icuhs
INTERNATIONALCHRISTIAN
UNIVERSITYHIGH SCHOOLSPRING 2022

THE SCHOOLInternational Christian University High School (ICUHS) is a private Japanese High School founded
in 1978. It is located on the campus of International Christian University (ICU), in the western
suburbs of Tokyo. ICUHS is ranked among the top private high schools in Japan.
PURPOSEICUHS was established at the request of the Japanese Ministry of Education to cater to the needsof returnee students, i.e. Japanese students who have lived and studied overseas. Such students
often have difficulty fitting back into the Japanese education system.
ICUHS provides asupportive environment for them and over the years has accepted returnees from more than 100
countries. Over 65% of the students in every grade are returnees. They study alongside the 35%
who have received all their education in Japan through the Japanese education system. For bothtypes of student, entering ICUHS is very competitive. By encountering and accepting new values
and cultural differences, students develop their potential to become future leaders of theinternational community.
ACCREDITATION & AFFILIATIONSICUHS is accredited by the Tokyo Metropolitan Government, the Education Committee of Tokyo,
and the Deliberation Committee for Private Schools in Tokyo. The school is an institutional
member of the Tokyo Private Junior and Senior High School Association and the Education
Association of Christian Schools in Japan.
Head of School: Yuichi Nakajima
Asst Head of School: Akiko Aoyama
Director of Returning Students Education Center:
Bun Matsuzaka
Address: 1-1-1 Higashi-cho, Koganei-shi Tokyo, Japan 184-8503
Tel: (81) 422-33-3401 Fax: (81) 422-33-3376
Email: icuhs@icu.ac.jp Website: http://www.icu-h.ed.jp
College Advisor: college.advisor@icu-h.ed.jp

SCHOOL CALENDAR
The Japanese academic year begins in April and ends in March:
September – December (Term 2); January – March (Term 3).

April – mid-July (Term 1);

THE FACULTY
There are 47 full-time and usually about 50 part-time teachers. All teachers are Japanese apartfrom three full-time and four part-time English teachers, and one part time Chinese teacher. The
full-time faculty includes the Headmaster, the Head Teacher, the Director of the Returning
Students’ Education Center (RSEC) and the school nurse. The full-time English teachers act asCollege Advisors for students who wish to go to university abroad. There is also a school
counselor. All teachers are fully qualified as professional high school teachers and subject
specialists either in Japan or, in the case of non-Japanese teachers, in their home countries.
THE STUDENTS
Students enter in Grade 10 and graduate after completing Grade 12. The student body is usually
about 720, 240 per grade. There are 6 home rooms per grade, 18 in total. Each home room ismade up of about 40 students. Returnees and non-returnees are evenly distributed, to enable asmuch diversity as possible within each home room.
THE CURRICULUM
Students take a course of studies that, in principle, follows the national curriculum guidelines of theJapanese Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science & Technology (MEXT). ICUHS is unique,however, in that teachers have adapted these guidelines to suit the educational needs ofreturnees. Also, English, Japanese and Mathematics classes are divided into levels, since
students return to Japan from a wide range of educational backgrounds, with varying degrees ofability in these subjects. Students’ levels are decided initially by a Placement Test which all take onentering ICUHS. Some students are subsequently moved to other levels, depending on theirprogress.
There are also more hours per week of English than are usual in the regular Japanese curriculum,a special feature being classes taught in English by native speakers. These two factors help
returnees maintain the native or near-native English learned while living in English-speaking
countries or attending international schools. Non-returnee students are also offered these extra
hours of English, to build up their English and help them catch up with their bilingual peers.
ICUHS also offers classes in Basic Chinese, French, German and Spanish as well as Advanced
Chinese, French, German and Spanish classes for students with native or near-native ability inthose languages.

All subjects apart from the English taught by native speakers are taught in Japanese.

of students at ICUHS are “returnees” or Japanese students who have lived and studied
abroad for an extended period of time. At ICUHS, returnees from over 50 countries study
together with students from Japanese junior high schools. By encountering and accepting
new values, all students develop their potential to be both informed and active
global citizens.

ENGLISH & OTHER FOREIGN LANGUAGES
English classes are divided into 4 levels. Level 1 is the highest, the students having
native or near-native ability in English. Level 4 is the lowest, most of the students nothaving lived overseas. Students in Levels 1 to 3 study Literature and Academic
Writing. These classes are taught solely in English by teachers who are native
speakers. Students read, discuss, analyze and write about a variety of texts fromdifferent cultures and time periods. Emphasis is placed on enhancing reading andcritical thinking skills and acquiring a college level vocabulary. The aim is to provide
the kind of classes students would have in international high schools or local highschools in English-speaking countries. Level 4 students study EFL, taught in English.
Students are introduced to paragraph and essay writing, and their reading skills aredeveloped through the intensive use of graded readers. Speaking is emphasized,with class discussions and presentations on issues of global significance. In addition,
there are elective classes in the 2nd and 3rd Years.
For a list of books studied at each level, please see the school brochure. Please note
that, in addition to these books, students are given a considerable number of shorter
texts to study, such as short stories, poems, newspaper/magazine articles andvarious multi media texts. Students are also taught to treat films and television
programs as texts deserving of scrutiny.
In the 2nd and 3rd Years, students in Levels 1 to 4 also study English in accordancewith the Japanese national curriculum. This focuses on grammar, translation, reading
comprehension and all other aspects of English which students might face insituations involving intercultural communication as well as in university entrance
examinations.
The English course titles on the student’s transcript and in the school brochure may
not accurately reflect course content. This is because the school follows course titles
prescribed by MEXT, while having the freedom to decide what is taught under thosetitles. Course content is shown below in parentheses.
Advanced Placement (AP)ICUHS offers an AP course in Literature & Composition to 2nd year students. This
class is open to students in Levels 1-3 and focuses on the study of novels, drama,
short stories, poetry and essay writing. In addition, students are encouraged to takethe AP exam.
ENGLISH & OTHER FOREIGN LANGUAGES
English Language Arts (Years 1-3)
English Writing Workshop (Year 1)
English Grammar (Years 2 & 3)
English Elective: College Preparation (Year 2)
English Elective (Year 3) Media Studies, College Reading, Paragraph Reading,Film, Critical Thinking, Debate
Basic Chinese, French, German, Spanish
Advanced Chinese, French, German, Spanish

INTRODUCTION TO CHRISTIANITYAs demonstrated by the name International Christian University, both the University and HighSchool follow three principal commitments as their mission: internationalization, Christianity andacademic studies. All students take the Introduction to Christianity course once a week during
each of their three years at ICUHS. Not only do the students study the Bible and Christianity, they
are also taught to think about how human beings should live their lives.
JAPANESE
65% of our students come back to Japan with varying degrees of experience overseas. As a result,
the range of Japanese ability among the students is very wide. To allow for this, Japanese classes
are divided into levels: four in the 1st Year, three in the 2nd Year and two in the 3rd Year, with anadditional class for the small number of students who are in need of Japanese language support
due to the length of time they have lived abroad. Subjects studied are Classical Japanese,
Classical Chinese and Modern Japanese Literature.

MATHEMATICS
Mathematics classes are divided into 4 levels. All students take Mathematics I and Mathematics A
in the 1st Year and Mathematics II in the 2nd Year. Students concentrating on Mathematics andScience take elective Mathematics courses in the 2nd and 3rd Year. The Mathematics courses inthe 3rd Year are very demanding even for the most skilled students.
! Mathematics I (1st Year – Quadratic Equations and Functions, Trigonometry, Metric Geometry)! Mathematics A (1st Year – Sets & Logic, Permutations, Combinations & Probabilities, Introduction
to Plane Geometry)! Mathematics II (2nd Year - Proving Inequalities, Trigonometric Functions, Exponential and
Logarithmic Functions, Elementary Calculus)! Mathematics B (2nd Year Electives - Sequences, Vectors)! Mathematics III (3rd Year Elective - Differentiation and Integration of Elementary Functions)! Mathematics Seminar (3rd Year Elective - preparation for entrance to university)

SCIENCE
All students take Science and Basic Biology in the 1st Year. In the 2nd and 3rd Year, Physics,
Chemistry, Biology and Earth Science (Geology) are offered as electives. Please note that Earth
Science is called Geology in the School Brochure. Advanced courses in Physics, Chemistry andBiology are also offered in the 3rd Year for future science majors. The abundance of nature on the
ICU campus provides wonderful opportunities for students to explore and experiment.
SOCIAL STUDIESAll students take World History in the 1st Year and Ethics in the 2nd Year. In the 2nd and 3rd Year,
World History, Japanese History and Geography are offered as electives. In the 3rd Year, allstudents take Politics & Economics. 3rd Year elective courses prepare students for university
entrance.

PHYSICAL EDUCATIONSports and health are an important part of school life at ICUHS and the school grounds and ourschool’s new gymnasium, featuring an indoor running track and rooftop archery & futsal area,
provide an ideal environment. The P.E. staff teach both Physical Education and Health Education.
In Term 3 in the 1st and 2nd Years, all students compete in a Road Race (11.4 km. for boys, 6 km.
for girls).
OTHERS
Other required courses are Home Economics, which is taken in the 1st Year, in which students
learn the basics of cooking and food hygiene, and Computer Science which is taken in the 3rd
Year. Integrated Studies (International Understanding & Peace Studies) is required in all three
years and demands that students do a piece of writing about a special event such as an activity
they participated in during Christianity Week or the 3rd Year school excursion to Okinawa. It isawarded with a Pass/Fail grade. Art and Music, although they are elective subjects, play a very
important role at ICUHS. Students’ paintings and sculptures are always on display, and there is a
thriving Art Circle. In Music class, each student learns to play an instrument and gives aperformance at the end of term. Calligraphy is another elective course offered within the Fine Arts
bracket. The Senior Project is a one hour per week, non-credit elective where students choose
from an eclectic range of subjects – anything from Aerobics to Introduction to Greek.

GRADING & RANKINGICUHS follows the 5 point Japanese grading scale: 5=A, 4=B, 3=C, 2=D, 1=F. A
small number of classes are awarded with a simple Pass/Fail grade. Grades forthe majority of classes are based on examination scores, although some teachers
put more emphasis on continuous assessment, basing the grade (or part of thegrade) on the student’s performance throughout the term (taking into accountweekly quizzes, class writing, home work writing, presentations and classparticipation). Examinations are given at mid-term and end of term in Terms 1 and
2, and at end of term in Term 3.
Please note that ICUHS, like most Japanese schools, does not offer any classes
that are officially designated as honors classes, although certain 3rd Year electives
are highly advanced. Where mainstream classes are divided into levels, as in thecase of English, Japanese and Mathematics, this simply means that the students
are taught to a standard which is appropriate for them. For example, Level 1
English is advanced when compared with ordinary Japanese high school English
but is actually equivalent to a regular English class in an international high schoolor local high school in an English-speaking country.
Like most Japanese schools, ICUHS does not rank students. However, every year
we are allowed to recommend up to 80 students to International Christian
University and a list of students’ grade point averages is used as the basis for this.
In order to be recommended, students must have a GPA of 3.8 or above.

SAT
The history of ICUHS students taking the SAT goes back to the early 1980s.
Students who take the SAT at ICUHS are usually in English Levels 1-2. They use
their scores to enter universities in Japan and overseas.
The following table is comprised of data from June 2016 to August 2021. During
this period, a total of 259 graduating students took the SAT at least once, most ofthem 2-3 times. The numbers in the ERW and Math boxes are based on each
student’s highest score in the Evidence-based Reading & Writing and Mathematics
sections.

Score Range

EBRW

Math

700-800

15

127

600-690116104

500-59010624

400-490204300-39020CLUBSIn Japanese high schools, club activities are an essential part ofschool life, and ICUHS is no exception. There are about 20 clubs
to choose from and most students join one in the first month.
They leave the club in the final term of the 2nd Year to concentrate
more on studies. Club practice takes place every day afterclasses are over, except for the week leading up to and the weekduring mid-term or end of term examinations. During the summerof their 1st and 2nd Years, students attend a week-long camp forthe club. Some students also work as managers, taking charge of
all aspects of the club, from setting up games with other schools
to dealing with finances. Students at ICUHS devote a lot of timeand energy into making their club experience a valuable one.

Clubs@ ICUHSEXTRA-CURRICULAR ACTIVITIESStudents handle many responsibilities throughout the school year.
Some are student council members, some are home room
representatives, and some are active in organizing the various
annual student-run events, the biggest of which are Culture
Festival and Sports Day.

Cheerleading

AFTER GRADUATION FROM ICUHS
The majority of our students enter Japanese private universities,
the most popular destinations being International Christian
University, Keio University, Sophia University, Waseda University,
Aoyama Gakuin University and Chuo University.
A smaller
number enter national universities. Between 5 and 10 students
every year enter foreign universities. See our school brochure fora list of foreign universities entered by our graduates between
2015 and 2019.

ICU Jazz Sounds
Rock Club
HandballBaseballBoys Soccer
Girls Soccer
Boys Basketball
Girls BasketballDance
Swimming
Volleyball
Track and Field
Boys Tennis
Girls Tennis
Tea Ceremony
Photography
Environmental
Volunteer Network
Chorus Club
OrchestraICU High School Course of Studies
SOCIAL STUDIESWorld History A
World History B
Japanese History A
Japanese History B
EthicsGeography A
Geography B
Politics & Economics
World History Seminar

ENGLISH & OTHER FOREIGN LANGUAGES
English Language Arts (Years 1-3)
English Writing Workshop (Year 1)
Grammar (Years 2 & 3)
English Elective: AP English Literature & Composition (Yr 2)
English Elective: College Preparation (Year 2)
English Elective (Year 3) Media Studies, College Reading,Paragraph Reading, International Perspectives, Debate
Basic Chinese, French, German, Spanish
Advanced Chinese, French, German, Spanish

MATHEMATICS
Mathematics I
Mathematics II
Mathematics III
Mathematics A
Mathematics B
Mathematics Seminar

SCIENCE
Science
Basic Physics
Basic Chemistry
Basic Biology
Basic Earth Science
Advanced Physics
Advanced Chemistry
Advanced Biology

PHYSICAL EDUCATION
Physical Education
Health Education

Physics Seminar
Chemistry Seminar
Biology Seminar

FINE ARTSArt I
Art IIArt III
Calligraphy I & II
Music IMusic IIMusic IIIJAPANESE
Japanese
Modern JapaneseClassics
Classical Japanese & Chinese
Japanese II
Japanese Seminar

OTHERS
Home Economics
Computer Science A
Introduction to Christianity*
Integrated Studies*
Senior Project* Required, non-graded(Pass/Fail) classes◆ 1 period = 50 minutes; 6 periods per school day; 6 school days per week, 4 periods on Saturday◆ Approximately 200 school days per year
◆ 88 credits required for graduation◆ All subjects apart from the English taught by native English speakers are taught in Japanese.