This page is general information from official sources. It is not advice on whether your child can apply or will be accepted. For your own case, ask your child’s junior high school or the Tokyo Metropolitan High School Entrance Exam Consultation Corner (section 9).
Tokyo Metropolitan high schools (都立高校, toritsu koko) are the public high schools run by the Tokyo Metropolitan Government. Students enter in April, after an entrance exam in January, February or March. This page covers the exams for April 2027 entry, which the Tokyo Metropolitan Board of Education calls the 2027 (Reiwa 9) admissions. Private high schools set their own dates and are not covered.
If your family moved to Tokyo recently, check two things first: whether your child meets the address rule (section 2), and whether your child can use the separate route for students who need Japanese-language support (section 3).
In short
- The main written exam is on Sunday, February 21, 2027. Results come out on Monday, March 1 (section 6).
- Recommendation-based applications close on Monday, January 18, 2027. Online entry for both routes opens on Friday, December 18, 2026 (sections 5 and 8).
- For full-time schools, the student must live in Tokyo with a parent. Families moving in from another prefecture or from abroad need eligibility approval before applying (section 2).
- Students who need Japanese support and arrived in Japan within about 3 years can use a separate route at 12 schools, with an essay and interview in Japanese or English. A pre-check of eligibility is held on November 15 and December 6, 2026 (section 3).
Checked with official pages on October 11, 2026.
1. What are the 2027 exam dates?
Tokyo Metropolitan Board of Education
The recommendation exams are on January 26 and 27, 2027, and the first-round written exam is on February 21, 2027. The Board of Education published the schedule on May 28, 2026, and the official rules released on September 17, 2026 give the same dates. All dates below are in 2027.
| Route | Apply | Exam | Results |
|---|---|---|---|
| Recommendation | Jan 8–18 | Jan 26–27 | Feb 2 |
| First round | Jan 29–Feb 4 | Feb 21 | Mar 1 |
| Second round | Mar 4 (counter) | Mar 9 | Mar 12 |
| Part-time, 2nd | Mar 25 (counter) | Mar 26 | Mar 29 |
| New to Japan (11 schools) | Jan 20–21 (counter) | Jan 26 | Feb 2 |
| Returnees and Kokusai HS | Jan 29–Feb 4 | Feb 15 | Feb 17 |
For the online routes, the “Apply” column is the period for mailing papers to the high school. You can enter your details on the application website from December 18, 2026, and online entry closes at 17:00 on the last day of that period.
A student who passes one exam cannot apply to a later one. A student who fails a school in the recommendation round can apply to the same school again in the first round. Tokyo Metropolitan Board of Education: 2027 admission schedule (Japanese)
2. Can my child apply if we are new to Tokyo?
Tokyo Metropolitan Board of Education
To apply to a full-time Tokyo Metropolitan high school, the student must live in Tokyo with a parent and keep commuting from Tokyo after entering. A student at a Tokyo junior high school who lives with a parent in Tokyo meets this rule. If one parent cannot live in Tokyo, for example because of caring for a relative or medical treatment, the rules list special cases that need extra papers and approval.
Other families must get eligibility approval (応募資格審査, oubo shikaku shinsa) from the high school before applying. The official rules include these cases:
- You live in Tokyo, but your child attends a junior high school outside Tokyo or finished 9 years of school abroad.
- You live in another prefecture and will move into Tokyo with your child before the school year starts.
- You live abroad and will move into Tokyo with your child before the school year starts.
- Your child is a foreign national who finished school at a foreign school (外国人学校) in Japan.
The papers for each case are in the Board’s eligibility handbook, published in September 2026. A family that lives in Tokyo only for a short time and plans to move out after entry cannot apply. Part-time (定時制, teijisei) schools are different: the student needs an address or a workplace in Tokyo. 2027 eligibility review handbook (PDF, Japanese)
Note
The first-round score includes an English speaking test (ESAT-J YEAR 3) taken in junior high school on November 22, 2026. Students who were not at a Tokyo public junior high school on the test day, such as students at a private school or in another prefecture, get a provisional score worked out from their English exam score.
3. Is there a route for students who need Japanese support?
Tokyo Metropolitan Board of Education
The route for foreign students and others living in Tokyo (在京外国人生徒等対象, zaikyo gaikokujin seito to taisho) has an essay and an interview, and in each one the student can choose Japanese or English. The Japanese essay questions have hiragana readings printed above the kanji. Nationality does not matter, including Japanese nationality, but the student must need Japanese-language instruction.
According to the official rules, the student must also fit one of these:
- Finish (or have finished) 9 years of school abroad by March 31, 2027.
- Graduate from a junior high school in Japan by March 31, 2027 (or have graduated), and have been in Japan for no more than 3 years on the entry date. Anyone who entered Japan on or after January 1, 2024 counts as within 3 years.
- Hold a foreign nationality and finish the equivalent of 9 years at a foreign school in Japan.
- Finish the junior high school course at a Japanese school overseas (日本人学校).
For full-time schools, the student must live in Tokyo with a parent, or move to Tokyo before entry. The 12 schools are Takenodai (竹台), Tagara (田柄), Minami-Katsushika (南葛飾), Fuchu-Nishi (府中西), Asuka (飛鳥), Rokugo Koka (六郷工科), Suginami Sogo (杉並総合), Kokusai (国際), Hitotsubashi (一橋), Asakusa (浅草), Ogikubo (荻窪) and Sunagawa (砂川). About the exams for foreign students living in Tokyo (Japanese with hiragana readings)
3.1 When are the exams on this route?
Tokyo Metropolitan Board of Education
At 11 of the schools, you hand in a paper application at the school on Wednesday, January 20, 2027 (9:00–15:00) or Thursday, January 21 (9:00–12:00). There is no online application for these 11 schools. The exam is on Tuesday, January 26: a 50-minute essay, then an interview. Results come out on Tuesday, February 2.
Kokusai High School uses the online application instead. Online entry runs from December 18, 2026 to 17:00 on February 4, 2027, and papers must arrive between January 29 and February 4. The exam is on Monday, February 15, and results on Wednesday, February 17.
Students on this route can also apply in the general first round. A student who passes at one of the 11 schools cannot take any later Tokyo Metropolitan high school exam. Six schools also hold a September-entry exam in July 2027 for students who finish school abroad or at a foreign school in Japan between April 1 and August 31, 2027. 2027 rules for returnees and foreign students (PDF, Japanese)
3.2 How does the eligibility pre-check work?
Tokyo Metropolitan Board of Education
Students who want to use this route must have their eligibility checked before applying, and the Board holds the pre-check on Sunday, November 15 and Sunday, December 6, 2026. December 20 is only for students whose check was not finished on those days. Booking opens at 17:00 on Tuesday, October 13, 2026, through the online form linked from the official page. Each time slot has a limit, so book early.
Interpreters are present. English, Chinese, Filipino and Nepali are available from 10:30 to 16:30 on both days. Korean, Spanish, Thai and Vietnamese are available on December 6 from 13:00 to 16:30. For other languages, call the Board by November 6.
- Book a time slot on the official form. The form opens at 17:00 on October 13, 2026.
- Fill in the pre-check application form. Download it from the official page and write in Japanese or English.
- Collect the papers for your case. The official page has a table by school type. Bring both the passport and the residence card (在留カード, zairyu kado).
- Go to the venue on the day. Pick up a yellow entry pass in front of the north elevators on the 1st floor of Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building No. 1.
Important
Residence cards issued on or after June 14, 2026 do not show the date of landing permission. The Board then checks the entry date from the stamps in the passport. If the passport has no entry stamp, bring a record of entry and departure from the Immigration Services Agency, and apply for it early.
If you cannot come on any of the days, call the Board’s entrance exam section at 03-5320-6745. Venue: Large Conference Hall, 5th floor, Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building No. 1 (東京都庁第一本庁舎), 2-8-1 Nishi-Shinjuku, Shinjuku-ku. Google Maps Pre-check of eligibility, 2027 (Japanese with hiragana readings)
Tip
The Board holds an information and consultation session for students who find Japanese difficult on Sunday, October 25, 2026 at the same venue (10:30–12:30 or 13:30–16:30, same content). All 12 schools have booths, and no booking is needed. Interpreting in English, Chinese, Nepali and Filipino is offered. Information sessions (Japanese with hiragana readings)
4. What is the returnee route?
Tokyo Metropolitan Board of Education
The returnee route (海外帰国生徒対象, kaigai kikoku seito taisho) is only for students with Japanese nationality. The student must have lived abroad with a parent for at least 2 years in a row, and must enter within a set time after returning (1 to 3 years, depending on how long they lived abroad). Mita (三田), Takehaya (竹早), Hinodai (日野台) and Kokusai (国際) high schools run it. Applications are online, the exam is on February 15, 2027, and results are on February 17. Students on this route can also apply in the general first round. 2027 rules for returnees and foreign students (PDF, Japanese)
5. How does the recommendation round work?
Tokyo Metropolitan Board of Education
For the recommendation-based selection (推薦, suisen), online entry closes at 17:00 on Monday, January 18, 2027, and papers must reach the high school between January 8 and 18. Papers go by a trackable mail service such as simple registered mail. Students at a Tokyo junior high school send them through their school. You cannot change the school after applying.
The exams are on January 26 and 27. Every school holds an individual interview. Results are posted at 8:30 on Tuesday, February 2 on the results website and at 9:30 at the school. To accept the place, hand in the enrollment pledge (入学確約書, nyugaku kakuyakusho) on February 2 (9:30–15:30) or February 3 (9:00–12:00). If you do not, the place is treated as declined. 2027 admission rules (PDF, Japanese)
6. What happens in the first round?
Tokyo Metropolitan Board of Education
The first round (第一次募集, daiichiji boshu) has a written exam on Sunday, February 21, 2027, with students arriving by 8:30. Online entry closes at 17:00 on Thursday, February 4, and papers must arrive between January 29 and February 4. Results are posted at 8:30 on Monday, March 1. Full-time schools take enrollment on March 1 (9:30–15:30) and March 2 (9:00–12:00).
Most full-time schools test 5 subjects for 50 minutes each: Japanese, math, English, social studies and science. Arts and physical education courses test 3 subjects. The first part of the English test is listening. The total score is out of 1,020: 700 for the exam, 300 for the junior high school report and 20 for the speaking test.
Full-time applicants can change their school once. Withdraw the application on February 10 (9:00–15:00) and hand it in again on February 12 (9:00–12:00). You cannot hand it in again to the same department or course at the school you withdrew from, but a different department or course at that school is allowed. Ten schools, including Hibiya, Nishi and Toyama, write their own Japanese, math and English papers. Kokusai writes its own English paper only.
7. What if my child needs a later chance?
Tokyo Metropolitan Board of Education
For the second round and the later part of split recruitment, you hand in a paper application at the school on Thursday, March 4, 2027, from 9:00 to 15:00. There is no online application. Only schools that did not fill their places in the first round hold a second round. Five part-time schools split their places into an earlier and a later round.
The exam is on Tuesday, March 9, and results are on Friday, March 12. For part-time schools, a separate second round takes applications on Thursday, March 25 (15:00–19:00), with the exam on March 26 and results on March 29.
8. How does the online application work?
Tokyo Metropolitan Board of Education
The recommendation round and the first round use an online application website, and the exam admission ticket is downloaded from the same site. The Board describes these steps in its 2027 guide, which is based on the 2026 system and may change.
- Get a user ID on the application website. Then enter the student’s and parent’s names, birth date, junior high school and address.
- Upload a face photo. JPEG or PNG.
- Wait for the junior high school to approve. Students outside Tokyo junior high schools, or not in school, skip this step.
- Pay the exam fee. Choose credit card, convenience store, Pay-easy or a bank payment slip.
- Mail the papers to the high school. Students at Tokyo junior high schools send them through their school.
- Download and print the admission ticket. It becomes available after the high school checks the papers. Print it at home or at a convenience store.
You need a computer, smartphone or tablet. If you cannot apply online, the Board offers another way. The Board’s guide and the online application pages are in Japanese. 2027 guide for students who want to enter Tokyo Metropolitan high schools (Japanese)
9. How much does it cost, and who can I ask?
Tokyo Metropolitan Board of Education
The exam fee is ¥2,200 for full-time schools and ¥950 for part-time schools. If a student applies for a special recommendation and a general recommendation at the same school, both fees are needed. After accepting a place, pay the enrollment fee (¥5,650 full-time, ¥2,100 part-time) with a payment slip within 5 days from the day after results. If the 5th day is a weekend or holiday, the deadline moves to the next business day. Without this payment, the enrollment pledge is not valid.
The Tokyo Metropolitan High School Entrance Exam Consultation Corner (都立高校入試相談コーナー) answers questions by phone and in person on weekdays from 9:00 to 17:00, except holidays and the year-end break. No booking is needed. Its pages do not say which languages it handles; ask when you call. The Board’s admissions guide with each school’s places is planned for late October 2026.
Address: 15th floor, Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building No. 2, 2-8-1 Nishi-Shinjuku, Shinjuku-ku. Phone: 03-5320-6755. Google Maps
Common questions
Can my child take both the route for students new to Japan and the general exam?
Yes. The route for students new to Japan comes first, so a student can also apply in the general first round. A student who passes on that route cannot take any later Tokyo Metropolitan high school exam.
Does my child need to ask for the hiragana readings on the essay?
No. On the route for students new to Japan, the Japanese essay questions always have hiragana readings. No request is needed.
What if we cannot come to the pre-check of eligibility?
Contact the high school you plan to apply to. The school can check eligibility for that route.
Is there an English guide to the exams?
The Board publishes an English admission guide for part-time and correspondence courses for 2027. The main guide for full-time schools is published in Japanese. Part-time and correspondence course guide (English and other languages)
Can my child change schools after applying?
Not in the recommendation round. In the first round and the full-time second round, you can change once, during the withdrawal and resubmission days. You cannot resubmit to the same department or course at the school you withdrew from; a different department or course there is allowed.
Next steps
Sources (checked October 2026)
- Tokyo Metropolitan Board of Education (東京都教育委員会): high school entrance exams, 2027 schedule (May 28, 2026), 2027 admission rules (September 17, 2026), admission rules PDF, rules for returnees and foreign students PDF, eligibility review handbook PDF, 2027 guide for students
- Tokyo Metropolitan Board of Education, foreign students: exams for foreign students living in Tokyo, pre-check of eligibility, information sessions, part-time and correspondence guide in English
