European Schools and other international schools

A European School and an international school offering the IB Diploma may both educate children from many countries. That does not make them interchangeable. Check which school your child can enter, what they would study and how the programme fits their likely next move.

There is a third category worth understanding: Accredited European Schools. They follow European schooling requirements within national school networks, but do not share the original European Schools’ legal and financial framework.

Our recommendation is to compare actual offers and programmes, not labels. Eligibility may narrow the choice before teaching style or campus preference becomes relevant.

Identify which kind of school you mean

School type	What the name tells you	What you still need to check
European School	Part of the intergovernmental European Schools system	Admission category, language section, year and site allocation
Accredited European School	Nationally administered provision accredited to offer European schooling	Accredited cycles, local admissions, fees and whether the European Baccalaureate is offered
Other international school	A broad description, not one common school system	Curriculum, awarding body, teaching language, eligibility, support and fees

The European Schools’ official overview lists 13 schools in six countries as of 4 September 2026. They are jointly controlled by EU Member State governments and legally treated as public institutions. They primarily serve children of European-institution staff.

The Accredited European Schools overview explains the separate national framework. Accreditation may cover different stages of schooling. Do not assume that every accredited school already offers the complete path through the European Baccalaureate.

Other international schools may teach the IB, British programmes, a national curriculum or a combination. Nor does “international” necessarily mean private, English-only or open to every applicant. Check the individual school rather than treating this group as one model.

European School admission categories

For the 13 European Schools, begin with the official category definitions. These are not universal rules for accredited or other international schools.

• Category I: pupils with an admission entitlement under the defined staff and public-office categories; tuition is exempt.
• Category II: pupils covered by an agreement or decision. That document sets their admission and fee rights.
• Category III: other pupils, considered where capacity and the applicable priority rules permit. Ordinary school fees apply.

Check the exact employment basis. The main staff definition includes direct, continuous employment for at least one year; working with an EU institution is not necessarily enough.

Accredited parliamentary assistants’ children are Category I, while local assistants’ children are Category III. Munich has additional school-specific conditions. Ask the admissions office to confirm your category from the relevant documents.

For Category III, the general rules reserve capacity for later Category I and II arrivals. They prohibit admission into a class already containing 24 pupils at the beginning of the school year. Local restrictions can be tighter.

Brussels has its own allocation rules

The 2026–27 Brussels policy applies across the Brussels schools and sites. Applications go through the central portal, rather than becoming separate offers from each campus.

Parents state preferences; the Central Enrolment Authority applies the relevant category, section, capacity and priority rules. Category I does not guarantee the preferred school. The policy also warns that capacity prevents a guarantee of a place for every Category I applicant.

For other Category III applicants, Article 7.4 requires all of the following in 2026–27:

1. A sibling attended a Brussels European School throughout 2025–26 and will continue in 2026–27.
2. The application is for that sibling’s school/site, with space in the requested section and year.
3. The class does not already have 24 pupils.
4. The application is considered in the second or third enrolment phase.

The central FAQ separately identifies children of NATO international civilian staff and UN international civil servants. Their route follows Article 7.3 and Annex I, after Categories I and II. It is not the ordinary sibling-only Category III route.

Eurocontrol has a specific Category II* arrangement from Primary 1. The policy also contains distinct provisions for certain displaced Ukrainian children. Ask which exact provision applies; neither arrangement should be reduced to a general promise for all applicants.

As of 4 September 2026, the ordinary application windows have closed. A restricted fourth phase runs from 10 September 2026 to 18 March 2027. Article 12 sets cumulative conditions, including the relevant category, previous application history, schooling outside Belgium and a qualifying change of circumstances. It is not an extension for anyone who missed the deadline.

Existing pupils are automatically re-enrolled. A family leaving should follow the withdrawal procedure. For a practical example of site and section allocation, see Brussels I.

Check age and year placement separately

European schooling has two nursery years, five primary years (P1–P5) and seven secondary years (S1–S7).

Nursery admission begins in September of the calendar year the child turns four; Primary 1 begins in the year they turn six. Use Annex II of the General Rules for transfers from other systems.

Article 49 also sets upper-age restrictions. Its ordinary rule excludes admission when a child is two years above the normal age, or three years in S4–S7. Article 50 permits consideration of duly justified circumstances. Ask for a decision on atypical placement rather than assuming those ages are an automatic allowance.

Educational-support arrangements and academic placement require their own discussion. An administrative category alone does not describe the provision a child will receive.

Understand the language plan

European Schools organise much of their teaching through language sections. The key terms have different purposes.

Language 1 and the section

Language 1 (L1) is normally the child’s mother tongue or dominant language. The director determines it, using the application and assessments where needed. Parents cannot simply select English because it would be convenient.

Article 47(e) allows an exception to the usual section principle after at least two years of primary or secondary schooling in another language. Submit that educational history for the school to assess. It is not unrestricted parental choice.

Languages 2, 3 and 4

Under the organisation of studies:

• Language 2 (L2) starts in P1. It is normally English, French or German; an approved host-country language may also be offered.
• Language 3 (L3) starts in S1.
• Language 4 (L4) may be chosen from S4.

Later subjects are taught through additional languages, not just studied as language lessons. Ask for the actual timetable and the support available to a pupil arriving from a different curriculum.

When the child has no matching section

SWALS means Students Without a Language Section. A child whose dominant-language section is absent may join an English, French, German or available host-country section, while retaining separate L1 study under the rules.

The current Language Policy distinguishes the following:

• Category I and II pupils have an L1 teaching entitlement on the assumption that the school has, or can recruit, a qualified teacher.
• New Category III pupils can receive this provision only where a course already exists without creating another group.
• The policy protects subsequent continuity of acquired SWALS status; it separately treats pupils enrolled before 2013–14.
• Support is provided under the educational-support framework where the section language is a barrier to learning and participation.

Ask how those rules translate into teachers, groups and a timetable for your child. A section place and an adequate support plan are related but separate questions.

Other National Languages

Other National Language (ONL) is a specific course category, not a synonym for any home language. Irish, Maltese, Finnish and Swedish have defined origin-based provisions. Catalan joins this provision for pupils of Spanish origin from September 2026.

The policy also schedules Luxembourgish from September 2027 for pupils with Luxembourgish nationality, Luxembourg residence or eligibility for that nationality. That is a future change, not a current 2026 offer.

Category I and II pupils have the ONL entitlement. Category III pupils may join existing courses, but a course cannot run exclusively for them. Confirm the child’s eligibility and the school’s arrangements.

Compare the leaving qualifications

The European Baccalaureate and the International Baccalaureate Diploma are different qualifications.

The European Baccalaureate overview describes a multilingual final cycle in S6 and S7. It includes five written and three oral examinations; L1, L2 and mathematics are compulsory written subjects. The overall pass threshold is 5 out of 10.

The studies rules treat S6–S7 as one cycle and do not allow new admission to S7. Diploma eligibility requires uninterrupted completion of at least those final two years in a European or appropriately accredited school. Do not plan a final-year transfer into this qualification without an explicit ruling.

The European Baccalaureate provides recognised access to higher-education applications across the EU and in other countries. It does not guarantee admission to a particular course. Check subject, grade and language requirements with each university.

The IB Diploma has six subjects and a core comprising theory of knowledge, an extended essay, and creativity, activity and service. Its subjects and assessment rules are not the European Baccalaureate under another name.

Use the curriculum guide to compare qualifications. Choose the actual subjects and levels needed for the pupil’s next step, not a claim that one diploma “travels” better everywhere.

Compare complete costs

The European Schools’ fee page distinguishes tuition exemption, financing agreements and ordinary Category III charges.

Category II depends on the agreement. The 2026–27 guidance has separate current-contract and new-contract columns, with some current amounts still awaiting publication.

Category III guidance distinguishes school cycle and whether the pupil entered that category before 2013–14 or from 2013–14 onwards. Confirm the applicable school quotation; the central table is expressly guidance, not a binding individual bill.

Meals, transport, books and association-run services are separate budget questions, including for tuition-exempt families. Accredited European Schools and other international schools have their own local funding and fee arrangements.

For a fee-paying option, check application charges, credited advances, refundable guarantees, compulsory support and withdrawal conditions. The fee guide separates annual cost from money due before entry.

Make the choice child by child

For each realistic option, obtain answers to five questions:

1. Can this child enter, in this year and at this site?
2. Which languages will they use for lessons, assessed work and everyday participation?
3. What support is confirmed, with what limits and costs?
4. Which subjects and qualification can they complete if the family stays or moves?
5. Can the family manage the full cost, journey, timetable and any siblings on different sites?

A European School deserves serious consideration when the child has an available admission route and the language programme fits. An accredited school may offer related teaching under different local access rules.

Another international school may be the better choice when its particular curriculum, language support or location meets the child’s needs more closely. Paying fees does not guarantee admission, mid-year entry or suitable support.

If more than one option is genuinely available, compare the daily experience as well as the diploma. The best choice is the school whose confirmed arrangements work for your child and family.

Friendly orientation, not formal admissions advice. Always confirm dates with the school.