The ranking is based on data from 500 Japanese students who have studied abroad and has been listed annually since 2010. Students rate schools for categories including school staff, destination, school facilities, class quality and environment.

“The award is great testament to the work of the great staff at EC Los Angeles”

EC’s Los Angeles school, which opened in 2012 in Santa Monica, was ranked especially highly due its accommodation, environment and class quality. Ryugaku Journal said students had rated the school highly due to its location – near the beach, and Disneyland and Universal Studio, where students could enrich their leisure time.

EC’s regional sales director for Asia, Adrian Gatt, said in a statement that satisfying students’ requirements is a top priority at EC.

“At EC, we strive to provide agents and students alike with the best possible experience,” he said, adding, “We listened closely to RJ’s feedback, and we acted on requests to ensure that students’ needs were addressed.

“This award is a great testament to the hard work and dedication of the entire EC Team, and in particular, the work of the great staff at EC Los Angeles.”

Executive chairman Andrew Mangion said he was pleased and honoured by the recognition.

“Working together as a global family is a major part of EC’s continued success as an international language school group committed to excellence. [This] acknowledges the ongoing efforts of our EC Los Angeles team to achieve excellence in all that they do.”

Wimbledon School of English, UK, International Language Academy of Canada, Toronto and Lexis English Noosa, Australia followed in third, fourth and fifth place respectively.