FAQs - About our students
In the 2009-10 academic year, the 12,772 students in ESF schools and the 4,000 in the Private Independent Schools and the kindergartens include over 50 different nationalities. More than 65% of our students have parents who are permanent residents of Hong Kong.
In ESF schools, British nationals took up the largest proportion at 28%, while other nationalities were evenly distributed. However, in the two Private Independent Schools, Chinese and Hong Kong SAR passport holders were the majority: 38% altogether.
|
2009-10 academic year
|
ESF Schools
|
Private Independent Schools
|
|
British
|
28%
|
18%
|
|
Other East Asian
|
11%
|
8%
|
|
Canadian
|
10%
|
10%
|
|
Chinese
|
10%
|
14%
|
|
Australian
|
9%
|
7%
|
|
American
|
8%
|
7%
|
|
Hong Kong
|
8%
|
24%
|
|
Indian
|
8%
|
3%
|
|
Others
|
8%
|
9%
|
English is the first language of the majority of students in ESF schools. In the 2009-10 academic year, 70% of all students were native English speakers, and only 15% were native Cantonese speakers. Whereas in the two Private Independent Schools (PIS), there was a smaller proportion of students who were native English speakers (41%), but more Cantonese speakers (34%) than in ESF schools.
First language of students:
|
2009-10 academic year
|
ESF Schools
|
Private Independent Schools
|
|
English
|
70%
|
41%
|
|
Cantonese
|
15%
|
34%
|
|
Other East Asian
|
5%
|
3%
|
|
Other Chinese
|
3%
|
2%
|
|
Others
|
3%
|
19%
|
|
European
|
2%
|
1%
|
|
Indian Sub-continent
|
2%
|
1%
|
In the 2009-10 academic year, over 76% of our students are ethnically Asian, while 20% are Caucasian. The mix of different ethnicities in ESF broadly reflects the make-up of Hong Kong’s wider community.
The information on ethnicity of students of the Private Independent Schools is not available.
|
|
ESF Schools
|
|
Chinese
|
45%
|
|
Caucasian
|
20%
|
|
Eurasian
|
12%
|
|
Indian
|
11%
|
|
Other East Asian
|
8%
|
|
Others
|
4%
|