Brasília, Brazil
International schools in Brasília: what families need to know
Brasília is Brazil's diplomatic capital, and its international school market reflects that: a small number of long-established schools serving embassies, international organisations and government-linked families, in a city that was planned around the car. This guide covers admissions, curricula, the school year, fees, areas and how places actually work here.
Your contact details stay private until you choose to continue with a school.
Your request
- Where you are moving
- Brasília
- Children
- Sofia (age 8) · Luca (age 5)
- Curriculum
- British preferred
- Start
- August
One request. We ask relevant schools whether they have places for each child. Your contact details stay private until you choose to continue with a school.
Example request. School names in these examples are fictional.
Brasília in short
- Curricula available in Brasília: IB, American, and Brazilian bilingual programmes.
- The Brasília school year runs Late January or February to early December, with the main intake at the start of it.
- Schools are overseen by Ministério da Educação (MEC) and the Federal District education authority.
- Tuition is published per year group by each school. Registration, deposit, transport, uniform, meals and examination entries are normally billed separately.
- Availability is decided per child, per year group and per campus, so two children in one family can get two different answers from the same Brasília school.
- You can create one request and we ask relevant Brasília schools whether they have places for your children and what happens next.
Prepared by InternationalSchools.orgPublished September 2026Last reviewed September 2026
Brasília at a glance
The facts that shape a Brasília school search
- Oversight
- Ministério da Educação (MEC) and the Federal District education authority
- Main curricula
- IB, American, and Brazilian bilingual programmes
- School year
- Late January or February to early December
- Ages served
- 2 to 18
- Community
- Strongly diplomatic and institutional, with regular rotation cycles
How admissions work in Brasília
Most Brasília schools follow the same stages, whatever the curriculum.
- 1
Enquire and check the year group
Confirm the year group each child would enter in Brasília. Age cut-offs differ between systems, so the same child can be placed a year apart in two schools.
- 2
Assessment
Most schools assess before offering a place. This can be a short online task, a classroom visit or a subject test, depending on age.
- 3
Offer, deposit and registration
An offer is usually held only after a registration fee or deposit is paid. Check whether either is refundable before you accept.
Documents to prepare
Some documents can take time to arrange from abroad. Start collecting them before you have chosen a school.
- Passport and, where required, visa or residence documents for each child
- Birth certificate
- School reports for the last two years
- Transfer or leaving certificate from the previous school
- Vaccination and health records
- Any learning support or assessment reports, shared early rather than late
More detail: how international-school admissions work.
Curricula families meet in Brasília
We explain each system once, in the curricula library, rather than repeating it city by city.
British curriculum
IGCSE and A Level, and how English year groups are set by age.
International Baccalaureate
PYP, MYP and the Diploma, and who the IB suits on a later move.
American curriculum
US grades, high-school credits and AP, with their own placement rules.
Changing curriculum mid-move
What transfers cleanly between systems and where a child may repeat or skip a year.
The Brasília school year and when to apply
Timing decides how much choice you have. These are the stages most families move through.
Six to nine months ahead
Start looking for the main intake
Popular year groups in Brasília fill first, and assessment slots become scarce close to the intake.
Three to six months ahead
Assessments and offers
Schools assess, then make offers within days or weeks. Registration fees and deposits usually follow immediately.
One to three months ahead
Places confirmed, waiting lists move
Waiting lists move as leaving families release places, so keep asking rather than assuming a school is closed.
Start of the school year
Term begins
The Brasília school year runs late January or February to early December.
Mid-year
In-year entry
Possible, but limited to whichever year groups have room. This is where asking schools directly saves the most time.
What school costs in Brasília
Published tuition is the starting figure, not the total. These are the charges to budget for.
What the Brasília market costs, in round numbers
Mid band- Primary, per year
- BRL 45,000 – 110,000
- Secondary, per year
- BRL 60,000 – 140,000
- Roughly, in US dollars
- US$8,000 – 26,000
Indicative annual tuition across mainstream international schools, for the stated academic year. Individual schools publish their own fees per year group, the top of each market runs above these ranges, and registration, deposits, transport, uniform, meals and examination entries are billed separately. Figures refer to the 2025/26 academic year. Compare fees across cities.
- Tuition
- Published per year group by each school
- Registration fee
- Charged at application or offer stage, usually non-refundable
- Deposit
- Secures the place and is often deducted from the first term's tuition
- Transport
- School transport is charged separately and varies by distance and route
- Uniform, books, devices
- One-off costs at the start of the year, higher in the first year
- Meals and activities
- Optional at most schools, but a real part of the annual budget
- Examination entries
- IGCSE, A Level, IB and AP entries are billed in the exam years
See also understanding international school fees.
Places and waiting lists
Which Brasília schools have places for your children?
A place is not something a school has in general. It exists for one year group, at one campus, for one intake. Two children in the same family can get two different answers from the same school on the same day.
School websites cannot tell you this. Availability changes when a family leaves, when a contract ends, or when a new year group opens. That is why we ask schools directly instead of publishing a number that would be out of date by the time you read it.
For each child, a Brasília school can answer that a place is available, that there is a waiting list, that the intake is full, or that it cannot confirm yet. You see the answer, the fees and the next step, and you decide where to focus.
Your contact details stay private until you choose to continue with a school.
Answers from schools · 2 children · British curriculum · Starting August
Westbrook International School
Answered in 1 day
North campus · British · Annual fees: Shared with your answer
- Sofia · Year 4Place available for AugustPlace available
- Luca · Year 1Place available for AugustPlace available
Next step: Assessment, then offer
Harbour Ridge Academy
Answered in 2 days
City campus · British · Annual fees: Shared with your answer
- Sofia · Year 4Place available for AugustPlace available
- Luca · Year 1Waiting list, reviewed monthlyWaiting list
Next step: Campus visit, then assessment
Elmfield International College
Answered in 3 days
Main campus · British · Annual fees: Shared with your answer
- Sofia · Year 4Full for the August intakeFull for this intake
- Luca · Year 1Place available for AugustPlace available
Next step: Register interest for January
Your contact details are shared only with the schools you continue with.
Example answers. School names in these examples are fictional.
Choosing where to live in Brasília
We do not rank areas. These are the questions that decide whether a school works day to day.
Asa Sul, Asa Norte and Lago Sul
The Plano Piloto superquadras and the lake districts hold most family housing. Lago Sul is popular with diplomatic families and sits close to several schools.
Driving is assumed
Brasília was designed around road distance. Journeys are fast by Brazilian standards but almost always by car, so factor a vehicle into the budget.
Rotation shapes availability
Diplomatic postings turn over on predictable cycles, which frees places at particular times of year. A year group that is closed in March can open in July.
Águas Claras and the satellite cities
More affordable housing, longer journeys, and fewer international options nearby. Confirm transport coverage before choosing.
Moving to Brasília with children: a checklist
The school-related steps that decide how smooth the first term is.
- Confirm each child's year group under the curriculum you are moving to in Brasília.
- Collect and, where required, attest school reports and certificates before you leave.
- Ask schools about places for every child in the same request, not one at a time.
- Check whether registration fees and deposits are refundable if your move date changes.
- Check the visa or residency steps that enrolment can depend on.
- Ask about learning support early, since capacity is decided case by case.
- Line up housing only after you know which school can take all of your children.
See also the moving-abroad timeline.
Moving with more than one child
One school that works for every child, not one child
Most families moving to Brasília are moving with more than one child, and the hardest part is rarely finding a good school. It is finding one school that can take all of your children in the same year.
Checking each child separately, school by school, is where the search becomes slow. A school that has room in Year 1 may be full in Year 4, and you only learn that after two emails and a wait.
One request covers every child. Each school answers for each child, so you can see immediately where all of your children could start together, and where you would be splitting the family across two schools.
- Ask once for the whole family, not once per child.
- See sibling answers side by side before you contact anyone.
- Ask about sibling priority and start dates while places are still open.
Answers side by side
Westbrook International School
Harbour Ridge Academy
Elmfield International College
Sofia · Year 4
Luca · Year 1
Curriculum
British
British
British
Area
North campus
City campus
Main campus
Annual fees
Shared in answer
Shared in answer
Shared in answer
Next step
Assessment, then offer
Campus visit, then assessment
Register interest for January
Example comparison. School names in these examples are fictional.
How schooling works in Brasília
The capital's international schools are few but long established, with an unusually international parent body for a city of its size and a rhythm set by diplomatic and institutional postings.
A small, stable market
There are relatively few international schools, and they have served the diplomatic community for decades. Reputations are known and places in popular year groups are contested.
Because supply is limited, the useful question is not which school ranks highest but which has a place for your child in the year group and term you need.
Diplomatic rotation is an advantage if you time it
Postings typically end mid-year, which releases places at moments that would be dead periods elsewhere in Brazil.
If a school tells you a year group is full in February, ask when the rotation gaps usually appear and whether you can be kept on the list.
Portuguese and Brazilian accreditation
Brazilian-accredited schools teach Portuguese as a core subject, which matters if you expect to stay in the country or apply to Brazilian universities.
Families expecting another posting in two or three years usually prioritise an IB pathway for portability.
Documents and enrolment
Apostilled school records, sworn translation into Portuguese, CPF and residency documentation are the standard set.
Diplomatic families often have institutional support for this. Everyone else should start before arrival.
What families get wrong in Brasília
The local details that cost families a term, a deposit or a long daily drive.
Assuming a capital city means a big school market
Brasília's market is small. Start early and treat waiting lists as a normal part of the process.
Missing the rotation windows
Places open when postings end. Ask each school when that typically happens rather than accepting a single no.
Choosing a satellite city for the rent
The saving is real but so is the drive. Check the transport route to the school before committing.
Planning for a September start
The Brazilian year begins in February. Plan the move around that or expect a mid-year placement.
Overlooking the Portuguese requirement
Brazilian-accredited schools teach it. Ask how a child arriving with no Portuguese is supported.
Official Brasília resources
Primary sources for regulation, inspection and enrolment. We link out rather than paraphrase.
How InternationalSchools.org works in Brasília
One request. We ask relevant Brasília schools whether they have places for your children and what happens next.
- 1
Create one request for Brasília
Where you are moving, each child's age, the curriculum you prefer and when you want to start. One request covers the whole family.
- 2
We ask relevant Brasília schools
We start with schools that serve your children's ages in Brasília. Curriculum, budget and area help us decide which relevant schools to ask first.
- 3
Schools answer for each child
Availability, fees, timing and what happens next. Your contact details stay private until you choose to continue with a school.
Schools cannot pay to be prioritised, and we do not publish scores or predict availability. How we select schools.
Questions families ask about Brasília
Find out which Brasília schools have places for your children
One request, every child, answers from the schools themselves.
Your contact details stay private until you choose to continue with a school.
Go deeper on Brasília
How fees compare across cities
What is published, what is billed separately and how Brasília compares with the other markets we cover.
Compare the main curricula
British, IB and American side by side, and what a later move between countries changes.
How admissions work
The stages most international schools use, and where relocating families lose time.
Continue reading
Waiting lists and availability
How waiting lists really work, and what to ask before you join one.
School year and intake timing
When places open, and what a mid-year move changes.
How it works
From one request to answers from the schools themselves.
Other destinations
You can create a request for any destination, published guide or not.
Last reviewed: September 2026
Guide version 3.0. Brasília information is compiled from official regulators, curriculum authorities and school-published material. Fees, intakes and requirements are set by individual schools and change, so confirm details directly with a school before you rely on them.
Sources
Something look wrong? Report a correction.