Good to know
Good to Know
- The three fully private, diplomatically-oriented schools — St. George's, AOSR, Marymount and St. Stephen's — sit at the top of the price range and are the ones most embassies and multinational relocation packages default to; smaller schools like Core International, Kendale, or the bilingual 'paritarie' schools are considerably cheaper but less internationally recognized.
- Headline tuition is rarely the full cost: budget on top for a one-off application fee, a one-off enrolment/registration deposit (often €1,500–€4,000+), an annual capital/building fee, mandatory exam fees in the IB/IGCSE years, lunch, and — because many campuses are outside the center — school bus transport, which alone can run into the thousands of euros per year.
- Several well-regarded schools (Marymount, Ambrit, Castelli, Southlands' most recent figures, Core International, Kendale, and others) do not publish full fee schedules online — get a direct, current quote from the school rather than relying on any aggregator figure.
- Because most large-campus international schools sit outside central Rome (La Storta, Rome North, Aventine, Ostia), factor daily commute/bus time into your housing choice if you're relocating with kids.
- For a September start, begin contacting Rome international schools by October–December of the prior year — popular entry points like Pre-K, Year 7 and IB Year 1 fill first even though most schools technically accept rolling applications.
- Budget beyond tuition: expect a one-off application fee (roughly €200–500) plus a first-year enrollment fee (roughly €1,500–4,000), separate from annual tuition and extras like bus or lunch.
- Get your child's last two years of school reports translated into English (or the relevant instruction language) before applying — this is a near-universal document requirement and translation takes time.
- Start Italian residence paperwork (codice fiscale, permesso di soggiorno) in parallel with school applications, since some schools tie final enrolment steps to it and it takes weeks to process.
- Homeschooling is fully legal in Italy, but it isn't a 'set and forget' choice: it requires a fresh annual declaration to a local school principal plus an annual external exam for the child until age 16.
- If you're relocating to Rome and want a homeschooling support network, look for Rome/Lazio-specific Facebook groups and national associations like LAIF rather than expecting a formal drop-in co-op — the local scene is real but informal and modest in size.
Schools And Curricula
- Overview
- Rome has one of the largest concentrations of international schools in Italy, driven by a large diplomatic, embassy, Vatican-adjacent, NGO and corporate-expat population. Most schools that are not tiny bilingual 'paritarie' cluster around three curricular families: International Baccalaureate (PYP/MYP/DP), British (National Curriculum leading to IGCSE and A-Levels), and American (High School Diploma plus AP, sometimes combined with IB DP). Many campuses sit outside the historic center — in areas like La Storta, Cassia, the Aventine Hill, Rome North, or even Ostia — because they need larger sites; families typically commute by school bus.
Schools
St. George's British International School, Rome
- Location
- Two campuses: La Storta (Senior School, north Rome) and a City Centre Junior School near the Vatican
- Age Range
- 3 to 18
- Curricula
- British National Curriculum through IGCSE, then choice of IB Diploma Programme or A-Levels (A-Levels reintroduced 2025/26); NEASC-accredited High School Diploma also awarded
- Extra Fees Note
- Reported separately: registration fee around €4,000 (non-refundable), annual re-enrolment fee around €350, bus €2,600–€4,150 depending on route, IGCSE exam fees around €1,200, IB exam fees around €1,000.
Tuition Per Year
- Range Low
- €10,700
- Range High
- €19,900
American Overseas School of Rome (AOSR)
- Location
- North of the city near Via Cassia, 12-hectare campus
- Age Range
- Pre-K to Grade 12 (roughly 3 to 18)
- Curricula
- American-International curriculum culminating in the US High School Diploma, with Advanced Placement (AP) courses and an optional IB Diploma Programme
- Extra Fees Note
- IB Diploma candidates pay an additional annual IB Program Fee; bus transport billed separately.
Tuition Per Year
- First Year Example
- €18,800
- Note
- First-year all-in cost for a 3-year-old for 2025/26 reported at
Rome International School (RIS)
- Location
- Rome, representing around 60 nationalities
- Age Range
- 2 to 18
- Curricula
- The only school in Rome authorised for both IB Primary Years Programme (ages 3–11) and IB Diploma Programme (16–18); Cambridge IGCSE for Middle School (ages 11–16)
- Extra Fees Note
- Lunch fee billed separately; Cambridge Checkpoint, IGCSE and IB exam fees are mandatory and additional; uniforms, trips and textbooks (Middle/High School) also extra.
Tuition Per Year
- Range Low
- €10,395
- Range High
- €27,480
St. Stephen's School Rome
- Location
- Aventine Hill, central Rome, near the Roman Forum
- Age Range
- Grades 9–12 (roughly 14–18); day and boarding
- Curricula
- American independent college-preparatory curriculum combined with the IB Diploma Programme; accredited by CIS and NEASC
- Extra Fees Note
- Lunch around €1,590/year; new-student capital assessment fee €1,500 (returning students €500); a Spring Trip deposit is also charged.
Tuition Per Year
- Day Program
- €28,960
- Boarding Total
- €49,413
Marymount International School Rome
- Location
- Rome North, 10-hectare campus
- Age Range
- Early Childhood to Grade 12 (roughly 3–18)
- Curricula
- Full IB continuum — PYP, MYP and Diploma Programme; also offers a US Diploma track and AP courses; Catholic ethos
Tuition Per Year
- Note
- Fees not published by the school; treat as broadly comparable to St. George's/AOSR given similar market positioning and diplomatic/corporate clientele.
Ambrit International School
- Location
- Rome
- Age Range
- PreK to Grade 8 (roughly 3–14)
- Curricula
- IB-aligned programme (Primary and Middle Years framework) with American influences
Tuition Per Year
- Note
- Specific tuition figures not found in publicly listed fee schedules at time of research.
Southlands English School
- Location
- Ostia area, roughly a 40-minute drive from central Rome (a genuine outlier on proximity, included because it's a well-established, commonly recommended option)
- Age Range
- 3 to 18
- Curricula
- English National Curriculum through IGCSE, IB Diploma Programme in Sixth Form; also offers the Italian Programma Ministeriale and Maturità track
Tuition Per Year
- Range Low
- €7,025
- Range High
- €18,450
Castelli International School (CIS)
- Location
- Hilltop site in the Alban Hills overlooking Rome
- Age Range
- Year 1 through Year 9 (roughly 5–14)
- Curricula
- Blend of the British National Curriculum with the Italian Ministerial curriculum, taught primarily in English
Tuition Per Year
- Note
- Fees not publicly listed by the school.
Core International School
- Location
- Rome
- Age Range
- Nursery/primary and growing into secondary
- Curricula
- English-medium, IB-aligned programme with an emphasis on project-based learning and small classes
Tuition Per Year
- Note
- Fees not publicly listed; positioned as a mid-market option relative to St. George's/AOSR.
Kendale Primary International School
- Location
- Rome
- Age Range
- Early Years through Year 6 (roughly 3–11)
- Curricula
- English National Curriculum
Tuition Per Year
- Note
- Fees not publicly listed.
The New School Rome
- Location
- Grounds close to Rome's historic centre
- Age Range
- 3 to 18
- Curricula
- English National Curriculum leading to IGCSE and A-Levels
Tuition Per Year
- Note
- Fees not publicly listed in sources reviewed.
Acorn International School
- Location
- Central Rome
- Age Range
- Not fully specified in available sources
- Curricula
- IB World School programme
Tuition Per Year
- Range Low
- €8,500
- Range High
- €14,500
Ostia International School
- Location
- Ostia, between the seafront and pinewood — outside central Rome
- Age Range
- Primary years
- Curricula
- Bilingual (English/Italian) primary programme
Tuition Per Year
- Note
- Fees not publicly listed.
St. Philip School
- Location
- Rome
- Age Range
- Not fully specified
- Curricula
- Bilingual Italian–English programme
Tuition Per Year
- Note
- Fees not publicly listed.
Britannia International School of Rome
- Location
- Villa setting in south Rome
- Age Range
- 3 to 11
- Curricula
- English-medium curriculum
Tuition Per Year
- Note
- Fees not publicly listed.
German School of Rome
- Location
- Rome
- Age Range
- Not fully specified
- Curricula
- German national curriculum
Tuition Per Year
- Note
- Government-subsidized German/French national schools in Rome generally run lower than the fully private American/British schools, but a specific current figure for this school was not found.
Lycée Chateaubriand
- Location
- Central Rome
- Age Range
- Pre-school through secondary
- Curricula
- French national curriculum leading to the French Baccalauréat and Brevet
Tuition Per Year
- Note
- Fees not found in sources reviewed; French national schools abroad are typically subsidized and cheaper than fully private American/British schools.
Modern International School Rome
- Location
- Central Rome
- Age Range
- Not fully specified
- Curricula
- International curriculum integrated with Islamic values education
Tuition Per Year
- Note
- Fees not publicly listed.
Homeschooling
- Legal Status Italy
- Homeschooling (istruzione parentale) is explicitly legal and recognized in Italy under Article 34 of the Constitution and by the Ministry of Education (MIM), which frames it as a legitimate alternative to school attendance for parents who choose to educate their children directly.
Process To Start
- Parents must submit a written declaration to the head (dirigente scolastico) of the nearest state or accredited school, renewed every year, attesting to their technical or economic capacity to provide the instruction themselves.
- The school head has a duty to verify the substance of what parents declare.
- Each year until the end of compulsory education, the child must sit an external 'idoneità' (suitability) exam as a private candidate at a state or accredited school to move up a grade.
- Compulsory education in Italy covers ages 6 to 16, so the annual declaration and exam requirement applies within that window; before age 6 there is no compulsory-education obligation at all, and after 16 families can continue homeschooling without the annual filing since the education obligation has lapsed.
Rome Local Community
- Caveat
- This is a real but modest community — expect Facebook-group-sized networks (dozens to low hundreds of local members) rather than a formal co-op with a physical space; most organized activity is nationwide with occasional Rome-specific meetups rather than a standing Rome-only institution.
- Detail
- A genuine, documented homeschooling community exists in the Rome/Lazio area, primarily organized through dedicated Facebook groups such as one focused on Rome North and Viterbo and a broader Rome/Lazio-area homeschooling page, alongside occasional in-person meetups organized by national homeschooling associations and foundations.
- Exists
- Yes
- National Associations Active In Lazio
- LAIF (L'Associazione Istruzione Familiare) is a national homeschooling association that has historically had a dedicated Rome/Lazio regional contact person, and other national homeschooling networks (e.g. EDUpar, and the Fondazione Libera Schola) have organized in-person events specifically in Rome to connect local homeschooling families.
International Bilingual School Enrollment
- Overview
- Rome's international/bilingual school scene is comparatively small next to hubs like London or Singapore, which cuts both ways for nomad families: fewer options, but also less cutthroat competition than in larger expat cities.
- Waitlist Reality
- The application process for Rome's private schools is less competitive than other major cities, but it is still possible to run into waitlists, and Rome's international school community is relatively small with popular schools filling up quickly, particularly at primary level.
- Placement Note
- Class placement is generally based on the child's age as of 30 September, since the Italian/international school year runs September to August rather than by calendar year.
Application Timing
- Typical Cycle
- Most international schools open applications from October for the following September, with interviews and assessments between January and April.
- Recommended Lead Time
- Shortlisting 3 to 5 schools by December, booking tours early in Q1, and preparing translated school reports are the recommended steps for a September start, since Italian residence paperwork (codice fiscale and permesso di soggiorno) takes weeks and should be started before the move.
School Specific Notes
- American Overseas School of Rome (AOSR) operates rolling admissions with no fixed deadline, but the school itself encourages contacting admissions as early as possible to allow time for document gathering and placement testing.
- Marymount International School Rome accepts applications year-round but recommends applying in December/February for a September start because spaces are limited.
- Rome International School and Ambrit also run rolling, inquiry-first admissions, but note that popular cohorts such as Pre-K, Year 7 and IB Year 1 fill first.
Fees Beyond Tuition
Application Fee
- Amount USD Low
- 232
- Currency Local
- EUR
- Amount USD High
- 580
- Amount Local Low
- 200
- Amount Local High
- 500
- Note
- One-off, non-refundable fee typically charged at time of application, before any offer is made
First Year Enrollment Fee
- Amount USD Low
- 1740
- Currency Local
- EUR
- Amount USD High
- 4640
- Amount Local Low
- 1500
- Amount Local High
- 4000
- Note
- Charged in year one on top of annual tuition; separate from ongoing tuition and from extras like bus service or lunches
Required Documents Typical
- Completed admissions enquiry/application form
- Copies of the child's birth certificate and passport
- Completed medical information form signed by a parent/guardian
- Official school reports for the past two years, translated into English (or the school's language of instruction) if originally in another language
- Recommendation forms sent directly from the student's current school to the new school
- For Middle/High School entry: placement or diagnostic assessment (e.g. CAT4) is commonly requested before enrolment
AI-generated estimateData refreshed July 2026
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Data last updated July 2026 · Verify anything important.