Xinzhou, ancient name Xiurong (秀荣),[4] is a prefecture-level city occupying the north-central section of inner land Shanxi Province in the People's Republic of China, bordering Hebei to the east, Shaanxi to the west, and Inner Mongolia to the northwest.

The details of those county-level administrative divisions are as follows:[6] Xinzhou has a continental, monsoon-influenced semi-arid climate (Köppen BSk),[7] with cold, very dry, and somewhat long winters, and warm, somewhat humid summers.

Typifying the influence of the East Asian Monsoon, close to three-fourths of the annual 428 millimetres (16.9 in) of precipitation occurs from June to September.

The school is partially funded by the Chinese government, follows national educational standards, and maintains close ties (and even joint faculty) with Xin Zhou Yi Zhong Xue; however, it maintains a greater independence from the government than traditional public schools.

The experimental school also runs a small primary school program (generally only one classroom per grade level) which is populated almost exclusively by the children of Yi Zhong Xue and Shi Yan Zhong Xue teachers.