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City Country School

Spain, Madrid

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The school at a glance
Instructs in English, Spanish
Fees Fees not listed
Ages 3 - 16 years
Pupil numbers 115
Type Co-educational
Opened 2012
Bus Service No
Academic offering
Curriculum Montessori Curriculum
Taught languages Spanish, Japanese
Typical class size 20
Strengths Languages, Outdoor Education, Visual and Creative Arts
Clubs Arts and Creative, Cultural and Language, Lifestyle and Wellbeing
Stages Early Years, Elementary, Secondary School
Introduction

City Country School is a small, independent Montessori school in Madrid serving ages 3 to 16, accredited by Middle States and combining Montessori pedagogy with an American curriculum. Founded in 2012 by Sarah Cardelús, the school invites children to learn through hands-on exploration, collaboration, and discovery rather than a single definition of success. Instruction is bilingual, with Early Childhood predominantly English and native guides, Lower Elementary in a bilingual English/Spanish environment, Upper Elementary alternating between fully Spanish and fully English Montessori settings, and an Adolescent Program taught entirely in English by native speakers. The on-site facilities span Children's House, Elementary, and Adolescence campuses, including a garden, sandbox, climbing frame, kitchen classroom, and outdoor spaces designed for nature-based play. Distinctive features include the Kitchen Classroom, organic vegetarian meals, and an Out Program that integrates field visits with project work. The curriculum anchors Montessori methods within a learner-centered culture that fosters growth.

C. de la Isla Soledad, 2, Moncloa - Aravaca, 28035 Madrid, Spain

The Essentials

City Country School has 115 pupils, typical class sizes of 20, instruction in English, Spanish.

Location
The school operates in Spain. It is a small, independent Montessori school for children and adolescents aged 3 to 16. It is Middle States accredited.

Stages
three to sixteen years old

Type
small, independent, Middle States accredited Montessori school

Country affiliation
Spain
Diving Deeper

Food Options
The school provides organic lunch and snacks for the children at school. Lunch is cooked from scratch in the kitchen daily using fresh organic ingredients.

Governance and Ownership
The school was founded in 2012 by Sarah Cardelús. The school is accredited by the Middle States Association and the American Montessori Society, and is officially recognized by the Spanish Ministry of Education as a foreign school.
Fees

Annual tuition at City Country School ranges from EUR 0 for 2026/27.

Academics

City Country School teaches Montessori Curriculum for students aged 3 to 16.

Curriculum
Montessori curriculum.
Wellbeing

Social and Emotional Learning (SEL)
The school is a deliberately developmental organization where every member of the community is in a period of growth, supported by relationships and human contexts that facilitate learning and change. The mission is to create a community in which we share processes of self-construction, learning, and discovery with the aim of acting from a place of authenticity.

English as an Additional Language (EAL)
Instruction is provided in English and Spanish. All teaching staff are native English or native Spanish speakers. Early Childhood is predominantly English with a native English-speaking lead guide and a native Spanish-speaking assistant. Lower Elementary is a bilingual environment with native English and native Spanish-speaking guides. Upper Elementary alternates between a fully prepared Spanish language Montessori environment with a Spanish lead guide, and a fully prepared English language Montessori environment with a native English-speaking guide. The Adolescent Program is an immersion English program in which all academic subjects, except Spanish Language, Literature and Culture, are taught in English by native speakers.

Mental Wellbeing
City Country School emphasizes growth and well-being through a developmental approach. Relationships and human contexts provide growth environments for optimal development, and the Montessori prepared environment supports students by allowing them to work at their own rhythm, choose their own tasks, and engage deeply in learning.
Parent Experience

History
Founded in 2012 by Sarah Cardelús, a Spanish-American mother of twins, City Country School was created so children aged 3 to 16 could be themselves, free from the belief that they must fit a single definition of success. It was designed for children to experiment, collaborate, work hard, and discover that there are many ways to find answers and many versions of success. The school emphasizes a learner-centered culture where each child's path to success is understood as unique, and where learning is guided by encouragement and opportunity rather than by rigid expectations. The school employs Montessori principles as its core approach to education.

Community
City Country School has an international Madrid-based community with families from Spain, the United States, Canada, Mexico, Colombia, Germany, Ireland, England, Libya, Australia, Italy, Bulgaria, and Poland. The teaching staff is international, with about half native English speakers and many trained in the United States; the headmistress is Spanish-American. The school focuses on building bridges to community among the cultures represented at the school. The campus comprises three buildings in Madrid, and the school schedules community meetings, group discussions, camping trips, long walks and games throughout the year.
Facilities

Facilities Overview
City Country School is an independent bilingual Montessori school for children and adolescents three to sixteen years old with campuses for Children's House, Elementary, and Adolescence in Madrid. The Children's House classroom includes a garden with a big sandbox, a climbing frame, wooden blocks, and fruit trees. The Montessori environment provides a complete collection of Montessori didactic materials and an outdoor Practical Life area with an English-speaking guide. The Kitchen Classroom sits at the heart of learning, and snacks and lunches are organic, legume and vegetable-based vegetarian meals prepared daily by the school cook; lunch is eaten together with a moment of silence and the Poem Before Lunch. The Elementary program integrates the Kitchen & Garden into studies and project-work and includes visits to Dehesa de la Villa and other parks and botanical gardens. The school offers outdoor spaces such as patios with plants, water and sand to play with and wooden structures for exploration, with nature-based play encouraged through the Out Program.

Academic Facilities
Instruction is bilingual in English and Spanish. Early childhood learns in a predominantly English-speaking environment with a native English-speaking lead guide. Lower Elementary is a bilingual environment with native English and native Spanish-speaking guides. Upper Elementary alternates between a Spanish language Montessori environment and an English language Montessori environment. The Adolescent Program is an immersion English program with all academic subjects taught in English by native speakers. The Montessori pedagogy is implemented through trained guides, the full Montessori curriculum, didactic materials, and a prepared environment.

Extra Curricular Facilities
Beyond the classroom, enrichment activities include Symbolic Play, Cooking, Aikido, Ceramics, Song, and Activities in Nature. Aikido is studied for six years in Elementary and continued into Adolescence. Kitchen & Garden, Clay Ceramics, Out, Music, and Science Experiments are offered as enrichment experiences. Out involves exploring neighborhood parks for free play, making swings, tents, and climbing trees. Music emphasizes function over form and the focus is on connection.
Extra-Curricular Activities

Academic & Intellectual
City Country School follows a Montessori approach that treats development holistically—physical, social, emotional, spiritual, and cognitive. The curriculum centers on teaching students how to learn, supporting lifelong growth. The Early Childhood program is predominantly English-language, led by a native English-speaking Montessori guide with a native Spanish-speaking assistant. The Adolescent Program uses immersion English, with all academic subjects taught in English by native speakers, while Spanish Language, Literature and Culture are taught as separate subjects.

Arts & Creative
Enrichment Activities include Aikido, Clay Ceramics, Cooking, Gardening, Music, and Science Experiments, extending learning beyond the classroom. Aikido is studied for six years in Elementary and continues into Adolescence. The Kitchen Classroom fosters practical making-and-thinking work, while Clay Ceramics helps students build a rich interior world of know-how. Music emphasizes connection and expression, and science experiments stimulate curiosity through hands-on inquiry.

Cultural & Language
The school provides instruction in English and Spanish and uses a bilingual, dual-language immersion approach. Early Childhood learning is predominantly English with a native English-speaking lead guide and a native Spanish-speaking assistant. Lower Elementary is a bilingual environment with native English and native Spanish-speaking guides, while Upper Elementary alternates between a fully Spanish-language Montessori environment with a Spanish lead guide and an English-language Montessori environment with a native English-speaking guide. The Adolescent Program is an immersion English program in which all academic subjects are taught in English by native speakers, with Spanish Language, Literature and Culture taught separately, and Japanese is introduced to Elementary through Aikido.

Social & Hobbies
Self-discovery and self-construction are emphasized through Symbolic Play, Cooking, Aikido, Ceramics, Song, and Activities in Nature. The enrichment program supports children in expressing their inner lives through these media, including clay, language, song, movement, cooking, gardening and play. The approach values the creative process, recognizing that creating is a lifelong activity that develops problem-solving and collaboration. Children are given time, space and expert support to explore their talents and passions.

Lifestyle & Wellbeing
Enrichment activities include outdoor exploration with neighborhood park outings. Aikido develops balance and discipline as part of a six-year Elementary to Adolescence program. The Kitchen & Garden program integrates cooking and gardening as practical and healthy life skills. Music and science experiments promote well-being through engaging, hands-on learning.
Languages

Language Provision
English and Spanish are taught at City Country School. Early Childhood is predominantly English with a native English lead guide and a native Spanish assistant. Lower Elementary is a bilingual environment with native English and native Spanish guides; Upper Elementary alternates between a Spanish-language Montessori environment and an English-language Montessori environment. All teaching staff are native English or native Spanish speakers, and the primary aims are bilingualism, biliteracy and cross-cultural competence.

Bilingual Teaching
The school teaches in English and Spanish. Early Childhood is predominantly English with a native English-speaking lead guide and a native Spanish-speaking assistant. The Lower Elementary program is a bilingual environment with native English- and native Spanish-speaking guides. The Upper Elementary program alternates between a Spanish-language Montessori environment with a Spanish lead guide and an English-language Montessori environment with a native English-speaking guide.

Immersion Programs
The Adolescent Program is an immersion English program in which all academic subjects, except Spanish Language, Literature and Culture, are taught in English by native speakers.
Reputation

Awards
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Accreditations
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Admissions

Admissions
Start the Enrollment Process: 1. Attend an Open House or Schedule a Tour to visit the school. 2. Read the City Country School Handbook (English Version or Spanish Version). 3. Submit an application of admission online for Children's House, Elementary, or Adolescence. 4. Schedule an interview with the Head of School or her representative to meet the child and the parents together. 5. City Country School has a rolling admissions policy. Parents will be notified of the school's decision within one month. 6. Parents have two weeks from the date of admission to hand in all the completed forms, sign the contract and pay the non-refundable enrollment fee.
School Events
The school has not added events
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