EtonHouse International School Karuizawa: A Parent's Guide

If you are moving to Karuizawa with young children and want them taught in English, EtonHouse International School Karuizawa is likely to be the first school you look at — and, for day students under about 11, more or less the only English-medium option in town. This guide covers what it actually offers, what it costs, how to apply, and where it fits alongside the other schools in the area. For the wider picture, see Schools in Karuizawa for International Families.

Details below reflect what the school published as of August 2026. Fees, grade availability and programmes change every year — confirm directly with the school before making decisions.

TL;DR

• Two parts: a pre-school for ages ~2–6, and an elementary school that opened in June 2025 with Grade 1.
• English-medium, using the International Primary Curriculum (IPC) with a strong Reggio-influenced, nature-based approach.
• Elementary fees 2026–27: about ¥2,200,000/year plus 10% tax, plus a one-time ¥220,000 registration fee per family.
• Grades are still rolling out — Grade 1–2 in 2026–27, Grade 3 added in 2027–28, up to Grade 5 by around 2029–30.
• Not a Japanese-language school, and not the same thing as Karuizawa International Japanese Language School.

What is EtonHouse?

EtonHouse is a Singapore-headquartered education group founded in 1995, running more than 100 international schools and pre-schools across eight countries. Its pedagogy draws on the Reggio Emilia approach through a long-running partnership with Reggio Children — inquiry-led, child-directed learning where teachers act as facilitators rather than lecturers.

In Japan, the group operates pre-schools in Roppongi and Toranomon in Tokyo, a Tokyo elementary school (opened August 2024), and the Karuizawa campus — pre-school plus elementary. The Japan operation is run by 株式会社JIA.

The Karuizawa campus at a glance

The academic year runs from early April to mid-March, in three terms — Term 1 of 2026–27 runs 6 April to 16 July 2026.

The pre-school (ages 2–6)

The pre-school uses mixed-age classes and a curriculum heavily influenced by Reggio Emilia: children lead inquiries, and language, numeracy and science are drawn out of play rather than delivered as separate lessons. Karuizawa's forests and seasons are built into the programme rather than treated as field trips.

Two practical points parents often miss:

• It is a five-day-a-week programme — there is no two- or three-day option.
• The day ends at 14:00, which is early if both parents work full-time; plan for what happens after.

The elementary school

The elementary school opened on 2 June 2025 with Grade 1 — the group's second elementary campus in Japan after Tokyo. It is being built out one grade at a time:

• 2026–27: Grades 1–2
• 2027–28: Grades 1–3
• through ~2029–30: up to Grade 5

Teaching follows the International Primary Curriculum (IPC), with units of inquiry that lean on the local environment, plus an outdoor programme of camping, river trekking and forest exploration, and an aquatic programme using nearby pool facilities. Class sizes are small.

The obvious implication: check the roll-out against your child's age. A family arriving with a Grade 4 child in 2026 cannot enrol them yet, and the school currently stops at Grade 5 — so there is no on-site route through middle school.

What it costs (2026–27)

Published elementary tuition, full-time, five days a week (08:30–15:00):

Elementary tuition is taxable at 10%; pre-school tuition is tax-exempt. Pre-school fees are published separately and have run in the region of ¥1.85M across the three terms — confirm the current figure directly, as it changes annually.

For context, that puts EtonHouse Karuizawa below most Tokyo international schools, where ¥2.4M–¥3M is typical and the best-known schools run well above ¥3M before the extras. See Best International Schools in Japan for the national comparison.

Admissions: how it works

1. Book and attend a school tour — this is required before applying, not optional.
2. Submit the online application and pay the ¥22,000 application fee.
3. Student assessment and family interview.
4. Placement offer, then registration fee to secure the place.

Enquiries: enquiry.karuizawa@etonhouse.co.jp, or the admissions line on 03-6804-3322. Rolling admissions run through the year alongside the main April intake, but places in a small school fill quickly — start early if you are relocating.

What language is it taught in?

English — it is an English-medium international school. English is the language of learning and teaching throughout, and additional language classes are offered outside core hours. There is no Japanese-medium track.

Two things this means in practice:

• A child with no English will be immersed rather than supported through a bilingual pathway. Younger children usually handle this well; older ones vary.
• A child who will eventually move into the Japanese system will need Japanese from elsewhere — a local kindergarten day, tutoring, or community classes.

Note also that, like most international schools in Japan, EtonHouse is not an Article 1 school (一条校) under the School Education Act. For foreign nationals this is a non-issue; for Japanese citizens, attending an international school does not formally satisfy compulsory education. In practice this is tolerated and widely done, but it matters if you plan to re-enter the Japanese system later.

Not to be confused with: Karuizawa International Japanese Language School

These two come up together in searches constantly, and they have nothing to do with each other:

• EtonHouse International School Karuizawa — English-medium school for young children, in Nagakura, Karuizawa.
• Karuizawa International Japanese Language School (軽井沢国際日本語学校) — a Japanese-language school in Miyota ("West Karuizawa"), teaching Japanese to adult international students, typically on student visas, with university-preparation courses and an April intake.

If you are an adult who wants to learn Japanese, the second one is what you want. If you have a five-year-old, it is the first.

How EtonHouse compares in Karuizawa

• UWC ISAK Japan — English-language IB boarding high school, ages ~15–18. Different stage of life entirely.
• Karuizawa Kazakoshi Gakuen — progressive, Japanese-medium, ages ~3–15. Strong philosophy, but not English-medium.
• Local Japanese public schools — free, close to home, full immersion, arranged through the town hall.
• EtonHouse — the English-medium day option for the early years and lower primary.

The honest gap remains upper primary and middle school in English: between EtonHouse's current top grade and ISAK's Grade 10 entry, there is no local English-medium day school. Families bridge that with local Japanese schools, boarding elsewhere, or timing the move around it.

Is it right for your family?

It is a strong fit if you have children under about 8, want them learning in English, and value outdoor, inquiry-led learning over a structured academic hothouse. It is a harder fit if you need after-school care past mid-afternoon, if your child is already past the grades currently open, or if you want a guaranteed English-medium path all the way to graduation in Karuizawa.

How ERISA helps

ERISA (有限会社えり紗) works with international families through exactly this decision. We can interpret at school tours and family interviews, help you compare EtonHouse against local Japanese schools honestly, handle enrollment paperwork and ongoing communication with teachers, and — if you choose the local route — arrange enrollment through Karuizawa Town Hall after your address registration.

Planning the move? Start with Moving to Karuizawa, see the full Karuizawa Guide, or get in touch.