Katoh School was founded in 1926 and has grown to be one of the leading educational intuitions in Japan. The school is a private Japanese school accredited by the Japanese Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT). It was originally founded by Mrs. Fuji Katoh who studied at the University of Chicago and spent 15 years in the USA before returning to Japan to found Katoh Gakuen.

In 1972, her son, Dr. Masahide Katoh took over the operation of the school and under his leadership and vision founded a K-12 private school system and a Bilingual Research and Training Center on three separate campuses.Gyoshu Elementary School, founded in 1972 was the first open plan school in Japan.Since this time, Katoh Gakuen has established a national reputation for excellence and innovation in education. Both Mrs.. Fuji Katoh (the founder) and Dr, Masahide Katoh (current president) received the purple ribbon of merit from the Emperor for the contributions they have made to education in Japan.

The Immersion Program at Katoh School began in April 1992 and was the first English Immersion Program in Japan. In 1994 the immersion program was extended to the kindergarten level (ages 3-5). In 1998 the immersion program expanded into Gyoshu Junior / Senior High School. The program at the secondary level is referred to as the “Bilingual Program” and is an extension of the English Immersion Program at the kindergarten and elementary school. In November 2000, Katoh School’s English Immersion Program received a special award from the Japanese Association of College English Teachers (JACET) for its unique contribution to Japanese education.

 This was only the second time in the association’s 50 year history to present this award. In January 2000 the junior high school received authorization from the International Baccalaureate for the Middle Years Program. We were the first junior high school in Japan to be awarded authorization from the International Baccalaureate for the Middle Years Program. The high school was also the first Japanese school to receive official authorization for the International Baccalaureate Diploma Program.

The program has grown dramatically since the start of the program, from 28 students in the first year to our current enrollment of over 570 students (K-12).