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| Introduction |
 OIS is a coeducational college preparatory school that educates students from kindergarten (age 4-5) through grade 12. OIS is accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges; and it is the first school in Japan to gain authorization to offer all three IB programs - Primary Years Programme (PYP), Middle Years Programme (MYP), and Diploma Programme (DP). The school's mission is to serve the international community of Kansai (Western region of Japan including Osaka, Kyoto, and Kobe) by educating students to be informed, caring, and creative individuals contributing to a global community. OIS graduates attend primarily universities in the USA and in the UK.
OIS shares its campus, facilities and a number of programs with its sister school, SIS, a grade 7-12 Japanese school primarily for students who have lived abroad. Secondary students from both schools share classes in physical education, music and art, and high-level students in English and Japanese can take courses in either school. Students from both schools also join for athletic teams, drama casts, and for choir, band, and orchestra groups.
Founded in 1991, OIS is a member of the Japan Council of International Schools (JCIS), the Council of International Schools (CIS) and the East Asia Regional Council of Schools (EARCOS). OIS is a participant in an international activities conference – Asia Pacific Activities Conference (APAC) – along with Seoul Foreign School, Canadian Academy (Kobe), Shanghai American School, International School Beijing, and Brent International School Manila.
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Facilities and technology
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 The school's 17,000 square-meter facility includes: gymnasium, martial arts room, heated indoor swimming pool, state-of-the-art bilingual library (over 55,000 volumes), 3 computer labs, 3 science labs, music rooms, planetarium, formal tatami room, tennis court, television studio, exercise and training room, theater, multipurpose all-weather field, and full-service cafeteria.
The library runs a fully automated system, in Japanese and in English. In addition to 55,000+ volumes, the library is home to over 60 periodicals, dozens of newspapers, and an expanding collection of videos and DVDs. State-of-the-art AV equipment is located in the library, and there are 2 pc labs, with 25 units per lab. There is also a multi-media lab. Two mobile laptop computer labs – 12 units per lab – provide wireless capabilities anywhere in the school.
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Extra Curricular Activities/Clubs
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 The ES offers after-school clubs, three times a year. Each club meets once a week, for 4-5 weeks. Some of the club activities offered in the past includes: swimming, knitting, floor hockey, basketball, and origami. In addition to after-school clubs, many ES children take after-school music lessons at the school.
For MS/HS students, OIS/SIS fields teams in volleyball, baseball, softball, basketball, soccer, swimming, touch rugby, triathlon, and badminton. Except for softball and baseball, all sports field a boys team and a girls team (swimming, triathlon, touch rugby teams are combined). All teams compete against local schools and other international schools in Japan. For the HS varsity teams, each season culminates with an APAC tournament. OIS/SIS also assembles a choir, band, and orchestra. All groups participate in seasonal concerts, as well as an annual APAC festival. Model United Nations (MUN) and Student Council are some of the other extra-curricular activities available to the MS/HS students. All seniors participate in a Habitat for Humanity trip, just before graduation. |
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