Best International Schools in Quito: 2026 Guide for Families

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

If you are comparing the best international schools in Quito, three questions will narrow the list quickly: which language your child will learn in, which diploma they will leave with, and how you feel about living in the valleys east of the city. Quito has only a handful of international schools, and they answer those questions very differently.

This guide compares four schools listed on International School Advisor and explains who each one fits. It also covers two Ecuadorian rules that surprise newcomers: the Sierra school year starts in September, not January or August, and private school fees are capped by the Ministry of Education rather than set freely by each school.

Quito for families: city, valleys and the daily drive

Quito stretches along a narrow Andean valley at around 2,800 metres, with the older centre in the south and the business districts around La Carolina, González Suárez and Quito Tenis further north. Diplomats, oil and mining staff, NGO workers and university faculty make up much of the international community, alongside a large group of Ecuadorian families who want an English-medium education.

The international schools, however, mostly sit outside the city in the valleys to the east. Colegio Menor is in Cumbayá, SEK Los Valles describes itself as being in Los Valles, Cumbayá, and British School Quito is on the Vía Intervalles in Tumbaco. That is why so many expat families now rent in Cumbayá or Tumbaco rather than in the city. If one parent works in the north of Quito, that daily drive down the hill is part of the price of a valley school, and buses become essential. The SEK Ecuador campus is the main exception, in the north of the city on Calle De Los Guayacanes.

The school year follows the Sierra and Amazon calendar. According to the Ministry of Education schedule, the 2026-27 year began on Tuesday 1 September 2026, with Bachillerato and early years starting first and other grades joining over the next two days, and it runs to late June or early July. Colegio Menor, for example, lists Friday 18 June 2027 as its last day of school.

Curricula on offer in Quito

• English National Curriculum with IGCSE and IB Diploma: British School Quito, with adaptations for Ecuadorian requirements.
• US-style liberal arts with Advanced Placement: Colegio Menor, which says it offers more than 30 AP courses in Grades 11 and 12.
• International Baccalaureate continuum: the IBO lists Colegio Internacional SEK-Ecuador as authorised for the PYP, MYP and Diploma Programme, and SEK Los Valles says it offers all three.
• Ecuadorian Bachillerato: every school here is approved by the Ministry of Education, so students can also earn the national Bachillerato, which matters for Ecuadorian universities.

Four schools and who they suit

British School Quito (BSQ)

BSQ was created under a bilateral agreement signed by the governments of Ecuador and the United Kingdom on 9 June 1995 and is a registered educational foundation. It takes children from Nursery, for those aged 3 before 31 August, to Year 13, following the English National Curriculum to Cambridge IGCSE in Years 10 and 11 and the IB Diploma in Years 12 and 13. The school says all students graduate with both a British School Diploma and the Ecuadorian Baccalaureate. It is a member of COBIS and part of the Ariston Education group.

BSQ is direct about language: classes are taught in English, it says it does not run a "bilingual" curriculum, and Spanish is compulsory from Year 1. The school says around 75% of its students are Ecuadorian, with the rest from more than thirty countries. It suits British, Commonwealth and other families who want a recognisable British route and the IB at 16. Tip: applicants from Year 3 upwards sit a CAT4 test, and the application asks for passports, the last two school reports and a financial declaration or work certificate, so gather these before you move.

Colegio Menor, Campus Quito

Founded in 1995 and now part of Nord Anglia Education, Colegio Menor sits on a seven-hectare campus in Cumbayá. It is accredited by Cognia, with a renewal audit every four years, and the school says it has been authorised by the College Board for more than ten years to offer AP courses in Grades 11 and 12. Its campus page lists more than 20 nationalities and average class sizes of 18 for ages 3 to 5 and 23 for ages 6 to 18.

Language is English-led: children aged 3 to 5 are in full English immersion, and from 1st to 12th Grade every subject except Spanish, sports and art is taught in English. Families aiming for US or Canadian universities tend to look here first, as do those who want a large campus with plenty of choice. Watch the calendar: its latest admissions cycle opened on 1 September 2025 and closed enrolment on 30 January 2026, and the school warns that some classes are full and may have waiting lists. Its FAQ notes that tuition covers the morning shuttle, while the afternoon run is paid separately.

Internacional SEK Ecuador

SEK Ecuador opened in 1984 as part of the Spanish-founded Institución Internacional SEK. The IBO records it as a private IB World School authorised for the Diploma Programme on 24 April 1989, the Middle Years Programme in 2011 and the Primary Years Programme in 2018. The Diploma and PYP are taught in Spanish according to the IBO, while the MYP is taught in English and Spanish, and the school says it is bilingual in English from early years with official certifications in English and French.

It works well for Spanish-speaking families, Latin American and Spanish postings, and anyone who wants an IB school without moving to the valleys. A child with little Spanish will find a Spanish-taught Diploma hard going, so ask exactly which Diploma subjects can be taken in English.

Internacional SEK Los Valles

The SEK group took over Los Valles in 2005, and the school describes itself as an IB World School running the PYP for preschool and primary, the MYP from Octavo de Básica to Primero de Bachillerato and the Diploma in the final two years. Its FAQ calls the model trilingual: classes in Spanish and English, with French from Cuarto to Décimo de Educación General Básica. The day runs from 8:00 to 16:00, children can start from age 2, and buses cover parts of Quito as well as the Cumbayá and Sangolquí valleys.

For families already living in the eastern valleys, it offers the IB in a Spanish-led setting at a smaller scale. Admission involves a request for a place, a family interview and visit, then an entrance test and a document check.

Fees and what the Ministry allows

Ecuador uses the US dollar, so there is no currency risk for families paid in dollars. Fees are quoted as an annual matrícula (enrolment fee) plus a monthly pensión, usually spread over ten months. None of the four schools above publishes its full fee table online, so the ranges below are our own indicative estimates for Quito's international schools, not published figures:

• Early years: roughly USD 600 to 1,100 a month.
• Primary: roughly USD 800 to 1,300 a month.
• Secondary and IB or AP years: roughly USD 900 to 1,500 a month.

The hard rules come from the state. Under the General Regulation of the Organic Law of Intercultural Education, as cited in a 2025 Quito district resolution, private and fiscomisional schools may only charge the matrícula and pensión values authorised by the education district; those values cannot rise during the school year; and the matrícula cannot exceed 75% of the net monthly pensión and is paid once a year. For 2026-27 the Ministry set a base increase of 2.22% for the Sierra-Amazon region, with higher rises of up to 9.25% only with ministerial approval, and it runs an online tool where parents can check each school's authorised maximums.

Extras to ask about, because they sit outside the regulated pensión:

• Admission or entrance fees: one-off charges at some schools; ask whether any part is refundable.
• Transport: priced by route; at Colegio Menor only the morning run is included.
• Meals: cafeterias are run as separate services at Colegio Menor and SEK Los Valles.
• Uniforms, books and devices: schools must tell families the cost of materials and uniforms before enrolment.
• Exams: IGCSE, IB and AP registration fees are normally billed on top.

Practical advice for Quito

Decide where you will live after you choose the school. With three of the four schools in Cumbayá and Tumbaco, a flat in the north of Quito can mean long bus rides at altitude for small children. Visit at the morning school run and ask each school for its bus map before signing a lease.

Be realistic about Spanish. BSQ and Colegio Menor are English-led; the SEK schools are Spanish-led with strong English. A teenager with no Spanish will cope better in an English-medium IB or AP programme, while a younger child usually absorbs Spanish quickly wherever they are.

Plan for a September start. Because the Sierra year opens in early September and some schools close enrolment for the following year as early as January, families relocating in summer should apply in the previous autumn or winter, and use the Ministry's fee lookup to check that the quoted pensión matches the authorised figure.

See the full regional ranking

For a wider comparison that includes schools across the province, see our ranking of the best international schools in Pichincha, and use it to build a shortlist of two or three schools to visit.

More guides to schools in Quito

• International school admissions in Quito
• Bilingual schools in Quito
• How to choose an international school in Quito
• International school fees in Quito
• best international schools in Pichincha

Frequently asked questions

When does the school year start in Quito?

Quito follows the Sierra and Amazon calendar. For 2026-27 the Ministry of Education scheduled the start for 1 September 2026, staggered over three days by grade, and the year ends in late June or early July. Colegio Menor's last day, for example, is 18 June 2027, so most families relocate in August.

Which international schools in Quito teach mainly in English?

British School Quito teaches in English, with Spanish compulsory from Year 1, and says it does not run a bilingual curriculum. Colegio Menor uses full English immersion for ages 3 to 5 and teaches every subject except Spanish, sports and art in English from Grade 1. The two SEK schools are Spanish-led with strong English.

Can a private school in Quito raise fees in the middle of the year?

No. Under Ecuador's education regulations, matrícula and pensión values must be authorised by the education district and cannot be increased during the school year. The matrícula cannot exceed 75% of the net monthly pensión. For 2026-27 the base increase in the Sierra-Amazon region was 2.22%, with up to 9.25% only with approval.