Good to know
Good to Know
- Virtually all named international/bilingual schools sit in the northern suburbs (Kifisia, Halandri, Maroussi, Agia Paraskevi) or the southern/eastern belt (Glyfada, Pallini) rather than central Athens — factor in a daily commute or school-bus fees if you're based near Syntagma or Plaka.
- EU citizen children can attend Greek state schools completely free, which is a useful fallback if private/international fees become unaffordable.
- Many schools quote 'Inquire at school' rather than publishing fees online, so getting an accurate, current quote usually means contacting admissions directly rather than relying on third-party comparison sites.
- Published tuition almost always excludes uniforms, school bus, meals, and one-off registration/capital fees — budget an extra few thousand euros per year on top of headline tuition.
- Most Athens international schools run rolling admissions rather than one fixed annual deadline, which works in favor of relocating nomad families — but start the paperwork 6-9 months ahead for the most in-demand grades if you can.
- Document translation (transcripts, birth certificates) into Greek or English can take several weeks depending on your home country, so start gathering these early rather than waiting until you have a start date confirmed.
- Homeschooling is not a viable general-purpose option for residents in Greece — Greek compulsory-education law only explicitly carves out an exception for children with special educational needs, so plan on enrolling in a public, private, or international school if you'll be tax/residency-based in Athens.
- If you're only in Athens short-term and remain officially resident/registered elsewhere, some expat families continue their home country's distance-learning program, but this operates in an unregulated gray zone locally, not as a sanctioned Greek pathway — get case-specific advice rather than assuming it's straightforwardly fine.
Schools
ACS Athens (American Community Schools)
- Location
- Halandri
- Age Range
- Junior Kindergarten (age 3) to Grade 12 (age 18)
Tuition
- Notes
- Tuition is published per semester and rises steeply by grade; figures below are 2025/2026-2026/2027 published amounts.
Examples
Pre-School (PJ-JK), annual total
- Pre School (PJ JK), Annual Total
- €9,050
Registration fee (first child, one-off)
- Registration Fee (First Child, One Off)
- €100
IB Full Diploma programme fee (two-year, one-off)
- IB Full Diploma Programme Fee (Two Year, One Off)
- €1,400
Day Care extended program (annual)
- Day Care Extended Program (Annual)
- €1,846
School bus, Zone C (annual)
- School Bus, Zone C (Annual)
- €2,100
Curriculum
- American High School Diploma
- IB Diploma Programme (Grades 11-12)
- Advanced Placement (AP)
- Greek High School Diploma Equivalency
International School of Athens (ISA)
- Location
- Kifisia (Kefalari area), three campuses
- Age Range
- 2 to 18
Tuition
- Notes
- Full fee schedule is published on the school's own site and split into 4 installments per year (25% due upfront); registration fees below are one-off and non-refundable.
Examples
Registration fee, KG-Grade 12 (one-off)
- Registration Fee, KG Grade 12 (One Off)
- €1,700
Registration fee, Junior Pre-KG & Pre-KG (one-off)
- Registration Fee, Junior Pre KG & Pre KG (One Off)
- €600
Curriculum
- IB Primary Years Programme (PYP)
- IB Middle Years Programme (MYP)
- IB Diploma Programme (DP)
- College Preparatory Programme
Athens College
- Location
- Psychiko area
- Age Range
- 3 to 18
Tuition
- Notes
- Language of instruction is English; this is one of Athens's oldest and most academically selective bilingual/international schools.
Examples
Annual fee, Grade 7 (2025/2026)
- Annual Fee, Grade 7 (2025/2026)
- €11,280
Curriculum
- IB Diploma Programme
Campion School
- Location
- Pallini
- Age Range
- Lower School (Years 7-9) through Upper School (Years 12-13)
Tuition
- Notes
- Published range varies by year group; older published figures found, may not reflect current-year increases.
Examples
Annual tuition range
- Annual Tuition Range
- €6,680
Annual tuition range (top end)
- Annual Tuition Range (Top End)
- €12,420
Curriculum
- British National Curriculum
- IGCSE
- A-Levels
St. Catherine's British School
- Location
- Lykovrissi
- Age Range
- 3 to 18 (Lower School 3-11, Upper School to Year 13)
Tuition
- Notes
- School does not publish fees online; described by third-party school-fee guides as sitting in the mid-to-upper Athens tuition tier. A member of COBIS.
Curriculum
- National Curriculum for England
- IGCSE
- IB Diploma
Byron College
- Location
- Pallini
- Age Range
- 4 to 18
Tuition
- Notes
- Fees not confirmed in current published sources for this profile; enrolls roughly 560 students from 50+ nationalities, about 30% Greek.
Curriculum
- UK National Curriculum (Key Stages)
- IGCSE
- AS/A-Levels
St. Lawrence College - The British School in Greece
- Location
- Southern Athens suburbs, 20+ acre campus
- Age Range
- 3 to 18
Tuition
- Notes
- Fees not published in available sources; described as a low-density, non-central campus setting.
Curriculum
- British curriculum
Deutsche Schule Athen (DSA)
- Location
- Maroussi
- Age Range
- Kindergarten through secondary
Tuition
- Notes
- One of the oldest German schools abroad (founded 1896); bilingual German-Greek, serving Greek, German, Austrian and Swiss families. Fees not published in available sources.
Curriculum
- German curriculum corresponding to regular Greek schools, with option for German/Greek dual diploma
Lycée Franco-Hellénique Eugène-Delacroix
- Location
- Agia Paraskevi
- Age Range
- Not specified in available sources
Tuition
- Notes
- Fees not published in available sources; inquire directly with school.
Curriculum
- French national curriculum (bilingual French-Greek)
Saint Paul's Franco-Hellenic School
- Location
- Piraeus
- Age Range
- Not specified in available sources
Tuition
- Notes
- Private French-language Catholic school founded 1893; fees not published in available sources.
Curriculum
- French curriculum, plus German language track
Pierce - The American College of Greece (K-12 Division)
- Location
- Agia Paraskevi
- Age Range
- Kindergarten to Lyceum (18)
Tuition
- Notes
- Fees not published in available sources.
Curriculum
- American-style Kindergarten-Elementary-Gymnasium-Lyceum programme
- IB Diploma Programme
Doukas School
- Location
- Ilioupoli/southern Athens
- Age Range
- Primary through Lyceum
Tuition
- Notes
- School does not make fees public.
Curriculum
- Greek Panhellenic Exam track
- IB Diploma
- International A-Level
- BTEC Foundation in Art, Design & Media Practice
Geitonas School
- Location
- Vari, southern Athens
- Age Range
- Not specified in available sources
Tuition
- Notes
- School does not make fees public.
Curriculum
- Greek national curriculum with a European/international dimension
- IB Diploma
International Metropolitan School
- Location
- Southern suburbs
- Age Range
- 1 to 18
Tuition
- Notes
- Fees not published in available sources.
Curriculum
- IB Diploma Programme (high school in development)
International School of Piraeus (ISP)
- Location
- Piraeus city center
- Age Range
- Nursery through Elementary
Tuition
- Notes
- School does not make fees public.
Curriculum
- IB methodology, taught bilingually in Greek and English
Montessori School of Athens - Maria Goudeli
- Location
- Not specified in available sources
- Age Range
- 2.5 to 12
Tuition
- Notes
- Run by a non-profit foundation; fees not published in available sources.
Curriculum
- Montessori method, adapted to the Greek context
Philippine School in Greece (PSG)
- Location
- Athens (exact central neighborhood not specified)
- Age Range
- 3 to 17
Tuition
- Notes
- Non-profit school serving the Filipino community under Philippine Embassy oversight; fees not published in available sources.
Curriculum
- Philippine Department of Education K-12 Basic Education framework
Glyfada Christian Academy
- Location
- Glyfada
- Age Range
- Kindergarten to Grade 12
Tuition
- Notes
- Fees not published; inquire directly with school.
Curriculum
- American K-12 system, English-language, Christian ethos
General Tuition Context
- Note
- Multiple relocation/expat guides put mainstream Athens international-school tuition at roughly EUR 7,000-13,000 per year before extras, with premium IB/British-curriculum schools running EUR 17,000-28,000 per year once registration, capital, bus and meal fees are added.
Typical Extra Costs
Application/registration Fee
- Currency Local
- EUR
- Amount Local Range
- 100-1700
Enrolment/acceptance (Capital) Fee
- Currency Local
- EUR
- Amount Local Range
- 1000-3500
School Bus (Annual, Zone-dependent)
- Currency Local
- EUR
- Amount Local Range
- 1400-2100
Enrollment And Homeschooling
Homeschooling
- Legal Basis
- Under Greek education law (Law 1566/1985, Article 2 §3), school attendance is compulsory for children roughly ages 6-15 (in practice enrollment often starts around age 4-5). Homeschooling is only explicitly permitted under Article 32, Section 4, for children with disabilities or special educational needs where mainstream or special-unit attendance is rendered especially difficult by the nature/severity of the condition — not as a general lifestyle choice.
- Legal Status
- Illegal for general population with narrow exception
- Local Community Or Coop
- We could not find a specific, verifiably documented homeschooling co-op or organized in-person support group based in Athens itself. General sources note that a small homeschooling community exists in Greece nationally, connecting mainly through informal online forums and social-media groups rather than a named, established Athens-based organization — this should be treated as an informal, loosely organized network rather than a confirmed institution, and families should not assume a structured Athens co-op is waiting for them.
- Practical Reality For Foreign Families
- Sources disagree on exact framing — some describe it flatly as 'illegal,' others as a legal 'gray area' since there is no explicit statute criminalizing it, but all agree compulsory schooling law means homeschooling is not a recognized mainstream option for resident children outside the special-needs exception. For non-resident families who remain legally registered/domiciled in another country, some report following that other country's distance-learning or home-education framework while physically living in Greece, but this sits in an unregulated gray zone rather than being an approved local pathway, and a homeschooled child would still need to sit exams at a registered school to obtain the Greek compulsory-education leaving certificate (Apolytirio) if seeking that credential. Families considering this route are strongly advised to consult the Greek Ministry of Education directly and get residency-specific advice, since 'residency, not nationality,' is what determines whether Greek compulsory-schooling rules apply to a given family.
International Bilingual School Enrollment
- Overview
- Athens has roughly a dozen well-established international/bilingual schools (ACS Athens, St. Catherine's British School, International School of Athens/ISA, Byron College, Campion School, Costeas-Geitonas, German School of Athens/Deutsche Schule Athen, Italian State School, IMS, and others). Policies vary school to school but most operate rolling admissions rather than a single fixed application window, which is helpful for relocating families arriving mid-year.
- Application Timing
- Most schools accept applications year-round on a rolling, first-come/space-available basis rather than one hard annual deadline. ACS Athens explicitly accepts applications throughout the academic year and processes them on a first-come, first-served basis once a complete file is submitted. St. Catherine's British School opens a fresh admissions cycle each October for the following academic year (e.g., the 2025/26 cycle opened in October 2024), but also accepts applications year-round according to space, especially for arriving expatriate families. Realistic planning advice for a nomad/expat family: start the process 6-9 months before your intended start date for the most popular schools and grade levels (early years and popular grades fill fastest), but don't assume you're locked out if you're applying with only a few months' notice — mid-year enrollment is common practice given how many international families relocate outside the normal school-year cycle.
- Waitlist Realistic Expectations
- Waitlist pressure is real but uneven across schools and grades. St. Catherine's is explicit that as a popular, non-selective school it 'often faced with a high level of demand for a limited number of available places,' though it resets its waiting list each admissions cycle rather than carrying names over year to year. Highly sought grade levels (especially early years/reception and the transition years around IGCSE/IB) tend to be tightest; less common grades or schools with newer/expanding campuses (e.g., ISA, which is actively growing capacity) tend to have more availability. Practical takeaway: apply to more than one school in parallel if your child's grade/age is a competitive one, and ask each admissions office directly about current space in the specific grade you need rather than relying on general reputation.
School Specific Notes
ACS Athens
- Application Fee
- €100
- Additional Child Application Fee
- €50
- Notes
- Rolling admissions all year, first-come first-served once the file (application + fee) is complete. Does not accept walk-ins; families must go through an online admissions portal and schedule a meeting.
St. Catherine's British School
- Application Fee
- €150
- Reservation Deposit Annual
- €2,000
- Registration Fee On Acceptance
- €1,000
- Notes
- New admissions cycle opens each October for the following school year, but year-round applications accepted subject to space. Assessment in English/Maths plus interview for most ages.
International School of Athens (ISA)
- Notes
- Describes its admissions process as designed to be transparent and supportive for families moving to Athens or already based there, and is actively taking enquiries for Kindergarten through Secondary.
Typical Required Documents
- Completed application form per child
- Non-refundable application fee (varies by school, generally in the €100-€250 range per child)
- Copy of child's passport/ID and birth certificate
- Previous school records/transcripts (often need certified translation into English or Greek)
- Vaccination/medical records
- Proof of residential address in Greece
- For public/state kindergarten and primary enrollment specifically, Greek authorities require an application for admission, birth certificate, vaccination records, a dentist's certificate, and proof of address, with documents needing translation into Greek
- Assessment/entrance testing in English and Maths for many schools, plus a family interview
- Visa/residence permit documentation if applicable
Athens has a well-established but suburban international-school sector. Most campuses sit in the northern suburbs (Kifisia, Halandri, Maroussi, Agia Paraskevi) or the southern/eastern belt (Glyfada, Pallini, Koropi), reflecting the large campus space these schools need — none are truly walkable from the central Syntagma/Plaka core. Fees are set under a Greek Ministry of Education fee framework for licensed foreign-curriculum ('xeno scholeio') schools, and most published tuition covers core teaching only, with registration, capital, bus, meals and uniforms charged separately.
AI-generated estimateData refreshed July 2026
This section has no cited sources.
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Data last updated July 2026 · Verify anything important.