MERES, 21 October 2026. Meres International School, in Asturias, welcomed six evaluators from the International Baccalaureate (IB) on 14, 15 and 16 October. The visit is part of the review that every IB World School undergoes every five years, and it falls in the school's 35th year as an IB school.
The evaluation reviews how the school delivers its IB programmes, identifies strengths and helps the team keep improving the education its pupils receive. It takes place every five years, and the IB uses it to verify that the international curriculum is being followed. The organisation also looks at the facilities and at the teachers, who are trained and updated continuously.
The school thanked its IB coordinators for leading the process with great dedication, and the whole community for making the three days run smoothly. Staff, pupils and families all took part, and the school summed up the week with a short line: 35 years of learning, and still growing.
Meres is one of 47 schools in Spain that offer the IB continuum. It teaches three IB programmes, from the first year of primary to the second year of Baccalaureate, and pupils study the IB and the Spanish national programme at the same time. That means some subjects follow the national plan alone, while others combine the content of both.
“From the moment you enter Meres International School for the first time, you realise that you have entered a special place.”
Luis Carlos Jiménez, Headteacher
In the Diploma Programme, the school teaches Spanish and literature, English, French, mathematics, physics and chemistry, sports sciences and philosophy, depending on the pupil's chosen pathway. Students sit the exam at the end of Baccalaureate, and their projects are assessed externally. Each subject is worth seven points and the core is worth three, up to a maximum of 45.
Pupils also work on projects that link school and community. This term they have explored the world of the artist Patti Smith through the project “Living in Art”, connected to the Princess of Asturias Awards. Teachers and pupils describe how an everyday object can hold a memory or become the starting point for a creative work.
About Meres International School
Meres International School was founded in 1966 and teaches girls and boys from 1 to 18 years old. It is the only private school in Asturias accredited as an official international school by the IBO, and one of the first in Spain to achieve it. Its approach is based on critical thinking, self-discipline and teamwork.
The school is set in a natural environment in Meres, with more than 150,000 square metres of sports facilities and 9,000 square metres of classrooms and learning spaces. In the 2024 university entrance exams (EBAU), its students averaged 11.74, and 23.67% scored 13 or higher, including the highest mark in Asturias, a 14. It is part of the Cognita family of schools.
What this means for families
For families in Asturias who want an international curriculum, a review of this kind matters because it checks, every five years, that the programmes are delivered as the IB requires. Meres has now completed this step in the year it marks 35 years as an IB World School, and the school describes the visit as a chance to identify strengths and keep improving.
Families comparing options in the region can see how the school sits among the best international schools in Asturias on International School Advisor.
