ACADEMICS

A teacher and student sit together at a table, looking at a laptop computer

ZOOM WITH ADMISSIONS

TCIS: An International School in Korea

A Profile Of Our Acacemic Program

One of the oldest foreign schools in Korea, with more than 60 years of history in quality education.
Aligned K-12 instruction for progressive learning with no gaps
Fully accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges [USA].
Fully-authorized, Three Programme IB World School (the first in Korea)
Built on a combination of American, UK, Canadian, and Australian national course standards
Highly-qualified educators from around the world bring cultural richness to the classrooms.
More than 23 student nationalities represented in the school
English-language instruction to strengthen literacy for native-speaking students and those learning English (ELL)
Licensing as a foreign school in Korea sets a standard for foreign and national eligibility requirements.

A Holistic Approach to Learning

A Student-focused Approach

At TCIS, we do not 'just deliver content', we prepare children to be curious, discerning, creative, goal-focused, and reflective. We also invest in children to cultivate habits, systems, skills, and personal standards. With these things in place, engagement with classroom content becomes personal and alive. Students who adopt these qualities do well now and in the future. In the end, our goal is to develop learners who are future-ready, in an ever-changing world.

Balanced Learners

A focus on the student also affirms them as people with unique goals, talents, and passions. Holistic education means that attention needs to be given to all areas of life. The learning process should address mental, physical, social, emotional, and spiritual needs. This is the traditional approach at TCIS and a characteristic of IB done well.

Continuous Learners

As educators, the concept of continuous life-long learning is important to us. We want students to leave this community with the skills to succeed in university and beyond. When we first considered the IB program, we appreciated the continuous learning structure. Three challenging and developmentally-sound programs progress through the learning years. This fits very well with the TCIS standards for vertical alignment of curriculum in K-12.

Elementary School

We encourage our youngest learners to explore and ask about the world around them. Within the PYP framework, elementary students learn how to ask good questions. Children have fun experience that helps them build systems for learning and processing.

This begins with play-based learning in Kindergarten and grows into real research in Grade 5. Students learn how to ask, think, test, and learn.

Elementary

Middle School

Students in middle school begin to think about their identity and the idea of place within the world. As they learn subject concepts at TCIS, they also begin to look at the communities around them. They learn how they can make a difference in helping others using their gifts and interests.

Academic rigor and workload gently increase as students approach grade 9. Students make a gentle transition into high school, and then into the Diploma Program.

Middle school

High School

Students in the Diploma Programme engage in rigorous academic learning and research methods. Courses are intensive, and students learn skills to make them college-ready. In the end, they are very much ready to enter and succeed in university.

Students in their last four years of clubs and activities hold high leadership roles. They take extra initiative and responsibility for the things they are passionate about.

High School

A Letter From a Parent

A Letter From a Parent

We were pleased to receive a letter recently from the parent of a TCIS alumna. This letter was sent to update the TCIS Head of School about recent events in his daughter's educational journey and to thank the TCIS community. When asked if we could share his letter, he humbly and happily gave his permission.

"Dear Head of School,

I am the father of a TCIS Alumna, Class of 2017, and I teach university in Cheon Ahn. My daughter studied at TCIS from Grade 9 through Grade 12. We were so pleased when she was accepted to RICE University in the US, and we are happy to report that she graduated this May.

She is currently doing an internship with Tesla in California, and starting this September will do another year-long internship at the Apple headquarters. In January of this year, she was accepted to study Mechanical Materials in graduate schools at MIT, Stanford, and Northwestern University. All three of these universities provided her with full scholarships and a generous living expenses allowance, from the offices of Admissions to Ph.D. Acquisitions. She still wants to experience the work field first, so she postponed her graduate school entrance for a year and will continue with her internships.

I wanted to share with you how TCIS has had such an influence on my daughter's life. While she was attending TCIS, she began to enjoy studying, and her life became very happy. As parents, we didn't have to worry about our child's academics much while she was in high school, and she never encountered being overwhelmed in her senior year either. She had a hard time when she first went to Korean school, and she had no real goals or plans. That all changed after she met many good teachers and friends at TCIS. She gained confidence, became brighter, more positive, and also developed a more detailed vision for her life. It was a turning point when she transferred from Korean middle school to TCIS, and she was very blessed by God.

We have beautiful memories from our visits to TCIS for her school events, and we now feel that perhaps we should have been more active. When our family went to our daughter's graduation ceremony in 2017, we were so impressed that she grew up so well.

During her four years at RICE University, she spent her time developing herself so intentionally and meaningfully. At her graduation ceremony there at RICE, she won the Outstanding Senior Award as a representative of Hanszen College. We can look back and attribute this all to her educational experiences at TCIS.

Her mother and I would like to send this "thank you" to all the TCIS teachers, staff, and to the Head of School. Once again, I deeply appreciate all of the TCIS faculty members who work devotedly for our family and all TCIS families through the years. Thank you so much.

Sincerely,

Dr. Jung, Professor of Applied Chemical Engineering"

Big-Picture Academic Points

English Language of Instruction

English is the language of instruction and the common language on campus. Our English language learners (ELL) access a system of extra support in the ELA Department. The goal is to develop language skills and also access the full content of subject classes. We teach more than conversational English. Our ELL students engage in full classroom content while learning technical/academic language.

University/College Matriculation

IB programs gain recognition worldwide as excellent preparation for university education. College professors around the world agree that IB graduates are ready for the rigors of higher learning. Many universities give advanced credits to students who have completed the IB diploma. The TCIS College and Career Counseling team is a large resource for students. They provide extensive knowledge for choosing and applying to universities around the world.

S.T.E.M School, Humanities, and Arts Focus Programs

These are areas that many of our students choose to continue on with in university. We have engaging programs that meet students' interests and prepare them for university. Double science and humanities tracks are available in the DP. Higher Level Arts are available for concentrated learning and portfolio building.

Christian Education

Many of the values that we hold as Christians align with those of caring and peace-loving peoples. The fundamentals of the IB learner profile align with a Christian worldview education. In that, we reference biblical principles as a common point for learning about the world.

A holistic education will address matters of spirituality as well. As we approach learning and diverse community, we do so through a Christian-faith lens. Our faith is one of hope and working to serve our fellow humankind. That is a message we hope for all our community to consider.

A Leading IB World School

Taejon Christian International School offers a high-quality, comprehensive education to international students. The TCIS educational experience follows the International Baccalaureate (IB) system of education. The IB is often regarded as the most effective program in preparing students for the future
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Read About The IB At TCIS

College & Career Counseling

Diverse Community

Boarding Program

Contact Admissions

admissions@tcis.or.kr
+82.42.620-9116

Is TCIS licensed and accredited?
Is TCIS an American school?

Is TCIS licensed and accredited?

Is TCIS an American school?

TCIS truly is an international school in curriculum and culture. It would be appropriate, in many ways, to think of TCIS as an "American International School in Korea." Those who are familiar with the U.S. system of education will easily recognize many elements that they identify with American schools, but set within a foreign school setting:

Accreditation by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges [USA]
American course standards, built around the IB curriculum structure
A school year calendar that aligns with the American school year
A rich athletics and activities program offering experiences like those found in American schools
Affiliation with US national and international student organizations found in many American schools
More than 85% of TCIS student applications and acceptances to universities are for institutions in the United States