[4] The school changed names and moved campus several times, but its current site was converted by the Empire of Japan during the Second World War into the Lunghua Civilian Assembly Center, an internment camp for American and European citizens.

The high school curriculum is based on education in the United States, the IB Diploma Programme, and the Advanced Placement Program.

Students select high school courses based on their interests and academic abilities, starting in sophomore year for AP students, and junior and senior years for AS&A-level and IB, including, languages, literature, social sciences, math, natural sciences, visual arts, drama, and philosophy.

These laboratories allow for experiments to be conducted for chemistry, physics, and biology, which are roughly allocated to the first, second, and third floors, respectively.

Located next to the track, which finished refurbishing in Summer 2024, it spans 89484.9 square meters and 8 floors, housing classrooms for grades 1-8, arts, sports, music, and science classrooms, offices, conference rooms, an auditorium, a cafeteria, an underground parking lot, a badminton court, a full-sized basketball court, a gym, squash rooms, a rooftop soccer court, a library, among other public spaces across five concourses.

The basketball courts also provide a wide area of concrete in which various sports competitions such as tug-o-war and dodgeball are held.

SHSID's Art Center is built with two-story-high ceilings made out of wood and windows placed high above.

Auditoriums of varying size dot the campus, the majority of them located in school buildings and are "assigned" to sections.

There are also numerous opportunities for students to participate in academic extracurricular activities, such as the World Scholar's Cup.

Every year, members of the ASB are elected in each grade and classified according to their sections (primary, junior, senior, etc.).

Every year, the Art Festival and Talent Show are held (separately for each division primary, junior, or senior).

Students can participate in a variety of performing arts, such as short plays and piano recitals, as well as rock bands and dance routines.

This is frequently a culturally active event, with international students displaying their respective countries' unique foods, drinks, and trinkets.

The Nexus is a student-run charity organization that was founded in 2008 at Shanghai High School International Division.

To accomplish this, charity events and activities are held in SHSID or between international schools in Shanghai, such as basketball tournaments, fashion shows, dance competitions, book collections, and so on.

Dragon TV (东方卫视) filmed an hour-long documentary about their charitable efforts in May 2012, which aired on June 21.

[14] The Nexus is celebrating its tenth anniversary; with over 700 members, it is the largest student organization at SHSID and among international schools in Shanghai.

SHSID has numerous school clubs, including Live 2 Drama, Mock Trial, EcoCap, WSC, USAD, and Biology Workshop.