New Life International School welcomes inquiries from all interested students. Students are accepted throughout the year. Please get in touch with the school office to arrange a class visit and a tour of our school.
New Life International School celebrates cultural diversity, representing twelve nationalities. Respect for universal human rights is valued, and NLIS does not discriminate based on race, color, religion, nationality, or ethnic origin. Learning to respect other cultures is one of the school's learning goals as the world continues to grow globally connected.
Admissions Requirements and Procedures
Welcome to New Life International School! Our mission is to provide quality Christian education in a safe, loving, family atmosphere. Our vision is to equip children to become active, independent, expressive, and loving. Qualified, trained teachers and staff work hard to provide a safe, loving school environment where children are free to ask questions, thus enabling students to explore deeper into learning.
For students living in Japan, please get in touch with the school for more information. The school is open on weekdays from 9 to 4:00 at 055-287-9577 in Japanese or English. Call Suzy Brown in English or simple Japanese at 090-6014-2663 anytime. The school's email is K12@nliskofu.com.
For those not in Japan yet, please get in touch with the school in any of the above ways for an admissions packet. An interview and test will be done with the new students who have lived abroad upon arrival to Japan to determine the student's level of English and math. Since your child cannot be tested in person before admittance, school records from the previous school and a letter of recommendation from a current teacher or principal can be used to determine acceptance.
Student Entrance Qualifications
1. Age Requirement:
Students are placed in grade levels primarily by age. Grade one begins at age six. The cut-off date for grade placement is April 1st for all grades one and above.
The minimum age for kindergarten classes is four years old. K1 and K2 (ages 4 and 5) are taught together in a multi-age classroom but have different learning objectives according to their ages. As soon as a child becomes four, they may enter our school. For example, if a child turns four in September, they may join in September. Students must have toilet skills before enrollment. Our kindergarten is eligible for the working parent discount. The children love NLIS kindergarten, and the parents are extremely pleased with their children's confidence, manner, and English skills after kindergarten.
Grade and Age Comparison Chart
Preschool and Kindergarten
K2: age 4
K3: age 5
*Note: We do not have a kindergarten for age three.
Elementary or Primary School
Grade 1: Age 6-7
Grade 2: Age 7-8
Grade 3: Age 8-9
Grade 4: Age 9-10
Grade 5: Age 10-11
Grade 6: Age 11-12
Junior High (Secondary School begins)
Grade 7: Age 12-13 Japanese system: Junior High Grade 1
Grade 8: Age 13-14 Japanese system: Junior High Grade 2
High School (Secondary School continues)
*Grade 9, Freshman Age 14-15 Japanese system: Junior High Grade 3
Grade 10, Sophomore Age 15-16 Japanese system: High School Grade 1
Grade 11, Junior Age 16-17 Japanese system: High School Grade 2
Grade 12, Senior Age 17-18 Japanese system: High School Grade 3
*Grade 9, the Freshman class, is when America begins to record an official high school transcript. The transcript is helpful for college applications. In Japan, grade 9 is still considered Junior High, grade 3.
2. English Language Requirement:
Each student will be assessed to determine their language ability. Language assessment will include the following steps:
1. Interview the child and at least one parent to determine the child's language ability and experiences.
2. Test the child directly to see if the child can comprehend spoken English, answer simple English questions, and respond to simple commands for kindergarten through grade two children.
Students who enter kindergarten and grade 1 are not required to have English skills.
All students from grade 1 who are not on grade level in English must take extra ESL classes after school.
A small percentage of grade 2 students may enter with no English skills.
Students in grades three and above must be able to speak, read and write in English to enter the school. Grades three and up must pass an English interview.
3. Basic Skills Requirement:
During English language testing, students will also be given an academic test to determine the child's grade level ability in reading and math.
The interview and tests take from 20 to 45 minutes. Most students enjoy the interview, and some even say they want to do it again.
4. Grade Level Requirement:
A student entering kindergarten or grade 1 has no preschool attendance requirements. However, students should be able to read and say the A, B, and Cs before entering grade 1.
A student entering grades 2-6 must have attended and passed the previous grade level to be entered into the next grade of our school.
NLIS must receive permanent records from all previous schools, including grades and test scores.
Transferring Japanese school students: Students who have been educated in a Japanese elementary school and have English skills can transfer to our school. However, every child's situation will be assessed of whether the child can successfully function in our school.
5. School Regulations, Policies, and Procedures Requirement:
At least one parent/guardian must read the NLIS School handbook on our website and agree to follow and support all NLIS regulations, policies, and procedures. Children must also agree to follow the school regulations.
Upon acceptance, parents are asked to sign and turn in several documents, including health records, permission to go to the public library, media permission, etc.
We are excited about your child's future with our school! New Life International School will provide a rich learning experience and a safe environment where children can express themselves freely as they explore God's wonderful world.
Tuition and Fees
All admissions fees are non-refundable. All prices are in yen.
NLIS prices are among the lowest for an English international school with a WASC candidacy in Japan.
Application Fee 10,000
The application fee is payable at the time of application upon entrance to kindergarten, elementary, junior high, and high school.
Entrance Fees
The entrance fee is payable upon entering kindergarten, elementary, junior high, and high school.
Kindergarten Ages 4 and 5 60,000
Elementary Grades 1-6 180,000
Junior high Grades 7-9 80,000
High school Grades 10-12 120,000
* Late fee 30,000
*Charged for all students who enroll after February 28. Books must be ordered from overseas.
Annual Fees
Annual fees are payable at the beginning of every school year. All prices are yen.
Building Fee 60,000
Accident Insurance Fee 1,450
Tuition
Annual Monthly
*Kindergarten 1st child 630,000 52,500
2nd child 567,000 47,250
Elementary 1st child 756,000 63,000
2nd child 567,000 47,250
Junior High 1st child 756,000 63,000
2nd child 567,000 47,250
High School 1st child 756,000 63,000
2nd child 567,000 47,250
*Tuition Discount for Kindergarten Children of Working Parents
A tuition discount is available to all working parents for kindergarten classes. The Yamanashi government will pay 37,000 yen a month toward tuition, thus making the tuition payments only 15,500 a month for the first child, less for the second.
Tuition Reduction for 2nd & 3rd child
If families have more than one child attending NLIS, the siblings will receive a 25% tuition reduction. As a result, the 1st child is charged ¥63,000 per month, but the 2nd and 3rd children are only charged ¥47,250 per month. This price reduction applies only to tuition, not to entrance fees or other fees.
After School Care is available from 3:00-5:00 pm.
From 2015 to 2025, NLIS raised the tuition one time by 5% to help the burden of consumer taxes. Inflation, the yen rate, WASC fees, and the need to buy another building require a slight raise in the tuition fees in the future. We will not raise them for the 2024-25 school year; however, we will raise the tuition by about 2% every other year from the 2025-2026 school year. This is a raise of about 1,500 a month. The increase will not be every year. NLIS wants to provide better education and materials, more qualified teachers, an accredited school, and a bigger building with grounds.
Uniform Requirements
To keep clothes competition down and to help the students feel unified, all students must wear only black, navy, white, beige, or gray tops and bottoms. Bottoms may also be plaid but should have the same colors. Dresses, skirts, trousers, short pants, jackets, and sweaters should all follow the uniform colors. No T-shirts, blue jeans, sweatpants, or yoga pants, please. Students should follow the uniform rules every day, Monday through Thursday.
Exception: The school t-shirt is allowed, and students can wear nice-looking jeans with the school t-shirt any day of the week.
Shirts: Shirts must be a solid color and not have logos, designs, ribbons, ruffles, or stripes. Boys' shirts may be either button-up or polo style. Girls may wear sweaters or blouses. T-shirts are allowed during physical education classes and on Fridays.
Dresses, skirts, and shorts: Girls may wear dresses, skirts, and trousers, but all must be in the school colors. Skirts and shorts must not be shorter than 15 centimeters above the top of the kneecap, and underwear cannot show. Any color of leggings and socks is allowed.
Boys may wear trousers and knee-length shorts. No sweat or yoga pants are allowed.
Badges: Every child must wear the school badge to help the community identify the child as part of our school. The badge's place is on the shirt on the front left of the shirt. Children will receive one school badge free of charge. Students may purchase more badges for 300 yen each. Exception: A badge is unnecessary if the student wears a school T-shirt.
Shoes: Students are free to wear any color or style of shoes, boots, sandals, etc., as long as they are safe. Students do not wear indoor shoes. However, students must bring one pair of indoor shoes. After it rains, the park is sometimes muddy.
Fridays: Fridays are "free days. "Students may wear any color and style of clothes they desire as long as they are respectable.
Physical education: All children from Grade 7 must wear separate clothes for physical education classes. These should also be in the school colors. Students should wash their P.E. clothes every week. There is a designated place for the students to change.
Please review our "School Handbook" page for more information on our school rules.