Bilingual Schools in Marbella: A 2026 Guide for Expat Families

Quick answer: Which bilingual schools in Marbella suit expat families? Laude San Pedro International College is the clearest English and Spanish dual option, letting students choose IGCSE and A Levels or ESO and Bachillerato. Aloha College and The English International College teach in English with daily Spanish. Expect roughly EUR 9,000 to 20,000 a year in tuition.

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

"Is it bilingual?" is probably the question admissions offices on the Costa del Sol hear most, and it rarely means the same thing twice. For one family, a bilingual school in Marbella is a British school where children also learn good Spanish. For another, it is a school where a child can sit the Spanish university entrance exam and A Levels from the same building. For a Spanish family, it may simply be a public school in the Junta de Andalucía's bilingual programme.

This guide untangles those meanings. It explains how much Spanish and English each model really delivers, what the regional rules say, and which Marbella schools fit which goal, using each school's own published information for 2026-27.

Marbella's school map: from San Pedro to Elviria

Marbella stretches along the A7 and AP7 for roughly 25 kilometres, and the main international schools sit at different points along that line. San Pedro de Alcántara, at the western end, is popular with families who want a town with everyday services and easy access to Estepona and Benahavís. Nueva Andalucía, behind Puerto Banús, has villas, golf courses and many long-term expat residents. East of the centre, the residential areas around Ricmar and Elviria are quieter and closer to the Málaga side.

Laude San Pedro International College is in San Pedro de Alcántara, Aloha College is in Urbanización El Ángel in Nueva Andalucía, and The English International College is at Ricmar, off the A7 east of the town centre. In summer traffic, crossing the whole municipality can take far longer than the distance suggests, so pick your school and your neighbourhood together.

Three meanings of "bilingual" in Marbella

Public bilingual schools (Junta de Andalucía): Andalusia's bilingual teaching programme, regulated by the Order of 28 June 2011, defines bilingual centres as schools that teach certain non-language subjects at least 50% in a foreign language, usually English, using the CLIL (AICLE) method. Public bilingual centres receive at least one language assistant. The curriculum and the main language remain Spanish.
Dual-curriculum international schools: schools that teach the British curriculum in English and also run the official Spanish curriculum, so a student can graduate with ESO and Bachillerato rather than, or alongside, British qualifications. Laude San Pedro International College works this way.
English-medium British schools with strong Spanish: all subjects are taught in English and Spanish is taught as a language, sometimes with Spanish social and natural sciences added. Aloha College and The English International College follow this model.

Truly balanced 50:50 bilingual schools, where half of every subject is taught in each language through to 18, are rare in Marbella. What most families find is either a Spanish school with a strong English strand, or an English school with a strong Spanish strand. The two lead to different qualifications at 18, so start from where your child is likely to study next.

Bilingual and English-medium schools to shortlist

Laude San Pedro International College

Laude San Pedro, part of the International Schools Partnership network, teaches children from age 3 to 18 on one campus in San Pedro de Alcántara. The base is the British curriculum, enriched with Spanish subjects, and from secondary school students choose between two routes: the British path to Cambridge IGCSEs and A Levels, or the Spanish path to ESO and the Spanish Bachillerato. That choice is what makes it the most genuinely dual school on this list.

Language is a large part of daily life. The school says its community includes students of more than 60 nationalities speaking more than 42 mother tongues, and that English, Spanish, French, German and Mandarin are built into the curriculum and taught by native-speaker teachers. Students in the Spanish ESO route study English, Spanish and French or German. For children who arrive without enough English, the Mastering English Pathway (MEP) gives specialist classes, small-group support and extra hours within the school day. The school also reports a 100% pass rate in the Spanish university entrance exam (PAU); ask for the cohort size behind that figure.

Laude does not publish a fee table online. As an indicative guide, ISA's cost band for the school is roughly USD 1,000 to 2,000 a month, or about EUR 890 to 1,780 at the European Central Bank rate of 16 October 2026, depending on the stage. Tip: admissions run all year. After the assessment day and the offer, the school holds a place for a short period, normally three to five days, while you complete enrolment, so have documents ready before you visit. The next in-person open day is on 21 October 2026.

Aloha College

Aloha College Marbella was founded in 1982 and is run as a not-for-profit foundation. The school says it now has more than 900 students on a 27,000 square metre campus in Nueva Andalucía. It follows the English National Curriculum with the International Primary Curriculum up to Year 6, IGCSEs in Years 10 and 11, and then a choice between the IB Diploma and International A Levels in the Sixth Form.

Its language policy is plain: all classes are taught in English. Spanish starts in Nursery, and by Year 2 children have up to six hours of Spanish a week; French or German can be added from Year 7, and Spanish becomes optional in the Sixth Form. Aloha also expects age-appropriate English fluency for entry from Year 1 upwards, with no extra language support, so it suits children who already speak English well. Applications open in two windows: 1 November to 31 January and 1 March to 31 May for the following school year.

The English International College

EIC, at Ricmar on the eastern side of Marbella, also opened in 1982 and teaches a British curriculum from Early Years to the Sixth Form, leading to IGCSEs and International A Levels. The school says it received its accreditation from the Junta de Andalucía's education department on 23 March 1984 and joined NABSS, the National Association of British Schools in Spain, at the same time. In 2025 it became part of Forfar Education.

English is the main language of instruction, with Spanish lessons four times a week, French from Year 5 and a choice of French or German in Year 7. In Key Stage 3 students also study Spanish social and natural sciences (Ciencias Sociales y Ciencias de la Naturaleza). Tip: EIC's Stepping Stones programme gives Reception to Year 4 pupils small-group English and maths sessions while they catch up, which can help younger children who arrive with little English.

What bilingual and British schools cost in Marbella

Tuition at Marbella's established international schools runs roughly from EUR 9,000 a year in Reception to EUR 20,000 in the final year of Sixth Form, about USD 10,100 to 22,500 at the European Central Bank rate of 16 October 2026 (EUR 1 = USD 1.1253). Aloha publishes its full 2026-27 schedule, which gives a reliable benchmark:

Aloha College, Primary: EUR 8,165 a year for full-day Nursery, EUR 9,135 in Reception, EUR 9,940 in Year 1 and EUR 12,100 in Year 6, billed termly.
Aloha College, Secondary: EUR 13,840 in Year 7, EUR 15,630 in Year 10, EUR 19,605 in Year 12 and EUR 19,800 in Year 13, billed termly except in Years 11 and 13, which are billed twice a year. Tuition includes accident insurance, textbooks, subject materials and compulsory day trips.
Laude San Pedro: not published online; roughly EUR 890 to 1,780 a month as an indicative band (USD 1,000 to 2,000).
EIC: no fee table is published online, so ask the admissions team for the 2026-27 schedule.

Extras to plan for, using Aloha's schedule as an example:

Application: EUR 200, non-refundable.
Reservation fee: EUR 2,500 on a firm offer, deducted from the first invoice; a EUR 1,250 holding fee applies if you accept a waiting-list place.
Inscription and administration: a one-off EUR 3,000 inscription fee for a first child (EUR 2,250 for a second, EUR 1,800 for a third) plus EUR 195 administration.
Re-enrolment: EUR 1,000 each June, deducted from the first term's bill.
Lunch and bus: lunch is optional at EUR 1,550 to 1,645 a year in Primary; buses cost EUR 1,180 to 1,880 a year in Primary depending on the zone.
Devices and uniform: a EUR 665 Chromebook for new secondary students from Year 8; uniform is extra at all three schools.

How to judge a bilingual school in Marbella

Ask for the timetable, not the brochure. Count the hours taught in each language in your child's year group. A school that teaches Spanish four or six hours a week is an English school with good Spanish; a school that runs ESO in Spanish is a different proposition. Both are valid, but only one prepares a child to sit the PAU in Spanish without extra tuition.

Think about the exit qualification early. If your child may go to a Spanish university, a Spanish Bachillerato route avoids extra steps, while British and IB students apply through the university access rules for foreign qualifications. If the UK or elsewhere is the goal, A Levels or the IB keep things simple. Check how each school supports students who want Spanish university entry.

Be honest about your child's English. Aloha requires age-appropriate fluency from Year 1, while Laude's MEP and EIC's Stepping Stones are designed to bring children up to speed. A seven-year-old arriving from Madrid with school English will have a different experience in each.

Compare schools across the province

Many families also look at Estepona, Benahavís and Málaga city before deciding. Our ranking of the best international schools in Malaga puts Marbella's schools alongside the rest of the province.

More guides to schools in Marbella

Frequently asked questions

Is there a school in Marbella where my child can take A Levels or the Spanish Bachillerato?

Yes. Laude San Pedro International College in San Pedro de Alcántara lets students choose at secondary level between the British route, with Cambridge IGCSEs and A Levels, and the Spanish route, with ESO and Bachillerato. Both run on the same campus, so siblings can follow different paths while sharing one school run.

What does a public bilingual school in Andalusia offer?

Under the Junta de Andalucía's Order of 28 June 2011, a bilingual centre teaches certain non-language subjects at least 50% in a foreign language, usually English, using CLIL methods. Public bilingual centres receive at least one language assistant. The curriculum stays Spanish, so it suits Spanish-speaking families more than newly arrived non-Spanish speakers.

Do British schools in Marbella teach Spanish?

Yes, though hours vary. Aloha College starts Spanish in Nursery and gives up to six hours a week by Year 2. The English International College teaches Spanish four times a week and adds Spanish social and natural sciences in Key Stage 3. Ask each school how many hours your child's year group receives.