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ESF - English Schools Foundation

The English Schools Foundation (ESF) operates five secondary schools, nine primary schools and a school for students with special educational needs across Hong Kong Island, Kowloon and the New Territories. It is the largest international educational foundation in Asia.

Chairman / President

Dr Kim Mak

CEO / Managing Director

Belinda Greer

CFO / Finance Director

VIvian Cheung

Industry

Education & Academia

Website

esf.edu.hk

Headquarters address

1/F, 38 Gloucester Road, Wanchai, Hong Kong

Year founded

1967

Hundreds of domestic helpers participate in an activity on “Jie Jie Day” organised by students of Renaissance College Hong Kong. Photo: Elson Li

Hong Kong society

Hong Kong students honour over 400 foreign domestic helpers as ‘second mothers’

Renaissance College’s annual ‘Jie Jie Day’ engages participants with cultural games, raffle draws and networking opportunities.

13 Mar 2026 - 9:59PM

Hong Kong courts

14 convicted of bribing ESF worker to obtain places at Hong Kong kindergarten

24 Feb 2026 - 8:46PM

Good Schools Guide

How Hong Kong’s kindergartens are shaping future academic success

17 Oct 2025 - 12:42PM

ESF - English Schools Foundation

Hong Kong students honour over 400 foreign domestic helpers as ‘second mothers’

Renaissance College’s annual ‘Jie Jie Day’ engages participants with cultural games, raffle draws and networking opportunities.

14 convicted of bribing ESF worker to obtain places at Hong Kong kindergarten

How Hong Kong’s kindergartens are shaping future academic success

English Schools Foundation in Hong Kong to open 3 new kindergartens in 2026

New institutions will offer 400 first-year places in 2026, while two existing preschools will be closed, international school group says.

Hong Kong international schools’ debentures, capital levies: how do they work?

Court case prompts fresh scrutiny of how Hong Kong’s international schools raise funds with debentures and capital levies.

A third of Hong Kong IB candidates earned top marks: what’s their secret?

Hong Kong’s top or near-perfect scorers represent nearly 10 per cent of top achievers globally.

Star IB students from Hong Kong’s ESF school group share tips for success

Eleven of 15 top students from city’s largest international school group say they plan to pursue degrees in medicine locally.

Tackling social media’s impact on teens’ mental health

As teenagers grapple with identity and peer relationships online, the importance of teaching media literacy and healthy social media habits has never been more crucial.

Hong Kong schools told to add national education elements to more subjects

Education Bureau tells schools to add national education to subjects including English, maths, music, visual arts and PE.

Hong Kong’s ESF school group plans to increase fees by 4.8%

Parents of children in secondary schools may have to pay up to HK$750 more per month starting next academic year, pending approval.

.css-1m2rp1p{color:#34b8b5;}Then & Now | How Hong Kong’s English-medium schools evolved from the late 19th century

Demographics have shifted over the past century, with ethnic Chinese now the overwhelming majority of the student population in these schools.

Why international kindergartens are bucking the trend of school closures

Despite facing record low enrolments in 2025, the city’s international schools are continuing to expand to meet the demands of modern parents.

Former worker at Hong Kong’s ESF school group pleads guilty to taking bribes

Fatima Rumjahn pocketed HK$190,000 in exchange for helping secure kindergarten enrolment and planned to accept another HK$530,000.

Hong Kong’s ESF school group to open kindergarten under mega project in Sai Kung

New school will be built on land currently being developed by Sun Hung Kai Properties as part of mega project in Sai Sha.

Number of students in Hong Kong international schools hits 11-year high

But the proportion of students in government and aided schools dropped 12 per cent over same period to a record low, latest census shows

Opinion | Hong Kong must stay international to keep talent – foreign and local

Many arriving mainlanders have the overseas exposure we need to maintain our cosmopolitan flavour and this is good – but not good enough.

Some of Hong Kong’s top scorers in IB programme reveal secrets of their success

Students say good time management, exercise and maintaining social lives crucial while studying for exams.

Number of Hong Kong pupils in international schools tripled in 11 years

Minister Christine Choi dismisses suggestion parents did not want to send children to local schools because of the increasing emphasis on national education.

Hong Kong’s ESF school group plans to raise tuition fees by about 5%

Increase, which must be approved by Education Bureau, is aimed at supporting hiring and retention of staff, English Schools Foundation says.

Vacant Hong Kong campuses attract positive response from international schools

Eligible applicants will have to submit detailed proposals for sites in North Point and Kowloon Tong.

Hong Kong’s ESF to give interview priority to children of workers in talent scheme

English Schools Foundation (ESF) says move will support government’s Top Talent Pass Scheme, which launched last December.

Hong Kong schools make pastoral care a post-pandemic priority

After some of the world’s toughest and longest-lasting Covid-19 restrictions, Hong Kong schools recognise the need to address students’ mental health

Hong Kong parents to be allowed to enrol their children in any ESF school

English Schools Foundation changes its current residence-based place allocation policy allowing more flexibility.

Experts weigh in on what kids learn from play

Whatever the educational tradition they follow, kindergartens and primaries in Hong Kong agree that play brings physical, emotional and social benefits that set the tone for how effectively a child will learn later

Is the IBCP a paradigm shift in education?

The sister programme to the IBDP offers a more practical curriculum that suits those not intending, or able, to go on to university

Hong Kong’s international schools lose 12 per cent of non-local students in 4 years

At Legco meeting on enrolment figures at 54 international schools, lawmaker Chu Kwok-keung warns they are taking students away from local institutions.

Hong Kong’s ESF school group aims to raise fees by 5.8 per cent on average

English Schools Foundation also says it plans to incorporate various compulsory charges into the fees, meaning actual annual increase is 4.9 per cent.

The challenge and benefits of learning another language

Widely considered to aid academic performance in general, languages also develop a student’s cultural awareness, and Hong Kong schools are finding ways to increase students’ exposure

Then & Now | How Hong Kong’s English-medium schools evolved from the late 19th century