Schools & Education in Florianópolis

Good to Know

• Only Dual International School and, to a lesser extent, EIF offer a genuine foreign/IB diploma pathway in Florianópolis — most other well-known 'bilingual' schools follow the mandatory Brazilian BNCC curriculum with heavy English instruction rather than a separate international curriculum.
• Almost none of Florianópolis's schools publish exact tuition figures online; expect to request a fee schedule directly from the admissions office, and budget for separate one-time enrollment (matrícula) and materials fees on top of monthly tuition.
• Bilingual-tier schools (BNCC + English immersion, e.g. Maple Bear-style programs) run roughly R$2,800–6,000+ per month depending on age group, and are a far cheaper option than a true IB/American-diploma school for families not needing a foreign diploma.
• Brazil's school year runs February to December (southern hemisphere calendar), so plan enrollment and moving dates around that main February intake rather than a Northern Hemisphere August start.
• Seats at Florianópolis's small pool of true international/bilingual schools (especially the IB program) are limited — start the admissions process (tour, interview, testing, document submission) months ahead of your target start date rather than assuming you can enroll on short notice.
• Most schools expect a campus visit or 'discovery day' before or alongside a formal application, and typically respond to inquiries within about 5 business days.
• Homeschooling is not legally authorized nationwide in Brazil, and Santa Catarina's own attempt to legalize it at the state level was struck down by the courts — Brazilian resident families doing it informally face real (if often unenforced) legal risk.
• A genuine local homeschooling community exists via the Santa Catarina chapter of ANED and periodic in-person meetups/events in Florianópolis, so families aren't entirely without local support or information.
• If you're a foreign national considering homeschooling instead of local enrollment, don't rely on informal claims that expats are exempt from Brazilian schooling rules — confirm your specific visa/residency situation with a qualified immigration or education lawyer, since we could not verify this via an official government source.