Best International Schools in Lima: 2026 Guide for Families

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

Choosing among the best international schools in Lima mostly comes down to three questions: which district you will live in, how much English you want in the school day, and whether your child needs to move on to a university outside Peru. Lima has a long tradition of British-style and bilingual private schools, and several of the better-known ones offer the IB Diploma.

This guide covers three schools that sit in different parts of the city and take different approaches to the same brief. None of them is the right answer for every family, so the sections below explain who each one tends to suit, what the sourced fee data shows, and which practical steps save the most time.

Lima in practice: districts, traffic and the school run

Most families with international school budgets live in the southern and eastern districts: Santiago de Surco and Monterrico, La Molina, Miraflores, San Isidro, Barranco and Chorrillos. Lima is a long, narrow city and traffic on the main avenues is heavy at school start times, so the real distance between two points matters less than the time of day you travel. A school that looks ten kilometres away on a map can mean an hour on the bus in the morning.

Several of the schools below run no in-house bus, or only partial routes, and rely on approved private transport providers. Ask about routes before you choose a neighbourhood, not afterwards. Many expat families settle within 20 minutes of the school gate and treat that as a firm rule.

The school year also differs from the northern hemisphere. The Ministry of Education calendar for 2026 runs from mid-March to mid-December, so students arriving from Europe or North America in August or September usually join mid-year and should ask about placement and exam preparation.

Curricula you will find

• IB Diploma Programme: offered by all three schools covered here. At Colegio Altair it follows the Primary Years and Middle Years Programmes, so students can follow the full IB continuum.
• Peruvian national curriculum: required by the Ministry of Education and taught in Spanish. Most bilingual schools combine it with an international strand, and some let students choose between the national diploma and the IB in the final years.
• Cambridge International: used at Cambridge College Lima, with Checkpoint tests and IGCSE examinations in the middle grades, according to the school's description.
• French as a third language: taught from the third year of primary at Colegio Peruano Británico, according to the school; ask the others about third-language options.

The IBO lists the Diploma Programme at Cambridge College Lima (authorised in December 2020), and Altair says it offers the Primary Years, Middle Years and Diploma programmes. Nord Anglia says Colegio Peruano Británico has taught the Diploma for more than twenty years.

Schools worth shortlisting

Colegio Peruano Británico, Monterrico

Founded about six decades ago, according to Nord Anglia, this school in Santiago de Surco is part of the Nord Anglia Education group. It takes children from age 3 and runs through two final IB years on a single campus of 20,000 square metres, which the group states. The language model is bilingual: English immersion from the early years, with Spanish alongside, and French taught from the third year of primary.

It tends to suit families who want a compact, single-site school with an IB finish. Ask whether every student takes the Diploma or whether a national route is also open, and ask for class sizes by grade.

Cambridge College Lima, Chorrillos

Cambridge College Lima sits on a large campus in La Encantada de Villa and, according to its description, educates students from age 2 to 18. It combines the Peruvian curriculum in Spanish with Cambridge International subjects in English, and the IBO lists the Diploma Programme there. English, mathematics and science are taught in English from the primary grades. The school is part of the Inspired Education group.

Ask to see the sports facilities, which matter for children who spend their afternoons outdoors. The trade-off is location: Chorrillos is a long drive from Miraflores or San Isidro at peak times, so test the route before you commit. Ask whether IGCSE results decide entry to the Diploma and how that works for new arrivals.

Colegio Altair, La Molina

Founded in 1995 and now part of the Inspired group, Altair says it offers the full IB continuum: the Primary Years Programme, the Middle Years Programme and the Diploma, for students aged 2 to 18. It has a campus in La Molina with a separate early-years building. Ask what proportion of lessons is taught in English at each stage and what assessment applicants take.

It is a good match for families already planning to live in La Molina, and for those who want the IB from age 6 rather than only in the last two years. Children arriving late with little English need a realistic conversation with admissions about the English level expected for the Diploma and what support exists.

What it costs

None of the three schools publishes a full fee table on its public pages, so any figure here is indicative. The most detailed data comes from a November 2022 press survey of Lima IB schools, which reported Cambridge College Lima at about S/2,300 per month on average, with an entry fee of US$7,500 to US$16,000 after an interview. The same survey put other IB schools at roughly S/1,000 to S/2,600 a month depending on grade. Allowing for several years of price rises, this guide uses roughly S/2,000 to S/3,500 a month as an indicative range for the three schools, about US$550 to US$1,000. It is our estimate, not a published fee, and grade will move the figure.

The Ministry calendar sets 36 teaching weeks, running from 16 March to 18 December 2026, according to press reports of the Minedu resolution, although private schools set their own calendars and some opened on 2 March. Fees are normally charged over ten or eleven instalments, so ask how the months outside term are handled.

• Entry fee (cuota de ingreso): a one-off payment at some schools; the 2022 survey reported US$7,500 to US$16,000 at Cambridge College Lima.
• Enrolment (matrícula): paid each year to hold the place.
• Application fee: small, paid when the file opens.
• Transport and meals: usually billed separately; younger children at some schools bring lunch from home.
• Exams and devices: IB and Cambridge entries, plus laptops or tablets where required.
• Uniforms and trips: daily and PE uniform, plus domestic or international trips.

Fees are normally quoted in soles, but the entry fee is often discussed in US dollars, so budget for exchange rate movement.

Practical advice for choosing

Visit at pick-up time. Arrive on a school day at 7:00 am and stay until the buses leave. You will learn more about the commute, the atmosphere and the way staff talk to children than any brochure shows.

Ask what happens to a student who arrives in Grade 9 or 10. Schools handle late arrivals very differently, particularly where an IGCSE or MYP result feeds into the Diploma. Ask for a written placement answer rather than a verbal reassurance.

Compare languages by timetable, not by label. Every school here calls itself bilingual. Ask how many hours a week are in English at the grade your child will enter, who teaches them and how English is assessed.

Start early. The better-known schools have waiting lists at some entry points, and applications for the March start often open the year before. Contact two or three schools at the same time and keep a simple record of what each one asks for.

See the full ranking

To compare more schools by area, curriculum and language, see Best international schools in Lima (ranking).

More guides to schools in Lima

• Best international schools in Lima (ranking)

Frequently asked questions

Which curriculum do the best international schools in Lima use?

Most combine the Peruvian national curriculum in Spanish with an international strand in English. Colegio Altair says it offers the full IB continuum, Cambridge College Lima combines Cambridge International subjects with the IB Diploma, and Colegio Peruano Británico teaches the Diploma in its final two years. French is usually a third language from primary or middle school.

How much does an international school cost in Lima?

Published fee tables are rare, so treat figures as indicative. Our indicative range for 2026 is roughly S/2,000 to S/3,500 per month, about US$550 to US$1,000, based on a 2022 press survey adjusted for price rises, plus an annual enrolment fee. That survey put the entry fee at Cambridge College Lima at US$7,500 to US$16,000.

When does the school year start in Lima?

The Ministry of Education calendar for 2026 runs from 16 March to 18 December, with 36 teaching weeks. Private schools set their own dates, and some began on 2 March. Families arriving from the northern hemisphere often join mid-year, so ask each school about placement and catch-up support.