EDUCATIONAL GOAL OF KOKUSAI JOHO HIGH SCHOOL

School Emblem; This emblem symbolizes the globe (the circle) and the bridge over the world (the golden line in the middle).

Kokusai Joho High School (KJ) opened in April 1992.
It was founded to meet the expectations of the people of Niigata Prefecture and to encourage individuality, creativity and vitality in young people to help them to better meet the demands of the changing times. KJ students experience high university acceptance rates in Japan, and go on to exciting careers in the sciences and international fields. KJ became a UNESCO associated school in 2009 to “practice peace and international cooperation in order to realise the ideals of United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization(UNESCO) as set forth in the Constitution of UNESCO.” (From MEXT website). KJ as chosen by the Ministry of Education as a Super Global High School in 2015. It began a special Overseas University Course in 2013 to encourage young people to experience liberals arts education overseas. With this special focus on international education and English/Math studies, KJ is also a test center for TOEFL and ACT tests: tests needed for US university entrance.

Kokusai Joho High School (KJ) has two courses that are unique in this prefecture; the Kokusai Bunka (International understanding) Course and Joho Kagaku (Information & Science) Course.
These courses were designed to develop an international and contemporary outlook, information organization skills and also to meet the future needs of each and every student on an individual basis.

Kokusai Joho High School (KJ) has set as its goal the cultivation of young people of enterprise and integrity --- young adults with sound mind and body, capable of playing an active part in our rapidly internationalizing and information-oriented world.
We offer students the kind of education which will enable them to live and work with pride and confidence in many fields.

SPECIAL FEATURES OF KOKUSAI JOHO HIGH SCHOOL

1) TO MEET STUDENTS' INTERESTS AND STRENGTHEN THEIR ABILITIES

Students can choose from a variety of elective subjects in each course according to their interests.
Students enjoy innovative instruction, such as English conversation in small classes (as opposed to textbook learning only) and computer-associated classes.

2) TO REALIZE STUDENTS' GOALS FOR THE FUTURE

While students can choose from a variety of elective subjects according to their future plans, students take comprehensive studies in English and mathematics, which are both key subjects for college preparation in Japan.

3) FACILITIES AND ENVIRONMENT

Kokusai Joho High School facilities are well-equipped to keep up with the current of internationalization and information-science.　The school is located in a beautiful country setting and is in the same town as the International University of Japan (IUJ), a leading graduate school.

COURSE DESCRIPTION

KOKUSAI BUNKA COURSE: International Understanding Course

TO IMPROVE OVERALL ENGLISH SKILLS
students in this course focus more on English classes than those in the other course, such as English conversation in small classes.

TO ENCOURAGE AN INTERNATIONAL AND CONTEMPORARY OUTLOOK
in English conversation classes, students participate in exchanges with ALTs, who are from English speaking countries.

TO DEVELOP SKILLS IN MAKING EFFECTIVE USE OF INFORMATION
students study information technology and also information processing.

AFTER GRADUATION
By studying in the Kokusai Bunka Course, students will be well prepared to enter liberal arts programs in national and private universities in order to realize their goals for the future.　More than 90% of the students enter national or private universities, including prestigeous universities such as Tokyo, Kyoto, Waseda, and Keio.　Some students who have desired an education abroad have studied in universities in countries such as the United Kingdom and the United States of America.

Please see below for more information.

JOHO KAGAKU COURSE: Information Science Course

TO IMPROVE ABILITIES IN SCIENCE AND MATHEMATICS
students take a larger number of science and mathematics classes than those in the general course and have a larger number of lab classes.

TO DEVELOP SKILLS IN MAKING EFFECTIVE USE OF INFORMATION
students take information-related classes, computer classes and study personal computer communication.

TO ENCOURAGE AN INTERNATIONAL AND CONTEMPORARY OUTLOOK
students study oral communication in smaller classes and participate in exchanges with native speakers of English.

AFTER GRADUATION
By studying in the Joho Kagaku Course, students will be well prepared to enter science and technology programs in national and private universities in order to realize their goals for the future.　More than 90% of the students enter national or private universities, including Tokyo, Kyoto and Tsukuba University.

OVERSEAS UNIVERSITY COURSE

In April 2013, KJ launched a very unique academic track to support students aiming to study in college outside of Japan primarily in liberal arts colleges. As the process and preparation requirements are significantly different than aiming for a top Japanese university, a special curriculum and test preparation support was developed. With this, KJ is ensuring the students have a best-foot-forward as they challenge education in a new culture and new language.

The program starts with interested students, in their sophomore year, guided to the US to tour various top universities to understand the lifestyle, academic culture and opportunities. Upon their return, they may select to continue in this track or return to the standard track for Japanese university entrance.

Those continuing in the Overseas University Course begin preparations first for TOEFL, and later the ACT and/or SAT tests in group study work supported by dedicated teachers in special afterschool program. Most enter the English Debate Team to develop their logical thinking, and communication skills in English. KJ teachers provide know-how in finding appropriate schools that match their academic interests, and advising on application deadlines, common test application process, and special workshops on English essay writing.

The first group to graduate from this special program was 5 students in March 2016. They all successfully entered schools of their choice in the United States and Canada

CLUB ACTIVITIES

It is recommended that students participate in sports or cultural clubs to make their school life more meaningful and enjoyable.
Current clubs are:
badminton, basketball, judo, kendo, soccer, table tennis, tennis, track and field, volleball, brass band, drama, fine art, personal computer, tea ceremony,and UNESCO. UNESCO which includes an English debate club which ranked #17 in the nation in 2015.

EXCHANGE PROGRAM AND STUDY ABROAD

About 40 first-year students are sent to Evanston Township High School (ETHS), Illinois, USA, for ten days in March.　In addition, another 40 first-year students are sent to Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.　Both programs include a homestay for each student there.

Some students apply for official exchange programs, such as AFS.

STUDENT ENROLLMENT

• FULL-TIME CAPACITY: 160 students total per grade level
• KOKUSAI BUNKA COURSE: 80 students per grade level
• JOHO KAGAKU COURSE: 80 students per grade level

SCHOOL DISTRICT

Students can apply from anywhere.

SELECTION PROCESS

A. SPECIAL ADMISSIONS

0-8 students (maximam)

1. To be admitted, students should have a clear purpose for wanting to challenge the rigorous program at KJ. They should be equipped with a good aptitude and a strong interest in the course area they choose.
2. Students who have experience participating in English speech contest or science competitions are highly preferred.
3. An entrance test including essays writing and interviews is given for the entrance selection process.

B. STANDARD ADMISSIONS BY PREFECTURAL ACHIEVEMENT TEST

152-160 students (excluding the number of special admissions students)

1. Students to be admitted will be selected on the basis of their junior high school records and the prefectural achievement test.

CURRICULUM

• 1) KOKUSAI BUNKA COURSE : International Culture Course
• 2) JOHO KAGAKU COURSE : Information Science Course

DAILY SCHEDULE

*The short homeroom meeting on Mondays is replaced by the school meeting or the grade meeting.

DORMITORY

About 1/7 of students stay in dormitories located a few minits walk to the school; Seiun-ryo, Seiga-ryo, KJ Yairo and KJ Wakaba. Each room is about 3.6m X 3.6m and is well air-conditioned.