🇵🇹 Lisbon · Schools
Schooling and childcare in Lisbon
A well-regarded international sector concentrated west and north of the centre, and free state schools where the language is Portuguese from day one.
The thing people get wrongThe international schools that people actually want are full, and admission is decided the winter before the September you are aiming at. Applying after you arrive usually means a waiting list.
Indicative figures
- International school fees€12,000 – €29,000/year2026/27 published tuition at the main British and American schools; smaller schools start lower.
- Capital levy, typicalUp to €5,000One-off, on top of tuition.
- Creche Feliz placeFreeIn social-sector creches and participating private ones.
- Private creche, outside the scheme€400 – €800/month
- State schoolFreeBooks and materials are not.
Checked . Ranges, not quotes — your Insider confirms the current numbers in Lisbon before you commit to anything.
The international sector
Lisbon has a deep bench of international schools — British, American, French, German and IB curricula are all represented — and most sit outside the centre, in Carcavelos, Cascais, Belém or the northern suburbs. That geography drives housing decisions for families more than any other single factor, because the commute is the real cost.
- Apply between January and March for the following September.
- Expect an assessment or interview, and school reports from the last two years.
- Published 2026/27 tuition runs from about €12,100 to €23,500 at Carlucci American International School and about €12,400 to €29,100 at St. Julian's in Carcavelos.
- Registration fees and a capital levy are payable on top: St. Julian's lists a €250 application fee, €750 registration and a one-off €5,000 capital levy.
State schools
State education is free, of a decent standard, and taught entirely in Portuguese, with Português Língua Não Materna support for pupils who arrive without it. Younger children absorb the language quickly and the outcome is often excellent; a teenager arriving mid-secondary faces a much harder adjustment. Applications go through the national Portal das Matrículas, with first entry to pre-school and year 1 in spring and other years in June and July, and places are allocated largely on catchment, so the flat determines the school.
Nursery and younger children
Creche covers roughly the first three years and is a mix of public, private and IPSS social-sector places. Under the Creche Feliz programme a place is free in social-sector creches and in private ones that have joined the scheme, which is why those places are heavily oversubscribed. Pré-escolar from three to six is widely available and free in the state sector. Waiting lists are long enough that people register while still pregnant.