International Education in Algarve
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The Algarve, Portugal’s southernmost region, is the ultimate place for expat life in the sun. Stretching along the country’s south coast, it’s full of golden beaches, immaculate golf courses, and beautiful fishing villages. Add some private villas and laid-back tourist resorts, and The Algarve becomes one of the most family-friendly destinations in Europe.
Sun, sea and sand are all great. But what about the practical needs for expat families in The Algarve? Portugal’s national education system, while excellent, teaches children through Portuguese. If you’re not planning on staying here permanently, then the language barrier can be a big issue. The answer; send your child to one of The Algarve’s international schools.
International schools can be found scattered across The Algarve, close to towns such as Lagos, Lagoa, Loule and Albufeira. The two largest towns in the region, Lagos and Faro, are just an hour away from each other by car. So no matter where you choose to base yourself, there will be international schools easily accessible.
To cater for the many British expats in The Algarve, most of the region’s international schools teach the British curriculum through English. Portuguese is offered as an additional language of instruction in many schools. You can also find international schools which teach the German, Dutch and Portuguese curriculum, but beyond that choices are limited.
International schools in Portugal are at the cheaper end of the scale when it comes to fees. This is compared to international schools in the rest of Europe, however - not other schools in Portugal. Public education in the country is free for everyone.
Many additional benefits come with the yearly international schools fees, however. Class sizes are small allowing for more individual student-teacher interaction. The maximum number of students per class in The Algarve’s international schools is around 20-25, but actual class sizes are often much smaller.
The majority of international schools in The Algarve provide a school bus to get your child to and from the school campus. Native English-speaking teachers are also very common in schools that teach in the English language. Extra curricular activities are a standard feature in schools, ranging from sports to creative arts and everything in between.
Many of The Algarve’s international schools report a local to international student ratio of 50:50. This means your child will still have plenty of opportunities to mix with the local community, make friends with local students, and even learn a little Portuguese if they wish. Last but not least, international schools in The Algarve usually have spacious and modern school campuses.
Below, we have compiled the top 5 international schools in Algarve according to our users. However, there are another 10 schools to choose from in the city. You can find the best international school for your child by personalising your results. Just fill in your search criteria, and we will calculate a personal score for every international school in Algarve based on your requirements.
