Since the reform and opening up，China’s international cooperation and exchanges in education have become increasingly frequent. As the period after compulsory education，high school education pursues characteristic development，and introduces international curriculums as a part of high school characteristics. Focusing on international high schools of China，this paper will review the rise and development of international high schools from a vertical dimension，and discuss the similarities and differences between international high schools and other ordinary high schools in terms of training objectives，curriculum systems and other aspects from a horizontal dimension，so as to provide reference for further understanding of the characteristic direction of international high schools.