Middle School No.5 is a large school with 1,300 students. The school has a very good reputation so that every year more than one thousand students take a test in applying for a place there. As they accept only about 250 students, they can choose the best ones. Students with weaker results can also be accepted, but they have to pay higher tuition fees. The school may demand up to 30,000 Yuan for three academic years - not quite a small amount considering the average income of 1,000 Yuan per month in Beijing.
The school is situated in the centre right in an old part of Beijing. The facade was renovated last year and now in its light colours white, red and blue sharply contrasts with the surrounding houses. For the following years extensive modifications and extensions - library, gym and swimming pool - have been planned so that the school may become the cultural centre for the inhabitants of this hutong (district).