In Barcelona, «international school» is not a legal category: the law speaks of foreign teaching centres, which need authorisation and must be on the register. The official list is in the Ministry of Education's search tool, and the City Council publishes a directory with 40 entries. If you arrive mid-year, you can apply for a state school place at any time.
If you are moving to Barcelona for a few months with school-age children, the first search tends to be «international schools». Before ringing any of them, it helps to know three things: what a foreign school is under Spanish law, where the official list is, and that there is a state route into school once term has already started. Everything comes from official sources.
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«International» is not a legal category
These schools are governed by Royal Decree 806/1993 on foreign teaching centres in Spain. It does not talk about «international» schools but about centres that teach, in Spain, the curricula of other countries' education systems. They need an authorisation to open, a certificate from the country's diplomatic mission confirming the official validity of their teaching, and an entry in the public register of schools, and they may not identify themselves with details other than those registered.
Schools teaching only the foreign system may not take Spanish pupils unless they also hold that country's nationality; those that do take them add Spanish language and culture, with Geography and History. And studies by Spanish pupils at schools not authorised to take them are neither recognised nor validated.
The City Council's guide for international families, published in September 2026, puts it simply: in Barcelona and the surrounding area there are over 30 schools accredited to teach an international curriculum and, although they are private, they need accreditation from the Catalan education authorities and from the Ministry of Education.
Where the official list is
The national source is the Ministry of Education's search tool for non-university schools. You choose Catalonia and the province of Barcelona, and among its filters you will find the category «Centro Docente Privado Extranjero en España» and courses such as «Educación Primaria Planes Extranjeros» or «Educación Secundaria Obligatoria Planes Extranjeros».
The most practical list is the City Council's: the directory International schools in Barcelona and other multilingual schooling options, in English, published in December 2025 and up to date for the 2026-27 school year. Its first table has 40 entries with a foreign or international curriculum, giving each school's website, town, age range and qualifications; other tables list schools specialising in languages, those offering the International Baccalaureate and those offering the Batxibac. The City Council itself warns that schools change their offer often and asks to be told about any errors.
There is no official ranking of the «best» schools, and this guide does not make one.
What they cost
Schools do not publish their fees in any consistent way and there is no official price list. The nearest public reference is the City Council's guide, which gives rough ranges: between 600 and 2,500 euros a month at a fully private school, depending on the school and the stage, and roughly between 100 and 400 euros a month at a state-subsidised concertada school. State schools charge no tuition, although books, materials and some activities are paid for separately. Checked in October 2026.
The same guide warns that they are the most expensive option in the city, that they usually charge a joining fee, that school meals, transport, camps, after-school activities and sometimes uniforms come on top, and that many are outside the centre or in other towns in the metropolitan area.
Getting into a private school
Private schools run their own admissions, can choose pupils by their own criteria, sometimes with language tests, and usually take new pupils throughout the year: you deal directly with each one. You can apply to a private school and to the state system at the same time, because they are separate processes.
The state route: a place once term has started
The Generalitat has a procedure called Admissió a un centre educatiu fora del procés de preinscripció, covering infant education from 3 to 6, primary and ESO at state and concertada schools. One of the qualifying situations is that the child is not in school in Catalonia. You can apply at any time, online, with or without a digital ID, and it is free. You provide the birth certificate or family book and, if the child is not Spanish, the passport; the admissions committee for your area allocates the place according to vacancies.
In the city it is handled by the Consorci d'Educació de Barcelona. Its website explains that applications are dealt with in order of arrival, that if you cannot fill in the form an officer at its offices will help you by appointment and that, if the pupil does not start within two weeks, the place is lost. The City Council's guide adds the practical tip: the most important document is the certificate of residence from the municipal register, the volant de convivència, because it is used to find a place as close to home as possible. If you are not registered yet, see the guide to registering in Barcelona.
According to a 3Cat report from 2025, between 4,000 and 6,000 pupils enrol in Barcelona after the school year has begun, more than 30 % of new enrolments; it is known as matrícula viva.
Arriving without Catalan: the welcome classroom
In state and concertada schools Catalan is the main language of instruction. Barcelona International Welcome, the City Council's website for newcomers, makes clear that children do not need to master either official language beforehand, and that compulsory education runs from 6 to 16.
For newcomers there is the aula d'acollida, the welcome classroom. The City Council's guide explains that it is aimed at recently arrived pupils who do not yet speak Catalan, that it can include Catalan lessons and an adapted curriculum, and that it is offered from the second year of compulsory education. Older children have two years before they are expected to be fluent in Catalan, and during that time they cannot be held back a year because of marks affected by the language.
Checked
Checked on 18 October 2026 against Royal Decree 806/1993 (BOE, consolidated text), the Ministry of Education's school search tool, the Generalitat's page for admission outside pre-registration, the Consorci d'Educació de Barcelona website, Barcelona International Welcome, the City Council guides Choosing a school in Barcelona (September 2026) and International schools in Barcelona (December 2025), and a 3Cat report from 2025.
Quick questions
How much does an international school in Barcelona cost?
There is no official price list. The City Council's guide gives a rough range of between 600 and 2,500 euros a month at a fully private school, plus a joining fee, school meals and other costs.
Can I enrol my child in a state school mid-year?
Yes. If the child is not in school in Catalonia, you apply online at any time through the procedure for admission outside the pre-registration process; it is free and in the city it is handled by the Consorci d'Educació de Barcelona.
Does my child need to speak Catalan to attend a state school?
No. Recently arrived pupils who do not yet speak Catalan have the welcome classroom, offered from the second year of compulsory education.