How to Choose the Best Private School

The first criteria would then be to see which schools are close to where you are thinking of living.
Most private schools in the suburbs have a private bus service to take their pupils around Madrid from their home to their school. These fees can cost from 1,000 to 2,500 a year. Anyway, you should try to find a school less than 20 minutes by car or bus from where you live. They are in majority in the North of Madrid, either out of the center but still in Madrid, or in the suburbs. I recommend you have a look at this interactive map to see all the best private schools for expat children in Madrid.

The second criteria would then be the price. The price tag for one of these quality private schools would be between 4000 and 20 000 € a year, depending on the services and reputation of the school. Most schools do not disclose their prices on their websites. You will have to contact them to get the price quote for your specific case. Ask about prices to several schools, including: yearly tuition fees, “matrícula”/inscription/capital fee, bus fee, and other charges you might have. Compare final prices since schools usually have many fees you will need to sum up to be able to compare.

The typical private “colegio” with uniforms and small sized-classes

Third criteria: do you want your child to be only with other expat kids, or to mingle with local Spanish pupils who want to be bilingual ? Most private bilingual schools have a majority of Spanish pupils, some only have expats. If you feel your children has to get more support and feel less lost on his first year, then going for a 100% expat school can be a solution. If you believe that your children will be able to learn Spanish and make friends in a new environment, then choosing a mixed Spanish / Expat pupil population is the best choice. It is all about defining the capacity of your child to adapt to its new environment: does he need to dive directly into this new world, or does he need a transition period within an expat environment ? Depends also if you are in Spain for the long term or only for a short period.

Last but not least, you need to discover if the school is high quality. This is the hardest part. You need assess the school’s:

• Academics
• School Management
• Facilities
• Parental Support

To learn about these things, it is helpful to ask for references from families whose children attend the school. We also recommend asking the school direct questions. For a list of questions that help you differentiate a good school from a great school, read How to choose the best expat school.

If you need help to move to Madrid zen, do not hesitate to send us an email !

Madridly yours,
Pierre – Moving2Madrid

Posted on 21 June, 2016 by Pierre-Alban Waters in Sin categoría - Rent, New? Start Here