Online School & Homeschool in Hong Kong SAR

Online school and international curriculum in Hong Kong

For Hong Kong families — a place in September, not a waiting list, and the A-Level sets even a strong school cannot always run.

Live online Cambridge IGCSE, Cambridge A-Level, Pearson Edexcel International, IB Diploma Programme, and American Curriculum with Advanced Placement (AP) for Hong Kong families. Hong Kong is a Special Administrative Region with its own education system, curriculum and regulator, and one of the deepest international school sectors in the world — ESF, Harrow, Kellett, the Chinese International School, German Swiss, Canadian International and many more. The problem here has never been quality or availability of curriculum. It is places: admissions are among the most competitive anywhere and waiting lists are a well-known feature of the market. We have none.

Challenges Hong Kong SAR families face

International school waiting lists are a long-standing feature of the market, particularly for mid-year arrivals.
Fees are among the highest in the world, with debentures and capital levies on top at some schools.
Specialist A-Level subjects often will not run for small cohorts even in excellent schools.
Families relocating mid-year frequently find every preferred school full.
Time zone: Hong Kong runs UTC+8, five hours ahead of our teaching base — so evening classes work well.

Why Hong Kong SAR families choose Smartious

No waiting list: A child starts within a week of the assessment. In a market where waiting lists are the defining constraint, that is frequently the whole decision rather than one factor among several.
The set your school cannot staff: Further Mathematics or a third science for four pupils is unviable on one timetable and routine in a live group drawn from several countries.
A fee gap against one of the world's most expensive markets: Live small-group teaching from USD 5,076 a year, with no debenture and no capital levy.
Evening classes that work: Hong Kong is five hours ahead of our teaching base, so a seven o'clock evening class here is two in the afternoon for our teachers.
A separate education system, clearly stated: Hong Kong is a Special Administrative Region with its own education system and regulator — distinct from the mainland framework, which we set out separately and carefully.

Hong Kong is a Special Administrative Region with its own education system, its own curriculum and its own regulator, separate from the mainland framework — and that distinction matters enough that we address the mainland position on its own pages rather than blurring the two. On home education specifically, we could not verify a settled Hong Kong framework and will not guess: education is compulsory and administered by the territory's own education authority, and a family whose plan depends on educating outside a registered school should take advice on their own position first. Smartious is not a registered Hong Kong school and issues no Hong Kong qualification — we do not teach toward the HKDSE. What we build here is what we build almost everywhere: live Cambridge or IB subject teaching alongside a school enrolment. In Hong Kong specifically there is a second common configuration worth naming — a family who has relocated and is on a waiting list, using us as a full interim programme so a child does not lose months of schooling while a place comes free. That is one of the most frequent reasons families in this market contact us at all.

Smartious delivers to Hong Kong families online; the live programme is complete without in-person supplementation.

Live online via Smartious LMS. Hong Kong runs five hours ahead of our teaching base with no seasonal changes on either side, so a seven or eight o'clock evening class here sits in our afternoon, at the same time every week of the year, with every session recorded.

Hong Kong is a Special Administrative Region with its own education system and regulator, holding one of the deepest international school sectors in the world alongside a large local sector — with famously competitive admissions, long waiting lists and among the highest fees anywhere. Hong Kong runs UTC+8, five hours ahead of our teaching base.

Family situations we work with

Families arriving mid-year who cannot secure a place at a preferred school.
Households on international school waiting lists needing continuity in the meantime.
Financial, legal and professional families outside the top tier's fees.
Students needing a subject their school cannot staff for a small group.
Families in the local sector wanting an internationally examined track alongside.
Households whose next posting may be another country entirely.

Hong Kong SAR communities and nearby areas

Hong Kong Island · Kowloon · New Territories · Sai Kung · Discovery Bay · Tung Chung · Lantau

Common questions from Hong Kong SAR families

We have just relocated and every school has a waiting list — what can we do?

Start with us within a week of the assessment and keep an internationally examined pathway running while a place comes free. It is the single most common reason Hong Kong families come to us, and the programme is complete rather than a holding exercise.

Our school is excellent — what would we gain?

Usually one thing: a subject set your timetable cannot staff for four pupils. If your school covers what your child needs, we will tell you so.

Do you teach the HKDSE?

No. We are not a registered Hong Kong school and issue no Hong Kong qualification. We teach Cambridge, Pearson Edexcel, IB and AP, which sit alongside a school record rather than replacing it.

What time are classes?

Evening works best. Hong Kong is five hours ahead of our teaching base, so a seven o'clock class here is two in the afternoon for our teachers.

Guides for families in China

What parents say

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“I have peace of mind as a Smartious Homeschool parent. No more traffic and early morning rush to school. Smartious are the most organized homeschool providers.” — Google reviewer, Google review