International Schools In Valencia Spain – Private And International Schools vs Public Schools as An Expat

International Schools In Valencia Spain – Private And International Schools vs Public Schools as An Expat

International Schools In Valencia Spain - Private And International Schools vs Public Schools as An Expat

Moving abroad with school age children can add another layer of stress. I mean, it’s a big deal to shift your children’s social and educational environment. You want to make sure you pick the best school for your children, and make the move as smooth as possible for them.

  • “Should we do an international school?”
  • “Should we do public school?”
  • “What if the language barrier affects his/her learning?”
  • “How about we have him/her repeat the year in the new county?”
  • “How do we find the best schools in Spain?”

These are all fair questions, and to be honest, these were some of questions me and my husband had when we considered moving our family to Spain. From the very beginning in our research, we learned that public education in Valencia is very good, so we wanted to benefit from it at some point.

Are There English Speaking Schools In Spain??

Yes! There are many English speaking schools here in Spain. You will have to pay to belong in their program and some may have a waiting period, but there are quite a few to choose from. Almost all of the public and concertados teach a class or two in English as well. You just need to find out what type of school best fits you and your families needs!

How Big Are Class Sizes In Valencia?

In our personal experience and others that we have met, the class sizes are smaller than the average class size in the USA. 

In our child’s class, they have under 15 children. We love having a smaller class size so the kids actually get attention and feel like they are being heard!

Each class here really focuses on making the children (and parents) feel included. It really feels like we are apart of a family here! It is truly amazing!!

school of valencia

What Are The Main Differences Between Public And Private Schools?

Like in the US, there’s different types of schools in Spain:  

  • Private schools: Privately-owned and are fee-paying institutions with majority of them being outside Valencia center. 
  • Concertados: These are semi-private schools. They run like charter schools in the US, but the majority of them are catholic based, since most are privately-owned by the church. They are partly funded by the government and in most cases, a small fee may be charged every month. 
  • Public schools: Public education in Spain is funded by the government (Conselleria de Educación). Therefore, is free.

Me and my husband have always been drawn to the Montessori curriculum. Therefore, we started our research around April 2022 and stumbled upon an international Montessori school: Valencia Montessori School

We started the enrollment process (questionnaires, submitted his Kindergarten transcripts, etc) in June, and it always seemed that we were moving forward along the admission process.

In July, the school started summer camp, and the person in charge of admissions wouldn’t respond to our emails, we would get an auto-reply. 

In that moment I though that given they were running the summer camp, they were busy and they would get back to us once summer camp was over.

Then, came August, and as you will experience, everyone in Spain is on vacation. (*The worst month to move to Spain, as there’s some limitations to getting things done due to the lack of staff everywhere.) The school was closed throughout the whole month of August. 

Note: The school year in Spain starts in September, and runs through June. Public schools open enrollment starts late April through July. 

Private schools open enrollment may run different, some starting late February through July. I highly suggest enrolling during the enrollment period, so when you arrive you don’t face the problem we faced: SCHOOLS ARE FULL!

We started to panic, so as soon as they opened back the school for administrative purposes, we showed up. It was September 2nd, and school was starting Monday, September 5th. To our surprise and misfortune the admissions lady told us they didn’t have a space for our son, without taking any accountability, and basically washing her hands saying she sent us an email (that we NEVER received). 

We started calling all bilingual schools (because we wanted more classes taught in English for the first year), and given it was September, most of them didn’t have space for our son.

Crushed and hopeless, I reached out to the expat Facebook groups (to my surprise, some of the families in the group had the same experience we had with Valencia Montessori School) seeking for help. Lucky us, a member of the expat Facebook group was a teacher at Camarena Valterna, and recommended it to us. 

International Schools In Valencia - Bilingual Private Schools

Private school

Valencia is the third largest city in Spain, and is very popular among expat families. Valencia’s international community continues to grow, and there is a wide variety of private and international schools located in Valencia for you to choose from. 

For the purpose of this article, I will share the ones we considered and what we were looking for the first year. 

  • Primary / Secondary School teaching English and Spanish
  • Not too far from the city (or with a convenient school bus service).

We personally visited:

  • Levante International School
  • Entrenaranjos International School
  • Camarena Valterna

Some of the feedback shared here is provided by some of our acquaintances’ experiences and reviews from the Facebook expat community .

Levante International School

Impressive campus! We really liked their curriculum, and how they integrate technology resources to aid in learning. The only setback for us was that it is pretty far from home (city of Valencia). 

Since we don’t have a car he would have to ride the school bus, and be away from 8am to 6pm, between school hours and bus rides. A very long day for a 6 year-old in primary school.

Location: Chiva, Valencia – West of Valencia center

Entrenarajos International School

Not very much impressed with the school campus, but liked that they teach a bilingual English and Spanish curriculum. 

*I’ve read mixed reviews from the expats in Valencia Facebook groups. It may be worth a visit to check it out.

Location: L’Eliana, Valencia – North-West of city center

IB Schools In Valencia Spain?

Yes! Majority of these private schools have IB curriculum. When you call and ask to set up a tour ask each one about their curriculum! Our favorite (and the one we chose) was Camarena Valterna! I will go into why a little more below.

Camarena Valterna

As mentioned above, this was recommended to us by a teacher from the school. We went for a visit, and ended up enrolling our son in this school. 

The school is very colorful and feels like home. I can only say great things about our experience with the school. 

His teachers were highly qualified professionals and always made him feel respected and valued. The school offers bilingual English and Spanish curriculum with a Valenciano language class. 

They follow the IB program. Their curriculum integrates technology and KiVa anti-bullying program. 

We had a great international educational experience here!!

Location: Paterna, Valencia – North-West suburb of Valencia

spanish language

British School of Valencia

**Not our personal experience, rather our acquaintances’ with the British school in Valencia. 

The school offers the British school curriculum, and the family experience has been great overall. They did mention that the Spanish the kids are learning in school is not enough and they are supplementing with Spanish lessons outside of school. 

Note: It may be needed to supplement learning with additional Spanish lessons, given the low exposure in school. Many International private schools also have resources available, just ask the Administration. 

Location: Central Valencia

American School of Valencia

**Not our personal experience, rather our acquaintances’.

Classes are taught in English, and offer Spanish, Valenciano, and German language classes as well. The family is very satisfied with the school. 

Location: Els Monestirs, Valencia – North of city center 

Shackleton School

A fairly new school in Valencia with a very nice campus, and not too far from the city. Don’t have a personal experience, but I’ve read great reviews on the expat Facebook groups.

Location: Burjassot, Valencia – Suburb to the North of city center

Imagine Montessori

**Not our personal experience, rather our acquaintances’.

The school curriculum is taught in English, with 2 hours a week of Spanish, and 1 hour a week of Valenciano. They are very happy with the school.

 Note: It may be needed to supplement learning with additional Spanish lessons, given the low exposure in school.

Location: Central Valencia and Paterna, Valencia

Valencia Montessori School

Our experience was not the best, but to be fair our bad experience was related to the admission process, nothing to do with curriculum and teaching staff. From the outside, their campus seemed small, but very pretty.

Location: Campanar, Valencia – Right outside city center to the North-West

IALE International School

English-Spanish bilingual school with a pretty impressive campus. Don’t have a personal experience, but I’ve read great reviews on the expat Facebook groups.

Location: L’Eliana, Valencia

Cumbres School

International catholic school located in Moncada with multiple choices in regards of languages. Don’t have a personal experience, but I’ve read great reviews on the expat Facebook groups. 

Location: Moncada, Valencia – Suburb to the North of Valencia center

Caxton College

British private school awarded since 2020 with the “Excellent School” recognition by the “British School Overseas” organization. I don’t have a personal experience, but I’ve read great reviews and I have seen this statement many times:

“This is one of the best international schools in Valencia!” 

Location: Puçol, Valencia – North of Valencia

International Education

Private tutor

If you are leaning towards a private and/or international school to slowly transition your children into the Spanish national curriculum, keep in mind that some of these schools do not teach enough Spanish and it will be beneficial to find a way your children can learn the language.

Private tutoring is an efficient way to learn it, and is very affordable in Valencia. There’s a variety of language schools in Valencia that can compensate the lack of Spanish taught in school. 

You may also consider having your children join local sport clubs away from the school, so they can interact a few days a week with kids their age in Spanish. 

Do You Have To Pay For International Schools In Spain??

Yes, unfortunately international schools are not free here. I will have to add that compared to the USA, the prices here are a fraction of the cost of a good private school there! So if you are used to paying for private education before moving here, you may actually be saving money!

How Much Cost Private Schools In Valencia?

Private schools, including international schools, cost anywhere around 500€ to 800€ per month. Their first year enrollment fees may be hefty, but you don’t need to pay this again for the upcoming years. You need to account also additional one-time payments in the school year, such as textbooks, school trips and uniforms. 

Concertados - Semi-private School Education

This type of school is the equivalent of a charter school in the US, and is party funded by the government. A concertado school follows the Spanish curriculum and languages like a typical public school, but many schools are privately owned by Catholic churches. Therefore, Religion is a subject that may be taught as part of the curriculum. 

Personally, we didn’t consider this option for our son because we prefer to have him learn in a non-religious educational environment. We do know a family that their kids attend Real Colegio de las Escuelas Pías and they are extremely satisfied with the school. 

Public School - Our Experience (So Far)

Once our son was already settled in the school, I went ahead and got started on my public school search for the following school year.

I searched on the Generalitat Valenciana’s website and created a cheat sheet with public schools around home including the percentage taught in Castellano (Spanish), Valenciano and “Lengua Extranjera” (usually English is the chosen foreign language taught in this category).

Given that Valencia has 2 official languages, public schools follow a Spanish – Valenciano curriculum. 

(The language breakdown information can be found for all public schools in Valencia in the Generalitat Valenciana’s website.) 

I sorted this school list by the lowest percentage taught in Valenciano. I refined our school list based on the curriculums that taught 30% or less in Valenciano. 

Worth sharing: Our son loves Valenciano. He feels very proud and brags about speaking a language that me and my husband don’t speak (just yet). 

Because of our son joining a local fútbol club, we’ve met 2 wonderful expat families, and they recommended their public school to us. 

I decided to visit the school (worth noting that some schools follow a strict visiting hours schedule) and felt comfortable with the school community.

Discovered that the school met my desired Valenciano percentage.  So our “final” plan on transitioning our son for a whole year did not actually happen. 

We decided to pull him out from Camarena Valterna sooner, and have him start the new public school in January 2023. 

So far, we’ve been pleased with his teacher and his continuing progress.  We feel very welcome by the school community, and joined the school AMPA (Asociación de Madres y Padres de Alumnos). 

AMPA: Parents association that works closely with the school directive team to make sure the school is providing quality education and ensure the overall wellbeing of the kids. (Like a PTO in the US).

Is Education Free In Spain For International Students? 

Yes, international students can benefit from FREE public education once they are “empadronados” in the Ayuntamiento (City Hall).  Being “empadronados” means you are registered as a resident in the local city hall.

The purpose is to inform the municipality where you currently reside. It is a census record which allows the city to generate a list of local inhabitants. As mentioned, tuition is free, but there are often extra costs, such as textbooks, school trips and lunch

Can American Kids Go To School In Spain?? / Can I Send My Child To School In Spain??

Yes of course! As listed above, you need to register at the local city town hall before attempting to register your children. No matter what, once you are registered, you are guaranteed to have a spot in your local public school in your area!

Our personal experience is that kids usually adapt easier than most adults, and definitely pick up foreign languages faster. Hope this article helps you find a school that provides a program and environment that best fits your children needs!! 

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