Good to know
Good to Know
- Fees change every year and many top schools (Nido, Mayflower, SEK, Saint Gabriel's, The Grange, Craighouse) don't publish tuition publicly at all — you generally have to contact admissions directly for a current quote.
- Nido de Aguilas bills its tuition directly in US dollars rather than Chilean pesos, so your actual cost as a nomad/expat family will move with the CLP/USD exchange rate on top of any annual increase.
- One expat account describes Nido as "crazily expensive" and says among the people she knows, school fees there are always covered by an employer relocation package rather than paid out of pocket — worth checking whether your own employer or contract offers an education allowance before assuming you'll self-fund it.
- Beyond annual tuition, budget for large one-time costs: many schools charge a separate 'incorporation' or 'capital' fee (in the thousands to tens of thousands of USD at the top end) on top of registration and application fees.
- IB is the dominant international curriculum in Santiago, but if you want a British (Cambridge/A-Level), American, German, French, Italian, Swiss or Finnish-style program there are dedicated options — just expect a longer, more paperwork-heavy admissions process and possible waitlists, since private/international schooling is in high demand in Chile.
- Most of the schools nomad families consider are clustered in Santiago's eastern comunas (Lo Barnechea, Las Condes, Vitacura, La Reina), which is also where most short-term expat housing is concentrated.
- Apply to Santiago's top international/bilingual schools at least a year ahead of your intended start date — ideally before you even relocate — since waitlists at the most sought-after schools (e.g. Nido de Águilas) can run for multiple years at certain grade levels.
- Expect to notarize and legalize your child's academic transcripts at a Chilean consulate before applying; this step often takes longer than families expect, so start it early.
- Application/acceptance timelines are unforgiving — some schools give you as little as 48 hours to 7 days after an offer to pay and confirm, or the spot is released to the next family on the list.
- If you don't yet have a RUT, the public system's IPE (Provisional School Identifier) is a useful fallback for accessing public/subsidized schools while your immigration paperwork is pending — but it doesn't apply to private international school admissions.
- Homeschooling is a genuine, legal option in Chile via the 'exámenes libres' validation system, and registering for those exams is free — but you'll need to coordinate with an official MINEDUC-designated examining school, and processes can vary somewhat by region.
- There's no single dedicated Santiago homeschool co-op storefront, but real, organized in-person homeschooling community activity does happen locally (documented in Maipú), alongside active national online networks and structured group programs like Classical Conversations Chile.
Schools And Curricula
- Overview
- Santiago has one of Latin America's largest concentrations of international and bilingual schools, most clustered in the eastern comuna belt (Lo Barnechea, Las Condes, Vitacura, La Reina, Providencia, Peñalolén). The International Baccalaureate is the single most common foreign curriculum, but British (Cambridge/IGCSE, A-Level), American, German, French, Italian, Swiss and Finnish-affiliated schools are all represented, frequently layered on top of the compulsory Chilean national curriculum.
Schools
The International School Nido De Aguilas
- Ages Grades
- Early Years (age 3) through Grade 12
- Neighborhood
- Lo Barnechea (El Rodeo / Camino Las Flores / El Alba campuses)
- Notes
- Widely regarded as Santiago's flagship international school; large expat and diplomatic community enrollment.
Tuition
- Billing Note
- This school bills tuition directly in US dollars; the CLP figures below are a computed equivalent, not the school's own quoted currency.
Items
Annual Tuition, PK–K1
- Annual Tuition, PK–K1
- CLP 10,659,000
Annual Tuition, K2–Grade 12
- Annual Tuition, K2–Grade 12
- CLP 19,541,500
Annual Registration Fee (EYS/ES/MS)
- Annual Registration Fee (EYS/ES/MS)
- CLP 1,402,500
Annual Registration Fee (High School)
- Annual Registration Fee (High School)
- CLP 1,776,500
One-time Capital Incorporation Fee
- One Time Capital Incorporation Fee
- CLP 13,744,500
Curricula
- IB (PYP, MYP, DP)
- American / "Nido Diploma"
- Chilean National Plan
Santiago College
- Ages Grades
- Pre-Kinder through Grade 12
- Neighborhood
- Lo Barnechea (Camino Los Trapenses)
- Notes
- Founded in 1880 by American Methodist missionaries as a girls' boarding school; today a large bilingual co-ed day school where most students are Chilean nationals.
Tuition
- Billing Note
- Figure below comes from a school-fee directory of uncertain vintage; confirm directly with the school before budgeting.
Items
Monthly Tuition (per Source, Undated)
- Monthly Tuition (Per Source, Undated)
- CLP 430,345
Curricula
- IB (PYP, MYP, DP)
- Chilean national curriculum
The Mayflower School
- Ages Grades
- Not fully specified in sources (approx. early years through Grade 12)
- Neighborhood
- Lo Barnechea
- Notes
- Bilingual English/Spanish, Catholic-values school on a 6-hectare campus.
Tuition
- Billing Note
- Not publicly disclosed; school states "inquire directly".
Curricula
- IB (PYP, MYP, DP)
- Chilean Ministry of Education framework
Wenlock School
- Ages Grades
- Not fully specified
- Neighborhood
- Las Condes
- Notes
- Secular, co-educational; member of the Association of British Schools in Chile (ABSCH).
Tuition
- Billing Note
- Not publicly disclosed.
Curricula
- Cambridge IGCSE
- IB Diploma Programme
SEK Chile International School (Colegio Internacional SEK)
- Ages Grades
- Not fully specified
- Neighborhood
- Las Condes (Los Militares 6640)
- Notes
- First Latin American school of the SEK International Institution, opened 1983.
Tuition
- Billing Note
- Not publicly disclosed; school states "inquire directly".
Curricula
- IB Diploma Programme
Bradford School
- Ages Grades
- Not fully specified
- Neighborhood
- Vitacura (Av. Luis Pasteur 6335)
- Notes
- Founded 1954; ABSCH and LAHC member; secular but offers Catholic education classes.
Tuition
- Billing Note
- Figures are for the 2024–2025 school year per an expat-guide directory; verify current pricing with the school directly.
Items
Annual Tuition, Kindergarten
- Annual Tuition, Kindergarten
- CLP 4,815,250
Annual Tuition, Grades 1–6
- Annual Tuition, Grades 1–6
- CLP 5,750,250
Annual Tuition, Grades 7–12
- Annual Tuition, Grades 7–12
- CLP 5,843,750
Admission Test Fee
- Admission Test Fee
- CLP 93,500
One-time Incorporation Fee
- One Time Incorporation Fee
- CLP 2,244,000
Annual Registration Fee
- Annual Registration Fee
- CLP 430,100
Curricula
- English-medium instruction to Grade 5, bilingual thereafter
- IB
- UK A-Level
- Chilean PSU track
Craighouse School
- Ages Grades
- Not fully specified
- Neighborhood
- Lo Barnechea (Paseo Pie Andino)
- Notes
- English-medium school; commonly described as a step below Nido/Grange in local prestige rankings, per an expat-guide source.
Tuition
- Billing Note
- Not publicly disclosed.
Curricula
- IB
- UK A-Levels
- Chilean PSU
Anglo-American School
- Ages Grades
- Not fully specified
- Neighborhood
- Not specified in sources reviewed
- Notes
- Multi-child family discounts available per source.
Tuition
- Billing Note
- Figures are for the 2024–2025 school year per an expat-guide directory; verify current pricing with the school directly.
Items
Annual Tuition, Kindergarten
- Annual Tuition, Kindergarten
- CLP 4,067,250
Annual Tuition, Grade 1 and Above
- Annual Tuition, Grade 1 And Above
- CLP 4,488,000
Application Fee
- Application Fee
- CLP 46,750
One-time Incorporation Fee (per Family)
- One Time Incorporation Fee (Per Family)
- CLP 748,000
Annual Registration Fee
- Annual Registration Fee
- CLP 448,800
Curricula
- Not detailed in sources reviewed — bilingual program
Deutsche Schule Santiago (Colegio Alemán)
- Ages Grades
- Not fully specified
- Neighborhood
- Not specified in sources reviewed
- Notes
- Founded in 1887 by German settlers; German taught as first foreign language, English as second.
Tuition
- Billing Note
- Not publicly disclosed in sources reviewed.
Curricula
- German national curriculum with DAF/DSD II pathway
- IB Diploma Programme (deliverable in English, French, or Spanish)
Deutsche Schule Sankt Thomas Morus
- Ages Grades
- Not fully specified
- Neighborhood
- Not specified in sources reviewed
- Notes
- Christian Catholic educational institution, distinct from Colegio Alemán.
Tuition
- Billing Note
- Not publicly disclosed.
Curricula
- Not fully detailed — Christian Catholic German-affiliated program
Scuola Italiana Vittorio Montiglio
- Ages Grades
- Nursery through secondary
- Neighborhood
- Las Condes
- Notes
- Private, secular, co-educational; high school recognized as an overseas paritarian Italian institution.
Tuition
- Billing Note
- Not publicly disclosed in sources reviewed.
Curricula
- Trilingual Italian/Spanish/English program
- Recognized under Chilean and Italian ministries of education
Santiago Christian Academy (SCA)
- Ages Grades
- Pre-K through Grade 12
- Neighborhood
- Peñalolén
- Notes
- Private Christian school.
Tuition
- Billing Note
- Not publicly disclosed in sources reviewed.
Curricula
- American / North American curriculum
Colegio Alianza Francesa – Antoine De Saint-Exupéry
- Ages Grades
- Preschool through senior high school
- Neighborhood
- Vitacura and Chamisero (two campuses)
- Notes
- Over 60 years of history; serves more than 3,200 students across its two campuses.
Tuition
- Billing Note
- Not publicly disclosed in sources reviewed.
Curricula
- French system blended with Chilean curriculum
LINTAC
- Ages Grades
- 2 to 18 years
- Neighborhood
- Not specified in sources reviewed
- Notes
- Co-educational.
Tuition
- Billing Note
- Not publicly disclosed in sources reviewed.
Curricula
- Finnish curriculum
- IB
Chartwell International School
- Ages Grades
- Not fully specified
- Neighborhood
- Not specified in sources reviewed
- Notes
- Described in expat guides as combining academics with a nurturing, personal-growth-focused environment.
Tuition
- Billing Note
- Not publicly disclosed in sources reviewed.
Curricula
- IB (Middle and High School)
Saint Gabriel's School
- Ages Grades
- 4 to 18 years
- Neighborhood
- Providencia (Francisco Bilbao 3070)
- Notes
- Co-educational, bilingual, Christian philosophy; ABSCH member.
Tuition
- Billing Note
- Not publicly disclosed; school states "inquire directly".
Curricula
- IGCSE
- IB (Senior School)
The Grange School
- Ages Grades
- Lower Prep through Senior School
- Neighborhood
- La Reina (Av. Príncipe de Gales 6154)
- Notes
- Private English co-ed school long associated with Chile's elite families, per an expat-community account.
Tuition
- Billing Note
- Not publicly disclosed; school states "inquire directly".
Curricula
- British curriculum, taught in English and Spanish
Lincoln International Academy
- Ages Grades
- Playgroup through Grade 12
- Neighborhood
- Not specified in sources reviewed
- Notes
- Serves both Chilean and international families.
Tuition
- Billing Note
- Not publicly disclosed.
Curricula
- Bilingual program (Chilean-affiliated)
The International Preparatory School (TIPS)
- Ages Grades
- 2 to 18 years (Playgroup through Year 13)
- Neighborhood
- Andes foothills, Santiago
- Notes
- Founded 1975; small international school.
Tuition
- Billing Note
- Not publicly disclosed.
Curricula
- Not fully detailed in sources reviewed
Schweizer Schule Santiago
- Ages Grades
- Not fully specified
- Neighborhood
- Not specified in sources reviewed
- Notes
- Swiss-affiliated international school.
Tuition
- Billing Note
- Not publicly disclosed.
Curricula
- Swiss curriculum
Enrollment And Homeschooling
- Homeschooling Regulatory Status
- Fully legal and regulated
Homeschooling Legality
- Caveats
- Homeschooling itself is not explicitly regulated as a standalone modality by MINEDUC (it is not 'normada como tal'); its legality rests on constitutional and LGE provisions plus the exam-validation decree rather than a purpose-built homeschooling law, so procedures (which examining school is assigned, documentation, timing) can vary somewhat by region and by year.
- Summary
- Homeschooling is legal in Chile. There is no single dedicated homeschooling statute, but the practice is grounded in the Constitution's recognition of parents' preferential right to choose how their children are educated, and in the Ley General de Educación (LGE).
- Certification Mechanism
- Chile does not require homeschooled children to be enrolled in a physical school, but studies must eventually be validated through 'exámenes libres' (free/external exams), a mechanism fully regulated by Supreme Decree No. 2272 of 2007. This can be done via a validation test or a validation process, both administered through schools designated as official examiners by the regional Ministerial Education Secretariat (SEREMI de Educación).
- Cost Of Validation Exams
- Registering for and sitting the exámenes libres through MINEDUC's official process carries no cost to the family.
- Compulsory Schooling Context
- Chilean law makes basic and secondary education compulsory in the sense that the State must fund and offer it to everyone, but this has been interpreted as an obligation on the State to provide schooling, not an obligation on parents to use it — leaving room for home education validated later through exams.
Local Homeschooling Community
- Exists
- Yes
- Documented Local Activity
- An academic national survey of home-education families specifically documented an in-person gathering, in early 2015, of a homeschooling group in the Santiago comuna of Maipú, evidencing that organized in-person homeschool community activity does genuinely occur within the Santiago metropolitan area, not only online.
- Description
- Chile has an active national homeschooling network rather than a single formal Santiago-specific organization: general-purpose community/information hubs (e.g. Homeschool Chile, HomeSchoolenChile) provide legal guidance and peer support, and structured group programs such as Classical Conversations Chile organize local, in-person groups of homeschooling families that meet regularly to combine curriculum with shared community activities.
- Practical Notes
- Most day-to-day peer support for Santiago-based homeschooling families happens through social media groups (commonly Facebook-based) and through MINEDUC's own guidance channels, rather than through a single dedicated brick-and-mortar Santiago homeschooling co-op.
International Bilingual School Enrollment
- Overview
- Enrollment at Santiago's private bilingual/international schools is generally more competitive and process-heavy than public enrollment, and foreign families are strongly advised to start well before actually relocating.
- Waitlist Reality
- Waitlists at competitive institutions can extend across multiple academic years for certain grade levels, and being placed on a waiting list is not an enrollment guarantee — schools explicitly state it does not constitute a commitment and families remain responsible for securing a backup place elsewhere.
- Recommended Lead Time
- Families are strongly encouraged to apply at least 12 months before their intended start date, and ideally before relocating to Chile, since space can be scarce at the more prestigious international schools and the further in advance a family starts, the better their odds.
- Admissions Process Notes
- The admissions process can be intense even for very young applicants — some schools run multi-day evaluation processes for four-year-olds — and can be completed in person for families already in Chile or remotely for those still abroad. Once an offer is made, families typically have a short window (as little as 48 hours to 7 days at some schools) to accept and pay to secure the place before it is released to the next family.
- Foreign Family Specific Notes
- Foreign children who do not yet have a Chilean RUT can be issued a Provisional School Identifier (IPE) by the Ministry of Education, which grants full access to the public school system, lets schools issue valid academic records, and gives eligibility for government student nutrition programs, regardless of the child's current immigration status. This IPE route is relevant mainly for the public/subsidized system; private international schools handle foreign applicants through their own admissions offices rather than the IPE.
Application Timing
Public / subsidized system (SAE platform)
- Timing
- The main application window typically opens in August each year, with results published in October. Families who miss the main window can access remaining vacancies through the supplementary 'Anótate en la Lista' process.
Santiago College (bilingual IB)
- Timing
- Current families apply during a short December window, while new families apply from early January through mid-March for the following academic year, with results published by late April.
Nido de Águilas
- Timing
- No fixed public application window is published; families are told to begin the process as soon as possible because the school frequently maintains waitlists for many grade levels.
SEK Chile International School
- Timing
- Applications for a given intake open roughly a year ahead (e.g. March–May for the following year's Pre-Kinder cohort), with interview slots filling on a first-come basis and a formal waiting list for places beyond capacity.
Dunalastair
- Timing
- Locally based families generally apply in September to start the following March, but foreign families or those still living abroad can apply year-round if space remains.
- School
- Smaller bilingual/prep schools (e.g. International Preparatory School, Redland)
- Timing
- Some of these schools have no fixed application period at all and accept applications throughout the year, with new students starting in March or August depending on availability.
Representative Fees
Application/processing Fee — Nido De ÁGuilas
- Application/Processing Fee — Nido De ÁGuilas
- CLP 190,000
per applicant, non-refundable
Incorporation (One-time Enrollment) Fee — Nido De ÁGuilas
- Incorporation (One Time Enrollment) Fee — Nido De ÁGuilas
- CLP 13,944,700
350 UF, spread over three annual installments; separate from tuition
Application Fee — Santiago College
- Application Fee — Santiago College
- CLP 79,684
quoted as UF 2; non-refundable once validated
Required Documents Typical
- Completed online application form (most schools now use portals such as OpenApply)
- Child's birth certificate
- Passport or national ID for foreign applicants
- Academic records/report cards from the previous school, in many cases required to be notarized and legalized at a Chilean consulate before submission
- Documents not already in Spanish or English generally must be translated
- Non-refundable application/processing fee paid at submission
- In-person or remote interview with parents and child
- Academic assessment/entrance evaluation (English and math are common at bilingual schools; psycho-cognitive and language evaluations are used even for 4-year-old applicants at some schools)
AI-generated estimateData refreshed July 2026
This section has no cited sources.
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Data last updated July 2026 · Verify anything important.