Moving to Kobe on a Sports Contract: Schools for Your Kids

A player who signs for a Kansai club usually has weeks, not months, to sort out a home and a school. The normal advice to apply a year ahead does not help much. This guide is for players, coaches and the club staff who look after them: what to do first, which schools to call, and what is realistic when you arrive mid-year.

Fees and places change every year, and nothing here replaces a conversation with the school's admissions office.

Why most players' families choose an international school

Three things push sports families towards English-medium international schools rather than local Japanese schools:

• Contract length. A one-year deal can turn into five, or end early. An international school lets a child move on to a similar school in another country without losing a year.
• Language. Children who don't speak Japanese can start learning straight away in English, and keep their English for the next move.
• Community. A partner running the household in a new country finds other foreign families quickly through the school's parent network.

Local public schools do accept foreign children, and some families with long contracts and young children choose them. See international school or Japanese school for that decision.

When players arrive, and what that means for school

International schools in Kobe start the year in mid to late August.

Whatever the sport, write to admissions the day a move looks likely. An enquiry about space costs nothing and commits nobody.

Schools in Kobe

• Canadian Academy, on Rokko Island, is the largest international school in the area, teaching from Pre-K to Grade 12 with the IB. It admits students during the year on a rolling basis when a grade has space, and it also has boarding. Tuition for 2026–27 is ¥2,100,000 to ¥3,370,000 a year.
• Marist Brothers International School, in Suma in western Kobe, is a Catholic school from Early Years to Grade 12 that teaches the IB throughout: the Diploma since 2017, and the Primary and Middle Years Programmes since 2025.
• St. Michael's International School, in central Kobe, is a small Anglican school with a British curriculum for ages 3 to 11, so older children will need a secondary school plan from the start.

Compare all of them in the best international schools in Kobe. For playing in Osaka, see Osaka vs Kobe international schools.

Young children: preschool first

Preschools usually have more flexibility than schools to take a child mid-year, so many families start a young child at preschool soon after arriving and apply to a school properly for the following August.

On Rokko Island, Peter Pan International Preschool is about a ten-minute walk from Canadian Academy. It takes children aged two and three from one day a week. Canadian Academy's own early-childhood classes start at age three, and it mentions Peter Pan to families with two-year-olds. Attending Peter Pan does not guarantee a place at Canadian Academy, which decides admissions on its own criteria.

For other options, see international preschools in Kobe and preschool before Canadian Academy.

Where to live

Most foreign families with school-age children live on Rokko Island, elsewhere in Higashinada, or in Ashiya and Nishinomiya, between Kobe and Osaka. Choose the school first, then housing within an easy commute of it. A daily school run matters more to family life than being close to the training ground. See Ashiya and Nishinomiya for international families.

A checklist for club staff

1. Ask the children's ages and current grades as soon as the player is a serious target.
2. Email the admissions offices of two or three schools to ask about space in those grades.
3. Ask the school what it needs: usually recent school reports, a teacher reference and sometimes an assessment. Gather these before the family flies.
4. Ask for the full fee schedule. One-time fees for new students can exceed ¥1 million, so agree in the contract who pays what. See international school tuition in Japan.
5. Look at housing only after you know which school.

FAQ

Where do foreign footballers and other athletes in Kobe send their children? Most choose an English-medium international school, such as Canadian Academy on Rokko Island, Marist Brothers International School or St. Michael's International School. Young children often start at an English preschool first.

Can a child start an international school in the middle of the year? Often, if the grade has space. Canadian Academy admits students during the year on a rolling basis. Contact admissions as soon as the move looks likely.

Does the new J1 calendar help? Yes. Since 2026–27, J1 runs from August to June, so summer signings can arrive in time for the start of the school year in August.

What if the contract is only one year? An international school is the safer choice for a short stay, because the child can move to a similar school in the next country without losing a year.

Who pays the school fees? That is a matter for the player's contract. Ask the school for its full fee schedule early, because the one-time fees for new students are large.