Although Portugal is a small country in terms of area and population, it has more than 60 international schools and some of them are very highly placed in several international rankings.

One of the reasons for such a high-density of international schools is the fact that currently the foreign population is about 15% of the total population and some of the most affluent groups like the US and UK citizens are increasing at a twofold rate every year.

The bulk is located in the two major cities in Portugal, Lisbon and Porto, and some others in areas where there´s a growing number of expats, like Algarve and Madeira.

International schools in Portugal have on average, a quite high standard of education and a personalized teaching focused on the abilities and goals of each student.

The annual tuition fees of the best schools tend to vary from around €10,000 to 20,000. These values might seem relatively high compared with local public and private schools but are quite low compared with many other western countries, including the United States and United Kingdom.

Most of the schools have their curriculum based in English language and a small number in French, Spanish or German.

In the English area, their curriculum is primarily based in the most familiar programs like Cambridge, IB, iGCSE and A-Levels.

Below is a comprehensive overview of some of the leading international schools in Portugal, highlighting academic outcomes, university placements, and awards.

Sharing International School

• IB World School, established in 2013, located in Oeiras, near Lisbon.
• Member of the Dukes Education Group.
• The school has more than 300 students of over 35 nationalities.
• IB is the backbone of the school curriculum.
• Facilities have a state-of-the-art design based on six principles and are embedded into the school core values like Care, Multiculturalism and Hospitality.
• Students are placed in leading foreign and local universities.
• Is one of the most recommended schools in Lisbon area by International Schools-Database.

Oeiras International School

• IB World School, established in 2010.
• IB outcomes consistently above global averages; recent students accepted to Oxford, Cambridge, Stanford, UCL, King’s College London, Imperial, Delft, and Amsterdam.
• Ranked among the Top 20 international schools in Portugal by International-Schools-Database.

United Lisbon International School

• Member of Dukes Education Group.
• IB 2024: average score 32.2; pass rate 89.7%; ~10% scored 40+ points.
• University destinations include Wharton, Duke, Brown, Georgia Tech, UC Davis, King’s College London, University of St Andrews and University of Edinburgh.
• Listed among the Top 20 international schools in Portugal by International-Schools-Database.
• It is currently building boarding facilities.

Carlucci American International School of Lisbon

• Founded in 1956, the oldest American international school in Iberia and is located in Cascais, near Lisbon.
• IB 2024: average score 36.6; 100% pass rate; 31% scored 40+ points.
• Sample offers include University of Chicago, UC Berkeley, Tufts, Rice, Imperial, UCL, LSE, University of Edinburgh, Toronto, McGill, École Polytechnique, KU Leuven, Bocconi.
• Recognised as one of the best international schools in Cascais.

St. Julian’s School

• British international school founded in 1932, located in Carcavelos, near Lisbon.
• Regular placements at Ivy League institutions and leading UK universities.
• Listed in The Schools Index Europe rankings.

St. Peter’s International School

• Established in 1993, in Palmela, near Setúbal, offers Portuguese National Curriculum alongside Cambridge (IGCSE) and IB Diploma Programme, and includes on-site boarding.
• Recognised among the Top 10 schools in Portugal, and Top 15 in Europe by Carfax Education.
• 2025 IB Diploma results: average above global average; many students scored 38+, with one achieving a perfect 45; 66% earned the IB Bilingual Diploma.
• Situated on a 37,000 m² campus featuring excellent sports, arts, and academic facilities, plus the region’s first boarding residence.

Main conclusions

• Sharing International School: superb design, innovative approach and multiculturalism.
• Oeiras International School: Exceptional IB outcomes, high-caliber placements, user-rated Top 20.
• United Lisbon International School: Promising first IB cohort, solid university absorption.
• Carlucci American International School: Outstanding IB performance, broad elite university offers.
• St. Julian’s: Deep-rooted tradition, consistent top-tier placements and European rankings.
• St. Peter’s: Strong academic results, bilingual diploma success, very high European rankings, boarding advantage.

Overview of the Portuguese Education System

The Portuguese education system went through a huge modernization in methods and infrastructures in the last two decades and has a good international reputation. Currently the education system is divided into the following cycles:

• Preschool: 3 to 6 years old
• Primary education: 6 to 15 years old
• Secondary education: 16 to 18 years old
• Higher education: 18 years old and above

Golden Visa and Education Investments in Portugal

As a side note, one the most popular Golden Visa eligible private equity funds (Sharing Education Fund 2), invests solely in projects of international schools in Portugal, one of the fastest growing economic areas in the country. Apart from the promising future financial performances, the fund´s partner also gives privileged access to the international schools where they have invested and manage to the children of the investors in the fund.