Most popular international schools in Barcelona

SEK International School Catalunya is a private international campus in La Garriga, near Barcelona, offering an International Baccalaureate programme for children from 4 months to 18 years. The school delivers the full IB continuum—PYP, MYP and DP—alongside elements of the Spanish curriculum, with a multilingual language model in which about 70% of teaching is conducted in English, 15% in Catalan and 15% in Spanish. From Year 5, students may study a fourth language, French or German. The campus combines on-site facilities with access to a woodland setting, supporting project work, outdoor education and sport. Highlights include intelligent classrooms, dedicated science laboratories, a MakerSpace and robotics labs, libraries for all age groups, and a concert hall connected to Trinity College London music programmes. SEK-Catalunya is the only Catalan school accredited to offer the full IB continuum, and it maintains international boarding, exchanges, and a program of clubs, activities and service learning.

European International School of Barcelona (EISB) is a private international school in Sant Cugat del Vallés, about 15 kilometres from central Barcelona. It serves ages 0–18 and offers Cambridge Primary and IGCSE, National and International Baccalaureates, and American High School Diploma. Education runs Nursery through Baccalaureate, with a five-language immersion programme taught by native speakers of English, Catalan, Spanish, French, German and Chinese. Language learning is integrated across the years. In Nursery the curriculum is 50% English, 25% Catalan and 25% Spanish; Infant School English is 80% with 10% Catalan and 10% Spanish; Primary Year 1 is 65% English, with French from Primary 3; Secondary Year 1 offers German or Chinese, completing the immersion by graduation. The International Homeroom supports language adaptation for new arrivals in a multicultural community with students from over 60 countries. The 14,000 m² campus includes classrooms, laboratories, a 500-seat theatre, dining rooms and sports hall.

International Rural School is a British co-educational day school in Llinars del Vallès, Catalonia, teaching pupils from age 3 to 18. It is BSO-accredited and follows the English National Curriculum, providing EYFS, Primary and Secondary education with Cambridge IGCSE and Cambridge A Levels (with Bachillerato-Selectividad alignment). Core subjects are English, Mathematics and Science, while foundation subjects include Art and Design, Citizenship, Computing, Design and Technology, Languages, Geography, History, Music and Physical Education. The school offers a balanced, broadly based curriculum inspired by Decroly, Dewey and Freinet, designed to develop knowledge, understanding and skills alongside citizenship. Distinctive features include a vegetable garden for hands-on learning, homemade meals, a school bus, and monthly trips to museums and cultural sites. Music is an element explored through instruments, history and language. Classes are small (12–15 students per teacher) and learning occurs in classrooms, outdoors and through weekly outings; secondary students can undertake work experiences.

Learnlife Barcelona is an international secondary school and innovation hub that operates across Learnlife Urban Hub, Eco Hub, and Village Hub in the heart of Barcelona. The school serves learners aged 6 to 18 with a bespoke curriculum designed around the Learnlife Competency Model, delivered in English with opportunities to study Spanish and Catalan. The program centers on five learning domains—Learning to Be, Think, Learn, Relate and Act—implemented through Building Blocks and real-world projects that foster learner agency and collaboration. Assessments are ongoing and competency-based through Learning Vitae, 360s, plus showcases, rather than traditional exams. Graduates can earn an American High School Diploma and/or Spanish ESO certificate. The secondary day is organized into Explorers, Creators and Changemakers, with multilingual Learning Guides supporting language development and inclusion. The campus features a music studio, project studios, and a rooftop sports court, with Expressive Arts, sustainability initiatives and service learning embedded in practice.

Institució La Farga is a private school in Sant Cugat del Vallès, Catalonia, offering both British and Spanish curricula for ages 3 to 18. The school delivers Educació Infantil, Educació Primària, Educació Secundària and Batxillerat, with instruction aligned to current Catalan and national legislation and to the school's own charter. The campus sits in Mira-sol at Camí de Sant Cugat al Papiol, 36, serving around 1,530 students drawn from local towns, with about 800 families using school transport or public transit. The school emphasizes personalized attention to students and families and promotes values rooted in Christian humanism, including respect for every person, integrity, responsible freedom, and trust. A coexistence plan governs daily life, with safety protocols, regular communication with families, and a commitment to inclusion and diversity. Since 2001 the school has participated in a public-concert funding regime, supporting its development within the private education framework. For families and communities.

Deutsche Schule Barcelona is a private, officially recognized German overseas school in Spain, funded by the German federal government and awarded the label Excellent German Overseas School. It delivers a German–Spanish encounter education from kindergarten through the German International Abitur after twelve grades. From grade 1, almost all subjects are taught in German and follow Iberian regional curricula approved by KMK; in addition to German and Spanish, students study English, Catalan and, from grade 9, optional French. The campus supports about 1,500 students and features a building with break areas, sports facilities, a canteen, a library, and science laboratories. The program emphasizes mathematics and the natural sciences, alongside social and humanities education, with a focus on developing social and civic competencies. Around 120 students graduate with the DIA each year, recognized as the Spanish Bachillerato. After-school activities include basketball, soccer, dance, robotics, and clubs such as MUN and Oracy Club.

The Olive Tree School is a British international school for ages 3 to 16 that follows the British Curriculum with Cambridge IGCSE. It is NABSS-regulated. The school uses pupil-centred learning with Montessori- and Waldorf-inspired pedagogy, placing thinking, exploration and creative problem solving at the heart of learning. The curriculum sits alongside the British framework, with pupils taking UK GCSE assessments at age 16. It is a Pearson Edexcel GCSE centre. Class sizes are small, about 20 pupils, and the total roll is around 200. English is the language of instruction, with around 30 nationalities represented. Facilities include a Science lab, ICT room, art studio, two libraries, a theatre, a music room, outdoor classrooms, vegetable plots, and a 1000-square-metre sports hall. The school offers Shakespeare productions, termly Theme Days, termly trips to nearby sites and Barcelona, and a range of enrichment programmes and clubs spanning science, arts, leadership and creativity worldwide.

Oak House School is a private, non-profit campus in Barcelona that offers British, local, and International Baccalaureate education to ages 3 to 18. The school follows the British National Curriculum, Cambridge IGCSE, and the IB Diploma Programme, with a tri-lingual approach across primary and secondary. Primary teaching is in English, Spanish and Catalan and aligns with English standards, preparing pupils for the Secondary's multilingual program. In the first year of ESO, a fourth language (French or German) enters, and coding becomes a fifth language. At age 16, students sit Cambridge IGCSE/ GCSE exams, with post-16 options including Bachillerato Nacional and the IB Diploma Programme. The campus comprises eight buildings with facilities: science laboratories, a technology room, music rooms, an arts area, an auditorium, and eco-conscious senior facilities opened in 2015. Enrichment includes Oracy, Debate and MUN, Duke of Edinburgh, and Work Experience alongside a sports, music, and STEM program.

St. Patrick's International School is a British-curriculum school in Sant Joan Despí, Barcelona, teaching from Pre-Nursery through Secondary (ages 0–18). The school offers a British education with Cambridge IGCSE and Cambridge A Levels, structured around Pre-Nursery and Early Years, Primary, and Secondary programs. A distinctive feature is total English immersion in a multilingual setting, with English language immersion enhanced by multilingual learning from the Pre-Nursery stage. The campus is housed in a renovated Catalan masía (Can Trias de Bes) and combines a natural environment with modern facilities, including classrooms equipped with technology and a large outdoor area for sports and outdoor learning. The school provides an ALN department and an English ALN team to support students with additional learning needs. A broad extracurricular program runs through lunch clubs and after-school activities, including music, dance, mindfulness, yoga, languages, and sports, reinforcing social-emotional development and independence. The school actively involves families too.

Anne Sullivan International School Barcelona is a private K–12 IB World School serving ages 3–18. The curriculum covers IB PYP, MYP and DP, with English as the main language of instruction and a phased immersion model moving from immersion to learning to consolidation; in primary, French and German are introduced. The Fontpineda campus provides spaces for individual concentration, cooperative work, lectures, research, quiet areas, natural spaces and debate, complemented by libraries, ICT resources and well‑equipped laboratories and workshops. The school draws on neuroscience and Multiple Intelligences to uncover talents and to foster autonomy, critical reasoning and responsible self‑direction. It maintains a multicultural vision and a network of partner schools worldwide, with exchange opportunities. Extracurriculars include Leaderlabs, Atelier, and performing arts such as violin and Dance; sports facilities support tennis and rugby; and programs like the Self‑knowledge and Emotional Work Program, Life Project and Design Thinking to develop leadership, wellbeing and community engagement.