Dandelion School Celebrated its 20th Anniversary
Dandelion School is a boarding school in Da Xing, a suburb of Beijing. Founded in 2005, Dandelion school is the first and only government-approved non-profit school in Beijing providing equal access to quality education for children from low-income migrant families.
2025 marks Dandelion School’s 20th Anniversary. Over the past 20 years, Dandelion School has remained committed to its mission of providing a nurturing environment for underprivileged children to strive, and to reach their full potential. The School has supported more than 3,000 students from 17 provinces across the country in achieving remarkable academic outcomes, as well as in their social, emotional and personal development. The school’s mission is sustained by more than 20,000 volunteers and 5,000 donors, whose combined contributions provide essential resources and opportunities for students from migrant families.
The Collaboration
KCF has provided support to Dandelion School since 2012. The KCF team visited Dandelion for the first time in 2011, back when the school was still located on the old campus. The KCF team was immediately impressed by the positive energy and atmosphere of the school, along with its powerful story. Because of the strong alignment between the school’s mission and the goals of KCF, the partnership has flourished for fourteen years.
Over the years, it has been inspiring for KCF to see students at Dandelion School empowered to overcome significant challenges and truly thrive with remarkable resilience and determination. In addition to providing financial support, KCF’s collaboration with Dandelion School has focused on supporting the professional development of its teachers, including teachers’ exchange programs from 2012 to 2019, and a training program in 2024-25 to enhance teachers’ professional skills in inclusive pedagogical methods for better learning and well-being for both students and teachers.
The Celebration
On the 19th October, 2025, Dandelion School hosted an event to celebrate its 20th anniversary. The school campus was filled with an assembly of alumni, volunteers, donors, partners and community members.
Upon arrival, guests were warmly greeted by Dandelion teachers and students. Students also led personalised guided tours to guests, showing the guests the campus which had been transformed to a special 20th Anniversary Exhibition. The exhibition collected a variety of arts and crafts projects, showcasing the school's history and milestones over the past 20 years.
The celebration opened with the school board and leadership’s reflection on the school’s 20 years journey, moving from its old campus located in a repurposed factory to the well-equipted campus it is today. The school board and leadership paid tribute to the steadfast support from donors, partners and community members, which has been instrumental to the school to deliver its mission and support every student.
In addition, the celebration also spotlighted the voices of Dandelion School alumni. The alumni representatives shared their personal stories of the life-changing impact Dandelion School has had on them. The chorus of voices is joined by longtime donors, volunteers and partners, who also shared their inspiring stories of working with Dandelion School in advocating and providing equal access and quality education to underprivileged children.
