Where to Live in Hong Kong With Children: Choose the School First
For a family moving to Hong Kong, the question of where to live and the question of where your children will go to school are really one question. Hong Kong is compact, but traffic, hills and harbor crossings can turn a short distance into a long school run. This post explains why we advise securing a school before signing a lease, which areas international families tend to choose, and how children get to school.
Why the school comes first
Location is one of the most important factors in choosing a school, and in Hong Kong it goes hand in hand with the choice of home. Most of the families Bennett’s Hong Kong consultant Yun Sun works with put a short commute for their children near the top of their list when they look for housing.
The benefits go beyond time saved. Living near the school makes it easier for children to take part in activities on campus, from early-morning swim training to weekend play dates and study groups, and it puts the family in the same neighborhood as many classmates and their parents, with opportunities to volunteer close to home.
Yun’s advice on the order of things is clear. If you are aiming for an international or private school, secure a place, or have good alternatives lined up, before you sign a lease. Places are not tied to your address, and a family who rents near a school that then turns them down may face a long commute for years.
Local schools are different
Hong Kong’s government and aided schools do depend on where you live. Primary 1 places are allocated through a central system: families apply to one school of their choice in September, and most remaining places are allocated by school net, based on the family’s home address, their list of preferences and a random number. Because your address decides which net you belong to, Yun advises families considering a local school to narrow down the schools they want before they choose a home.
Children who hold dependant visas, including the children of professionals who moved under Hong Kong’s talent schemes, are eligible for these schools, which offer 12 years of free education. Most teach in Chinese, and our post on choosing a school language in Hong Kong explains what that means for a child who is new to Chinese.
Where international families live
Many of the international schools that suit Bennett’s families are on Hong Kong Island, so many families live there, especially on the Southside. Popular areas include:
- On Hong Kong Island: the Mid-Levels, close to Central, and the Southside, including Pok Fu Lam, Repulse Bay and Stanley.
- In Kowloon: Kowloon Tong, home to many schools and a long-established residential area.
- In the New Territories: Sai Kung and Clearwater Bay, Tseung Kwan O and Tai Po, which offer more space and several international schools.
- On Lantau: Discovery Bay, a car-free community with its own schools and a ferry to Central.
Hong Kong Island has the largest cluster of international schools, but there are strong options in Kowloon and the New Territories too, and new capacity is arriving there. The government allocated two school sites in 2025, one on Hong Kong Island and one in Kowloon Tong, and has reserved sites in the Northern Metropolis for the longer term. Yun points out that more choice across the territory makes it even more important to find the school first, because the right school for your child may not be in the neighborhood you expected.
Getting to school
Most international schools arrange school bus routes through private bus companies, and smaller “nanny van” services, which carry only schoolchildren, are common too. Fees are usually charged separately and depend on distance. Many older students travel by public transport, which is safe and efficient, and some families who live close by walk.
A practical test is to make the journey yourself at school-run time before you commit to a flat. A route that looks short on a map can take much longer across the harbor or through a tunnel in the morning rush.
Questions to ask before you sign
- Has your child been offered a place, or do you have strong alternatives?
- How long is the school run at 7:30 in the morning, by bus and by car?
- Does the school’s bus service cover the building or estate you are looking at?
- Will your child be able to join after-school activities and see friends easily from here?
Yun’s wider advice on getting started is in her interview on starting a school search in Hong Kong, and our post on when to apply sets out the timing.
How a Bennett consultant helps
A Bennett consultant maps the schools that fit your child against the areas you are considering, explains commutes and bus routes, and helps you secure a school place before you commit to a home, so the school and the housing decisions support each other.
Our Hong Kong education consultants help families plan the school and the home together every week.
Bennett International Education Consultancy works directly with hundreds of families each year across the globe. We support families by helping them make informed decisions about the best-fit schools for their children; with our guidance, they secure placement in preschools, private day schools, public/state schools, boarding schools, colleges and universities, including schools with particular programs, such as special needs support.
