> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://blog.alifaedtech.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # St. Hilary's Secondary School (Shenzhen): Fees, Admissions and Where the Exams Are Sat - URL: https://blog.alifaedtech.com/st-hilarys-secondary-school-shenzhen/ - Published: 2026-09-14T15:05:58.000Z - Updated: 2026-09-14T15:31:59.000Z - Description: A Hong Kong-curriculum boarding school in eastern Shenzhen, open to international families. Alifa went through the brochure line by line, checked the fees, and looked up the DSE and A-Level claims independently. Some things checked out. Some things need a follow-up question before you pay a deposit. - Author: John Wong - Tags: St. Hilary's Secondary School (Shenzhen), Shenzhen International Schools, School Guides, A-Level Schools China, International Schools in China ## Introduction St. Hilary's Secondary School (Shenzhen) — **深圳市德萃港人子弟學校**, also known as 德萃學校(深圳校區) — is a boarding secondary school in Shenzhen's Dapeng New District, approved by the Guangdong Provincial Department of Education as a **港澳子弟學校**: a school licensed to teach the Hong Kong curriculum to Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan children in Guangdong. It runs Secondary 1 to Secondary 6 (S1–S6), and its senior students take either the Hong Kong Diploma of Secondary Education (HKDSE) or a British GCE A-Level. That licence category is where the interesting question sits. The school's own 2026-27 admissions material lists **“Hong Kong, Macau, Taiwan and International students”**, and the school has confirmed to Alifa that a small number of foreign children are enrolled alongside the Hong Kong majority. A school licensed for Hong Kong families is, in practice, open to a Kazakh, Russian, Pakistani or Nigerian family living in Shenzhen. The school's March 2026 curriculum brochure now claims accreditation by the Guangdong Provincial Department of Education, the Shenzhen Municipal Education Bureau, the Hong Kong Education Bureau and the Hong Kong Examinations and Assessment Authority (HKEAA), and states that students are fully qualified to sit the HKDSE on campus. Alifa's November 2025 check of the HKEAA's mainland participating-school register did not show this school listed. Both facts are stated in this article and families should verify current status directly with the HKEAA before making decisions based on exam arrangements. Two further things a parent would reasonably assume from the brochure turned out to need care: whose university results appear under the Shenzhen school's own results tab, and exactly which student cohorts are eligible for the A-Level track. ![St. Hilary's Secondary School Shenzhen campus — glass-and-red-brick building with blue running track and football pitch in the foreground](https://storage.ghost.io/c/c2/81/c28166d6-22ce-4cad-9c10-4defbc55a069/content/images/2026/09/st-hilarys-secondary-school-shenzhen-campus-exterior.webp) St. Hilary's Secondary School Shenzhen campus — glass-and-red-brick building with blue running track and football pitch in the foreground **Considering St. Hilary's Shenzhen?** *Choose with verified facts.* [🏫 Browse School Profiles ](https://alifaedtech.com/schools) [📅 Ask Alifa Which Fits ](mailto:admissions@alifaedtech.com?subject=St.%20Hilary%27s%20Secondary%20School%20Shenzhen%20Consultation) ☰ On this page [ 1 Introduction → ](#ag-szsh-intro) [ 2 St. Hilary's Secondary School (Shenzhen) Admissions and Eligibility → ](#ag-szsh-admissions) [ 3 St. Hilary's Secondary School (Shenzhen) Fees and First-Year Cost → ](#ag-szsh-fees) [ 4 St. Hilary's Secondary School (Shenzhen) Curriculum and Examinations → ](#ag-szsh-curriculum) [ 5 St. Hilary's Secondary School (Shenzhen) at a Glance → ](#ag-szsh-facts) [ 6 St. Hilary's Secondary School (Shenzhen) Boarding → ](#ag-szsh-boarding) [ 7 St. Hilary's Secondary School (Shenzhen) Location → ](#ag-szsh-location) [ 8 What Alifa Checked About St. Hilary's Secondary School (Shenzhen) → ](#ag-szsh-ledger) [ 9 Frequently Asked Questions About St. Hilary's Secondary School (Shenzhen) → ](#ag-szsh-faq) Quick Answers — St. Hilary's Secondary School (Shenzhen) What is this school? A licensed **港澳子弟學校** (深圳市德萃港人子弟學校) in Shenzhen, teaching the Hong Kong curriculum from Secondary 1 to 6, with HKDSE or GCE A-Level exit options. Who can apply? Hong Kong, Macao, Taiwan and **international students**, S1–S6\. Entry is by written English and Maths papers, followed by Chinese and English interviews. Tuition fees **RMB 120,000/yr** for Secondary 1–3; **RMB 140,000/yr** for Secondary 4–6\. Boarding and meals are additional. Real first-year cost Alifa estimates **RMB 157,200–190,200** for a boarding student (tuition + boarding + meals + application fee). Bus, uniform and textbooks are not yet published. Boarding Four-person rooms. **RMB 22,000/yr** including weekends; **RMB 15,000/yr** excluding weekends. Weekly coach from five Shenzhen pick-up points. Where is it? Dapeng New District, eastern Shenzhen — **深圳市大鵬新區葵鵬公路102號**. No metro access; weekend coaches from Bao'an, Nanshan, Shenzhen North, Futian and Liantang Port. Can students sit the HKDSE here? The school's March 2026 brochure claims full HKDSE eligibility and on-site A-Level examination status. Alifa's November 2025 register check did not list this school. [See curriculum section.](#ag-szsh-curriculum) Scholarships available? Yes — three schemes. Top S4 entry applicants (≥90% + interview) receive a **full tuition waiver**. Academic and English awards also available. [See fees section.](#ag-szsh-fees) Alifa checked 24 of 48 recorded facts against primary sources, including the school's own fee announcement and HKEAA mainland registers. Checked 2026-09-03\. [See the full ask-list before you pay a deposit →](#ag-szsh-ask) ![St. Hilary's Secondary School (Shenzhen) 2026-27 fee schedule — official school document](https://storage.ghost.io/c/c2/81/c28166d6-22ce-4cad-9c10-4defbc55a069/content/images/size/w1000/2026/09/st-hilarys-secondary-school-shenzhen-curriculum-guide.webp) Official School Document · 2026–27 St. Hilary's Secondary School (Shenzhen) Fee Schedule [ Download Full Schedule ](https://blog.alifaedtech.com/content/files/2026/09/st-hilarys-secondary-school-shenzhen-fee-schedule-2026-27.pdf) ## St. Hilary's Secondary School (Shenzhen) Admissions and Eligibility The intake is Hong Kong, Macao, Taiwan and [international students](https://blog.alifaedtech.com/international-schools-in-china/), Secondary 1 to Secondary 6\. Selection is by [written examination in English and Mathematics](https://blog.alifaedtech.com/entrance-assessment-tests-international-schools-china/), followed by interviews in Chinese and English. Registration runs through the school's WeChat official account rather than a web portal. The application period for 2026-27 runs from **8 January 2026 to 30 June 2026**. Confirmed — brochure One note on the opening date. The fee brochure states the application period opens 8 January; the WeChat section inside the same brochure says “Registration opens on 28 January.” That is an eight-day gap inside the school's own document. Ask the school directly which date is correct before assuming either one. Sources disagree The first entrance assessment is confirmed in the curriculum brochure as **28 March 2026**, at a Shenzhen venue, with the address to be sent to confirmed applicants one week in advance. Confirmed — curriculum brochure ### Choosing a curriculum track at application time The fee brochure states that applicants **may apply for both the Hong Kong DSE curriculum and the British GCE A-Level curriculum during the application period** — meaning a family does not need to commit to one track at the point of registration. School-reported ### How to apply to St. Hilary's Secondary School (Shenzhen) 1. **Register on WeChat.** Follow the school's official WeChat account (深圳市德萃港人子弟學校), go to Academic Assessment, and complete the online registration form. The school states it takes approximately three minutes. Prepare in advance: a colour photograph of the student, student basic information, identity document type and number, the year level applying for, and a parent's basic information. 2. **Pay the application fee.** RMB 200, one-off, due with the application for September 2026 entry onward. 3. **Sit the entrance assessment.** Written English and Mathematics papers, followed by Chinese and English interviews. The first assessment date for 2026-27 is 28 March in Shenzhen; the detailed venue address is sent to confirmed applicants one week in advance. Further assessment dates will be announced separately. 4. **Receive an offer.** If successful, the school issues an acceptance letter and, separately, an enrolment certificate (在讀證明) for use in your own residence-permit application. ### If your child holds a foreign passport The school side is clear: the admissions material lists international students, and the school has told Alifa directly that foreign children are among its roughly 230 students. School-reported The residence side is not. The school has stated plainly that **it cannot apply for a visa or residence permit on a family's behalf.** It will issue an enrolment certificate — 在讀證明 — which the family then takes, with its own supporting documents, to the immigration authority to apply for study residence status. The sequencing matters: the school place comes first, the residence status is your own application afterwards. School-reported Alifa could not confirm from a government source which residence permit category applies to a foreign-passport minor at a 港澳子弟學校 specifically, as distinct from a school licensed for foreign nationals' children. That distinction could affect the documents you need. Not published The school also publishes no guardianship policy for a boarding student whose parents do not live in Shenzhen — common where one parent works elsewhere in China or abroad. Not published ## See St. Hilary's Secondary School (Shenzhen) A campus tour and art exhibition from St. Hilary's Secondary School (Shenzhen), showing the school's facilities and student life firsthand. St. Hilary's Secondary School (Shenzhen) — 'Shine In Art' Exhibition & Campus Tour · Sino-Global Ed: K12 China ## St. Hilary's Secondary School (Shenzhen) Fees and First-Year Cost Fees are set per semester, two semesters per academic year. The figures below are taken directly from the school's own 2026-27 fee schedule and curriculum brochure, both dated March 2026\. **This is the school's first published fee schedule.** Confirmed from school's own documents __St. Hilary's Secondary School (Shenzhen) — 2026-27 fee schedule, confirmed from the school's own published documents__ | Item | Fee | Basis | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | --------------------------- | ----------------------------- | | Tuition — Secondary 1 to 3 | RMB 60,000per semester | RMB 120,000 per academic year | | Tuition — Secondary 4 to 6 | RMB 70,000per semester | RMB 140,000 per academic year | | Boarding — 4-person room, including weekends | RMB 22,000per academic year | Full-week residential | | Boarding — 4-person room, excluding weekends | RMB 15,000per academic year | Monday–Friday only | | Meals — day student | RMB 9,500per academic year | All meals on school days | | Meals — boarding, including weekends | RMB 28,000per academic year | All meals, 7 days | | Meals — boarding, excluding weekends | RMB 22,000per academic year | School-week meals only | | Short-term boarding — weekdays | RMB 180/day | Per calendar day | | Short-term boarding — public holidays & school long vacations | RMB 360/day | Per calendar day | | Application fee | RMB 200one-off | Entry September 2026 onward | | Source: school's 2026-27 published fee schedule and curriculum brochure, March 2026\. Excludes bus, uniform, textbooks, insurance, examination entry fees and any refundable deposit — none of these have been published. | | | ### What a first year at St. Hilary's Secondary School (Shenzhen) actually costs The figures below are Alifa's arithmetic on the school's published numbers — tuition plus boarding plus meals plus the application fee. They are not a quote or estimate from the school. Alifa estimate - **Secondary 1–3, boarding excluding weekends:** RMB 157,200 (120,000 + 15,000 + 22,000 + 200) - **Secondary 1–3, boarding including weekends:** RMB 170,200 (120,000 + 22,000 + 28,000 + 200) - **Secondary 4–6, boarding excluding weekends:** RMB 177,200 (140,000 + 15,000 + 22,000 + 200) - **Secondary 4–6, boarding including weekends:** RMB 190,200 (140,000 + 22,000 + 28,000 + 200) - **Secondary 4–6, day student:** RMB 149,700 (140,000 + 9,500 + 200) **Six costs are not yet published.** The bus fee, uniform, textbooks, insurance, examination entry fees and any refundable deposit are all absent from the school's published materials. The bus omission is the most notable — five named pick-up points, no price. Budget above the figures above and get all six confirmed in writing before committing. Not published ### Scholarships at St. Hilary's Secondary School (Shenzhen) Three [scholarship](https://blog.alifaedtech.com/k12-scholarships-in-shenzhen/) schemes, all confirmed in the school's March 2026 curriculum brochure. School-reported __St. Hilary's Secondary School (Shenzhen) — scholarships 2026-27, school-reported__ | Scholarship | Criteria | Award | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------ | | **S4 High School Entry — top tier** | Total score & English ≥90%, pass interview | 100% tuition waiver1 year | | **S4 High School Entry — second tier** | Total score & English 85–89%, pass interview | 50% tuition waiver1 year | | **Academic Excellence — 1st place** | Top 5 in combined Chinese, English & Mathematics + interview (S1–S4). Renewable while student maintains top-5 ranking. | 100% tuition waiver1 year, renewable | | **Academic Excellence — 2nd place** | 90% tuition waiver1 year, renewable | | | **Academic Excellence — 3rd place** | 80% tuition waiver1 year, renewable | | | **Academic Excellence — 4th place** | 60% tuition waiver1 year, renewable | | | **Academic Excellence — 5th place** | 50% tuition waiver1 year, renewable | | | **English Excellence** | Top 10 in combined English assessment & interview (S1–S4). Cannot be combined with Academic Excellence award. | RMB 5,000one-time award | | Non-academic scholarships (sports, arts) noted in the brochure as "further details to be announced later." Source: school's March 2026 curriculum brochure. | | | ## St. Hilary's Secondary School (Shenzhen) Curriculum and Examinations The school runs on a Hong Kong curriculum framework from Secondary 1 through to Secondary 6, with British elements integrated at junior levels. Teaching is predominantly in English; Chinese Language, Chinese History, Civics and PE are taught in Putonghua or Cantonese. Classes cap at 30 with two class teachers each. ### Secondary 1 to 2 — subjects Chinese Language, English Language, Mathematics, Science, Visual Arts, Chinese History, Geography, Civic, Economic and Social Studies, Information Technology and AI, Music, Physical Education, Multidisciplinary Studies, and Moral Education. School-reported ### Secondary 3 — subjects Chinese Language, English Language, Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry, Biology, Visual Arts, Chinese History, Geography, Civic, Information and Communication Technology, Physical Education, Multidisciplinary Studies and Moral Education, Music, Economics. The curriculum for S1 to S3 is defined by the Hong Kong Education Bureau, supplemented by school-based programmes including diverse learning modules, moral education, and AI integration. School-reported ### Secondary 4 to 6 — two exit tracks At Secondary 4, students choose between the HKDSE track and the GCE A-Level track. A third option — transferring to the group's Hong Kong campus (大光德萃書院, Tai Po) for the IB Diploma or A-Level — is also available. School-reported ### HKDSE track (S4–S6) **Core subjects:** Chinese Language, English Language, Mathematics, Civic and Social Development, Liberal Studies. **Elective subjects** (choose two): Physics, Chemistry, Biology, Chinese History, Visual Arts, Geography, Economics, Information and Communication Technology. **Mandatory courses:** Physical Education, Multidisciplinary Studies and Moral Education, University Admission Guidance. Additional subjects or M2 are arranged separately by the school. S6 students sit DSE mock examinations. School-reported ### GCE A-Level track (S4–S6) **Compulsory subjects:** English, Chinese, Physical Education, Multidisciplinary Studies and Moral Education, University Admission Guidance. **Elective subjects** (choose three to four): Mathematics, Further Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry, Geography, Economics. School-reported **A-Level track eligibility — the two documents still disagree.** The curriculum brochure's Chinese text states the A-Level programme applies to students entering Secondary 1 to 3 from September 2025 onward. The English text on the same page says it applies to students entering Secondary 1 and 2 from September 2024 onward. Different starting years, different year groups — same brochure, dated March 2026\. If the A-Level track is a key reason for choosing this school, get your child's specific cohort eligibility confirmed in writing. Sources disagree ### Examinations and sitting the HKDSE — what the brochure says and what Alifa found The school's March 2026 curriculum brochure includes a Q&A section that states: *“As a school for Hong Kong children accredited by the Guangdong Provincial Department of Education, the Shenzhen Municipal Education Bureau, the Hong Kong Education Bureau, and the Hong Kong Examinations and Assessment Authority (HKEAA), our students are fully qualified to sit the HKDSE examinations. There is no requirement to maintain a separate Mainland student registration. Furthermore, the school serves as an official on-site examination centre for A-Levels.”* School-reported, March 2026 Alifa's independent check of the HKEAA’s published mainland participating-school register, dated **2025-11-07**, did not show this school listed. Four schools appear on that register: 深圳香港培僑書院龍華信義學校, 廣州暨大港澳子弟學校, 廣州南沙民心港人子弟學校 and 東莞暨大港澳子弟學校. [Source](#ag-szsh-sources) The gap between those two facts matters. The register check was done in November 2025\. The brochure is dated March 2026\. It is possible that the school was added to a more current version of the HKEAA register in the months between those dates. Alifa has not re-run the check against a post-March-2026 register. **Families should verify examination arrangements directly with the school and with the HKEAA before making decisions based on where and how the HKDSE is sat.** ### A-Level board and examination centre The school's own website names Pearson Edexcel as the A-Level awarding body, centre number 98739, and the March 2026 brochure states the school is an official on-site A-Level examination centre. School-reported Alifa found no record for the Shenzhen campus in Pearson’s public directory, while a control search returned another Shenzhen school's centre number, so the directory works. Pearson's directory is opt-in and not exhaustive, so absence from it is not evidence of non-registration — only that it is not publicly confirmable. The group’s Hong Kong secondary school 大光德萃書院 is a confirmed Pearson centre (number 94522 — a different number from the one Shenzhen states for itself). Not publicly confirmable ### Assessment system The academic year has two semesters. Each semester has one unified test and one examination (the second semester ends with a final exam). For Senior Secondary students (S5–S6), the number of examinations is adjusted to align with public examination requirements — S6 students sit DSE mock exams, and S5–S6 A-Level students participate in public examinations at different points during the year. Teacher assessment across daily assignments, quiz scores, unified tests and examinations all count toward the final academic standing. School-reported ### English support English lessons are set by proficiency rather than taught to one mixed level. After school, foreign teachers run small-group tutoring sessions. During holidays, the school organises [English](https://blog.alifaedtech.com/ielts-exam/)\-related activities including study tours to the UK and Australia, English-only camps, and English language exchange activities with students from other St. Hilary’s campuses. The library holds English books, e-books and audiobooks, alongside access to online learning platforms. School-reported ![St. Hilary's Shenzhen students in a classroom activity, a flute lesson with a teacher, and a girls' choir rehearsal in school uniform](https://storage.ghost.io/c/c2/81/c28166d6-22ce-4cad-9c10-4defbc55a069/content/images/2026/09/st-hilarys-shenzhen-school-life-classroom-music-activities.webp) St. Hilary's Shenzhen students in a classroom activity, a flute lesson with a teacher, and a girls' choir rehearsal in school uniform ## St. Hilary's Secondary School (Shenzhen) at a Glance | Item | Detail | | ----------------------- | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | Chinese name | 深圳市德萃港人子弟學校 | | Also known as | 德萃學校(深圳校區) · St. Hilary's Shenzhen | | School website | [szsthilarys.com](https://www.szsthilarys.com/) | | Licence category | 港澳子弟學校, approved by the Guangdong Provincial Department of Education | | Accreditation claimed | Guangdong Provincial DoE, Shenzhen Municipal Education Bureau, Hong Kong Education Bureau, HKEAA — per school's March 2026 brochure School-reported | | Year groups | Secondary 1 to Secondary 6\. No primary or kindergarten section in Shenzhen | | Enrolment | About 230 students, mostly Hong Kong children living in Shenzhen, with a small number of foreign children School-reported | | Teaching staff | About 70% Hong Kong teachers School-reported | | Class size | Maximum 30, with two class teachers per class School-reported | | Language of instruction | Mainly English; Chinese subjects in Putonghua or Cantonese | | Boarding | [Boarding](https://blog.alifaedtech.com/10-boarding-schools-in-china/), four-person rooms, weekly pattern | | Tuition 2026–27 | RMB 120,000/yr (S1–3) or RMB 140,000/yr (S4–6) | | Group | 香港德萃教育集團 / St. Hilary's School, group-stated founding 2015, seven campuses | | Motto | 德以為本，學以精萃 | Scroll the table sideways → One note on identifiers, because it can otherwise look alarming. Alifa could locate **no public registry number** for this campus — no 辦學許可證 number, no 統一社會信用代碼. The approval certificate explains why: the standard 《港澳子弟學校辦學許可證》 form had not yet been printed, so the province issued a certificate of establishment instead. Every Hong Kong school in the group has an Education Bureau number; this campus has no mainland equivalent yet. ## St. Hilary's Secondary School (Shenzhen) Boarding This is a [boarding school](https://blog.alifaedtech.com/10-boarding-schools-in-china/) in a way that shapes the week. Rooms hold four students. The published day runs from a 07:00 wake-up through nine teaching periods, a reflection session at 16:20, an hour of extracurricular training, dinner at 18:00, evening self-study from 19:00 to 21:00, and lights out at 22:15\. Before a holiday the day ends after the sixth period so students can pack. Students may keep one mobile phone, registered and deposited with the dormitory supervisor after each holiday and returned on vacation days. Uniform follows the style worn at the group's Tai Kwong Hilary College in Hong Kong. School-reported ### How does weekly boarding work at St. Hilary's Secondary School (Shenzhen)? The school runs on a weekly boarding rhythm rather than a daily commute. Students arrive on Sunday evening, stay in four-person dormitory rooms for the working week, and return home on Friday afternoon on the school's coach service from five Shenzhen pick-up points. The “boarding including weekends” option (RMB 22,000/yr) is for students who stay on campus across the weekend; “boarding excluding weekends” (RMB 15,000/yr) assumes the student leaves every Friday. Given the campus is in Dapeng New District in eastern Shenzhen — approximately 45–60 km from central Shenzhen — the weekly boarding pattern is what most families follow in practice. What the school does not publish is any guardianship arrangement for a boarding student whose parents live outside Shenzhen. For a corridor family with one parent posted elsewhere, that is worth settling in writing before a deposit, alongside the residence-permit question above. Not published ![St. Hilary's Shenzhen students at an art exhibition, an esports competition, a tug-of-war on sports day, and a group photo with teachers](https://storage.ghost.io/c/c2/81/c28166d6-22ce-4cad-9c10-4defbc55a069/content/images/2026/09/st-hilarys-shenzhen-student-activities-esports-sports-day.webp) St. Hilary's Shenzhen students at an art exhibition, an esports competition, a tug-of-war on sports day, and a group photo with teachers ## St. Hilary's Secondary School (Shenzhen) Location The campus is in **Dapeng New District** in eastern [Shenzhen](https://blog.alifaedtech.com/international-schools-in-shenzhen/). The provincial certificate gives the address as 深圳市大鵬新區葵鵬公路102、106號. The school's own account elsewhere writes 葵涌街道葵鵬路102號, and at least one map service files it under Longgang District. Use the certificate address when arranging a visit and confirm the meeting point with the school. The school publishes no metro station or line for the campus, and Alifa is not aware of a Shenzhen Metro line serving Dapeng New District. Not published Coaches leave every Sunday at 19:00 from five Shenzhen pick-up points — **Liantang Port, Chegongmiao, Qianhaiwan, Shenzhen North Station and Bao’an Centre** — returning to the same points on Friday afternoon between roughly 15:15 and 16:15\. The printed brochure lists the same service by district rather than station. No fee is published for the coach, which is the most-used practical service at the school. Not published Given the location and the weekly service, the realistic pattern is weekly boarding, not day attendance, whatever the day-student meal rate suggests. Read that against the boarding fees above: the “excluding weekends” rate assumes your child comes home each Friday on that coach. ## St. Hilary's Secondary School (Shenzhen) University Outcomes This campus has not graduated a cohort, and the results displayed on its account are not its own. The Shenzhen school's WeChat account carries a 升學成績 tab, and the results under it are strong: more than 370 university offers from more than 120 institutions, over 100 from the QS global top 100, three students with four A\* grades, and half the cohort into a top-three Hong Kong university. Every one of those posts attributes the results to **大光德萃書院 in Tai Po, Hong Kong** — the group's Hong Kong secondary school, operating with Shenzhen under a “two places, one school” framing. The posts say so themselves. [Source](#ag-szsh-sources) The Shenzhen campus is recent — its own account was publishing under the working name 香港德萃中學部(深圳校區) as early as December 2024 — and its first Secondary 6 group has not yet sat a public examination. Not published Two cautions for anyone weighing those numbers anyway. No post discloses the graduating cohort size, so the percentages have no denominator: 50% into a top-three university is half of a number the school has not given. And two offer counts circulate for the inaugural cohort — 235 or more in one school infographic, close to 350 in the school's own posts. Alifa has not reconciled them because there is no basis to prefer one. Sources disagree None of this is a mark against the teaching. But if you are choosing Shenzhen on the strength of those numbers, you are choosing on the strength of a different school's results, taught by different staff, in a different city. Fact Check ## What Alifa Checked About St. Hilary's Secondary School (Shenzhen) Every figure below was checked against a primary source before publishing. Where the school has not published a figure, we say so. Brochure data was added from the school's official 2026-27 curriculum and fee documents reviewed September 2026. | Claim | Value | Status | Source | Date | | -------------------------------- | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | --------------- | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------ | | Annual tuition by grade band | S1–S3 RMB 120,000; S4–S6 RMB 140,000 | Confirmed | School's 2026-27 fee brochure and WeChat admissions announcement — both match exactly | Brochure: 2026-03-12\. WeChat: viewed 2026-09-02 | | Year-one all-in cost | RMB 149,700–190,200 | Alifa estimate | Tuition + accommodation + meals + application fee; excludes bus, uniform, textbooks, insurance, exam entry, deposit | 2026-09-03 | | Application period | 8 January 2026 to 30 June 2026 | Confirmed | Fee brochure (2026-03-12). Note: WeChat section of same brochure says "registration opens 28 January" — an internal inconsistency in the school's own document | 2026-03-12 | | First entrance assessment date | 28 March 2026, Shenzhen venue, address notified one week in advance | Confirmed | Curriculum brochure (2026-03-12). Note: school's own WeChat post previously said "late March, provisional" — the brochure gives a fixed date | 2026-03-12 | | Dual-track application | Students may apply for both DSE and GCE A-Level during the application period — no need to commit to one track at registration | Confirmed | Fee brochure, application process section | 2026-03-12 | | Eligibility and residence | HK, Macao, Taiwan and international students S1–S6; school issues enrolment certificate but does not apply for residence permits | School-reported | Admissions material and written reply to Alifa; no government source found for the specific permit category | 2026-09-02 | | Campus and operating status | Approved by Guangdong Provincial Department of Education as a 港澳子弟學校; enrolling for 2026-27 | Confirmed | [School announcement with certificate, WeChat permalink](#ag-szsh-sources) | 2025-11-27 | | S1–S3 subject list | Chinese Language, English Language, Mathematics, Science, Visual Arts, Chinese History, Geography, Civic/Economic/Social Studies, IT and AI, Music, PE, Multidisciplinary | Confirmed | Curriculum brochure, course structure section | 2026-03-12 | | Curriculum and exit diploma | HK curriculum with IGCSE elements S1–S3; HKDSE or GCE A-Level S4–S6\. Not listed on the HKEAA mainland participating-school or pilot-centre registers; Edexcel centre 98739 self-stated, not in Pearson's public directory | Confirmed | [HKEAA mainland registers; Pearson centre directory, with control](#ag-szsh-sources) | 2025-11-07 | | Shenzhen university destinations | Not published; results shown on the Shenzhen account belong to the Hong Kong campus | Not published | Sought across the school's own account, its website and its brochures | 2026-09-02 | Scroll the table sideways to see sources and dates → ### Checked but not included - **No primary or kindergarten section in Shenzhen.** The group's through-train diagram shows a pathway from kindergarten to this school, but every feeder school in it is in Hong Kong. A Shenzhen family with a primary-age child cannot use this school. - **大光德萃書院 (Tai Kwong Hilary College), Tai Po, Hong Kong.** The group's Hong Kong secondary school, Education Bureau number 615137 and Pearson Edexcel centre 94522, offering IB Diploma and A-Level. Its registrations, results and programmes are not the Shenzhen campus's. - **St Hilary's School, Godalming, Surrey.** An unrelated British school with a near-identical name, and the strongest source of confusion in English search. ### Ask St. Hilary's Secondary School (Shenzhen) before you pay a deposit - **Which date does WeChat registration actually open — 8 January or 28 January?** The fee brochure gives both dates in different sections. Confirm which one is correct before planning your application timeline. - **In which city will your child sit the HKDSE, and in which candidate category?** The school is not on the HKEAA's mainland registers dated 2025-11-07, and the mainland arrangement covers Hong Kong and Macao passport holders. Ask who registers the child, and who pays the entry fee and travel. - **Written confirmation of Pearson Edexcel centre 98739, and whether A-Levels are sat on the Shenzhen campus.** The number is on the school's website but not in Pearson's opt-in directory. - **Which residence permit your child needs, and what the enrolment certificate does and does not support.** Alifa found no government source specifying the permit category for a foreign-passport minor at a 港澳子弟學校. - **What guardianship arrangement applies if neither parent lives in Shenzhen** — entrustment letter, notarisation, or a local guardian. - **The school bus fee.** Five pick-up points published, no price. - **Uniform, textbooks, insurance, examination entry fees, and any refundable deposit with its refund deadline.** None published. - **Whether your child's year group qualifies for the A-Level track.** The brochure's Chinese and English texts give different start years and year groups. - **Which year the Shenzhen campus first enrolled students.** No citable source found. **Last reviewed:** 2026-09-14 by Alifa Education. Brochure data from school's official 2026-27 curriculum and fee documents (dated 2026-03-12). Figures change — reconfirm fees and eligibility with the school before making a financial commitment. ## Frequently Asked Questions About St. Hilary's Secondary School (Shenzhen) Can a foreign family enrol at St. Hilary's Secondary School (Shenzhen)? The school's 2026-27 admissions material lists Hong Kong, Macau, Taiwan and international students for Secondary 1 to 6, and the school has told Alifa that a small number of foreign children are enrolled among about 230 students. School-reported Residence status is separate: the school issues an enrolment certificate but cannot apply for a visa or residence permit on a family's behalf. The permit category for a foreign-passport minor at a 港澳子弟學校 has not been confirmed from a government source. Not published How much does St. Hilary's Secondary School (Shenzhen) cost? Tuition is **RMB 120,000 a year** for Secondary 1–3, or **RMB 140,000** for Secondary 4–6\. Boarding adds RMB 15,000–22,000 a year, and meals RMB 9,500–28,000 depending on the plan. The application fee is RMB 200. Alifa estimates a boarding student's first year costs **RMB 157,200–190,200 all in**, excluding bus, uniform and textbooks — none of which the school has yet published. How do I apply to St. Hilary's Secondary School (Shenzhen)? Applications go through the school's WeChat official account (**深圳市德萃港人子弟學校**). Complete the online form (approximately 3 minutes), pay the **RMB 200 application fee**, then sit a written English and Mathematics assessment followed by Chinese and English interviews. Applications for 2026-27 opened 8 January 2026\. The brochure states a closing date of 30 June 2026; the school's own WeChat posts have not confirmed that date. Deadline not confirmed independently Can students sit the Hong Kong DSE at the Shenzhen campus? The school's March 2026 curriculum brochure states that students are **fully qualified to sit the HKDSE on campus** and that the school is an official on-site A-Level examination centre, citing HKEAA accreditation. School-reported, March 2026 However, Alifa's check of the HKEAA's mainland participating-school register dated **November 2025** did not list this school among the four schools on that register. The register may have been updated since that check. **Verify examination arrangements directly with the school and the HKEAA before making a decision based on where the DSE is sat.** What A-Level subjects are offered at St. Hilary's Secondary School (Shenzhen)? **Compulsory subjects:** English, Chinese, Physical Education, Multidisciplinary Studies and Moral Education, University Admission Guidance. **Elective subjects** (choose three to four): Mathematics, Further Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry, Geography, Economics. The awarding body is stated as Pearson Edexcel, centre number 98739\. School-reported Does St. Hilary's Secondary School (Shenzhen) offer scholarships? Yes — three schemes. For entry at Secondary 4, a total score and English mark of **90% or above plus a passed interview earns a full one-year tuition waiver**; 85–89% earns 50%. The **S1–S4 Academic Excellence award** gives 100% down to 50% tuition waivers for the top five students ranked on Chinese, English and Mathematics — renewable while the student maintains a top-five ranking. An **English Excellence scholarship** gives a one-off RMB 5,000 to the top ten in the combined English assessment and interview, and cannot be combined with the academic award. School-reported Does St. Hilary's Secondary School (Shenzhen) have a primary section? No. The Shenzhen campus runs **Secondary 1 to Secondary 6 only**. The group's kindergarten and primary schools shown in its through-train diagram are all in Hong Kong. A Shenzhen family with a primary-age child cannot use this school. What university results has the Shenzhen campus produced? None yet. The campus has not graduated a Secondary 6 cohort. The results displayed on its WeChat account — more than 370 offers from more than 120 institutions — are attributed in those posts to **大光德萃書院 in Tai Po, Hong Kong**, the group's Hong Kong secondary school, not this campus. What do reviews say about St. Hilary's Secondary School (Shenzhen)? The school is too new for independent alumni reviews — its first Secondary 6 cohort has not yet graduated. The most useful independent signals are the HKEAA register check and the Pearson Edexcel directory check documented in the [verification ledger](#ag-szsh-ledger) above. The ask-list in that section is the most practical guide available until the school builds a track record of its own. Alifa Education Services ## Is St. Hilary's Secondary School (Shenzhen) Right for Your Family? **This school suits a specific family:** one that wants a Hong Kong curriculum and a Hong Kong or British exit qualification, is comfortable with weekly boarding in eastern Shenzhen, and can handle its own residence-permit application. It suits a family with a primary-age child not at all, and a foreign-passport child needs a clear answer on examination arrangements before committing to the DSE track. Alifa can put the ten ask-list questions above to the school in writing, in Chinese, and send you the answers. We can also compare this school with the four that *are* on the HKEAA mainland register, and map the fees against your child's year group and boarding pattern. Browse all checked school profiles in the [Alifa International School Database](https://alifaedtech.com/schools). [ admissions@alifaedtech.com ](mailto:admissions@alifaedtech.com) WeChat: larry9455 [ +86 152 0107 9455 ](https://wa.me/8615201079455) [✉ Talk to Alifa Education → ](mailto:admissions@alifaedtech.com?subject=St.%20Hilary%27s%20Secondary%20School%20%28Shenzhen%29%20Enquiry&body=Please%20include%20your%20child%27s%20year%20group%2C%20passport%20nationality%2C%20preferred%20curriculum%20track%20%28HKDSE%20or%20A-Level%29%2C%20and%20whether%20boarding%20is%20needed.) **Disclosure:** Alifa Education Services is an independent education placement consultancy. We may earn a referral fee from partner schools when families enrol, at no extra cost to the family. Our recommendations are based on fit, not fee structure. ## Sources & verification 1. **School's 2026-27 admissions announcement** — WeChat official account 深圳市德萃港人子弟學校. Carries all tuition, accommodation and meal figures verbatim, the RMB 200 application fee and the 8 January 2026 opening. [Permalink](http://mp.weixin.qq.com/s?%5F%5Fbiz=MzYyMTg2NjExNg==&mid=2247484504&idx=1&sn=4cda11392b3a7d0234722d911f9f5874). Viewed 2026-09-02. 2. **Provincial approval announcement and 辦學證明書** — same account, 2025-11-27\. [Permalink](http://mp.weixin.qq.com/s?%5F%5Fbiz=MzYyMTg2NjExNg==&mid=2247483781&idx=1&sn=4196b195d05efc293491c529e6b978cf). 3. **School's March 2026 curriculum brochure** — 課程設置2026\_3\_12\. Carries subject lists for all year groups, scholarship details, daily schedule, bus routes, assessment system, and the school's claim of HKEAA accreditation and on-site examination status. Held on file. 4. **School's March 2026 fee schedule** — 費用明細. Confirms all tuition, boarding, meal and application figures. Held on file. 5. **HKEAA, HKDSE participating schools in the Chinese mainland, 2026 examination year**, dated 2025-11-07\. [PDF](https://www.hkeaa.edu.hk/DocLibrary/HKDSE/Participating%5FSchool/2026%5FDSE%5Fmainland%5Fparticipating%5Fschool%5Flist.pdf). 6. **HKEAA, mainland pilot examination centres, 2026.** [PDF](https://www.hkeaa.edu.hk/DocLibrary/HKDSE/Exam%5FCentres/mainland%5Fpilot%5Fcentres%5F2026.pdf). 7. **Hong Kong Government, Legislative Council written reply, 2025-03-26** — requirements for a Greater Bay Area school to become an HKDSE participating school. [Press release](https://www.info.gov.hk/gia/general/202503/26/P2025032600138p.htm). 8. **Pearson Edexcel centre directory** — queried for the Shenzhen campus with a control search for Shenzhen College of International Education, centre 92978\. Tai Kwong Hilary College appears as centre 94522\. [Directory](https://qualifications.pearson.com/en/support/support-topics/understanding-our-qualifications/find-a-pearson-centre.html). Checked 2026-09-03. 9. **Hong Kong Education Bureau school lists** — the group's Hong Kong schools and their registration numbers, including Tai Kwong Hilary College, 615137\. [Tai Po list](https://www.edb.gov.hk/en/student-parents/sch-info/sch-search/schlist-by-district/school-list-tp.html). 10. **School's 2026 A-Level results announcement** — same account, 2026-08-14, attributing the results to 大光德萃書院. [Permalink](http://mp.weixin.qq.com/s?%5F%5Fbiz=MzYyMTg2NjExNg==&mid=2247489037&idx=1&sn=b94667851e6a6122fa4273c2bbcf0385). 11. **School website** — [szsthilarys.com](https://www.szsthilarys.com/), for the Edexcel centre number and the Secondary 1–6 scope. Checked 2026-09-03.