influence on teaching and learning in KIST classrooms. A graph of SAT scores over the past five years is below. The test was taken by 130 out of 197 (~65%) graduates during this five-year period.

* The Average Total Score, Mathematics, and Reading/Writing scores are calculated independently. Therefore, the Average Total score may appear lower than the combination of the Mathematics and Reading/Writing sections.

PSAT Results

To measure student progress against international benchmarks, and to prepare students for the university application process, all KIST students in Grades 10 sit the College Board PSAT exam in October each year. As PSAT exams are scored on a common scale with the SAT exams, it is assumed that if students were to sit the SAT immediately after sitting the PSAT that their scores would be similar.

The PSAT is a standardized assessment implemented by the College Board that measures proficiency in mathematics and evidence-based reading and writing. More information about the PSAT can be found by clicking here. Below is a comparison of 2024-25 KIST Grade 10 student performance against the grade-level benchmark scores published by the College Board. The College Board prepares benchmarks for college readiness for both Grade 10 and Grade 11. While KIST performance data below are for Grade 10 students, the benchmarks for Grade 11 are included in brackets for comparison purposes. Again this year, KIST students performed well above average, with none of our students falling below the overall College Board Benchmarks.

We were particularly pleased that 82% of our students scored above the 90th percentile on the PSAT exam.

This data confirms that the introduction of various initiatives over the past years is having positive influence on teaching and learning in KIST classrooms. A graph of PSAT scores over the past nine years is below.