Founded in 2003 to provide the children of Wuhan-based expatriates with an American education, all classes at South Lake are conducted in English. In addition to the basic curriculum, students also take lessons in Chinese, computers, music, art, and physical education. All classrooms are equipped with computers for easy student access.
SLIS is located in the Wuhan Economic & Technology Development Zone, on the San Jiao Hu Primary School campus, which includes a soccer field and track.