Admissions FAQs

Frequently Asked Questions from Families

1. How do I apply?

  • Start the application process>>
  • Please email admissions@stpaulhanoi.com for questions and seat availabilities
  • Applications can be submitted at any time of the school year. 
  • Recruitment ends 2 weeks prior to the start of the quarter
  • New students recruitment is occurring according to each Quarter:
2026- 2027
Quarter 1 August 5, 2026
Quarter 2 Oct 26, 2026
Quarter 3 January 18, 2027
Quarter 4 April 5, 2027

 

2. Do students take an entrance test?

Yes, all students are required to take an entry test in English that covers listening, speaking, reading, and writing, and Math.

3. Does St. Paul have an ESL/EAL program?

Yes, we have our own ESL program called SPELL (St. Paul English Language Learning). This comprehensive program is offered for students from Elementary up to Grade 10 and is provided to our families at no additional cost.

4. What are the school hours?

Instructional start time 8:15 AM (Mondays-Fridays)
Instructional end time 3:15 PM (Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday)
2:15 PM (Wednesdays)
  • Afterschool ‘Beyond’ extra-curricular program: 3:15 PM – 4:15 PM (Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday)
  • Elementary school ‘Beyond’: 2 days mandatory, 2 days optional
  • Secondary school ‘Beyond’: 4 days optional

5. Do you offer AP courses?

Yes, all AP courses offered are included in tuition. We do not limit the number of AP Courses each student may take in a semester. Students may self study for AP tests outside of the classes we offer and be able to take those tests in the Spring.

We currently offer over 20 AP courses:

AP CALCULUS AB

AP CALCULUS BC

AP COMPUTER SCIENCE A

AP STATISTICS

AP BIOLOGY

AP CHEMISTRY

AP PHYSICS 1

AP ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE

AP MACROECONOMICS

AP MICROECONOMICS

AP PSYCHOLOGY

AP WORLD HISTORY

AP HUMAN GEOGRAPHY

AP 2D DESIGN

AP 3D DESIGN

AP DRAWING

AP MUSIC THEORY

AP ENGLISH LANGUAGE & COMPOSITION

AP ENGLISH LITERATURE & COMPOSITION

AP CHINESE

AP SPANISH

6. Do you have counseling services?

Yes, we have 4 full-time counselors who support children and families.
 
Elementary:
Counselor, Ms. Alexandra Alvarez
 
Middle School:
Counselor, Ms. Anh Phan
 
High School:
Counselor, Ms. Annie Cadwell
College & Careers Counselor, Mr. Gus Marantos

7. Do you offer school bus and school lunch services?

Yes, most of our school buses are 16-seat buses, all fitted with seatbelts and one bus monitor per bus.
Our two cafeterias offer a daily choice of nutritionally balanced Western and Asian meals.

8. Do students wear school uniforms?

Yes.
Daily uniform is a red or navy polo shirt with black or khaki/tan/beige pants, shorts, or skirts.
 
Fridays are more casual and the student can wear any St. Paul branded top with black, khaki, or blue bottoms.
 
For special events, our students wear a formal uniform that consists of khaki pants or skirts, paired with our official red polo shirt.
 
PE uniforms are a St. Paul athletic top with blue shorts.
 
All outwear must have an open front so proper uniform is visible.

9. What are your High School graduation requirements?

Our High School program is from Grade 9-12. Students must complete at least 44 credits (1 credit=1 semester, which is at least 60 hours of class) in English Language Arts, Math, Social Studies, Science, PE, Fine Arts, Foreign Language, Electives in the 4 years of their High School to receive the High School graduation diploma.
 
If students receive an F, they must take an online course to make up this Grade.

10. What countries do students come from?

Our student population is very diverse with approximately 20 different nationalities making up our student body.

11. Do you enforce speaking English at your school?

Yes, we have a policy called PLACE (Policy for Language Acquisition and Community Excellence). The policy outlines when and where to use English and their first language (L1).
 
Academic
The default language of instruction and student interaction in all classes is English. Students are allowed to utilize their L1 for clarification of content or instructions during class time when permitted by the teacher. Teachers have the individual discretion to intentionally incorporate opportunities for students to utilize their L1 for the purpose of clarification and/or explanation.
 
Social
The default language of social interaction in classrooms is English. It is also STRONGLY ENCOURAGED that students use English during non-class time (before school, passing periods, lunch, after school) in order to accomplish the English language goals stated below.
 
Goals of PLACE
1) To optimize exposure and opportunity to practice and improve English skills.
2) To ensure an inclusive and welcoming school community.

12. Do you use textbooks?

Yes, textbooks are managed by our school library. Textbooks will be distributed to students prior to their 1st day of school and are included in tuition costs. However, parents may pay the compensation fee if your child loses or damages their books.

13. Do you have health care services for students?

Yes, we have an on-campus Student Health Center (SHC) which focuses on children’s health and safety. Two full-time, certified nurses staff the Health Center from 7:45am to 4:15pm, Monday to Friday, and on weekends for occasional events.

14. What extracurricular activities do you have?

We offer over 45 extracurricular activities in sports and clubs. 
 
Examples of extra classes and clubs:
 
Elementary: Arts & Crafts, WIN (Whatever I Need) Time, Swimming, Baseball, Dance, Tetherball, Eagle News, Intramural Soccer, Badminton, Destination Imagination Team, Gymastics, Taekwondo, Tennis, Archery, Fencing.
 
Secondary: The Courier (Student Paper), SPEAK (St. Paul English Academy for Kids), Model United Nations (MUN), Yearbook, High School Student Council, Glimpse of St. Paul, RE:Earth, NPC Coding Club, PRISM (Problem-solving, Reasoning, Innovation, Strategy, Mind), CPR (C++ programming renaissance), Bold Guess, MAE (Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering) Club, Pillosophy Medicine Club, EPIC (Entrepreneurship and Promotion In business marketing Creation), Skills & Drills, MIND – Mental Intelligence & Neuroscience Discovery, Chem(psy)corder, EconoVenture Club, Biology Club, Datatistic, GYMRAT, The BIZ (Business Innovation Zone), SPARE (St.Paul Promotion, Advertising, and Reel Expression), BIT (Basis of Integrated Technology), H2O (Happy To Observe) Science Club, The Mediacs, ACE (Advanced Convergence In Engineering), Technology and Ethics, SP Mathletes, NEXUS.
 
Examples of athletics:
Basketball, Football, Volleyball, Badminton, Swim, and Baseball.

15. Are all your teachers from the USA?

90% of our faculty are certified teachers from the USA. The remaining percentage are comprised of Foreign Language Teachers, Vietnamese Teachers, and a small number from other English-speaking countries.