Education in Marbella, Spain.
Schools, Kindergartens and Universities. Make Your Choice!
With easy access to a wide range of services, leisure and entertainment options, ‘Perlas del Mar’ location is exceptionally convenient for everything else, including excellent choice of schools for your children.
Nowadays, it is truly important to have an international way of thinking, speak languages, understand the mindset of other nationalities and cultures. Marbella’s international community offers schools for all ages and backgrounds, with multinational interaction and fantastic extracurricular activities. According to International Schools Database, today there are 29 international schools on the Costa del Sol. Malaga province proudly stands on the 3d place after Madrid and Barcelona when it comes to quality of education, with 7 best international schools located in Marbella area!
You can send your child to a local Spanish school or an international school; both have their benefits and are worth exploring.
In general, Spanish education is considered to be good, therefore popular with Spanish and foreign residents. The recent OECD/PISA survey of educational standards of 15-year-old teenagers across 70 countries showed that Spain’s performance in mathematics, reading and science is slightly above the OECD average. Local school are affordable; give your child the best opportunity to learn Spanish and integrate with local culture; are a great option if you plan to stay in Spain long term.
International Schools offer smaller class and allow students to continue the curriculum from their home country. Bilingual schools … sorry, no such thing! But many schools do their best to incorporate more Spanish or English, and enable students to gain qualifications from both examination systems. Anyway, don’t worry, in cosmopolitan Marbella your kids will be bilingual thanks to their friends, environment, extra lessons, TV, books, nanny or Au pair, etc.
Before you start to look for the right school, you need to know how the system is set up.
Educational institutes.
Education levels in Spain include preschool, primary school, middle school, Spanish baccalaureate and universities:
- Guarderias Private y Municipal (Private and State Nurseries).
- Colegio Primaria (Primary School, 3-11 years).
- Institutos (Secondary School, 12-18 years).
- Universidad Privados y Publicos (Universities, Private and Public).
The structure of the Spanish secondary education.
The Spanish school system is divided into four stages, two of which are compulsory (2 and 3).
- Nursery (guarderia) and preschool (educación infantil)
- Primary (educación or escuela primaria).
- Secondary education (educación secundaria obligatoria).
- Upper secondary education (bachillerato).
Spanish Education System
Let’s have a closer look at your options.
International or country-specific private schools (many offer daily bus service):
Just minutes away from ‘Perlas del Mar’ there are: Calpe International with British and Spanish curriculums for 2-10 y. o. and 45 years of experience (Linda Vista Baja, 1.3 km); St. George’s offering bilingual education, social and emotional development of children from 2 to 8 (Cortijo Blanco, 1.5 km) and Laude International which is worth mentioning separately because this high-quality educational institution is situated nearby ‘Perlas del Mar’ (7 min walk or 1.3 km drive).
Laude San Pedro International College.
This large, vibrant school with excellent facilities has been recognized by the DICES Guide as one of the best Spanish schools, and acknowledged by ‘El Mundo’ as one the top 100 international schools in Spain, one of only 5 schools in all Andalucía to gain this award. Laude offers a complete British education to 850 students of 2 – 18 y. o. from 52 countries. The school’s program is certified both in Spain and the UK, with English National Curriculum and a strong focus on developing fluency in Spanish as a second language, and provision made for entry into UK and Spanish Universities. According to its website, Laude is the only international school on the Costa del Sol to offer students the opportunity to study the Spanish National Curriculum from Year 8 (ESO 1) to Year 13 (Bachillerato 2). Most of the students speak over 3 languages fluently. Mandarin, French and German language options start from the primary school. Laude is also famous for its Easter and Summer Holiday Schools and after-school activities, incl. Music lessons, Dance, Chess, Architecture, Art, Theatre, Science, Cooking, Sport activities, etc.
Laude School in San Pedro de Alcántara
Among other schools that follow British International curriculum are:
Atalaya Colegio Bilingue that certifies students’ level through the Cambridge English exams (10 min from ‘Perlas del Mar’), Swans International with British primary and secondary education and statutory Spanish curriculum (Sierra Blanca, 16 min); Aloha College delivering a British-style education and offering education in Spanish (Nueva Andalucía, 13 min); The British International School of Marbella (15 min), Mayfair International Academy (9 min) and The International School Estepona (for kids of 2-12) that was called by internationalcitizens.com “West Marbella’s leading primary school and nursery” (El Paraiso, 8 min). Private education centre Emerald Tuition (Estepona; 13 min, A-Level Tuition San Pedro, 6 min) offers an alternative to large mainstream schools.
If you are interested in British schools with English National curriculum don’t miss The English International College, founded in 1978, with traditional, yet progressive environment (East Marbella, 24 min away); small Queens British Grammar School “proud to be more like a family than a school” (Estepona, 21 min) and the new Schellhammer International School (age 16+), a fully accredited Cambridge School with possible boarding overlooking a golf course (Estepona, 22 min away).
Another choice is a good Spanish school (they all give English as a second language). Among them are: the prestigious Colegio San José, famous all over Spain, with experience of almost two centuries of history behind (based both in Estepona and San Pedro, 5 min from ‘Perlas del Mar’); Colegio Bilingüe La Latina, with 50 years of experience (16 min drive); Colegio Alborán awarded by DICES Guide as one of the best schools in Spain (26 min).
Catholic school offering separate education for girls and boys, Colegio Bilingüe Las Chapas (20 min drive) and Colegio Ecos (30 min drive), has been chosen as the 15th best school in Spain for its internationality.
Approved by German and Spanish authorities, highly respected German school Colegio Alemán Juan Hoffmann is considered one of the best outside Germany. The pastor of the German Evangelical Church and the former Consul of the Empire of Germany established Deutsche Schule for German and Spanish children in 1898. Closed during the World War II, it was re-established in 1967 by the German Consul General in Malaga Hans (Juan) Hoffmann. It is located in idyllic La Mairena, a 29 min drive from ‘Perlas del Mar’.
You can drive your child to one of the Nordic countries’ schools: Svenska Skolan subsidised by Swedish government (Marbella and Fuengirola), Finnish Escuela Finlandesa (Fuengirola), Norwegian Den Norske Skolen and Danish Bifrostskolen (both in Benalmadena). To get French education will be more difficult but possible in Lycée Français (Málaga).
British International School in Marbella
Montessori Education.
You may never have breakfast at Tiffany’s or elocution lessons with Professor Henry Higgins like Eliza Doolittle, or a dance with Prince Andrei like Natasha Rostova, but you can see where the screen goddess Audrey Hepburn lived!
More than that, you kids can get their education in the charming Mediterranean villa ‘Casa del Abuelo’ (Grandfather’s house) once owned by legendary Hollywood stars Audrey Hepburn and Mel Ferrer.
And it’s not just some education, it’s an education philosophy! At the insistence of Diana, Princess of Wales, both of her sons William and Harry were educated the Montessori way. The Montessori System has beenchosen by Prince William and Kate Middleton for their son George.
In Marbella it is represented by Casa del Mar Montessori with Infant Community (18 months – 3 y.), Children’s House (3-6y.) and Elementary programme (6-12 y.). Marbella Montessori School is located in San Pedro, only5 min away from ‘Perlas del Mar’ (1.6 km via Calle Linda Vista).
Casa del Mar Montessori Logo
The Boarding School System presents the most famous day and boarding school in Spain Sotogrande International, with British education and International Baccalaureate programme for more than 1000 children from over 45 countries (3 -18 y. o.). The school promises academic excellence combined with extraordinary educational experiences. Looks like it’s more than just words. 90% of students have been placed at their first-choice university. It will take you 35 min to drive there from ‘Perlas del Mar’ (46 km via A-7 or AP-7). To get children to school safely and on time each day 3 reliable school bus services cover Tarifa, Gibraltar, Estepona, San Pedro and Nueva Andalucía areas.
Among the Universities that you can choose from are:
the well-known Les Roches School of Hotel Management (13 min), Schellhammer Business School (22 min),Marbella International University Centre that provides education at BA and MA levels in media, communications, international relations and business (17 min). The American College in Spain (4.4 km, 9 min from ‘Perlas del Mar’) is the first American University in Andalucía offering a curriculum based on the U.S. university system. You can start a university career in Marbella and in 2 years be transferred to a North American university or any other university in Europe that offers the US university system and obtain a degree.
Well-respected, progressive Malaga University also welcomes foreign students (53 min drive).
In 2020, fantastic Marbella Design Academy celebrates 25 years. In partnership with UK University of Bedfordshire that awards BA, it offers programmes in Architecture & Interior Design, Graphic Design & Media and Fashion Design & Manufacture. Its graduate students have an employment rate of nearly a 100%, a clear indication of the world-class quality of education they have received. Marbella Design Academy is located 28 min away from ‘Perlas del Mar’ via A-355.
Marbella International University Centre
As you can see, there are a lot of great schools to choose from if you live in strategically positioned place like ‘Perlas del Mar’. We hope you will find our information useful. Don’t forget to apply for a school place in advance.
* to calculate travel distance and time between ‘Perlas del Mar’ and a number of points we have used Google Maps Platform.
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