Back to school - the rise of international schools in Catalonia

Filling the Sink

This week marks the official back-to-school week in Catalonia.

According to official figures, 1.3 million Catalans have started or returned to classrooms, noisy schoolyards, and the routine of heavy backpacks and homework.

While the vast majority of Catalan students attend public schools, a growing number are enrolled in private institutions, particularly international schools.

Over the past decade, Catalonia has become an international hub, increasing the demand for international schools, which are private institutions where the curriculum differs from the Catalan one.

Catalonia is now home to nearly fifty international schools, three of which are in the top ten of Forbes’ 2024 list of the 100 best schools in Spain.

Oriol Escudé Macià joins host Lea Beliaeva Bander, to explore the world of international schools - from tuition fees and languages taught to the student body they attract.

We also talk to postdoctoral researcher Andrea Sunyol as well as education consultant and founder of My Barcelona School, Anya van der Drift, who shed light on why international schools have become so popular, what they offer, and how they have evolved.

The Catalan phrase is “posar-se les piles,” which literally translates to “put in the batteries”, and means to get more active or energetic, sometimes after a long vacation, much like the English phrase “get to work” - appropriate for the back-to-school season.