São Paulo, Brazil
International schools in São Paulo: what families need to know
São Paulo has the deepest international school market in Latin America, built around decades of corporate relocation. The two things that surprise arriving families most are the calendar — the Brazilian school year runs February to December — and the fact that most schools here are bilingual and Brazilian-accredited as well as international. This guide covers admissions, curricula, the school year, fees, areas and how places actually work here.
US$499 per family · One-time fee · You review the service and the price before you pay.
What you tell us
- Where you are moving
- São Paulo
- 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.
São Paulo in short
- Curricula available in São Paulo: IB, American, British, and Brazilian bilingual programmes.
- The São Paulo school year runs Late January or February to early December, with a long December–January break, with the main intake at the start of it.
- Schools are overseen by Ministério da Educação (MEC) and the São Paulo state 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 São Paulo school.
- You tell us what your family needs once, and see matched São Paulo schools with places, fees and next steps.
Prepared by InternationalSchools.orgPublished September 2026Last reviewed September 2026
São Paulo at a glance
The facts that shape a São Paulo school search
- Oversight
- Ministério da Educação (MEC) and the São Paulo state education authority
- Main curricula
- IB, American, British, and Brazilian bilingual programmes
- School year
- Late January or February to early December, with a long December–January break
- Ages served
- 2 to 18
- Language
- English or bilingual instruction, with Portuguese taught as a core subject
How admissions work in São Paulo
Most São Paulo schools follow the same stages, whatever the curriculum.
- 1
Enquire and check the year group
Confirm the year group each child would enter in São Paulo. 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 São Paulo
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 São Paulo 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 São Paulo 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 São Paulo school year runs late January or February to early December, with a long December–January break.
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 São Paulo
Published tuition is the starting figure, not the total. These are the charges to budget for.
What the São Paulo market costs, in round numbers
High band- Primary, per year
- BRL 60,000 – 160,000
- Secondary, per year
- BRL 80,000 – 200,000
- Roughly, in US dollars
- US$11,000 – 37,000
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 São Paulo 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 São Paulo 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 São Paulo
We do not rank areas. These are the questions that decide whether a school works day to day.
Traffic decides the school, not the postcode
São Paulo journeys are measured in time, not distance. Six kilometres can take fifty minutes at 7:30am. Test the exact route on a weekday morning before you decide anything.
Morumbi, Alto de Pinheiros and Brooklin
Several of the largest international campuses sit in the western and southern zones. Families commonly choose housing in Vila Nova Conceição, Itaim Bibi, Alto de Pinheiros or Morumbi to keep the run short.
Granja Viana and Alphaville
Gated communities west of the city attract families who want space and a shorter school run to campuses out that way, at the cost of distance from the centre.
School buses are standard and worth using
Most schools run contracted transport, and many families use it precisely because driving in São Paulo with children is exhausting. Confirm route coverage before signing a lease.
Moving to São Paulo 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 São Paulo.
- 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 São Paulo 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 São Paulo
Brazilian schooling is regulated nationally by the MEC and locally by state and municipal authorities. International schools here almost always hold Brazilian accreditation alongside their international programme, which is what allows a diploma to be recognised in Brazil as well as abroad.
The calendar is the biggest adjustment
The Brazilian academic year begins in late January or February and ends in early December, with the long holiday over the southern summer. A family arriving in August from a northern-hemisphere school arrives mid-year.
Schools handle this constantly and will tell you which year group a child enters, but it can mean a child repeats part of a year or moves up early. Ask for the placement decision in writing before you accept.
Bilingual, international, or both
There are three broad types: full international schools teaching in English with an IB, American or British programme; bilingual Brazilian schools teaching the national curriculum in Portuguese and English; and Brazilian schools with an international stream.
The difference matters if you plan to stay. A Brazilian-accredited pathway keeps university options open here; a purely international pathway is easier if you expect to move again.
Documentation takes longer than families expect
Enrolment usually requires apostilled and sworn-translated school records, along with CPF numbers and residency documentation for the family.
Sworn translation in Brazil must be done by a tradutor público. Starting the process before you arrive can save several weeks at the school gate.
Fees, inflation and how billing works
Tuition is normally published as an annual figure billed in monthly instalments, and annual increases are common in a country with a long inflation history.
Ask specifically about the enrolment or matrícula charge, materials, transport and the increase applied at the start of each year.
What families get wrong in São Paulo
The local details that cost families a term, a deposit or a long daily drive.
Planning around a September start
The main intake is February. Arriving in August is mid-year here, and the available year groups can look very different.
Choosing the neighbourhood before the school
In São Paulo the traffic makes this the single most expensive mistake. Confirm the place, then rent within a workable route.
Assuming international means no Portuguese
Portuguese is a required subject in Brazilian-accredited schools. Ask how a child with no Portuguese is supported and what is expected by the end of the first year.
Underestimating apostille and sworn translation
Documents need apostilling in the country of origin and translation by a sworn translator in Brazil. This routinely takes weeks.
Not asking about the matrícula and annual increase
The published annual tuition is not the total. Enrolment fees, materials and the next year's increase all belong in the budget.
Ignoring the difference between accreditations
If there is any chance of Brazilian university entry, check the school's MEC-recognised pathway now rather than in Year 11.
Official São Paulo resources
Primary sources for regulation, inspection and enrolment. We link out rather than paraphrase.
How InternationalSchools.org works in São Paulo
Tell us what your family needs once, and see matched schools in São Paulo with places, fees and next steps.
- 1
Tell us about your family and São Paulo
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 São Paulo
A 30-minute consultation, then research of the schools in São Paulo 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 São Paulo
Find international schools in São Paulo 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 São Paulo
How fees compare across cities
What is published, what is billed separately and how São Paulo 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. São Paulo 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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