International schools
Barcelona and its surroundings offer a wide variety of international schools
In Barcelona, Sitges, and the Costa del Garraf, you will find a range of educational options at international schools. Notable examples include the Benjamin Franklin International School, the British School of Barcelona, the Lycée Français de Barcelone in Barcelona or the Lycée Français Bel Air in Sant Pere de Ribes.
These institutions offer educational programmes in both English and French, following international syllabi such as the IB or the British Curriculum. In addition, there are schools with a bilingual and multicultural focus that provide a global educational experience for international students. It is advisable to research each school specifically to determine which one best suits your needs and preferences and those of your children.
Benjamin Franklin International School provides the American curriculum from Kindergarten through 10th grade and the International Baccalaureate programme.
With students from 3 to 18 years of age, it provides an American and international curriculum.
With 700 students of 56 different nationalities, English is the language used.
BFIS has four divisions: Early Childhood, Elementary School, Middle School, and High School.
In the final two years of high school, students follow the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme (IBDP). The school also offers the IB in Secondary (MYP). Students with a Spanish passport also study the compulsory subjects for the ESO diploma.
The British School of Barcelona (BSB) is one of only 5 schools in Spain with “Excellent” accreditation from the British Government.
BSB, divided into 4 campuses in Barcelona, Castelldefels and Sitges, offers the highest quality educational and sporting facilities, covering all stages of education, from Early Years to Baccalaureate.
A truly international community, BSB is home to children of over sixty-five different nationalities.
Barcelona and the surrounding area also boast a number of excellent French schools.
L’ École Française Ferdinand de Lesseps is the oldest French educational establishment in Spain.
In 1859, Ferdinand de Lesseps founded in Barcelona the first French school in the Iberian Peninsula with humanist values, a multilingual education and linguistic immersion from the age of 3.
The pupils acquire a native level of French, Catalan and Spanish and learn English as a 4th language from the age of 4. A linguistic reception is offered for pupils who do not speak French, Spanish or Catalan. A home for pupils between 3 and 11 years old.
The school is part of the Agency for French Education Abroad (AEFE), which has a global presence with over 500 schools, allowing for student mobility. This way, no matter where their parents move to in the world, the same educational model is guaranteed in all the schools belonging to the Agency.
L’ École Française Ferdinand de Lesseps guarantees your children a place at the Lycée Français de Barcelona, where they can continue to enjoy a French education up to the Baccalaureate (100% pass rate in the French Bac and more than 40% with “Highest Honours” results).
El Lycée Français de Barcelone
Since 1924, the Lycée Français de Barcelone has provided a comprehensive education in all subject areas.
Managed directly by the Agency for French Education Abroad (AEFE), the Lycée Français provides an education approved by the French Ministry of National Education, from pre-school to Baccalaureate, in accordance with the French education system.
Moreover, the Lycée, which is also recognised and authorised by the Spanish government, includes complementary programmes provided for by the Franco-Spanish cultural agreement in Language and Literature, as well as in History-Geography (“Social Sciences”). In addition, the teaching of Catalan is compulsory in accordance with the policy of the regional government, which is responsible for education.
The Lycée Français Bel Air, close to Sitges
Founded in 1992 as a small pre-school situated in the Terramar neighbourhood of Sitges.
In 1996, it was moved to its current location in Sant Pere de Ribes.
It currently has 650 pupils distributed over 34 classes, from Petite Section to Baccalaureate.
It is a private school, not subsidised, and managed by an LC (Limited Company). Associated with the AEFE (l’Agence pour l’Enseignement Français à l’Étranger) and integrated in the network of French schools in the Iberian zone, it provides education in accordance with the objectives of the French programmes.
The teaching is fully accredited by the French Ministry of National Education from the Petite Section of nursery to the Terminale class.
Lycée Français Bel Air is an official school, approved by the “Ministère de l’Éducation, de la Culture et du Sport” and by the “Generalitat de Catalunya”. It is registered in the “Register of Foreign Centres”.
Recognised and authorised by the competent education authority, the Lycée teaches Spanish and Catalan language and culture.
