Quick answer: how do international school admissions work in Santiago? Private schools such as Dunalastair, Internacional SEK Chile and The English Institute run their own admissions. Applications for the March intake usually open the year before, around March to June, followed by assessments, interviews and offers. Expect an entry fee and annual enrolment charge on top of monthly fees of roughly CLP 400,000 to 1,000,000.
Last reviewed: October 2026 by Emma from ISA. Fee ranges are indicative; always confirm with the school.
Santiago de Chile surprises many relocating parents in one way above all: the school calendar runs the opposite way round. Children start the year in early March, not September, and the best-known private schools fill their entry classes many months in advance. A family arriving in July and hoping for a place the following March is often already late for the most popular year groups.
This guide to international school admissions in Santiago sets out the process step by step, from first enquiry to signed contract, and explains how Chile's admissions rules apply to fee-paying private schools. It covers five bilingual and English-immersion schools on International School Advisor, spread across Las Condes, Providencia and La Florida, and the documents foreign families need to prepare.
Santiago context: where families live and where schools sit
Expat families come to Santiago for mining, energy, finance, diplomacy, regional headquarters and the universities. Most settle in the eastern comunas of Las Condes, Vitacura, Lo Barnechea and Providencia, with growing numbers in Ñuñoa and La Reina, where housing is a little cheaper. The city is a long valley, with the Andes to the east, and traffic along Avenida Kennedy, Costanera Norte and Avenida Las Condes can turn a 10 kilometre journey into a 45 minute drive at rush hour.
That geography shapes your shortlist. A school in Las Condes suits families in the eastern districts, while La Florida, to the south-east, and Estación Central, to the west, make sense for families living or working on that side of the city. Many schools run their own bus routes, so ask about transport during your first call, before you sign a lease.
Curricula and languages on offer
- International Baccalaureate Diploma: offered at Dunalastair School Las Condes and Internacional SEK Chile.
- Cambridge International: Dunalastair offers Cambridge examinations, and the American British School follows the Cambridge International Education programme alongside the Chilean curriculum.
- Chilean national curriculum, bilingual: The English Institute and The Greenland School follow the national curriculum with Spanish and English instruction.
- Language of instruction: Dunalastair describes full English immersion; most others teach in both Spanish and English.
Five schools and their admissions angle
Dunalastair School Las Condes
The founding campus of the Dunalastair network opened in 1981 on Avenida Las Condes and is part of the Cognita group. It offers the IB Diploma Programme and Cambridge International examinations within its project-based "Reimagine Learning" curriculum, with a Fab Lab, science labs, a gym and a 400-seat auditorium.
Tip: because teaching is in full English immersion, older children joining from a Spanish-medium school should expect an English assessment. Ask whether the Peñalolén campus has space if Las Condes is full in your year group.
Internacional SEK Chile
SEK Chile sits on Los Militares in Las Condes, close to the business district, and covers nursery through to the end of secondary. Its profile lists Spanish as the language of instruction and the IB as its international programme.
Tip: SEK Chile suits families who want an IB pathway while keeping Spanish as the main working language. Ask how much English is used in each stage and whether newcomers with little Spanish receive support.
The English Institute
The English Institute, on Ricardo Lyon in Providencia, is a secular, co-educational Cognita school with around 50 years of history. It follows the Chilean national curriculum with bilingual Spanish and English instruction and is not an IB school.
Tip: Providencia is central and well served by Metro Line 1, which makes this a practical option for families without a car. Since it follows the national curriculum, foreign school records will need to be recognised for placement.
American British School
The American British School in La Florida is a Cognita bilingual day school with several sites in the comuna. It combines the Chilean national curriculum with the Cambridge International Education programme, with Spanish and English instruction from nursery to secondary.
Tip: ask which site your child would attend, as early years and older pupils may be on different premises, which affects drop-off for families with more than one child.
The Greenland School
The Greenland School, on Avenida Oceánica in Estación Central, is a bilingual private day school from early years through secondary. It follows the Chilean national curriculum with a bilingual Spanish and English programme and is not an IB school.
Tip: this is a sensible option for families living on the western side of Santiago, near the airport road, who want bilingual schooling without crossing the city each day.
Admissions rules, timeline and fees
Chile's rules differ by type of school. Chile's School Inclusion Law (Ley 20.845, 2015) and the centralised admission system (SAE) apply to state-funded and subsidised schools; private fee-paying schools ("particulares pagados") keep their own admissions processes. Chile's school year runs from early March to December. All five schools here are private, so you apply directly to each one.
Typical timeline for a March start: enquiries and open days from around March to May of the previous year, applications from roughly April to June, assessments and interviews from June to September, and offers between August and October. Families then confirm with an enrolment payment, usually by November. Late applications are considered where places remain, and mid-year entry after the July winter break is possible in some classes.
Age cut-off: Chilean schools generally place children by the age they reach by 31 March of the school year, so a child must be 4 by that date for Pre-Kínder, 5 for Kínder and 6 for Primero Básico. Ask how each school applies this to children arriving from northern hemisphere systems.
Fees are rarely published, so treat these as rough figures. Monthly tuition at bilingual private schools runs from roughly CLP 400,000 to 700,000 (about US$420 to US$740), and at IB schools in Las Condes from roughly CLP 700,000 to 1,000,000 or more (about US$740 to US$1,050), usually paid in ten monthly instalments. Many fees are indexed to the UF, Chile's inflation-adjusted unit, so they rise during the year.
- Application fee: roughly CLP 50,000 to 150,000, non-refundable.
- Entry fee (cuota de incorporación): a one-off charge that can equal several months of tuition; ask whether part is refunded if you leave early.
- Annual enrolment (matrícula): usually about one month of tuition each year.
- Uniforms, transport, lunches and devices: billed separately.
- IB and Cambridge exam fees: charged in the final years.
Practical advice for Santiago applications
Prepare documents before you travel. Schools typically ask for a birth certificate, passport, two years of school reports, a vaccination record and a reference from the current school. Have the birth certificate and reports apostilled and, where needed, translated into Spanish. Children without a Chilean RUN can be issued a provisional school identifier (IPE) by the Ministry of Education, and recognition of studies done abroad is needed for national-curriculum placement.
Expect assessments at most ages. Younger children often attend a play-based observation session and parents an interview. Older children usually sit tests in Spanish, English and maths. Ask whether a Spanish test can be waived or adapted for non-Spanish speakers.
Join waiting lists early. Pre-Kínder and Kínder are the main entry points and are heavily subscribed. If a school says there is no space, ask to be put on the list anyway, as places open when families relocate between July and January.
Find schools across Santiago
Compare profiles, stages and locations before you book visits. Browse the International School Advisor school directory to find more schools in Santiago and across Chile.
More guides to schools in Santiago
Frequently asked questions
When should I apply to a private school in Santiago for March?
Apply during the year before entry, ideally between March and June. Most private schools hold assessments in the winter months and send offers between August and October, with enrolment confirmed by November. Pre-Kínder and Kínder fill first, so families relocating mid-year should contact schools as soon as their move is confirmed.
Do private schools in Santiago use the SAE admission system?
No. The SAE centralised system and the School Inclusion Law apply to state-funded and subsidised schools. Private fee-paying schools, known as particulares pagados, such as Dunalastair or Internacional SEK Chile, run their own processes, including applications, admission tests, interviews and an entry fee, so you apply to each school directly.
What age does my child need to be for Pre-Kínder in Chile?
Chilean schools generally place children by the age they reach by 31 March of the school year. A child must be 4 by that date for Pre-Kínder, 5 for Kínder and 6 for Primero Básico. Children arriving from September-start countries may land in a different year group, so check placement with each school.