What to do in the first 24 hours
File a written request for records the same day, and check what kind of closure this really is. Schools "close" in several ways: a pause in admissions, the end of one campus, a permit that was not renewed, an order from the regulator, or an owner who simply stops operating. Each one treats current students differently, so do not rely on a screenshot circulating in the parents' group.
Ask the school for a written notice that states which situation applies, how long current students may continue, and where the school proposes to place them. On the same day, submit a written request for the academic record, a certificate of enrolment, transfer credentials, a good moral certificate and a statement of the fees you have paid. Take whatever can be issued on the spot. For the rest, ask for a receipt with a collection date. Then gather what you already hold: report cards, the acceptance letter, receipts, the contract and the student ID.
Talk to other parents so you can share information and make joint requests, not to crowd the office. If the premises are already empty, records are usually held by or turned over under the direction of the education authority. For basic education, ask the local schools division office. For a college, ask the regional office of the higher-education regulator. Bring your child's identity documents and anything that proves they were enrolled. Make photocopies before you hand anything over, and note the name of the officer you spoke to, since you will almost certainly need to follow up more than once.
Closed, revoked, or never authorised: tell them apart
These three situations have very different consequences, and the third can affect whether completed years are recognised. When a properly authorised school winds down, the grades and credentials it issued earlier normally remain valid, and the only problem is retrieving the paperwork. When a regulator revokes or declines to renew a permit, ask for the effective date. Years completed before that date are generally unaffected, but rely on the regulator's written statement, not on what the school tells you.
The hardest case is a school that never held the permit or programme recognition it needed and simply kept enrolling and collecting fees. Here the years your child completed may need an assessment or a supplementary process arranged by the regulator before a recognised school can place them. Do not panic. Ask the regulator what the remedy is, and only then choose where to transfer. Use the method in how to check whether a school is recognised on both the old school and the one you are considering.
There is also a middle case. The school is still operating lawfully, but an external curriculum accreditation has been withdrawn, so the diploma no longer carries the same weight abroad. That is a separate problem with different choices, covered in when a school changes curriculum or loses accreditation. Whichever case you are in, write down who told you what and on which date, because the explanation given to parents often changes over the following weeks. A dated note of each conversation costs nothing now and is often the only evidence you have later.
Rescuing the records: which documents to ask for
Obtain at least five things, because a transfer can stall on any one of them. You need the complete academic record for every year, transfer credentials or an equivalent leaving document, a good moral certificate, grades or a certificate covering the part of the current year already completed, and a copy of the closure notice or the regulator's order. College students should also ask for course descriptions and a breakdown of units, which the next school will use when crediting subjects.
In Philippine basic education the transfer record has a set format and normally travels from school to school. When the old school no longer exists, that transmission has to go through the authority holding the records. The ordinary process is explained in how transfer records are requested. The difference in a closure is that your request goes to the custodian of the records instead of the school registrar.
Families who plan to return home or move to a third country should think now about authentication. Getting a signature or a seal added after a school has closed is far harder, so ask for several originals and find out which steps in the authentication chain need the school's cooperation. See the children's document checklist before leaving the Philippines. For how credits carry over at college level, see changing course or school at university. Scan every page as soon as you receive it and store the files somewhere other than your phone, so that a lost envelope does not put you back at the beginning of the process.
Emergency transfer and student status
Secure an acceptance from the new school first, then change the status, in that order. A mid-year transfer is harder than one before the term starts. Places may be full and a placement test may be required. Contact several schools at once, explain that the previous school has closed, and ask whether they can admit provisionally while documents follow. Some schools will set a deadline for completing the file in these circumstances.
On status, confirm what your child holds. A child on dependent status through a parent is not affected by the closure. A child on a special study permit or a student visa holds a status tied to the old school, and needs a change of school or a new application under the authority's rules. Where the old school can no longer issue a leaving document, how the authority handles it follows its current practice, so take the closure notice and ask before filing. For the general grace arrangements, see what happens to a student visa after leaving school.
If no suitable school is available straight away, home education or an online programme can bridge the gap, but check whether it supports both the academic record and the status: see home education in the Philippines. If you are unsure about the order of the school-side and immigration-side papers, the Yixing settling-in team can review them with you. The outcome is decided by the authority. Keep attending to the calendar while you search, because the time allowed for regularising a status does not pause simply because the closure was not your fault.
Recovering tuition already paid
Make a written claim first, then negotiate as a group, and only then consider complaints and legal action. Be prepared for a limited recovery if the school is genuinely insolvent. Your claim rests on your evidence: receipts, the contract or enrolment agreement, the published fee schedule and the closure notice. Divide what you paid into teaching already delivered and teaching not delivered. The undelivered portion is the core of your claim.
Where the school is still operating and is only ending one campus or programme, there is more room to negotiate, and schools often agree to move fees to a related campus or to refund them. Where the owner has stopped operating altogether, parents acting together are more effective than individuals. They can jointly instruct a lawyer, report the matter to the education authority and consider a civil claim. If a school kept collecting fees while knowing it could not continue, other legal liability may arise, which a lawyer must assess on the evidence.
At international schools, whether entrance fees, development fees and bond-type payments are refundable depends on the contract you signed. Refund rules and deduction disputes on a mid-year exit are covered separately in tuition refund disputes. Whatever you are promised, ask for it in writing with a date, and do not surrender your original receipts to anyone who offers to "process" the refund for you. Keep expectations realistic with your child as well: the family may not recover everything, and a clear plan for the next school matters more than the amount.
Common mistakes and choosing the next school
The most common mistake is to put all your energy into the refund and lose time on records and status. The second is to trust that "the school will arrange everything" and keep no written trail, then discover after the doors close that you hold nothing. The third is to rush the child into the first school that says yes without checking its authority, and face the same problem a year later.
When choosing the next school, put verification first. Check that the permit is current, that every grade level offered falls within it, and that any external curriculum accreditation is valid. Then ask which parts of the fee structure are refundable and which are not. Other parents' opinions are useful, but they do not replace reading the documents yourself. Ask to see the permit rather than accepting a statement from the admissions office.
For your child, losing a school and a circle of friends overnight is a real shock, especially in a graduating year. Involve them in choosing the new school instead of simply announcing the result, and keep in touch with former classmates where you can, since many will be going through the same search, and familiar faces make a new classroom far less daunting. Yixing International Travel is a private consultancy registered with the Philippine SEC (CS202009551), holding BI Accreditation No. CA-202624381-1 (valid to 2027-06-30) plus DOLE and PRA accreditation. We are not affiliated with any school or government office. For your specific case, consult a licensed attorney; this article is not legal advice.
Frequently Asked Questions
What happens to my child's records if the school closes?
If a school's permit is revoked, do completed grades still count?
Where do I get a transcript after a school has shut down?
Can I get tuition back if the school suddenly closes?
Can a child transfer in the middle of the school year?
What happens to a student visa when the school closes?
How do I avoid another unauthorised school?
Let’s talk through your situation — free
Every company is different. Leave your details and a Chinese-speaking advisor will get back within 1 business day with practical, industry-specific guidance and a transparent quote.
Get help with Education → Free consultation