Nord Anglia Opens Hong Kong Sixth Form Offering Both A-Levels and IB

Nord Anglia International School Hong Kong has opened its new Sixth Form Centre in Hung Hom, welcoming its first Year 12 cohort this August. According to Little Steps Asia, the centre claims a notable first in the city: it is the only sixth form in Hong Kong to offer the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme and A-Levels under the same roof, with a BTEC pathway available for students who prefer a more applied post-16 route.

The centre is located in Hung Hom, around 15 minutes from the school's main secondary campus in Kwun Tong. Separating it physically from the secondary school is a deliberate choice, designed to give Year 12 and 13 students a university-style environment that signals the transition to higher education. Purpose-built study areas, collaborative learning spaces and specialist facilities are central to the brief.

Why the dual-pathway model matters

Hong Kong's international sector has long been weighted toward the IB Diploma at post-16 stage. Several schools offer A-Levels, but running both programmes together has been unusual. The practical benefit for families is genuine: a student can remain at the same institution regardless of whether they choose the IB or A-Level route, removing one variable from what is already a pressured decision. For schools, it broadens the admissible pool and reduces the risk of losing students at the end of Year 11 to competitors.

To mark the opening, NAIS Hong Kong has introduced a new Sixth Form Scholarship Programme for both internal and external applicants, recognising academic performance, leadership and community involvement. Scholarships of this kind serve a dual function: they reduce the effective fee for a small number of high-profile students while signalling academic seriousness to a wider audience.

Enrolment dynamics in Hong Kong's international sector

The launch comes at a complicated moment for Hong Kong's international schools. Expatriate departures since 2020 have weighed on intake numbers at some operators, but local family demand at well-regarded branded schools has absorbed much of that shortfall. NAIS Hong Kong's strategy is to broaden the post-16 offer rather than compete on price alone, positioning it more directly against the English Schools Foundation and the city's other established mid-to-premium tier schools.

The school's own update at the end of August reported that Year 12 students had settled well across all three pathways. Whether the Hung Hom model draws meaningful numbers from outside the existing NAIS community will become clearer by the end of the first term.