The school was officially opened by a small group of expatriate parents on October 14th 1992, with 5 students, NIS was a school for very young children only. It was the product of parents who were concerned that being in China should not present an obstacle to the family being together, nor to the children receiving a good education.

　　After several years in rented rooms in a local school, NIS moved with a handful of students to the Dingshan Hotel (later called Shangri-La). With the help of local businesses, six rooms were renovated for use as a school. Between 1997 and 2004, NIS took over more and more rented facilities at the Shangri-La. The school grew from 35 to 300 students during this time.

　　In 2004, NIS moved to its own purpose-built premises in Xianlin College and University Town, on the outskirts of Nanjing. Realising this dream was the culmination of a sustained team effort, lasting several years.

　　The closeness of the NIS community, so prevalent in the 1990s, is something we still value highly today. Our school is a friendly and open place, and we hope that your family too, like those before you, will feel welcome and at home in our school.