Foreign residents with proper visas and who have children in compulsory education period (Six years between 6 and 12 years old for elementary school; three years between 13 and 15 years old) are entitled to apply for admission to public elementary and junior/senior high-schools in Gunma. See below for details.
Admission requirements
- Applicant must have reached the age as specified above.
- Applicant must be a registered foreigner of their domicile.
How to apply for admission to public elementary schools
- For new enrollment (at the start of a new school year in April as a first grader)
Sometime in September or October of the year preceding the year of new enrollment, the board of education of your domicile will send a notice of enrollement to each and every prospective pupil in their jurisdiction. Those who want to enter are required to fill out and return it to the board of education by the set due date.
*Anyone who didn’t receive the notice or has concern over his/her child’s Japanese language ability is asked to let the board know of non-arrival or to call for consultation.
- To transfer
First, applicants schedule an interview with the officer in charge at their local education board. After the interview, the board approves admission and designates the school they may enroll in. Then, applicants schedule another interview with the headmaster/mistress of the school that admitted them, who will explain to the applicants about admission procedure and school life.
How to apply for admission to public junior high schools
- Applicants who are scheduled for graduation of elementary school in their domicile:
There is no applicable procedure. Those eligible for admission will receive a notice at the end of January of the year on the school year they are planning to enroll.
- To transfer
The same procedure (for entrance to elementary school) as described above applies.
How to apply for admission to high schools
- New enrollment
Applicants take an admission test of the high school they want to enter. Graduates of international schools in Gunma must, however, pass a qualifying examination given by the Japanese Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, and Technology to be eligible for taking an admission test of public high schools in Gunma.
- To transfer
First, applicants shall let their current (outgoing) school know about their intention to transfer. Then, the outgoing school contacts the school the applicant wishes to transfer (incoming) so that they can give referrals to the incoming school. Upon receipt of referrals, the incoming high schools will give applicants an academic evaluation test and subsequently interview them before deciding whether or not to admit the applicant to their school.
Please direct all your inquiries on this matter to the Board of Education of your domicile.
For more details, please read the Guidebook for Starting School, Procedures for Entering Japanese Schools published by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology by clicking on the link below.
Guidebook for Starting School [PDF/458KB]
(Effective August 2009)
