The story of ESF Hillside is a journey of growth, adaptation, and vision—tracing back to a pioneering step for early childhood education in Hong Kong.
The First Step in Sheung Wan (1999)
In January 1999, the English Schools Foundation (ESF) opened its very first dedicated kindergarten. Tucked away in a compact venue in Sheung Wan, the school - originally named ESF Sheung Wan Kindergarten - welcomed an initial cohort of around 170 children.
Despite the modest physical footprint of the Sheung Wan site, the kindergarten quickly built a strong reputation among local and expatriate families for its child-centred approach and strong community spirit.
Scaling Up & The Move to Stubbs Road (2010)
By the late 2000s, demand for ESF’s early-years places had outgrown the Sheung Wan facility.
For years, the building at 43B Stubbs Road had served as the administrative heart of the foundation—the ESF Centre. When the administrative offices relocated to Quarry Bay in 2010, the building was completely reimagined. Rather than housing executive desks, the multi-level structure was overhauled into a vibrant, light-filled educational hub specifically scaled for young children.
With the move came a new identity: ESF Hillside International Kindergarten.
A New Chapter on the Hill
Opening its doors on Stubbs Road in 2010, Hillside more than doubled the school's footprint and capacity, accommodating over 350 students in the morning and afternoon. The extra space allowed for purposeful design choices: dedicated outdoor play areas, specialised indoor discovery spaces, and classrooms tailored to the IB Primary Years Programme (PYP) framework.
Today, Hillside stands as a cornerstone of the ESF kindergarten network, continuing the legacy that began at a small site in Sheung Wan over two decades ago.
