Schooling and childcare in Lisbon

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.
• Registration fees and a capital levy are usually payable on top of tuition.

State schools

State education is free, of a decent standard, and taught entirely in Portuguese. Younger children absorb the language quickly and the outcome is often excellent; a teenager arriving mid-secondary faces a much harder adjustment. 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, with public and subsidised places 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.