The current Year 10–12 campus will expand to be a Year 7–12 campus under a commitment from two international education bodies.

The Adelaide Education Group (AEG), which Adelaide International School is a member of, signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Zhangjiagang Foreign Language School (ZFLS) in Shanghai.

Trade and Investment Minister Joe Szakacs said the plans are an “important step” towards welcoming more Chinese students to South Australia.

“At the end of 2024, more than 10,000 Chinese students were enrolled in South Australian institutions, a nine per cent increase from 2023,” Szakacs said.

The proposed joint venture will co-invest in a separate entity which will purchase new facilities for the school. Adelaide International School will then lease the facilities from the joint venture, and the school will remain a South Australian entity.

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“China is the second largest source market for international students in South Australia behind India, accounting for 18 per cent of all international students in the state,” Szakacs said.

“South Australia has a long history of welcoming international students, and China is one of our leading destinations.”

The Adelaide International School is the first in SA to offer Cambridge International GCSE and A-level courses to its domestic and overseas students as an alternative to the SACE program.

The school currently provides curriculum across years 10–12 to both local and international students with partnerships in China, Vietnam and Indonesia.

Founded in 1997, ZFLS is a high-quality private bilingual school, certified by the International Baccalaureate Organisation, which provides a 15–year bilingual education from kindergarten to senior high school.

“I warmly congratulate ZFLS and AEG for their decade-long collaboration, and their commitment to opening a new expanded campus in Adelaide,” Szakacs said.

The Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed in Shanghai last week in the presence of the Minister, Study Adelaide and the SA Department of State Development.

Adelaide International School Board Chair Noel Mifsud said it is “a culmination of a decade-long successful collaboration” and “further strengthens the long-standing, bilateral relationship and friendship” between the two schools.

“The MoU will enhance language learning and deepen mutual understanding, building bridges between cultures,” he said.

“Together, both schools will play a vital role in shaping global citizens who are open-minded, empathetic, and equipped for an interconnected world.”