Schools in Lisbon: British curriculum schools, Portuguese state schools and the road to a UK university

If you're moving to Lisbon with children, school will probably decide where you live. Most of the British-curriculum schools sit west of the city along the coast to Cascais, and the newest ones are filling up fast.

The short version

• School is compulsory in Portugal from 6 to 18 [1].
• Lisbon's best-known British school is St Julian's in Carcavelos, with a British programme, a bilingual Portuguese section and the IB Diploma [2].
• Several more schools teach the English National Curriculum or the Cambridge curriculum, including The British School of Lisbon, IPS Cascais, King's College School Cascais, SAIS Estoril, Prime School International and The Lisboan [3][4][5].
• Fees run from about EUR 11,000 to EUR 22,000 a year (about £9,400 to £18,500) at Prime School in 2026/27, before registration and capital fees [5].
• Portuguese state schools are free, teach in Portuguese and are a real option for younger children.

Pound conversions use the Bank of England spot rate of 5 November 2026 (£1 = EUR 1.2002).

Where the schools are

Lisbon's international schools fall into two clusters. A handful are in the city itself, mostly in Restelo, Belém and around Cais do Sodré. The rest are along the Linha de Cascais, in Carcavelos, Estoril, Alcabideche and Cascais, about 20 to 40 minutes west of the centre. That's why so many British families live in Parede, Estoril or Cascais rather than in central Lisbon.

A few schools sit further out: St Peter's International School is in Palmela, south of the Tagus, about 40 minutes from Lisbon, with an IB Diploma and boarding from 14 [6].

The British and international schools

St Julian's School

A big, long-established school on a leafy campus in Carcavelos, St Julian's takes children from 3 to 18 [2]. It runs a British programme and a bilingual programme that follows the Portuguese curriculum, and sixth formers take the IB Diploma [2]. It belongs to COBIS (the Council of British International Schools) and the HMC, the association of leading independent schools that many top UK schools belong to [2]. It publishes its 2026/27 fees as a chart on its fees page, so check there for the year group you need [2].

The British School of Lisbon

The British School of Lisbon has a primary campus on Rua de São Paulo in Cais do Sodré and a secondary campus in Restelo, where the first phase of a new campus has opened [3]. It's licensed by the Portuguese Ministry of Education and shows a COBIS logo [3]. Its fees include stationery, learning materials and school trips, while buses, uniforms and lunches are extra; paying the year up front gets a 5% discount, or you pay in three termly instalments [3]. The 2026/27 fee table is on its website.

The Cambridge schools

Several schools follow the Cambridge International curriculum rather than the English National Curriculum. The difference matters less than you'd think: both lead to IGCSEs and A levels that UK universities know well. SAIS Estoril, on three campuses in Monte Estoril, published its 2026 A level and AICE Diploma results in August [4]. Prime School International runs the same Cambridge pathway from Reception to A levels on campuses in Lisbon, Estoril and Sintra, with the Sintra campus bilingual [5]. The Lisboan, which opened in September 2025, is growing a year at a time [6].

What the fees look like

Few Lisbon schools publish fees as plain text, but Prime School International does. Its 2026/27 figures give a good idea of the market [5]:

On top of that, Prime charges a re-enrolment fee each year for returning pupils, EUR 600 (about £500) if you meet the deadline [5]. Other schools have their own enrolment fees, deposits and building levies. Ask every school for the full first-year cost, including uniforms, transport, lunches and exam fees, before you compare.

That's cheaper than a London day school, but it's a big bill on a Portuguese salary, and many British families in Lisbon pay it from UK income or an expat package.

Portuguese state schools

State schools (escolas públicas) are free, and many British families with younger children use them. Children of foreign residents have the same right to a place as Portuguese children, and the FCDO notes that all children aged 6 to 18 must attend school [1].

How it works, in brief:

1. The stages. Optional pre-school (pré-escolar) from 3, then nine years of basic education (ensino básico) in three cycles, and three years of secondary (ensino secundário).
2. Enrolment. Applications go online through the Ministry of Education's Portal das Matrículas, usually in the spring and early summer for September starts. Places are given by catchment, so your address matters.
3. Documents. Expect to need the child's passport, your residence document, a tax number (NIF), a health number and vaccination records. Schools may ask for previous school reports, translated.
4. Language. Teaching is in Portuguese. Under-10s tend to pick it up remarkably quickly; teenagers arriving with no Portuguese often find secondary school hard, which is why many families switch to an international school at 11.
5. The year. The school year runs from mid-September to June, with breaks at Christmas, Carnival and Easter.

Children who go to a Portuguese school end up properly bilingual, which is a gift. But if a move back to Blighty is likely in a few years, a British or Cambridge school makes the switch much smoother.

UK universities from Lisbon

A-level and IB students from Lisbon apply through UCAS like everyone else, and UK universities know these schools. The catch is money. Home fees and student finance in England usually depend on having lived in the UK for the three years before the course starts [7]. Pupils who have spent their teens in Portugal can be treated as overseas students, which means much higher fees and no tuition fee loan, unless they meet one of the exceptions, such as being only temporarily abroad because a parent works overseas.

GOV.UK suggests that people living outside the UK use its student finance checker to see what they can get [7]. Ask each university's admissions team to assess fee status early, ideally in Year 12. Our guide to UK student loans while living abroad covers the repayment side for graduates who move abroad.

Choosing a school: a checklist

1. Decide where you'll live first. A daily trip from central Lisbon to Cascais against the traffic is a long one.
2. Check the curriculum route to 18: A levels, the IB or both.
3. Ask about waiting lists. Popular year groups fill a year ahead.
4. Get the full first-year cost in writing, including one-off fees.
5. Visit. Every school runs tours and open days, and the feel of a place tells you more than a league table.

Parents' groups are the best source of honest reviews; our community group for Brits in Portugal has plenty of parents who've done the school run from Estoril to Restelo.

Sources

1. GOV.UK (FCDO): Living in Portugal (updated 10 July 2026)
2. St Julian's School: school fees and overview (2026/27 fees chart, checked 8 November 2026)
3. The British School of Lisbon and school fees (checked 8 November 2026)
4. SAIS Estoril (checked 8 November 2026)
5. Prime School International: student fees 2026/27 (checked 8 November 2026)
6. School websites checked in November 2026: IPS Cascais, King's College School Cascais, The Lisboan, St Peter's International School
7. GOV.UK: Student finance – who qualifies (checked 8 November 2026)

Keep reading

• Moving to Lisbon as a Brit: visa and residence routes
• Renting in Lisbon
• Cost of living in Lisbon vs London and the UK average
• UK student loans while living abroad