Spain
First distinguish publicly funded concertado education from fully private and international schools. Then compare the teaching language, qualification and journey that will shape your child’s ordinary day.
Madrid's British, American and French schools sit in distinct corridors. Compare qualification and boarding first, then test La Moraleja, Tres Cantos and Pozuelo.
ASB, Oak House and BFIS offer different routes through the school years. Compare the final qualification and the role of English, Spanish and Catalan.
The European School and King’s College Alicante have different eligibility rules, language choices and qualifications. Establish the admissions route before comparing fees.
Valencia's two featured international schools are both in Puçol but lead in different directions. Caxton combines a British route to A levels with required Spanish studies. ASV combines an American programme with the IB Diploma. Check the qualification first and the full fee structure second.
The British School of Málaga and Lycée Français International de Málaga share a postcode but lead to different qualifications. Compare curriculum, languages and complete fees.
The American School of Bilbao in Berango offers the full IB continuum. St. George’s in Leioa follows the British curriculum through IGCSE and A Levels.
Seville's two featured international routes serve different plans. Yago offers the full IB sequence in English, alongside Spanish education and boarding from MYP 4. The Lycée Français follows the French curriculum in a trilingual setting and leads to the French Baccalauréat.
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.
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.
MadridASM is an English-medium, co-educational day school from EC3 to Grade 12. Every graduate earns its US diploma; eligible pupils may add the IB Diploma or Spanish Bachillerato.
ValenciaASV is an English-medium day school in Puçol. It teaches from Nursery through Grade 12 and offers the optional IB Diploma in Grades 11–12. Spanish Bachillerato certification depends on completing specified Spanish subjects.
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.
MadridThe British School is a bilingual day school in Pozuelo. It follows the English curriculum alongside Spanish Language and Culture, then offers BiBac and International A Levels. The IB Diploma remains a candidate programme planned for 2027, not a current qualification.
MálagaThe British School of Málaga offers English-medium education from Nursery to Year 13 in Cerrado de Calderón. Pupils follow British qualifications alongside Spanish studies. Lunch is included in the 2026–27 tuition, but registration, annual enrolment and intensive English support are separate charges.
ValenciaCaxton College is a private British day school in Puçol for pupils from age one through Year 13. It follows the UK National Curriculum and also teaches Spanish subjects. Sixth Form pupils take British A levels alongside Spanish PCE subjects for access to Spanish universities.
AlicanteEuropean School Alicante is a Type 1 European School in Playa de San Juan. Admission category and the child's dominant language determine how an application is handled. Category III entry depends on spare capacity, and its published 2026 application period has closed.
AlicanteA British day school from age 2 through Sixth Form. Confirm the IB or A-level route and budget from the three termly fees, with registration and transport considered separately.
Soto de Viñuelas, Tres CantosDay provision from 16 weeks and boarding from age 11, with A-levels or IB in Sixth Form. The detailed fee tables here are historical 2024/25 figures; request a current quotation.
MadridA French day school with two Madrid-area sites. Apply to one campus, check the daily journey and obtain current tuition figures in addition to the published registration charge.
MálagaA private French day school from preschool through the Baccalauréat. Confirm the admissions cycle and the fee category before relying on the published 2026/27 schedule.
SevilleLycée Français International de Séville teaches the French national curriculum from nursery to Terminale. French is the main language, with English and Spanish integrated throughout the school.
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.
La Moraleja, AlcobendasAn independent British day school for ages 2–18, leading to A-levels rather than IB. Check entry-year restrictions, English readiness and costs beyond tuition.
BilbaoA British day school for ages 2–18 in Leioa. Confirm the available secondary courses and request current tuition together with compulsory service charges.
SevilleA multilingual IB day-and-boarding school in Castilleja de la Cuesta. Tuition uses ten payments, or nine for DP2; meals and several required services are additional.
Cities: Madrid, Barcelona, Valencia, Málaga, Bilbao, Seville
Spain is not one admissions area. Autonomous communities set their own calendars, allocation rules and parts of the curriculum. Madrid dates should not be applied to Catalonia, and a Barcelona language plan does not describe schooling in Bilbao.
Begin with the intended region, teaching language and qualification. A public or concertado school can be the strongest route into local life. An international school may provide valuable continuity for a mobile teenager. The decision turns on the pupil’s needs, not on a national stereotype about either sector.
A colegio público is publicly owned and funded. A centro privado concertado has private management but receives public funding for specified stages. A centro privado without a concierto sets and charges its own tuition.
Funded teaching at public and concertado schools is free. Spain’s education law, Article 88, prohibits concertado schools from charging families for that teaching or making donations and paid associated services compulsory. Extracurricular activities and school services may carry voluntary charges.
That does not make lunch, transport and every activity free. Ask for an itemised schedule and identify which services are optional. If a payment is described as a donation, ask in writing whether admission or participation depends on it. Do not treat a voluntary contribution as tuition.
A fully private school may still follow the Spanish curriculum. An international school may be authorised to teach a foreign curriculum, a Spanish curriculum or both. “Private”, “international” and “bilingual” answer different questions.
Ask for the authorisation covering the child’s particular stage. Then ask what certificate is awarded. Accreditation of the institution is not itself a school-leaving qualification.
The usual structure is:
| Stage | Typical ages | Main point |
|---|---|---|
| Educación infantil | 0–6 | Two preschool cycles; not compulsory |
| Educación primaria | 6–12 | Six years of compulsory primary education |
| Educación Secundaria Obligatoria, ESO | 12–16 | Four compulsory secondary years |
| Bachillerato | Usually 16–18 | Optional two-year academic route after ESO |
| Formación Profesional, FP | From later secondary stages | Vocational routes at different levels |
Bachillerato is not the only progression route after ESO. Compare its subject modalities with vocational study and the student’s plans. The ministry’s curriculum pages explain the common structure; communities develop their own curricula.
The university examination commonly called Selectividad is now the PAU, although older regional abbreviations such as EBAU and EvAU remain in everyday use. It is not identical to the IB Diploma, British A levels or an American high-school diploma.
A pupil with previous foreign schooling can enter Spanish primary or ESO without a formal convalidation. The ministry’s guidance says placement is handled directly at those compulsory stages. Later study or certification may require convalidación of courses or homologación of a qualification. Start that process early when Bachillerato, FP or a Spanish qualification depends on it.
For Spanish university entry with foreign or IB schooling, read the current UNEDasiss route. The access score, subject recognition and possible PCE examinations depend on the education system and the receiving university. Check the exact degree before choosing final subjects.
Castilian Spanish is not the only public language relevant to schooling. Catalan, Basque, Galician and Valencian have official status in their respective territories, with regional language arrangements. Ask the school and the regional authority how those rules apply to the proposed class.
This is especially important for a pupil entering Catalonia, the Basque Country, Galicia, Valencia or the Balearic Islands. Do not assume that a school’s English marketing describes how Spanish and the co-official language appear across the timetable.
“Bilingual” can mean a regional public programme, a substantial portion of subjects taught in English, or simply additional language lessons. Request a subject-by-subject timetable. Ask how beginners learn subject vocabulary and whether they are withdrawn from another lesson for support.
For senior pupils, language decisions affect qualifications. A Spanish Bachillerato, an IB taught in English and British A levels require different combinations of language and examination work. An optional Spanish lesson does not reproduce a national curriculum.
Public and concertado admissions are regional processes. They can use factors such as siblings and proximity, but the criteria and dates must be checked with the autonomous community. For example, the Madrid 2026/27 admissions page covers publicly funded schools in that community only.
Fully private and international schools set their own application procedures. Rolling admissions means an application can be considered during the year; it does not mean that the needed class, subjects or support are available. Ask for the current year group in writing.
For a move during the school year, contact the local education authority as well as individual schools. Provide age, completed school years, present curriculum and intended start date. Do not delay compulsory schooling while waiting for a preferred private option.
Compare the actual day. Comedor is the meal service, extraescolares are extracurricular activities, and tutoría is the class or pastoral tutoring system. Ask what time supervised provision begins and ends, whether lunch is compulsory and whether an activity bus reaches the family’s address.
The Madrid guide maps these options:
The British School — El Colegio Británico, formerly the British Council School, is another Pozuelo option. It is not simply an A-level school. For 2026/27, its senior routes include BiBac, a bilingual Bachillerato programme, and international A levels. The school describes the IB as a candidate programme for 2027, so candidacy must not be presented as current authorisation.
Its 2026/27 fee PDF lists termly tuition from €1,780 for half-day infant provision to €5,295 for BiBac. Sundry charges, meals and transport are separate. Confirm which senior route and cost apply rather than using the older table still shown on the fees page.
The Lycée Français 2026/27 page currently gives first-registration charges of €1,604 for preschool/primary and €1,785 for secondary. The tuition decisions linked further down are still labelled 2025/26. Request the current tuition document; the registration amount alone is not the annual cost.
The Barcelona guide should be read alongside each school’s language plan.
American School of Barcelona, in Esplugues, offers an American programme and the IB Diploma, with Spanish and Catalan study. Benjamin Franklin International School, in Sarrià, also leads into the IB from an American-style programme.
Oak House School, near Collserola in Sarrià, has a different structure. Its early and primary provision uses a British framework, while secondary complies with the Catalan system and also prepares pupils for IGCSE. At 16–18, pupils can follow Spanish Bachillerato or the IB Diploma.
Compare the language each pupil would study at academic level, not only the programme label. Also compare Esplugues with Sarrià from a realistic home. A school bus route or metro stop still needs testing at the actual start and finish times.
European School Alicante, at Playa de San Juan, is a traditional Type I European School with four language sections. Its qualification is the European Baccalaureate, not the IB. Categories I–III describe eligibility and fee status, so determine the family’s category before comparing cost.
The Category III application period for 2026/27 has closed. The published fees are €4,457.80 in preschool, €6,129.55 in primary and €8,358.46 in secondary for a first child. The 25% advance is part of annual tuition, not an additional fee.
King’s College School Alicante follows a British curriculum and offers A-level and IB routes. Its 2026/27 PDF still identifies some bus lines as 2025/26. Obtain the current transport quotation separately. The Alicante guide compares location and programme.
Caxton College and American School of Valencia are both in the Puçol area, but their curricula differ. Caxton combines British and Spanish study; its public table quotes monthly charges. ASV offers an American programme with the IB Diploma and publishes annual 2026/27 fees.
The 2025/26 Bono Infantil reference on Caxton’s page is an older public subsidy year, not a guaranteed 2026/27 discount. Ask how the Spanish curriculum and university route work for the pupil’s intended senior course. The Valencia guide locates both schools.
The British School of Málaga, on Calle Centáurea, follows British study through IGCSE and A levels. Lunch is included in its published 2026/27 annual school fee. Its 5% advance-payment deadline passed on 31 July 2026.
Lycée Français International de Málaga, on Calle Flamencos, follows the French curriculum. Its 2026/27 financial rules use two nationality categories. The enrolment page displays inconsistent open/closed wording for the same school year, so ask whether the particular class is accepting applications now. The Málaga guide gives both locations.
American School of Bilbao, in Berango, offers the three IB programmes in English. St. George’s British International School, in Leioa, follows British schooling through IGCSE and A levels. Neither description answers how much Basque or Spanish a pupil will learn; request the timetable.
ASB is accepting 2026/27 applications year-round. Its fee table charges new pupils entering the Diploma €15,246 annually, compared with €11,980 for continuing ASB pupils. Registration is additional. Language or learning support can cost €82–€246 per month. The single-payment discount deadline passed on 15 July 2026.
St. George’s public fee page describes ten instalments and a one-off admission fee but does not print the amounts. Ask for its current schedule before comparing totals. The Bilbao guide covers the two journeys.
Yago School Sevilla, in Castilleja de la Cuesta, offers the IB PYP, MYP and Diploma alongside Spanish study. Boarding begins at MYP 4. Its 2026/27 day fees are quoted monthly, with compulsory senior dining separately charged.
For Yago, add the IB supplement and required digital/material charges to tuition. The current fee page lists boarding at €37,200 for MYP 4–5 and €40,300 for Diploma years. Those amounts include several services, but enrolment, deposit and activity-fund conditions still require attention. The 2026 early-payment deadlines have passed.
Lycée Français International de Séville, on Isla de la Cartuja, offers French schooling. Its join page refers to 2026/27, while older years remain on other admission pages. Request a current written fee and availability statement. The Seville guide covers both schools.
Fees must be compared on the same basis. A monthly amount may cover nine, ten or twelve payments; multiply only when the school states the number. Separate application fees, non-refundable enrolment, tuition advances, refundable deposits and recurring services.
For concertado schools, distinguish free funded teaching from voluntary services and activities. For international schools, include language support, specialist provision, examinations, meals, transport, devices and notice-period liabilities.
On a visit, ask how staff support a new pupil and who takes responsibility when difficulties arise. Ask for anonymised examples, not personal information about other children. Confirm which year group, campus, language route and final qualification appear in the offer.
My preference is for the school whose present provision is clear and accessible to the child. A prestigious qualification is unhelpful if the pupil lacks the language or prerequisite subjects to complete it. A good daily journey and a sustainable full-year budget are part of educational fit.
Friendly orientation, not formal admissions advice. Always confirm dates with the school.