Lisbon, Portugal
International schools in Lisbon: what families need to know
Lisbon's international school market has expanded quickly with the arrival of remote workers, entrepreneurs and returning Portuguese families, and demand has grown faster than capacity. Fees are still lower than in most Western European capitals, but the popular schools along the Cascais line and in the northern suburbs now run waiting lists in the busiest year groups. This guide covers admissions, curricula, the school year, fees, areas and how places actually work here.
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What you tell us
- Where you are moving
- Lisbon
- Children
- Sofia (age 8) · Luca (age 5)
- Curriculum
- British preferred
- Start
- August
You tell us once, for every child. Your adviser assesses the brief and contacts relevant admissions teams on your behalf.
Example only. School names in these examples are fictional.
Lisbon in short
- Curricula available in Lisbon: British, IB, American, Portuguese bilingual, French and German.
- The Lisbon school year runs Early or mid-September to mid or late June, with the main intake at the start of it.
- Schools are overseen by Ministério da Educação; foreign-curriculum schools are separately authorised.
- 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 Lisbon school.
- You tell us what your family needs once, and see matched Lisbon schools with places, fees and next steps.
Prepared by InternationalSchools.orgPublished September 2026Last reviewed September 2026
Lisbon at a glance
The facts that shape a Lisbon school search
- Oversight
- Ministério da Educação; foreign-curriculum schools are separately authorised
- Main curricula
- British, IB, American, Portuguese bilingual, French and German
- School year
- Early or mid-September to mid or late June
- Ages served
- 3 to 18
- Language
- English at international schools, with Portuguese taught as a subject
How admissions work in Lisbon
Most Lisbon schools follow the same stages, whatever the curriculum.
- 1
Enquire and check the year group
Confirm the year group each child would enter in Lisbon. 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 Lisbon
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 Lisbon 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 Lisbon 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 Lisbon school year runs early or mid-September to mid or late June.
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 Lisbon
Published tuition is the starting figure, not the total. These are the charges to budget for.
What the Lisbon market costs, in round numbers
Mid band- Primary, per year
- EUR 8,000 – 14,000
- Secondary, per year
- EUR 10,000 – 20,000
- Roughly, in US dollars
- US$9,000 – 22,000
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 Lisbon 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 relevant schools answer directly instead of publishing a number that would be out of date by the time you read it.
For each child, a Lisbon 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.
US$499 per family · One-time fee · You review the service and the price before you pay.
Your schools · 2 children · British curriculum · Starting August
Westbrook International School
From the school
North campus · British · Annual fees: Confirmed for your intake
Fees confirmed for the academic year you asked about
- Sofia · Year 4Place availablePlace available for August
- Luca · Year 1Place availablePlace available for August
Next step: Assessment, then offer
Harbour Ridge Academy
From the school
City campus · British · Annual fees: Confirmed for your intake
Fees confirmed for the academic year you asked about
- Sofia · Year 4Place availablePlace available for August
- Luca · Year 1Waiting listWaiting list, reviewed monthly
Next step: Campus visit, then assessment
Elmfield International College
From our team
Main campus · British · Annual fees: Earlier-year reference fee
Fees for your intake not yet confirmed
- Sofia · Year 4Not confirmedPlaces not yet confirmed
- Luca · Year 1Not confirmedPlaces not yet confirmed
Next step: We ask admissions to confirm
Every option says who provided the information and whether places are confirmed. Your adviser explains what each answer means for your children.
Example school options. School names in these examples are fictional.
Choosing where to live in Lisbon
We do not rank areas. These are the questions that decide whether a school works day to day.
The Cascais line: Carcavelos, Estoril, Cascais
The densest concentration of international schools, along a coastal train line into the city. The default choice for many relocating families.
Northern Lisbon and Oeiras
Closer to the business districts, with several established schools and shorter journeys for parents working in the city.
Sintra and the western suburbs
Greener and more spacious, with schools serving families who want a house rather than an apartment. The trade-off is the daily drive.
South of the Tagus: Almada and Setúbal
Growing, cheaper for housing, and separated from most schools by a bridge that can be slow at peak. Test the crossing before committing.
Moving to Lisbon 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 Lisbon.
- 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 Lisbon 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.
Your schools, side by side
Westbrook International School
- Information
- From the school
- Curriculum
- British
- Area
- North campus
- Annual fees
- Confirmed for your intake
- Next step
- Assessment, then offer
Harbour Ridge Academy
- Information
- From the school
- Curriculum
- British
- Area
- City campus
- Annual fees
- Confirmed for your intake
- Next step
- Campus visit, then assessment
Elmfield International College
- Information
- From our team
- Curriculum
- British
- Area
- Main campus
- Annual fees
- Earlier-year reference fee
- Next step
- We ask admissions to confirm
Westbrook International School
Harbour Ridge Academy
Elmfield International College
Sofia · Year 4
Luca · Year 1
Information
From the school
From the school
From our team
Curriculum
British
British
British
Area
North campus
City campus
Main campus
Annual fees
Confirmed for your intake
Confirmed for your intake
Earlier-year reference fee
Next step
Assessment, then offer
Campus visit, then assessment
We ask admissions to confirm
Example comparison. School names in these examples are fictional.
How schooling works in Lisbon
Portuguese schooling is regulated nationally by the Ministério da Educação. Foreign-curriculum schools operate with their own authorisations — British Schools Overseas inspection, IB authorisation, or a national ministry in the case of the French and German schools — while Portuguese private and bilingual schools follow the national curriculum. Many families choose a bilingual school precisely because it keeps both routes open.
Demand has outrun capacity in some year groups
The growth in foreign residents over recent years has pushed the best-known schools onto waiting lists, particularly in early years and at the start of secondary.
Newer schools have opened in response. If you are flexible about area, the search is much easier than it looks from the most-recommended handful of names.
Bilingual Portuguese schools are a serious option
Several private Portuguese schools teach substantial parts of the curriculum in English while leading to the Portuguese national qualifications.
For a family settling long-term, this keeps Portuguese university entry straightforward. For a family expecting another move, the IB or a British pathway travels better.
The residency and NIF paperwork
Schools normally ask for a Portuguese tax number (NIF) and proof of address at enrolment, along with previous school records.
Records from outside the EU generally need apostille and certified translation. Start this before you arrive.
Fees are lower, extras are not zero
Tuition in Lisbon remains below London, Zurich or Geneva, and is often billed monthly over ten instalments.
Enrolment fees, annual reservation fees to hold a place for the following year, meals, buses and trips are separate and standard.
What families get wrong in Lisbon
The local details that cost families a term, a deposit or a long daily drive.
Applying to only the best-known schools
Two or three names dominate the online advice and carry the longest lists. Widening the search is the fastest route to a place.
Missing the annual reservation fee
Many Lisbon schools charge a fee each spring to hold a place for the next year. It is easy to overlook in the first-year budget.
Underestimating the bridge
Living south of the Tagus and schooling north of it makes for a long, unpredictable morning.
Assuming Portuguese is optional
It is taught as a subject nearly everywhere and matters for daily life. Ask how beginners are supported.
Leaving apostille and translation to the last week
Non-EU school records take time to legalise. Doing it before departure avoids a delayed start.
Official Lisbon resources
Primary sources for regulation, inspection and enrolment. We link out rather than paraphrase.
How InternationalSchools.org works in Lisbon
Tell us what your family needs once, and see matched schools in Lisbon with places, fees and next steps.
- 1
Tell us about your family and Lisbon
Your children's ages and year groups, the curriculum you prefer, your budget and when you want to start. One brief covers every child named in it.
- 2
Your adviser researches Lisbon
A 30-minute consultation, then research of the schools in Lisbon that suit each child, and contact with relevant admissions teams about your start date.
- 3
Receive your recommendations
Three recommended schools plus up to two alternatives where suitable, with written reasoning for each child, a review call and follow-up questions answered for 30 days.
We do not publish scores or predict availability. How we select schools.
Questions families ask about Lisbon
Find international schools in Lisbon for your children
One conversation, every child, answers from the schools themselves.
US$499 per family · One-time fee · You review the service and the price before you pay.
Go deeper on Lisbon
How fees compare across cities
What is published, what is billed separately and how Lisbon 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 telling us what you need to answers from the schools themselves.
Other destinations
You can search any destination, published guide or not.
Last reviewed: September 2026
Guide version 3.0. Lisbon 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
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