International School Admissions in Madrid: 2026 Guide

Quick answer: How do international school admissions work in Madrid? Private international schools run their own year-round admissions: enquiry, visit, application with school reports, assessment from about age 5, offer, then a one-off fee to secure the place (EUR 1,850 at Hastings, EUR 1,870 at St. George Madrid). Year groups follow the calendar year of birth, not September birthdays.

Last reviewed: October 2026 by Emma from ISA. Fee ranges are indicative; always confirm with the school.

Most families moving to Madrid expect a single deadline, a central portal and a long wait. For the city's private international schools that is not how it works. International school admissions in Madrid are handled school by school, many of them accept applications all year, and the real constraint is the number of places left in a given year group rather than a date on the calendar.

The catch is the detail: which year group your child belongs in under Spanish rules, what each school assesses and at what age, which documents you need if your teenager will finish in the Spanish Bachillerato, and how much you pay simply to hold a place. This guide walks through the process step by step, with examples from five schools across the city and its northern and north-western suburbs.

Madrid's international school map and the commute

International schools in Madrid cluster in two belts. The first is inside the city in the north-east, around Chamartín, Arturo Soria, Conde de Orgaz and Hortaleza, where families can live in flats and use the Metro. The second is the suburban ring to the north and north-west: La Moraleja and Alcobendas off the A-1, and Pozuelo, Aravaca, Majadahonda and Villafranca del Castillo along the A-6 and M-503, with a few schools further out towards the Sierra de Guadarrama in towns such as Moralzarzal.

Where you will live and where you will work should shape your shortlist before you fill in a single form. A school bus from central Madrid to the north-west can take 45 minutes or more at peak hour, and many suburban schools rely on bus routes that do not reach every neighbourhood. Ask for the route map early, because some families end up choosing a home around the school rather than the other way round.

Curricula you can apply for in Madrid

British curriculum: the largest group. The National Association of British Schools in Spain (NABSS) lists many member schools in the Madrid region in its directory, including Hastings School and St. George Madrid, generally leading to IGCSE and then A levels or the IB Diploma.
International Baccalaureate: some schools run the full IB continuum from age 3 to 18, such as SEK International School El Castillo and Brains International School La Moraleja.
Spanish bilingual curriculum with international programmes: the Spanish national curriculum taught in Spanish and English, sometimes with the International Primary Curriculum (IPC) or the Spanish Bachillerato alongside the IB Diploma.
Other national systems: French, German, Italian, American and Scandinavian schools also operate in Madrid, each with its own entry rules.

Five Madrid schools and how they admit pupils

Hastings School

Hastings offers a British education from age 2 to 18 across six buildings in central Madrid: three in Chamartín, a few minutes' walk apart, and three around Arturo Soria and Conde de Orgaz. It teaches IGCSE and A levels, and its fee schedule now also lists the IB Diploma for Years 12 and 13. The admissions route is clear: enquiry, visit, then an assessment and individual interview for every pupil from Year 1 to Year 13. No English is required for Nursery or Reception; from Year 2 the school expects age-appropriate spoken and written English and numeracy, and secondary applicants may sit English or subject exams. Primary pupils with limited English can take extra lessons, and the school says it offers Spanish support for international pupils.

Tip: the one-off registration fee rises with age, from EUR 950 in Pre-Nursery to EUR 1,850 from Year 1. If you have a younger child, joining at Nursery is cheaper and avoids the assessment.

St. George School Madrid

St. George Madrid, in Hortaleza on Calle de los Padres Dominicos, follows the British curriculum from 20 months, with the International Primary Curriculum in primary, IGCSE in secondary and the IB Diploma in the final two years. It is part of the International Schools Partnership group and a NABSS member. The school sets out six steps: enquiry, visit (a tour or virtual open day), application with previous reports, an assessment or interview where the academic team thinks it necessary, offer and enrolment, and onboarding. It states that enrolment is open all year.

Tip: the school says all of its Sixth Form takes the IB Diploma, so a teenager who wants A levels should look elsewhere.

Brains International School La Moraleja

Brains La Moraleja, at Calle de la Salvia 48 in Alcobendas, is a bilingual school that combines the Spanish national curriculum with the IB. In June 2025 it announced authorisation for the IB Middle Years Programme, completing what it calls a continuum of the three IB programmes alongside the Primary Years and Diploma programmes. Its school profile says the Spanish curriculum is mandatory in the equivalent of grades 9 and 10, after which students choose the Spanish Bachillerato or the IB Diploma.

Tip: because the Spanish system runs through secondary here, a pupil arriving from abroad at 15 or 16 may need the homologation paperwork described below, so ask admissions which documents they want before you leave your current school.

SEK International School El Castillo

El Castillo, in Villafranca del Castillo to the north-west, takes children from 4 months to 18 years and says it was a pioneer in offering the three IB programmes. Teaching is bilingual, and the school runs English as an Additional Language and Spanish as an Additional Language classes, useful for children who arrive with only one of the two. It also has boys' and girls' boarding on campus, and says students come from more than 40 nationalities.

Tip: SEK handles new-student enquiries centrally through its admissions team and offers scholarships; ask about deadlines for scholarship applications, which can differ from the general process.

Laude Fontenebro School

Now presenting itself as Fontenebro International School, it sits in Moralzarzal, in the foothills north-west of the city, and takes pupils from age 1 to 17. It runs a Spanish and English bilingual programme that combines the Spanish curriculum with the IPC and the International Middle Years Curriculum, with optional French and German and a Bachillerato that includes an arts track. Its admissions process has six steps: contact, a phone or video interview, a visit with the admissions director, a review of previous school records with an orientative assessment where appropriate, confirmation of the place, and a gradual settling-in.

Tip: this is a school for families living in the Sierra or north-western suburbs. Check the journey carefully if you are considering central Madrid.

What admission costs in Madrid

Expect a one-off fee to secure the place, an annual enrolment charge at some schools, and tuition paid in ten monthly instalments or per year.

Registration or enrolment fee: EUR 950 to EUR 1,850 at Hastings depending on age (2026-27); EUR 1,870 for new pupils at St. George Madrid.
Annual matrícula: EUR 550 at St. George Madrid.
Tuition, 2026-27: Hastings charges EUR 800 a month in Pre-Nursery rising to EUR 2,120 a month for the IB years, over ten months; St. George Madrid lists EUR 8,950 a year in Pre-Nursery up to EUR 19,440 for the IB Diploma.
Lunch and buses: at Hastings, lunches are listed at EUR 210 (EUR 185 in Pre-Nursery) and a return bus at EUR 233, itemised on the monthly invoice; EUR 150 one way or EUR 245 return a month at St. George.
Sibling discounts: Hastings gives 20% from the third child.

Step-by-step admissions timeline

Work out the year group. In the Comunidad de Madrid, children join the second cycle of Infantil in the calendar year in which they turn three. For September 2027, that means children born in 2024. Cohorts run January to December, not September to August as in England, so a child born in November may be placed a year ahead of where they would be in the UK.
Enquire and visit. Most families start roughly 9 to 12 months ahead, with open days concentrated in autumn and winter.
Apply with documents. Usually the passport or birth certificate, the last two school reports, any learning support reports and, for younger children, a nursery report.
Assessment and interview. Typically from age 5 upwards: English, maths and sometimes Spanish, plus a meeting with a senior teacher.
Offer and deposit. Pay the registration fee to reserve the place; ask whether it is refundable if your move falls through.
Paperwork for secondary. Spain's Ministry of Education says primary and ESO pupils are placed by age with no convalidation needed, but entry to the Bachillerato requires homologation or convalidation of foreign studies, with a conditional enrolment form while the file is processed.

Practical advice for Madrid applications

Ignore the public deadline, but know it exists. The Comunidad de Madrid's 2026-27 application window ran from 11 to 25 March 2026, and it applies only to public and state-funded concertado schools. Private international schools sit outside it, which is why mid-year entry is common, although popular year groups fill early.

Start the homologation file before you move. For a teenager heading into the Spanish Bachillerato, gather certified copies of school certificates for the last three years, with official translations if they are not in Spanish, while you still have easy access to the old school.

Ask about language support in writing. A school that accepts a child with little English or Spanish should explain how many hours of support it offers and whether that is included in the fee.

Compare Madrid schools side by side

Once you know the year group and budget, our ranking of the best international schools in Madrid helps you compare curricula, locations and fee levels before booking visits.

More guides to schools in Madrid

Frequently asked questions

Which year group will my child join at a Madrid international school?

Spain groups children by calendar year of birth. The Comunidad de Madrid places children in the second cycle of Infantil in the year they turn three, so for September 2027 that means children born in 2024. A child born in the autumn may therefore sit a year ahead of the equivalent English year group.

Can my child start at an international school in Madrid mid-year?

Usually yes. Private international schools are not bound by the regional March application window for public and concertado schools, and schools such as St. George Madrid say enrolment is open all year. The limit is places: popular year groups fill early, so enquire as soon as your move date is known.

Do I need to homologate my child's studies to enrol in Madrid?

Not for primary or ESO, where Spain's Ministry of Education says pupils are placed by age without convalidation. For the Spanish Bachillerato, you need homologation or convalidation of foreign studies, with certified copies of certificates from the last three years and official translations, plus a conditional enrolment form while the file is processed.