Education

Foreign Schools
well. Teachers, meanwhile, are mostly
graduates of universities in the United
States, Canada and other Englishspeaking
nations.
Facilities include a computer lab,
library, cafeteria, PE areas and a play
area.
Tuition
Tuition is 12 million won for elementary
school, 12.5 million won for middle
school and 13 million won for high
school.
6) Seoul Academy International
School
(02) 554-1690
www.seoulacademy.net
Seoul Academy International School is
a small school offering US-style kindergarten,
elementary and middle school
classes in Daechi-dong, Gangnam-gu.
The student body is usually about
200 students, taught by some 26 teachers.
In addition to the usual US curriculum,
students can also take special
classes in Art, Music, Physical
Education, Computer and Korean
Culture. There are a number of
extracurricular activities offered as well,
including Student Government, Chorus,
Yearbook, Korean Language, Chess
and Orchestra. There is a school soccer
team for the more athletically minded.
ESL programs are offered as well for
students whose first language isn’t
English.
The school also seeks to teach students
about their host nation. Six weeks
in fall are dedicated to teaching about
Korea, while Korean language classes
are offered for grades 1 through 8. A
Korean cultural festival is held in
October, and the school promotes a
number of field trips throughout Korea,
including the DMZ and Suwon Folk
Village.
School facilities include a cafeteria
and a library.
Tuition
Tuition is 17 million won a year, although
parents should pay other costs as well
for busing, books, etc.
7) Seoul American Elementary
School
(02) 736-4613
www.seoul-es.pac.dodea.edu
Seoul American Elementary School is
located on Yongsan Garrison, the large
US military installation in the heart of
Seoul. As a school attached to the US
Department of Defense, most of the
students are children of US servicemen
serving in Korea. With over 1,000 students,
the school is one of the largest
US military elementary school in the
Asia-Pacific region.
As is the case with all US Department
of Defense schools, it is accredited by
the North Central Association of
Colleges and Schools, and strictly follows
a US curriculum. This is, in fact,
as close to going to school in America
without going to America.
The school has all the facilities you’d
expect from a US elementary school.
Admission, however, is considerably
more restricted than you’d find with
other foreign schools. Admission is
granted on a priority system:
Priority I - Space required, tuition
free for command-sponsored family
members of military and DoD civilians.
Priority II - Space available, tuitionpaying,
federally connected for authorized
family members of sponsors such
16 Guide to Living in Korea
Education 17