A debate is ongoing in Hong Kong regarding whether local and international schools vary in the extent to which they provide classroom learning environments that support the development of students' higher order thinking and metacognition. This study investigated commonalities and variations in the metacognitive orientation of local and international schools in Hong Kong. Commonalities and substantive differences in the metacognitive orientation of the classroom learning environments were identified and these variations might, to some extent, be explained with reference to cultural variations regarding the purposes and processes of education. This research provides a further example of the value of the concept of learning environments for addressing educational questions that might otherwise be resolved with reference to primarily anecdotal data and hearsay.