Good to know
Good to Know
- Most international schools are located in Valencia's outer suburbs (Puçol, Bétera, Paterna, Rocafort, La Cañada, La Eliana) rather than downtown; the British School of Valencia in Ruzafa is the main exception for families who want to stay car/bus-free in the city center.
- Listed tuition is rarely the full cost: enrollment/capital fees (often EUR 1,500-3,000 the first year), school transport, and mandatory or near-mandatory lunch/catering can add several hundred euros a month on top of base tuition.
- The IB Diploma is generally considered the most portable credential if you expect to move again; only a handful of Valencia schools (e.g. Mas Camarena, Ausiàs March, Iale, Shackleton, American School of Valencia) offer IB pathways.
- Fee figures reflect the 2025-2026 or 2026-27 academic year as published by each school or aggregator at time of writing — always confirm current rates directly with the school, as fees are revised annually and admission often requires applying 4-8 months ahead.
- If you're set on a specific popular international school (e.g. the most in-demand British or IB schools), start the application process nine to twelve months before your intended September start — waitlists for top year groups can realistically run one to three years for the most oversubscribed entry points.
- Have sworn (jurada) translations and any needed apostilles for birth certificates and school records organized well before you apply — these take days to weeks to process and are a common bottleneck for newly arrived families.
- If your visa requires proof of your child's school enrollment, get legal/immigration advice before considering homeschooling in Spain — the country's legal gray area around home education can create friction with residency conditions.
- If an international-school place isn't available when you arrive, the public/concertado 'fase extraordinària' (extraordinary enrollment phase, opening in July and again in early September) is a real fallback many relocating families use while they wait for an international-school spot to open.
Schools And Curricula
- Overview
- Valencia has a well-developed international school market, generally 20-40% cheaper than Madrid or Barcelona for comparable programs. Most campuses sit in outer suburbs (Puçol, Bétera, Paterna, Rocafort, La Cañada, La Eliana) rather than the city center, with school bus routes covering the main residential areas; the British School of Valencia is the main exception, located centrally in the Ruzafa neighborhood.
Schools
British School of Valencia
- Ages
- 2 to 18
- Location
- Ruzafa, central Valencia — the only major international school located in the city center itself
- Curriculum
- British National Curriculum (Early Years through A-Level), IGCSE and A-Levels; students also supported for Spanish university entrance exams
- Annual Renewal Fee
- €445
- Enrollment Fee First Year
- €3,250
- Optional Transport Monthly
- €199
- Mandatory Dining Monthly Junior
- €210
Tuition Annual
- Low
- €7,876
- High
- €10,296
American School of Valencia (ASV)
- Ages
- 2 to 18
- Location
- Urbanización Los Monasterios, Puçol (north of the city)
- Curriculum
- American curriculum aligned with Common Core, plus IB Diploma Programme (offered since 2004) and American High School Diploma track
One Time Fees
- Asv Share
- €2,500
- Capital Fee
- €1,500
- Application Fee
- €125
- Enrollment Fee Non Shareholder
- €1,200
Tuition Annual 2026 27
- Low Preschool
- €7,246
- High School 9 10
- €9,204
- High School 11 12
- €9,545
- Middle School 6 8
- €9,004
Caxton College
- Location
- El Puig, north of Valencia
- Curriculum
- Trilingual (Spanish-Valencian-English) stream leading to Cambridge IGCSE and A-Level; British-affiliated
Tuition Annual
- Low
- €7,800
- High
- €12,500
Mas Camarena International School
- Ages
- 0 to 18
- Location
- Paterna
- Curriculum
- Full IB continuum — the only school in Valencia offering all four IB programs (PYP, MYP, DP, Career-related Programme) — alongside a Spanish national curriculum track; part of the Siglo XXI Group
Tuition Annual
- Low
- €7,800
- High
- €12,500
- Note
- trilingual stream range shared with Caxton College in most fee surveys
Colegio Internacional Ausiàs March
- Ages
- 3 to 18
- Curriculum
- IB World School offering IB Middle Years Programme (MYP) and IB Diploma Programme (DP) alongside a bespoke curriculum; founded 1972
Tuition Annual Estimate
- Low
- €8,500
- High
- €17,500
- Note
- estimate based on general British/IB mid-range tier for Valencia; confirm directly with school
Cambridge House Community School
- Location
- Bétera
- Curriculum
- British curriculum through A-Levels (trilingual stream, Spanish-Valencian-English); also offers HND vocational courses (Business, Sports & Leisure, Hospitality Management) as an alternative to A-Levels/IB
Tuition Annual Estimate
- Low
- €8,500
- High
- €14,500
Deutsche Schule Valencia
- Curriculum
- German-Spanish bilingual, recognized by the German Conference of Ministers of Education; routes to both the German Abitur and Spanish Bachillerato
Tuition Annual
- Low
- €6,500
- High
- €10,500
- Note
- partial subsidies available for German nationals
Lycée Français De Valencia
- Curriculum
- French national curriculum
- Note
- Generally the most affordable listed tuition among Valencia's international schools, though all-in monthly cost with extras rises to roughly EUR 600-700/month; long waitlists reported for enrollment.
Tuition Annual Listed
- Low
- €4,800
- High
- €5,800
El Plantío International School
- Ages
- 2 to 18
- Location
- Paterna
- Curriculum
- British curriculum blended with the IB program
British College La Cañada
- Location
- La Cañada
- Curriculum
- IB Diploma and British Curriculum
- Note
- May require entrance exams or interviews for admission
Iale International School
- Ages
- 1 to 18
- Curriculum
- IB Diploma Programme (ages 16-18) plus a Dual Diploma combining the Spanish Baccalaureate with an American High School Diploma; English used as vehicular language with third-language options (Mandarin, French, Valenciano, German)
- Note
- Founded 1967; Apple Distinguished School recognition for technology emphasis
Shackleton International School
- Curriculum
- British-affiliated: National Curriculum of England and Wales with Cambridge IGCSE, plus IB Diploma Programme for ages 16-18
English School Los Olivos
- Curriculum
- Bilingual school combining strong English-medium education with Spanish curriculum requirements
Entrenaranjos International School
- Ages
- 0 to 18
- Location
- Riba-roja de Túria
- Curriculum
- American framework blended with a bespoke developmental program, taught in Spanish, English and Chinese
- Note
- Small classes (~18 students); offers a Scientific and Technological Bachillerato track
Mas Camarena Educational Complex (Siglo XXI Group Campus, Paterna)
- Location
- Parque Tecnológico Paterna
- Curriculum
- Multilingual private school, Spanish curriculum with international training
Cumbres School
- Location
- Valencia city area
- Curriculum
- Spanish bilingual immersion track that adds the IB Diploma in the final two years
Typical Extra Costs
- School Bus
- €1,400
approximate annual figure; billed monthly, roughly EUR 110-170/month
- Lunch Catering
- €1,050
approximate annual figure; roughly EUR 120-160/month
- Enrollment Capital Fee First Year
- Typically EUR 1,500-3,000 one-time, on top of annual tuition
Homeschooling
- Legal Status In Spain
- Legal gray area — not explicitly banned, but not formally recognized as a valid way to fulfill compulsory education either.
- Local Community Caveat
- We found evidence of homeschooling support activity connected to Valencia (a historical Valencia-specific homeschooling support-group blog post, and the national ALE association having members and holding its 2025 national congress in the city), but we could not confirm an active, currently-meeting local co-op or playgroup on the scale documented for regions like Catalonia or Andalucía's Costa del Sol. Families should verify current group activity directly with ALE (Asociación para la Libre Educación) rather than assume a robust in-person Valencia network exists.
Details
- Homeschooling in Spain exists in a legal gray area: the Spanish Constitution guarantees the right to education and education is compulsory between ages 6 and 16, but the law does not explicitly ban homeschooling nor recognize it as a legal educational pathway.
- The legal situation on homeschooling in Spain is uncertain, with a legal precedent stating that, while it may not be illegal, it could be considered illicit under certain circumstances because it is not recognized in the constitutional system of Spain.
- Outcomes vary by autonomous community, and court cases have produced mixed results, with some judges ruling in favor of parents' right to educate and others ordering school attendance.
- For foreign families on a residence visa, this matters practically: some visa applications for Spain require proof of school enrollment, and families on residence visas should check whether their visa conditions require their children to be registered at a recognized school.
Support Organizations
- ALE (Asociación para la Libre Educación) — Spain's main national homeschooling association, acting as a communication channel between public administration and home-educating families and offering members legal/practical guidance.
- Educación Libre — offers information, legal guidance and community connection for home-educating families in Spain.
Valencia And Comunitat Valenciana Specific
- A Valencia Plaza investigation into homeschooling in the Comunitat Valenciana quoted a spokesperson from Spain's main homeschooling association (ALE) stating that, so far, the region had not seen the kind of legal intervention cases reported elsewhere in Spain.
- The same ALE spokesperson described the regional authorities' practical stance as one where social services occasionally open a case over suspected truancy but it is typically closed once parents explain the home-education arrangement.
- Spain's national homeschooling congress (Congreso Nacional de Educación en Familia/Homeschooling) was held in Valencia city in October 2025, indicating the city hosts organized national homeschooling community activity, though this is an annual event rather than proof of a large standing local co-op.
International Bilingual School Enrollment
- Overview
- International and private/bilingual schools in Valencia set their own admissions calendars and are not part of the centralized public-school allocation system run by the Generalitat Valenciana.
- How Far In Advance To Apply
- The strongest schools want your application nine to twelve months before your intended start date, and families targeting a specific popular school for a given September should realistically be applying the autumn before.
Practical Notes
- Sworn (jurada) translations typically take three to five working days, and UK apostilles can take two to three weeks depending on service level, so document preparation should start well before the application deadline.
- Most international schools cluster 10–20 km north of central Valencia (e.g. Puçol, Godella, Rocafort, La Cañada), so factor school-bus logistics or a 30–45 minute daily commute into the decision alongside the admissions timeline.
- Public/concertado (semi-state-funded) schools follow a completely different, centralized spring calendar (roughly March–May application window via the Generalitat's adminova portal, with 'fase extraordinària' late-enrollment rounds in July and September) — this is a separate track from international-school admissions and is the route many mid-year-arriving foreign families end up using while waiting for an international-school place to open up.
Waitlist Reality
- Waiting lists at the most popular international schools can be one to three years long for the most in-demand year groups and entry points (especially early years/primary).
- Popular British schools have been reported to routinely fill their waitlists for the most sought-after year groups by November-December of the prior admissions cycle.
- Most schools have structured intake points (Reception, Year 1, Year 7, Year 9); mid-year or off-cycle arrivals face real difficulty finding a place, and the international-school market in Valencia is smaller than in Madrid or Barcelona.
How The Process Works
- Private and international schools manage their own admissions and operate on independent timelines.
- Unlike the public system, enrollment for private and international schools is not centralized: each school manages its own timeline and requirements.
- Some open registration nearly a year in advance, while others accept applications on a rolling basis depending on availability.
- Admission processes often include entrance interviews, language level assessments, or a review of academic records.
Documents Typically Required
- Passports/ID for both parents and the child
- Child's birth certificate (apostilled if issued outside Spain, e.g. UK-issued documents need FCDO apostille)
- Previous school reports/transcripts — if not in Spanish, these generally need a sworn translation (traducción jurada) done by a translator authorized by Spain's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, not just a standard bilingual translation
- NIE for the child where available (a passport can be used to start the process while the NIE is obtained in parallel); for UK families, a TIE or residencia certificate is increasingly requested alongside the NIE
- Vaccination/health records — Spanish schools usually request the full vaccination history, and children whose immunization schedule differs from Spain's may be asked to complete missing vaccines before or shortly after starting
- Proof of address / residence documentation (more critical for public/concertado catchment-based admission, less central to private/international admission, but often still requested)
- Passport-style photographs of the child
Typical Application Timeline For A September Start
- October–February: open days, registration and document submission open at many schools.
- January–April: assessments (English, Spanish, maths and reasoning) plus a family interview are common.
- March–April: offers are issued, typically with a deposit of one term's fees due within 15–30 days of acceptance.
- May–July: place confirmation, uniform fittings and induction days.
- September: start of term, usually the first or second week.
AI-generated estimateData refreshed July 2026
This section has no cited sources.
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Data last updated July 2026 · Verify anything important.