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.

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.

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.

El Til·ler Waldorf-Steiner School is an accredited school in Bellaterra, Catalonia, Spain, serving children from age 3 to 18. The curriculum is based on Waldorf pedagogy across Infantil, Primària, Secundària and Batxillerat, with Primària combining cognitive, artistic and practical activities led by a tutor, and Secundària offering four years of study with two final years of bachillerat, spanning scientific, humanistic, technological and artistic subjects. The school emphasizes experiential learning through music, eurhythmics, visual arts, handcrafts and storytelling, and organizes regular field trips and farm stays to connect students with the local environment. Facilities include natural materials and spaces designed to support individual development, and the school operates its own kitchen serving organic food. Learning occurs through a living educational community, with continuous mentorship and collaboration among families, teachers and students, rooted in Rudolf Steiner's educational principles since the school's founding in 1999 as a playgroup and later cooperative and continues.

Escola Natura Montessori in Castellbisbal, Barcelona province, combines Montessori pedagogy with forest-school practices for children aged 1 to 12. Housed in a 17th-century farmhouse surrounded by forest, the campus offers a natural setting while remaining accessible to families with transport options. Multi-age communities—Infant Community (1-3), Casa de Niños (3-6), and Taller I–II (6-12)—foster collaboration, independence, and peer learning. Instruction in Catalan, Spanish, and English includes dedicated English language support. Learning is guided by Maria Montessori's scientific observation, shaping the prepared environment around each child to support emotional, physical, social, and academic development. Academic spaces cover geography, geometry, mathematics, history, and language, with Montessori materials arranged to support progression. The school emphasizes autonomy, creativity, love of nature, and responsible participation. Extracurriculars include a nature-focused Casal de Verano Natura Montessori and weekly forest-school outings, reinforcing outdoor learning and community engagement. The dining hall serves ecological, locally sourced foods.

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.

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.

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.

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.