Education Japan to subsidize private high schools as public system creaks

salyavin · 20 May 2025

Japan to subsidize private high schools as public system creaks
Next April, Japanese teens will troop back to school to start an academic year like no other. For the first time, tuition will be free at all high schools, both private and public, regardless of household income, as Japan's minority government places a bet of nearly $4 billion a year on making child-rearing more affordable. They will subsidize private school fees up to 457,000 yen ($3,125) a year per student.

Though unusual, Japan is not alone in boosting tuition fee subsidies across the board. From February 2024, no Taiwanese senior secondary school student has to pay tuition fees,

Lothor · 21 May 2025

With younger spawn of Lothor in his first year at a private high school, this is very welcome news! In case anyone is wondering, we are not a wealthy family, but the education system rather pushes people into private high schools. In Tokyo, you are allowed to apply to just one public high school and as many private high schools as you like.

mdchachi · 21 May 2025

Lothor said:
With younger spawn of Lothor in his first year at a private high school, this is very welcome news! In case anyone is wondering, we are not a wealthy family, but the education system rather pushes people into private high schools. In Tokyo, you are allowed to apply to just one public high school and as many private high schools as you like.

If you can only apply to one what happens if you don't get in?

Lothor · 21 May 2025

mdchachi said:
If you can only apply to one what happens if you don't get in?

Good question. I assume that most people apply to both. However, I suspect (particularly with Japan's demographic problems) that if you just apply to one high school and don't get in, then you start phoning around, as there will be spaces somewhere. Most British kids who want to go to university and fail to get the grades for their main offer or 'insurance offer' end up finding somewhere that will take them.

salyavin · 22 May 2025

While I do not recommend it also remember High school is not 義務教育 or compulsory education like it is in the US. So some like say a professional go player or something may stop after middle school. Even so 98% of people go to high school. Some high schools are geared towards a profession. One of my acquaintances in Japan has a son going to a train operator high school. I have seen a farming high school too. Basically a vocational school koto-senmon-gakko. Before 2010 you had to pay for public high school as well, I did not even know it was free now. Our plan is to have my daughter go to high school in Japan at least. My son we are not sure yet. I got laid off from my nice job and have a contract job now. Tech is kinda shaky in the US right now and I am in my 50s, hopefully I can hold on for a few years.

raskolnikov3 · 8 Oct 2025

My son's juku recommends selecting 2-3 public schools, assess likelihood of getting in, and also ~3 private schools. My son's #1 choice is a public school, but we are not sure if he can get in.
Worst part is, announcements for public schools (e.g. March) come AFTER announcements for private schools (e.g. February), and the entrance fee for private schools can be as high as 300,000 yen. And guess what, if you are not sure you can get into that public school, mom and dad have to pay up the 300,000 to hold a space for a private school that kiddo might not even go to. It has been this way for at least 4 decades. Everybody thinks it sucks but it never changes.

Lothor · 8 Oct 2025

raskolnikov3 said:
My son's juku recommends selecting 2-3 public schools, assess likelihood of getting in, and also ~3 private schools. My son's #1 choice is a public school, but we are not sure if he can get in.
Worst part is, announcements for public schools (e.g. March) come AFTER announcements for private schools (e.g. February), and the entrance fee for private schools can be as high as 300,000 yen. And guess what, if you are not sure you can get into that public school, mom and dad have to pay up the 300,000 to hold a space for a private school that kiddo might not even go to. It has been this way for at least 4 decades. Everybody thinks it sucks but it never changes.

Reforming the upper end of the education system (I think the elementary school system works well) would be a good way to address perceptions that it's too expensive to have children in Japan.

All the best to your boy (and to your whole family!) during this challenging time.

raskolnikov3 · 8 Oct 2025

Yes, I was very pleased with elementary school in Japan for all of my 3 kids. However, middle school assigns no homework and is teaching my son nothing. Without juku, an extra cost of several 10000 yen per month, my kids would have been screwed. Via juku, my kids raised their dispersion score - hensachi - by about 20 points. So in my view, Japan FAILS obligatory education - gimu kyoiku - at the middle school level and allows private educators, i.e. juku, to fill the gap. This sucks too.
OTOH, my first son's private high school was excellent, and my daughter's public high school was also excellent.
So maybe the failing is middle school only.

Lothor · 8 Oct 2025

raskolnikov3 said:
Yes, I was very pleased with elementary school in Japan for all of my 3 kids. However, middle school assigns no homework and is teaching my son nothing. Without juku, an extra cost of several 10000 yen per month, my kids would have been screwed. Via juku, my kids raised their dispersion score - hensachi - by about 20 points. So in my view, Japan FAILS obligatory education - gimu kyoiku - at the middle school level and allows private educators, i.e. juku, to fill the gap. This sucks too.
OTOH, my first son's private high school was excellent, and my daughter's public high school was also excellent.
So maybe the failing is middle school only.

Both my boys went to juku during JHS because the questions on the HS entrance exams were miles harder than the maths and English they were learning at school. I agree that JHS fails students. The juku gave them a good education, but I feel we've paid twice; he should have got a decent education at the state school.

We've had mixed experiences of HS. The older boy had an awful time at a private HS and left after just a month. He restarted at a state school the following year, where he is a lot more settled. The younger boy is in his first year at a well-known private HS and is very happy there.

raskolnikov3 · 9 Oct 2025

Lothor said:
Both my boys went to juku during JHS because the questions on the HS entrance exams were miles harder than the maths and English they were learning at school. I agree that JHS fails students. The juku gave them a good education, but I feel we've paid twice; he should have got a decent education at the state school.

We've had mixed experiences of HS. The older boy had an awful time at a private HS and left after just a month. He restarted at a state school the following year, where he is a lot more settled. The younger boy is in his first year at a well-known private HS and is very happy there.

BTW, just wanted to say thank you for your kind words in this and earlier posts.
This is a tough year since I have double jukensei (daughter is HS yr 3, and second son is JHS yr 3).
I thought I should qualify what I wrote earlier. My older son went to Kashima, a correspondence HS, although they expect the students to show up to class at least a few times per week. His main teacher there did backflips to help my son get through the curriculum. Without her, he might not have passed. The school was extremely supportive and my son (with psychological issues) was able to get a high school diploma.

Education Japan to subsidize private high schools as public system creaks

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