Milan, Italy
International schools in Milan: what families need to know
Milan has Italy's largest concentration of international schooling, driven by finance, fashion, design and pharmaceuticals rather than by a diplomatic community. Fees are moderate by Western European standards, most campuses sit outside the ring road where land allowed a sports field, and the Italian academic calendar — mid-September to early June, with a long summer — shapes everything from admissions to childcare. 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
- Milan
- 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.
Milan in short
- Curricula available in Milan: IB, British, American and Italian bilingual.
- The Milan school year runs Mid-September to early June, with the main intake at the start of it.
- Schools are overseen by Ministero dell'Istruzione e del Merito; Lombardy regional school office (USR).
- 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 Milan school.
- You can create one request and we ask relevant Milan schools whether they have places for your children and what happens next.
Prepared by InternationalSchools.orgPublished September 2026Last reviewed September 2026
Milan at a glance
The facts that shape a Milan school search
- Oversight
- Ministero dell'Istruzione e del Merito; Lombardy regional school office (USR)
- Main curricula
- IB, British, American and Italian bilingual
- School year
- Mid-September to early June
- Ages served
- 3 to 18
- Language
- English at international schools, with Italian taught as a subject
How admissions work in Milan
Most Milan schools follow the same stages, whatever the curriculum.
- 1
Enquire and check the year group
Confirm the year group each child would enter in Milan. 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 Milan
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 Milan 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 Milan 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 Milan school year runs mid-September to early 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 Milan
Published tuition is the starting figure, not the total. These are the charges to budget for.
What the Milan market costs, in round numbers
High band- Primary, per year
- EUR 12,000 – 20,000
- Secondary, per year
- EUR 15,000 – 28,000
- Roughly, in US dollars
- US$13,000 – 30,000
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 Milan 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 Milan 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 Milan
We do not rank areas. These are the questions that decide whether a school works day to day.
North-west: San Siro, Bonola and towards Rho
Several international campuses with space for sports facilities. Metro and ring-road access, and easier parking than the centre.
Centre and Porta Nuova
Where many parents work. Fewer campuses, more bilingual and Italian private schools, apartment living, excellent public transport.
The northern belt: Monza, Brianza and the lakes road
Houses with gardens and a calmer pace. The trade-off is a daily drive that thickens sharply between 7.45 and 8.30.
South-east towards San Donato and Segrate
Corporate campuses and established schooling, well placed for the eastern business parks and Linate.
Moving to Milan 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 Milan.
- 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 Milan 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 Milan
Italian schools are either statali (state), paritarie (recognised private schools that issue Italian qualifications) or non-paritarie, which includes most foreign-curriculum international schools. The distinction matters: a paritaria issues the Italian diploma directly, while a foreign-curriculum school issues an IB Diploma, A Levels or an American diploma, which need a declaration of value or equivalent recognition if your child later applies to an Italian university.
Recognition of a foreign diploma for Italian universities
An IB Diploma or A Levels are accepted by Italian universities, but the paperwork — historically the dichiarazione di valore, now often handled through the CIMEA statement of comparability — takes time.
If Italian university is a plausible destination, ask the school early what it does for leavers, rather than discovering the process in the final year.
Bilingual Italian schools are a real middle path
Several paritarie teach substantial parts of the programme in English while leading to Italian qualifications, at lower cost than the full international schools.
They suit families settling long term. Families expecting another posting usually prefer an IB or British pathway that transfers cleanly.
Admissions and assessment
Most international schools assess English and mathematics, review reports from the last two years and interview the family. Places are confirmed with a deposit that is normally non-refundable.
Applications open in the autumn for the following September, but mid-year entry is common in Milan because corporate moves do not follow the school calendar.
Fees and what sits outside them
Tuition is billed annually, often in two or three instalments, with a registration fee and sometimes an enrolment contribution.
Bus, lunch, books, trips and examination entries are separate. School buses cover the ring road and the northern suburbs but rarely everywhere — check your street specifically.
Paperwork: codice fiscale and residency
A codice fiscale is needed for almost everything administrative, including enrolment, and is straightforward to obtain.
Schools ask for previous records, birth certificate and vaccination records. Italy has a mandatory vaccination list for school attendance, so bring documentation.
What families get wrong in Milan
The local details that cost families a term, a deposit or a long daily drive.
Assuming a June-to-June year
Milan's year ends in early June and restarts mid-September. The summer gap is longer than most families plan childcare for.
Confusing paritaria and international
One issues Italian qualifications, the other does not. That difference matters when your child applies to university.
Living centrally and schooling on the ring road
Most capacity is outside the centre. Match the address to the campus and the bus route.
Missing the vaccination requirement
Italy requires proof of specified vaccinations for school attendance.
Ignoring Italian
Even in an English-medium school, Italian is taught and needed. Ask how beginners are placed by level.
Leaving the codice fiscale to the last week
It gates enrolment, banking and housing. Get it immediately on arrival.
Official Milan resources
Primary sources for regulation, inspection and enrolment. We link out rather than paraphrase.
How InternationalSchools.org works in Milan
One request. We ask relevant Milan schools whether they have places for your children and what happens next.
- 1
Create one request for Milan
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 Milan schools
We start with schools that serve your children's ages in Milan. 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 Milan
Find out which Milan 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 Milan
How fees compare across cities
What is published, what is billed separately and how Milan 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. Milan 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.