Thomas Schools of China: All 4 Campuses Compared

Introduction

Thomas Schools of China, operated under Ambright Education Group (上海安生教育集团), includes Thomas school campuses in Shanghai, Jinan, Hefei, and Nanjing. The network includes Shanghai Thomas School, Jinan Thomas School, Hefei Thomas School, and Nanjing Thomas School, while Jinan Thomas International School (JTIS) operates separately in Jinan under its own international-school licence.

Finding accurate information about these schools can be confusing because the four private campuses changed their registered Chinese names in 2022, while the “Thomas” name continued to be used in English. Older names still appear across search results, school directories, and some online references, which can make it difficult for families to understand which campuses are currently operating and how they are connected.

This guide provides a verified comparison of Thomas Schools of China, covering campus locations, tuition fees, curriculum, admissions, boarding, foreign-passport eligibility, and international pathways. The information is checked against school materials, government records, education-bureau information, and other verifiable sources so families can compare the different Thomas campuses more confidently.

Curriculum and Exit Qualifications

The Thomas Schools of China do not follow one identical curriculum across every campus. The four private schools in Shanghai, Jinan, Hefei and Nanjing follow the Chinese national curriculum during compulsory education, while their senior-high pathways differ. Jinan Thomas International School (JTIS) follows a separate international curriculum model.

Shanghai Thomas School uses the national curriculum as its academic foundation and adds STEM/STEAM, IBET interdisciplinary learning and PBL (Project-Based Learning). Its official curriculum information describes senior-high options including the regular Chinese high-school curriculum, an integrated curriculum and an international art-and-design pathway. This means the final qualification depends on the programme a student chooses rather than one single international diploma.

Hefei Thomas School combines the Chinese national curriculum with STEAM and project-based learning. At senior-high level, the school offers the national pathway leading toward a Chinese high-school diploma and Gaokao route, alongside an arts pathway. The school also reports a strong postgraduate-qualified teaching team and international teaching participation.

Nanjing Thomas School offers one of the broadest senior-high pathway selections in the group. School materials describe a domestic route leading toward the Jiangsu high-school diploma and Gaokao, together with international pathways involving A-Level, AP, engineering, art and design, and a Japan-focused route. International-track students therefore work toward the qualifications associated with their selected courses rather than one common overseas diploma.

Jinan Thomas School (济南市安生学校) offers both domestic and international senior-high routes. Current 2026 school-sourced admissions information continues to identify AP, A-Level and regular Chinese high-school pathways. Earlier school materials also cite Cambridge centre number CN776 and AP school code 694108. We could not independently verify those two codes through the relevant examination-board databases, so families should ask the school to confirm its current registrations before applying.

Jinan Thomas International School (JTIS) is different from the four private Thomas campuses. In primary school, JTIS uses the International Primary Curriculum (IPC) alongside internationally aligned subject standards. JTIS is also an IB World School, school code 063232, with the Middle Years Programme (MYP) authorised on 27 April 2026.

The distinction matters: JTIS primary students follow IPC, not the IB Primary Years Programme (PYP). The IB currently identifies MYP as the school's authorised IB programme, and no IB Diploma Programme (DP) is currently confirmed. Families searching for an “IB Thomas School in China” should therefore understand that JTIS offers an authorised IB MYP pathway, rather than a full PYP-to-DP IB continuum.

Admissions and Foreign-Passport Eligibility

Can foreign-passport students attend a Thomas School in China? Yes, but eligibility is not the same across every campus. Jinan Thomas International School (JTIS) is the clearest option because it is separately approved to serve eligible children of foreign nationals. Shanghai Thomas School also names eligible foreign-national students in its 2026 middle-school admissions scope, while foreign-passport eligibility at the Hefei, Nanjing and Jinan private schools is less clear from their published compulsory-stage criteria.

Jinan Thomas International School: the clearest route for foreign-passport families

Jinan Thomas International School (JTIS) was established in 2018 as a school serving children of foreign nationals in Jinan and Shandong. It is a separate institution from Jinan Thomas School / Jinan Anson School, even though the two schools share the same Jinan campus.

According to JTIS's 2025 admissions prospectus, a child may qualify when at least one parent holds a foreign passport and has lawful residence in China, or when the child holds a foreign passport while the parents hold Chinese passports. The prospectus describes application through the school rather than admission through the local Chinese compulsory-school lottery system.

Current Jinan education information describes JTIS as serving students from multiple nationalities in Grades 1–7. Families applying for a specific year group should still confirm current availability directly with the school before paying any deposit.

One Jinan campus, but two different schools

Jinan Thomas School (济南市安生学校) is a private Chinese school operating under the domestic private-school system. Jinan Thomas International School (济南市托马斯外籍人员子女学校) has its own international-school status, admissions process and student registration.

For a foreign-passport family searching for “Thomas School Jinan admissions,” the first question should therefore be which of these two schools the application is actually for.

Shanghai Thomas School

Shanghai Thomas School, whose registered Chinese name is 上海安生学校, provides the clearest foreign-student route among the four private Thomas campuses.

Its 2026 middle-school admissions information includes eligible Hong Kong, Macau, Taiwan and foreign-national students (外籍学生) within the admission scope. The school also participates in Shanghai's official private-school admissions system, with 2026 Grade 6 places allocated through the city's regulated admissions process.

There is an important limitation: the prospectus says “eligible” foreign-national students but does not itself fully define the conditions a foreign-passport family must satisfy. Families should therefore confirm eligibility with both the school and the relevant Shanghai education authority before applying.

The foreign-national wording is also specifically clear in the middle-school admissions information. It should not automatically be assumed to apply in exactly the same way to every grade or programme.

Thomas Schools of China in Video

Hefei Thomas School

For Hefei Thomas School, the 2026 compulsory-stage admissions material reviewed for this guide lists routes based on factors such as local household registration, property, residence documentation and existing local school registration.

Those published routes do not provide a clearly stated foreign-passport category. This does not necessarily mean that every foreign child is prohibited from applying; it means that we could not verify a published admissions route that a foreign-passport family could clearly use.

Foreign families considering Hefei should therefore obtain written confirmation of eligibility for the exact grade before applying.

Nanjing Thomas School

Nanjing Thomas School, registered as 南京安生学校, participates in the Jiangbei New Area private-school admissions system.

The current 2026 district policy confirms that Nanjing Anson School is included among the area's private compulsory-education schools and that private schools follow approved admission plans and examination-free admission procedures. However, the government material we reviewed does not provide a clear foreign-passport admissions category for this school.

Foreign-passport eligibility at Nanjing should therefore be confirmed directly rather than assumed from its international programmes or English-language branding.

Jinan Thomas School

The domestic Jinan Thomas School / Jinan Anson School (济南市安生学校) should also be distinguished from JTIS.

Its 2026 compulsory-stage admissions continue through the domestic private-school route. For senior high school, the school currently offers domestic and international pathways, including AP/A-Level directions, but having an international curriculum does not by itself establish foreign-passport eligibility.

Foreign families interested in the Jinan campus should therefore contact JTIS first unless the domestic school confirms in writing that the student's nationality and specific year group are eligible.

How Are Students Admitted?

At the compulsory-education stage, Thomas private schools follow local government admission rules rather than selecting children simply through their own academic entrance examination.

Shanghai's 2026 admissions process includes computer-random allocation when applications exceed available places. Nanjing's 2026 Jiangbei New Area rules also require private schools to use computer-random allocation when oversubscribed, and the client-verified admissions materials show similar lottery-based allocation at Hefei and Jinan.

Senior-high admissions work differently. Domestic senior-high routes generally depend on local Zhongkao (中考) requirements, while international or specialised programmes may use their own academic assessments or interviews.

For families—especially those holding foreign passports—the safest approach is to confirm nationality eligibility, grade availability, registration route and the final qualification in writing before paying any application or enrolment fee.

Fast Facts: Ambright Education Group

Ambright Education Group (安生教育集团) is a Shanghai-based education organisation founded in 2002, with activities covering early-years education, K–12 schools, international curricula and education programmes. Thomas Schools of China is one of its main school networks.

According to Ambright's current official website, Thomas Schools of China operates four city campuses: Jinan, Hefei, Shanghai and Nanjing. The group also operates Jinan Thomas International School (JTIS), which shares the wider Jinan campus but has a separate licence, admissions route and student registration system.

Ambright also runs kindergartens in Jinan, Nanjing and Changzhou. These should not be counted as additional Thomas city campuses, which helps explain why some online directories show more than four locations.

The names can also be confusing. In 2022, the schools changed their registered Chinese names from 托马斯 (Thomas) to 安生, while the official English names continued to use Thomas. As a result, both the older Thomas names and newer 安生 names still appear across search results.

Why the Names Changed in 2022

In 2022, all four Thomas Schools of China private campuses changed their registered Chinese names, replacing 托马斯 (Thomas) with 安生. The changes were made as private compulsory-education schools across China adjusted their registered names to comply with national rules on school naming and branding.

Importantly, the schools did not close or disappear. Their registered Chinese names changed, while “Thomas” continued to be used in their English branding. This is why Google, school directories and older official materials may show both the former Thomas names and the newer 安生 names for the same campuses.

Jinan Thomas International School (JTIS) is different. Its Chinese name, 济南市托马斯外籍人员子女学校, retained “Thomas” because JTIS is a separately licensed school for children of foreign personnel rather than the same type of private compulsory-education school as Jinan Anson School.

Is a Thomas School Right for Your Family?

A Thomas School in China may suit families looking for a combination of the Chinese national curriculum, bilingual or international learning, STEM-focused education and multiple senior-high pathways. However, the right campus depends heavily on your child's nationality, grade level, preferred curriculum and budget.

For Chinese-national families, Shanghai, Jinan, Hefei and Nanjing Thomas Schools all operate within local private-school admission systems. Tuition varies considerably between cities, and places at compulsory-education stages may be allocated by computer lottery when applications exceed the available places. Families should therefore compare both the programme and the total annual cost before choosing a campus.

For foreign-passport families, Jinan Thomas International School (JTIS) remains the clearest international option within the Thomas network. It serves students from multiple nationalities and offers IPC in primary school followed by the authorised IB Middle Years Programme (MYP). Shanghai Thomas School also names eligible foreign-national students in its 2026 middle-school admissions information, while eligibility at Hefei Thomas School and Nanjing Thomas School should be confirmed directly for the required year group.

Before paying any application or enrolment fee, ask the school to confirm in writing your child's admission eligibility, available grade, tuition and additional fees, curriculum pathway, and final qualification. Those details can differ significantly even within Thomas Schools of China.