Barcelona · School search
ASB, Oak House and BFIS offer different routes through the school years. Compare the final qualification and the role of English, Spanish and Catalan.
Barcelona’s English-medium options differ in more than location. The American School of Barcelona, in Esplugues de Llobregat, offers an American diploma and International Baccalaureate (IB) options. Spanish and Catalan are also part of school life. It is relevant to a child continuing an American or international route.
Oak House, in Sarrià, combines British primary education with Catalan secondary education. Later options include IGCSE examinations and either Spanish Bachillerato or the IB Diploma. Ask when the teaching language and curriculum change; a child joining primary is not necessarily choosing an English-only secondary education.
Benjamin Franklin International School, also in Sarrià, combines an American approach with the IB Middle Years and Diploma programmes. Ask how the proposed year-group placement matches the child’s previous subjects.
ASB distinguishes family and corporate fee schedules. BFIS also distinguishes individual and corporate arrangements. Ask each school which applies when an employer pays or reimburses fees. At Oak House, the published admission charge is not the annual tuition: request a complete dated schedule.
For all three, confirm the intended start date, language assessment, learning support and full first-year cost. Add only items excluded from tuition, including registration, transport, meals and examinations.
Test Esplugues and the two Sarrià addresses separately. Include collection after activities, not only the morning journey. Ask how Catalan and Spanish are taught to newcomers and how pupils use them outside lessons.
If the family expects to stay, compare a local public or publicly supported school as well. A curriculum that travels easily is useful, but so is the ability to participate in local life.
The Barcelona hub, Spain guide and school profiles provide the official sources.
Friendly orientation, not formal admissions advice. Always confirm dates with the school.
ASB is a co-educational day school for ages 3–18 in Esplugues de Llobregat. Core teaching is in English, with Spanish and Catalan courses. Every graduate earns a US high-school diploma and can add an IB pathway.
BarcelonaBenjamin Franklin International School is a coeducational, non-profit day school in Sarrià. It teaches an American curriculum through Grade 5, the IB Middle Years Programme in Grades 6–10 and an IB-based high-school route in Grades 11–12.
BarcelonaA multilingual day school in Sarrià with a British-to-Catalan educational route. Request current tuition and confirm language placement, compulsory insurance and post-16 qualifications.
BilbaoASB is a non-profit day school in Berango for ages 2–18. It offers the IB Primary Years, Middle Years and Diploma programmes in English. New Diploma entrants pay substantially more than continuing ASB pupils.
Start with the qualification your child would actually receive. Then check its subjects, language demands, and recognition in the countries where they may study next.
7 minStart with your child and the family's likely plans. Define the non-negotiables, verify the school's claims, compare three realistic options and visit with specific questions.
7 minTuition is only one line of the budget. Separate charges from advance payments, record what each figure includes, and ask the school to confirm your calculation in writing.
7 minA useful visit should help you picture your child’s school day and resolve the questions that matter to your family. Ask for concrete examples, then separate what you observed from what you were told.