International School Fees in Alcobendas: 2026 Cost Guide for Expat Families

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

Families relocating to the north of Madrid usually ask the same first question: what will school actually cost? This guide sets out international school fees in Alcobendas for 2026, stage by stage, with the extras that rarely appear on the first fee sheet and the tax and currency points that change the real bill.

Published fee schedules in this part of Madrid are often shared only after an enquiry, so the figures below are indicative ranges built from school profile data and typical pricing in the area. Use them to set a budget, then ask each school for its current written schedule before you commit.

Alcobendas: where the schools are and why location affects cost

Alcobendas is a separate municipality just north of the city of Madrid, linked to the centre by the A-1 motorway, the M-40 and M-30 ring roads and Cercanías and Metro Line 10 connections. Many multinational offices sit along the A-1 corridor and in the business parks of Alcobendas and neighbouring San Sebastián de los Reyes, which is a large part of why expat families settle here.

When families search for housing, two names come up again and again: La Moraleja, the low-density residential estate of detached houses and gardens, and El Soto de La Moraleja, its newer neighbour to the north. All three schools in this guide have addresses in the 28109 postcode, which covers this residential zone, so a family living in La Moraleja or El Soto can often reach any of them in 5 to 15 minutes by car outside peak hours.

Location matters for your budget in two ways. First, housing in La Moraleja and El Soto is among the most expensive in the Madrid region, so families who rent further out, in central Alcobendas, Sanchinarro or Tres Cantos, may save on rent but pay more for school transport. Second, morning traffic on the A-1 and the M-40 can turn a 20 minute drive from central Madrid into 45 minutes or more, which pushes many families towards the school bus, a cost that is billed separately.

Curricula available in Alcobendas

The three schools here offer distinct routes, which matters for fees because each model has a different cost structure:

• Active learning model from age 1: Liceo Europeo, a private school with an active, project-based methodology and a stated international focus; ask which programmes it runs at each stage.
• Cambridge programme in English: the International section of the Swedish International School of Madrid, taught entirely in English from 18 months to 18 years.
• Swedish curriculum: the Scandinavian section of the same school, taught in Swedish, useful for Nordic families.
• English-medium general curriculum: Brewster La Moraleja, where English is the instructional language according to its profile.

International schools in Alcobendas and what you pay for

Liceo Europeo

Liceo Europeo, at Calle del Camino del Sur 10, is a private, secular, coeducational school that has been running since 1982 and takes children from the age of 1. It is the largest of the three, with around 1,200 students and 120 teachers, a ratio of roughly 10 students per teacher. Its profile describes a teaching model based on active learning, learning by doing, discovering and researching, with laboratory work, educational trips and practical projects as part of the curriculum.

From a cost point of view, the details that matter are what the fee includes. Each student has a personal educational project, each stage has a permanent tutor (the Technical Director) who keeps regular contact with families, and the school states that its tutoring service dedicates approximately 1,000 hours per month to personalised support, in person or online. A Guidance Department with a psychologist and an educational psychologist follows students from the earliest stages. Uniform is required, so budget for it. The profile places the monthly cost in a band of roughly $1,000 to $2,000 (about €850 to €1,750), a coarse signal rather than a published fee.

Tip: the school has an in-person Open Day on 23 October 2026 at 10:00. It is the easiest moment to ask for the full 2026/27 fee schedule, including what the tutoring and guidance services cost, if anything, beyond tuition.

Brewster La Moraleja

Brewster La Moraleja is on Paseo del Conde de los Gaitanes 23, inside La Moraleja itself. Its profile lists it as a private, secular, coeducational school with English as the instructional language and a general curriculum. The profile has not yet been verified by the school and gives no price, so fees must be requested directly.

Tip: because the profile has limited detail, ask for the stages offered, the curriculum followed at each stage and a full list of extras in writing before you compare it with the other two. Location is its strongest practical argument for families who live in La Moraleja and want to avoid the A-1 at rush hour.

Swedish International School of Madrid, International section

This entry covers the International section of the Swedish International School of Madrid, formerly the Scandinavian International School, at Calle del Camino Ancho 14. The International section follows the Cambridge programme and teaches in English, while the Scandinavian section follows the Swedish curriculum in Swedish. Both run from Early Childhood Education through Primary, Secondary and Bachillerato, for children from 18 months to 18 years.

It is small, with around 400 pupils, and is owned and run by a non-profit association of its pupils' parents. Classes are usually small and the school has a music profile running through all ages. For budgeting, note that applicants who do not yet meet the English level for their year group may be offered a conditional place that requires enrolment in its English Language Support programme, which can be an extra cost. No previous English is required at ages 2 to 3.

Tip: ask how the parent association sets fees and whether it charges a membership fee or a one-off capital contribution, since parent-owned schools sometimes finance buildings this way.

International school fees in Alcobendas by stage

None of the three schools publishes a full fee list on its profile, so treat these as rough planning ranges for the 2026/27 academic year, in euros, for tuition only:

• Nursery (ages 1 to 3): roughly €6,500 to €12,000 a year (about $7,000 to $13,000).
• Infantil and Primary (ages 3 to 12): roughly €8,000 to €16,000 a year.
• Secondary, ESO (ages 12 to 16): roughly €10,000 to €19,000 a year.
• Bachillerato or upper secondary (ages 16 to 18): roughly €12,000 to €22,000 a year.

Tax is the point many newcomers miss. Private education in Spain is exempt from VAT (IVA) under article 20.Uno.9 of Ley 37/1992, so tuition invoices carry no VAT, while extras such as transport, meals or uniforms supplied by third parties may. If the school outsources catering or the bus service, check whether 10% or 21% IVA is added to those lines. Also remember that compulsory schooling in Spain runs from 6 to 16: nursery and Bachillerato years are optional in law, but almost every international school expects continuous enrolment.

Extras to budget for on top of tuition:

• Registration or application fee: often a few hundred euros, usually non-refundable.
• Enrolment or joining fee: commonly charged once, sometimes €1,000 or more.
• Deposit or reservation fee: to hold a place, sometimes credited against the first term.
• Development levy or capital contribution: ask directly, especially at parent-owned schools.
• Meals: roughly €1,200 to €2,000 a year if not included.
• Transport: roughly €1,000 to €2,200 a year depending on the route.
• Uniforms: roughly €300 to €600 in the first year at Liceo Europeo and other uniform schools.
• Exams: external exam entries such as Cambridge assessments are often billed separately.
• Devices and materials: a laptop or tablet in secondary, plus books.
• After-school activities: music, sport and languages, usually priced per term.

How to budget for school fees in Alcobendas

Ask for the full annual cost, not tuition. Request a written schedule that lists tuition per stage, every one-off fee and every recurring extra, then add them for the first year and for a typical later year. The first year is usually the most expensive because joining fees, deposits and uniforms land at once. A family with two children in Primary can easily see a gap of €4,000 or more between the tuition headline and the real first-year bill.

Check payment terms and currency exposure. Schools in Madrid usually bill in euros, either in 10 monthly instalments from September to June or per term, with a small discount sometimes offered for paying the year upfront. If your salary is in dollars or pounds, a 10% swing in the exchange rate changes your school bill by the same amount, so consider fixing part of the year's fees when the rate is favourable, or ask your employer whether the education allowance is paid in euros.

Read the employer package and the contract carefully. Many relocation packages cover tuition but not transport, meals or the joining fee. Check the notice period for withdrawal, usually one term, and whether the deposit is refunded if you leave Spain early. Also ask whether fees rise with each stage or only by an annual percentage, so you can project costs for the full length of your assignment.

Compare schools across the Madrid region

Alcobendas is only one part of the picture, and many families also look at schools in Madrid city, Pozuelo and Las Rozas before deciding where to rent. For a wider view of options, curricula and how schools compare, see our guide to the best international schools in the Madrid region.

More guides to schools in Alcobendas

• Best international schools in the Madrid region

Frequently asked questions

Are international school fees in Alcobendas tax deductible?

Spanish national income tax does not generally offer a deduction for private school tuition, although some regions have offered limited deductions for school uniforms, languages or schooling costs. The Community of Madrid has had deductions linked to education expenses, so ask a tax adviser in Spain whether you qualify in 2026 and keep every school invoice for your return.

Do international schools in La Moraleja charge an enrolment fee?

Most private and international schools around La Moraleja and El Soto charge a one-off enrolment or joining fee on top of tuition, plus a smaller non-refundable application fee. Amounts vary widely, from a few hundred euros to over €1,000 per child, so ask for it in writing and check whether a sibling discount applies.

Is the school bus included in Alcobendas school fees?

Usually not. Transport is normally billed separately, often roughly €1,000 to €2,200 a year depending on the route and distance from the school. Because it may be supplied by an outside company, check whether IVA is added. Families living in La Moraleja close to the school sometimes skip the bus and save that amount.