YingHua International School (YHIS) is proud to be only the third school in the U.S. to offer International-Baccalaureate (IB)-certified academics with whole-school Chinese immersion, and the only school in the Princeton area to offer this approach. The IB framework, together with our focus on fluency in a second language, supports students in developing critical-thinking skills while orienting them to become empathetic, caring and engaged citizens of their local communities and of the world. The YHIS Community lives and models the core School values of Excellence, Diversity, Integrity and Compassion in all they do each day, values that are essential in today’s changing world.
Founded in 2007, by Dr. Bonnie Liao, YHIS offers dual language immersion from age 18 months to 8th grade coupled with the International Baccalaureate (IB) program at both primary and middle grades. In our dual-language IB environment, students develop and communicate their thinking and explore essential ideas using two languages within a lively, innovative and interactive program experience that is grounded in academic rigor, and which supports and nurtures the whole child. In addition to the practical outcome of fluency in a second language, language immersion has been shown to support the development of empathy and to support more sophisticated understanding of the native language, and immersion in Mandarin Chinese is linked to improved outcomes in the learning of other academic subjects such as mathematics.
Supportive and dynamic community is a key component of the YHIS experience. Our faculty and staff are highly educated and experienced. On average, 45% of faculty hold advanced degrees, and the median years teaching experience is 14. The IB approach requires faculty collaboration to develop student-centered experiential and conceptual learning opportunities that are grounded in academic standards, and that empower students with skills to be lifelong learners. The YHIS small class sizes facilitate a high degree of student-teacher interaction, differentiated support and avenues to showcase their growth as students. The YHIS IB Program of Inquiry is reviewed each year by the faculty to incorporate student contributions, resulting in an enacted curriculum that is both rigorous and engaging. The Exhibition project for 5th graders and the Community project for 8th graders provide a culminating opportunity for these students to connect their learning to the world around them. YHIS builds partnerships domestically and abroad, incorporates community service as a required component of the curriculum, and provides opportunities over time for enrolled students to travel and experience other cultures, and for families to host visitors from abroad.
Our goal at YHIS is to prepare the next generation of learners to engage with a world in which multicultural understanding, multilingual fluency, and international mindedness are absolutely indispensable. We nurture, encourage, engage and excite our students about learning and, as such, our students develop the values, mindset, and skills in their early years, which enable them to face an increasingly complex world with confidence and compassion. Pay us a visit and see firsthand what a world-class education in a welcoming community school looks like!