Good to know
Good to Know
- Madeira has only two full-fledged, dedicated international day schools, and both are in Funchal — ISM (British/Cambridge, ages 3-10 only) and ISSM (full IB continuum, ages 3-18) — so places are limited and it's worth applying well before relocating, especially at key transition points like the start of primary, middle, or high school.
- Because ISM stops at age 10, families with older children typically either move to ISSM's IB continuum, consider Escola da APEL's IB Diploma track for the final two years of secondary school, or enroll in the free Portuguese public system.
- Reported tuition figures vary somewhat between sources depending on the academic year cited (2025/26 vs 2026/27), so treat the ranges here as indicative and confirm current fees directly with each school before budgeting.
- Portuguese public schools in Funchal are free and considered good quality, but instruction is entirely in Portuguese, which can be a steep adjustment for children arriving without any Portuguese.
- Optional extras (meals, after-school clubs, homework clubs) at these schools are typically billed separately, monthly, on top of the base tuition — factor this into your budget.
- Funchal has only two dedicated international schools (ISM and ISSM), so even with year-round applications, popular grade levels can fill up — apply as early as possible rather than assuming rolling admission means space is guaranteed.
- If you're relocating with kids for the September school year, aim to have documents (transcripts, apostilles, proof of residence) sorted well before summer, since public-school enrollment windows open in May and international schools also fill their strongest cohorts early.
- Homeschooling is a legitimate, legal option in Portugal (and Madeira), but it is bureaucratic — expect to register with a local supervising school, prove a university degree, and commit to annual assessments; it isn't a low-paperwork 'opt out' option.
- We found no confirmed local Funchal/Madeira homeschool meetup or co-op — national Facebook groups and associations (ANPED, MEL) are the main support networks available to island-based families.
Schools And Curricula
International School of Madeira (ISM)
- Location
- Quinta Martins, Rua da Levada de Santa Luzia 40, Funchal
- Age Range
- 3 to 10 years (Infant School and Primary School only; no secondary programme)
- Curriculum
- Cambridge International (Cambridge Early Years/EYFS and Cambridge Primary), delivered as a fully bilingual English-Portuguese programme with equal daily instruction time in both languages
- Curriculum Type
- British / Cambridge, bilingual
- Notes
- Small class sizes, capped at fifteen pupils per class. Payment can be made annually, termly, or in twelve monthly instalments.
Tuition
- Nursery Low End
- €5,300
- Upper Primary High End
- €8,974
- Optional Catering Per Month
- €112
- Enrolment Fee First Registration
- €350
- Optional Homework Club Per Month
- €50
- Description
- Annual tuition by year group. Sources disagree slightly on the top of the range depending on academic year cited (2025/26 vs 2026/27) — figures below span both.
International Sharing School Madeira (ISSM)
- Location
- Rua de Santa Luzia 2, Funchal (new campus opened January 2026)
- Age Range
- 3 to 18 years, full continuum
- Curriculum
- Full International Baccalaureate continuum: Primary Years Programme (PYP, ages 3-11), Middle Years Programme (MYP, ages 11-16), Diploma Programme (DP, ages 16-18). Accredited IB World School; traces its roots to the Madeira British School founded in 1980.
- Curriculum Type
- International Baccalaureate (IB)
- Notes
- Around 300 students enrolled, roughly 20 per class, representing over 35 nationalities. Instruction is in English, with an English Boosting Programme for learners who need extra support. Withdrawal requires a full term's written notice or the following term is charged; no refunds on fees already paid.
Tuition
- Grades 1 To 5 Low
- €7,110
- Grades 1 To 5 High
- €8,500
- Early Years Ages 3 4
- €5,880
- Middle Years Grades 6 10 Low
- €9,120
- Middle Years Grades 6 10 High
- €11,280
- Diploma Programme Grades 11 12 Low
- €12,520
- Diploma Programme Grades 11 12 High
- €13,140
- Description
- Annual tuition varies significantly by programme stage for 2025-2026.
Escola Da APEL
- Location
- Funchal
- Age Range
- Upper-secondary only (final two years, Diploma Programme)
- Curriculum
- A Catholic secondary school rooted in the mainstream Portuguese national curriculum, with the great majority of students being local Portuguese speakers. It is separately authorized as an IB World School to deliver the IB Diploma Programme (DP), taught in English, as an add-on track for the final two years of upper-secondary school.
- Curriculum Type
- Portuguese national curriculum, with an optional English-taught IB Diploma Programme track
- Notes
- Not a full international school in the traditional sense — no continuity from early years through graduation. Best suited to expat families with older teens seeking a globally recognized diploma without switching to a fully international school.
Tuition
- Description
- Specific tuition figures for APEL's IB Diploma track were not published in the sources checked; families should contact the school directly for current fees.
Brave Generation Academy (BGA) — Funchal Hub
- Location
- Funchal
- Age Range
- Secondary and university-level students
- Curriculum
- Self-paced online and hybrid learning model, with British and Portuguese curriculum options depending on the track chosen by the family.
- Curriculum Type
- British / Portuguese, flexible/hybrid
- Notes
- A non-traditional option combining online coursework with a physical hub presence; useful for families wanting flexibility rather than a conventional day-school structure.
Tuition
- Annual Indicative
- €7,140
- Description
- Cost varies depending on the specific course/track selected.
Application Timing
- Summary
- Funchal has only two dedicated international schools, both located in the city, so places for popular grade levels fill up faster than the applications themselves suggest.
Details
- Both the International School of Madeira (ISM) and the International Sharing School of Madeira (ISSM) accept applications throughout the year, although families are encouraged to apply well in advance, especially for higher grades where spaces fill quickly.
- For families going the public-school route instead (free but Portuguese-language only), enrollment for the next academic year usually opens in May, and the school year itself runs mid-September to mid-June.
- General relocation guides for Portugal note that if you are moving with kids over the summer, July is effectively the last practical window to finalize enrollment paperwork before the September start.
Homeschooling Legality Portugal
- Status
- Fully legal and regulated
- Framework
- Homeschooling (Ensino Doméstico) is legal in Portugal, regulated nationally by Decreto-Lei n.º 70/2021, and applies the same way in Madeira/Funchal as on the mainland since it is national legislation, not a regional one.
- Alternative Route
- Many expat families instead enroll with an accredited international online/umbrella school and never formally enter the Portuguese Ensino Doméstico system, which sidesteps the degree requirement and paperwork but comes at higher cost and without integration into the local system.
Key Requirements
- The child must remain formally enrolled at a supervising local public (or accredited private) school, which oversees the arrangement.
- The parent/relative acting as 'Responsável Educativo' must hold a university degree (Licenciatura) — a foreign degree must be officially recognized in Portugal through the DGES equivalency process.
- A separate route, 'Ensino Individual', allows a licensed teacher (rather than a family member) to be the responsible educator if no household member holds a degree.
- Families submit an education plan aligned with national curriculum standards, and the child sits annual assessments at the supervising school.
- A 'Protocolo de Colaboração' (collaboration agreement) is signed between the family and the school, valid for one year and renewable.
- Processing timeline: authorization requests are generally decided within about 15 working days for Ensino Doméstico and about 10 working days for Ensino Individual after the request is registered with the school.
National Support Organizations
- ANPED — Associação Nacional de Pais em Ensino Doméstico (national homeschool parents' association)
- MEL — Movimento Educação Livre (educational-freedom advocacy and legal-support nonprofit)
- DGE — Direção-Geral da Educação (official government guidance body)
International Bilingual School Options
International School of Madeira (ISM)
- Type
- British curriculum, Cambridge International accredited, bilingual
- Ages Grades
- 3 to 10 years
International Sharing School Madeira (ISSM)
- Type
- IB-based international curriculum
Escola Da APEL
- Type
- Portuguese Catholic secondary school, mostly local students, but authorized as an IB World School offering the IB Diploma Programme (English-taught) for upper-secondary students only
- Note
- Not a full international school from early years — more of a hybrid option for older students
Waitlist Reality
- International Schools
- Enrollment is described as relatively straightforward compared to public school, but competitive due to genuinely limited capacity — Madeira has only two international schools, both in Funchal, so a specific grade level can be full even with rolling admissions.
- Public Schools For Contrast
- Foreign families choosing the free public system instead should expect a realistic wait of around 1 to 2 years in some cases, per relocation guides, versus international/private schools which tend to have shorter or no waiting lists.
Registration Fees
- New Student Enrollment Fee
- €600
- Returning Student Renewal Fee
- €300
- Note
- These one-time fees are reported for Madeira's international schools generally and are said to include books, stationery, and digital-resource access; exact amounts should be confirmed directly with ISM or ISSM as sources did not clearly attribute the figure to one specific school.
Required Documents
Required Documents
- Previous school records / academic transcripts
- Copies of parents' and child's passports (or ID)
- Proof of residence in Madeira
- Medical certificate with vaccination information, translated into Portuguese (required for Portuguese-system schools)
- Parent's Portuguese tax number (NIF) — needed for most formal school registrations
- Two ID photos for the student's personal file
- Documents brought from abroad (foreign transcripts, birth certificates) typically need to be apostilled before submission
- Entrance interview or assessment, particularly for older children applying to international schools
Local Madeira Homeschool Community
- Explanation
- We could not confirm a documented, Funchal- or Madeira-specific homeschooling co-op or in-person meetup group. The organizations and communities that do exist (ANPED, MEL, and the 'Homeschooling in Portugal' Facebook group) are national in scope, serving families across mainland Portugal and the islands rather than being based in or centered on Funchal specifically.
- Found Locally Specific
- No
AI-generated estimateData refreshed July 2026
This section has no cited sources.
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Data last updated July 2026 · Verify anything important.