南京外国语学校是在敬爱的周恩来总理直接关心下，于1963年创办的全国首批外国语学校之一。
南京外国语学校倡导“求实、奋进、博学、谦逊”的校风和“严、新、细、活”的教风，立足于培养“理想远大，热爱祖国，道德高尚，胸怀宽广，行为文明，气质高雅，外语扎实，学识渊博，勇于创新，学有所长，行知统一，脚踏实地，心理健康，体魄强健”的高素质人才，概括起来，就是以“有外语特长、文理兼通、综合能力强的国际化复合型人才”为培养目标。
在四十年的办学历程中，学校坚持“以人为本”的教育理念，重视培养学生的主体意识，发掘学生的潜在能力，积极开展素质教育，取得了骄人的成绩。学校开设英语、德语、法语、日语等四个语种，现有班级55个，在校生2828人，教职工265人，其中特级教师7人，高级教师63人。迄今为止，已为国家培养了5000多名高素质的中学毕业生。
学校在强调勤、实、专、博学风的基础上，充分尊重学生的个性发展，营造平等、民主、开放、活泼、和谐的教育教学氛围，这是南外人引以为自豪的精髓。开展丰富多彩的活动，提供各种各样的机会，让学生的各种能力得到锻炼，这是南外校园特有的一道风景线。外语节、艺术节、读书节、科技周、体育节、远足、音乐会、学生会干部竞选、才艺展示、演讲会、辩论会等等，使学生们在学中“玩”，在“玩”中学，知和行得到了统一。
南京外国语学校是一个崇尚开放的地方，洋为中用，兼收并蓄，各种文化在我们的校园里交相辉映。我校与日本的东邦高校、 美国的华盛顿大学附属中学、 法国的枫丹白露中学、 澳大利亚的泰勒学院 、英国的哈尔中学 、加拿大的渥太华利斯卡高级中学等三十四所学校建立了友好姐妹学校关系，使得我校能够得心应手地组织师生到国外留学、访问或开展夏令营活动，也吸引了外国师生来校访问交流和留学。学校与加拿大合作开办了中加双文凭国际高中实验班、与澳大利亚共同进行“中澳班”的合作教学，吸收了来自德国、意大利、日本、韩国等国家的数十位留学生就读。在不同背景文化的碰撞中，学生们的视野开阔了，各方面的能力均得到了锤炼。
南京外国语学校每年都有一大批学生在国内外各种比赛和竞赛中脱颖而出，成绩名列前茅；每年都有一大批优秀学生被国内外著名大学所录取，在北大、清华，在美国的哈佛、麻省理工、耶鲁、斯坦福、康奈尔、哥伦比亚大学，英国的剑桥、牛津大学，加拿大的多伦多大学，澳大利亚的墨尔本大学、法国的巴黎大学、德国的柏林自由大学、日本的东京大学、早稻田大学等世界著名高等学府中都能看到南外学子在那里勤奋求学的身影。近年来，南外一直保持极高的高考升 学率，连年居全省之首。
南京外国语学校已为国家输送了近200多位优秀的外交骨干人才。其中有七位校友出任驻外大使，八位校友担任参赞，先后有几十人在邓小平、江泽民、胡锦涛等党和国家主要领导人身边工作。许多毕业生在党政军机关和大公司大企业中担任领导职务，也有相当数量的校友成为知名的专家学者。
目前，投资1亿元的南京外国语学校本部校园改建一期工程已经结束，二期工程即将启动。位于东郊占地350亩、投资超过2亿元的南京外国语学校仙林分校也将拔地而起。展望未来，前程一片灿烂，南京外国语学校的明天将更加辉煌。
Nanjing Foreign Language School (NFLS) is one of the first foreign language schools established under the direct guidance of our beloved late Premier Zhou Enlai.
NFLS advocates the spirit of seeking the truth, scaling the heights, being erudite and modest. It also emphasizes teaching that is “strict, careful, creative and flexible”. The educational target of NFLS is to produce high quality talented students who are ambitious, patriotic, ethical and broad-minded. These students are also civilized, erudite, creative, proficient in certain fields and experts at foreign languages; integrating both knowledge and practice using a healthy body and a sharp mind. In brief, NFLS aims at producing international multi-talented graduates who have a good command of foreign languages with a wide knowledge of Science and Art including powerful abilities to integrate these subjects.
During the last forty years since its establishment, NFLS has been following the educational principles of humanism; paying great attention to cultivating its students’ sense of being the masters of the classroom; developing their potential and actively pursuing quality oriented education. As a result, it has achieved remarkable accomplishments.
The campus of NFLS occupies 45,000 square meters with 55 classes and 2828 students. Its staff and teaching faculty include 265 people among whom are seven special rank teachers and sixty-three senior teachers. Four languages – English, German, French and Japanese – are taught in NFLS. To date, more than 5,000 graduates have been turned out from the halls of Nanjing Foreign Language School.
Based on the learning style of being discreet and practical, NFLS fully respects the development of individual students and strives to create an educational atmosphere of democracy, openness, liveliness and harmony, which is the spirit and pride of NFLS. A special feature of the School is the large variety of opportunities available for the students to develop their other abilities. Students acquire the unity of knowledge and practice by “playing in learning” and “learning by playing”, through all kinds activities, such as the Foreign Language Festival, an Arts Festival, the Reading Festival, Science Week, organized Sports, Spring and Autumn outings, concerts, the Students Union, displays of talent (dance, music, art) on the campus, speech competitions and debates.
Nanjing Foreign Language School values openness, tries to adapt foreign things to China and incorporates elements of diverse culture, resulting in a splendid multi cultural atmosphere on the campus. NFLS has established sister-school relationships with 34 schools abroad; among which are Toho High School in Japan, the Attached School to Washington University in the United States of America, the Fontainebleau Middle School in France, Taylors College in Australia, Hurl Middle School in the United Kingdom and Lisgar High School in Ottawa Canada. This not only enables NFLS to organize teachers and students conveniently to visit for study or to participate in international camps, but also attracts many foreign teachers and students to exchange learning or work. Recently, NFLS has set up the experimental double-diploma Sino Canadian International School. It has also carried out cooperative teaching in a Sino Australian International Class. and has attracted dozens of foreign students from Germany, Italy, Japan, South Korea and other countries. The impact of multi-cultural backgrounds will surely broaden the students’ vision and further develop their abilities.
Every year, many students of Nanjing Foreign Language School stand out and become the best among all participants in various competitions and contests, both home and abroad. Every year, top universities in China and around the world admit large numbers of our students. Today you can never fail to find the figures of the graduates of Nanjing Foreign Language School studying diligently, whether in Beijing University or in Tsinghua University, in Massachusetts Institute of Technology or Yale University, in Stanford University or Cornnell University, in Columbia University or Oxford, in Cambridge University or the University of Toronto, in Melbourne University in Australia or Paris University in France, in Berlin Freedom University in Germany or Waseda University in Japan. In recent years, Nanjing Foreign Language School has maintained an extremely high rate of admission rate in the National Matriculation Tests, and ranked as the first in Jiangsu Province successively for several years.
Nanjing Foreign Language School has educated about 200 diplomats for China, seven of whom act as Ambassadors to other countries, eight general consulates and dozens of whom work for our Party and State Leaders such as Deng Xiaoping, Jiang Zeming and Hu Jingtao. Many more graduates of NFLS hold leading positions in government. In addition, significant numbers of graduates have become famous experts or scholars.
Today, the reconstruction of the campus of NFLS, costing 100,000,000 RMB, is very close to being completed, while a new campus of NFLS will be erected in the Eastern suburbs of Nanjng. This new school comprises an area of 350 mu with an investment of 200,000,000 RMB. Looking ahead, Nanjing Foreign Language School is facing a bright and prosperous future. Tomorrow, Nanjing Foreign Language School will surely be even more splendid.
历史1963年， 南京外国语学校在总理周恩来的提议下，与北京、武汉、重庆、长春等城市的8所外国语学校一起创立。
2003年秋季，仙林分校正式招生。
截止至2008年,南京外国语学校除本部外,还开设了南京外国语学校中英剑桥国际高中,南京外国语学校中加国际高中,南京外国语学校中澳班.
升学小升初
南京市目前的小学升初中择校政策中规定，应届小学毕业生可以在南外和民办学校中选择一所填报志愿，报考南外的学生需要经过一轮电脑随机差额派位和一轮综合性测试。报考其他学校的学生只需经过派位。
电脑随机差额排位规则：若本年度计划招生100人，却有2000人报名考试，即从2000人中抽取100×8=800人参加考试。
初升高
一般来说，新生升入南外初中时会被告知该届学生进入本校高中的预定比例，初中学生在毕业时除了需要参加中考外，还需要参加南外的英语加试以总成绩排定名次。从2003年开始，南外每年对外界招收40名初中毕业生，这些学生也需参加外语加试，但并不与本校生同时进行。
校风求实、奋进、博学、谦逊
学风勤、实、专、博
校内节日/活动外语节
艺术节
读书节
科技周
体育节
远足
模拟联合国
学生会竞选
学生会干部竞选每学年年初，南外会进行盛大的学生会干部竞选。候选人一般来自高一高二年级，两两组合，竞选一个职位。在为期一周的竞选中，候选组合竭尽全力展示自己，许下承诺，拉拢选票。一般来说，竞选周中，候选组合不必穿校服，而是穿自制的有特色的服装，服装上通常印了该组合的名字，口号，乃至漫画头像或照片。竞选周的每个早晨，候选组合可携后援团，拉上横幅海报，早早站在校门口做宣传。每年的竞选周早晨，南外校门口都热闹非凡，盛况空前。 课间和中午休息时间，候选组合来到各个班级做宣传。值得一提的是，任何带有贿赂性的手段（比如说给低年级的学生撒糖造势赢得好感）都是禁止的。竞选周的周五下午，候选组合通过电视对全校师生做最后的演说，学生们通过填涂考试用的答题卡做出选择，读卡的机器将自动统计出数据。
辩论会（每年有“五四”辩论会等）
等等
校内刊物《这就是生活》生活社刊物
《镜》文学社刊物 半年刊
《海阔天空》学生会刊物 半年刊
《七彩南外》 校月报
《洋》 哲学社社刊
