Best International Schools in Rio de Janeiro: 2026 Guide for Families

Quick answer: What are the best international schools in Rio de Janeiro? Our shortlist covers five established English-language options, including OLM - Our Lady of Mercy American School, The British School, Escola Americana do Rio de Janeiro and SIS Swiss International School. They offer American, British, IB and Brazilian programmes, with fees of roughly R$5,000 to R$16,000 a month.

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

Families relocating to Rio often assume they will have dozens of schools to compare. In reality, the list of genuine best international schools in Rio de Janeiro is short, and the real choice comes down to curriculum, neighbourhood and how much Portuguese you want your children to absorb. The good news is that the schools on that short list are long established, several have been operating for decades, and most run the full span from nursery to the end of secondary.

This guide does not crown a single winner. A school that suits a diplomat's child staying two years in Botafogo is not necessarily right for a Brazilian-British family settling in Barra da Tijuca for the long term. Below we set out what "best" means for different families in Rio, then look at each school on our shortlist and who it tends to suit.

Rio de Janeiro for international families: where the schools are

Rio draws international families for energy, oil and gas, finance, diplomacy, research and a growing number of remote workers who want the beach and the mountains on the same doorstep. Most expatriate households settle in one of two broad areas, and the schools follow that pattern closely.

The Zona Sul, the South Zone, covers neighbourhoods such as Botafogo, Urca, Flamengo, Gávea, Leblon, Ipanema and Copacabana. It is denser, older and close to the centre, with good access to the metro along the coast. OLM and The British School's Zona Sul sites sit in Botafogo and Urca, while Escola Americana do Rio de Janeiro is in Gávea, near the Jardim Botânico side of the Lagoa.

The Zona Oeste, the West Zone, is dominated by Barra da Tijuca and Recreio: newer, flatter, with gated condominiums, shopping centres and more space per family. Rio International School, SIS Swiss International School and The British School's Barra unit are all here. Barra suits families who want a house or large flat with a pool and are happy to live by car.

Commuting between the two zones is the decision that catches people out. The drive from Botafogo to Barra can take 30 minutes on a quiet Sunday and well over an hour at rush hour, through tunnels and along the Elevado do Joá. Our firm advice is to choose the school and the home together, and to keep the daily school run inside one zone if you possibly can.

Curricula available in Rio de Janeiro

Based on what the schools publish on their profiles, these are the programmes you will actually find:

American curriculum: offered by OLM and Escola Americana do Rio de Janeiro, with US-style grade levels and a high school diploma.
British curriculum with IGCSE: The British School, Rio de Janeiro, where pupils take the IGCSE before moving on to the IB Diploma.
International Baccalaureate: listed on the profiles of The British School, Escola Americana do Rio de Janeiro and SIS Swiss International School Brazil.
Brazilian national curriculum: run alongside the international programme at OLM, The British School (Ensino Fundamental and Ensino Médio) and Escola Americana's Brazilian Diploma Program, which matters if your child may enter a Brazilian university.
Multilingual model: SIS teaches in Portuguese, English and German, with French also part of the wider SIS network.
Christian international school: Rio International School teaches in English from a Biblical worldview, with Bible classes and chapel.

What makes a school "best" in Rio

Before the shortlist, it helps to be honest about what "best" means for your family. In Rio, four factors usually decide it.

Curriculum fit. If you will move on in two or three years, continuity with your next posting matters more than anything else. American-system families tend to look first at OLM and EARJ, British-system families at The British School, and families aiming at the IB Diploma have three options.

Language balance. Some schools are almost entirely English-medium; others are deliberately bilingual. A child who arrives with no Portuguese can thrive in either, but the experience is very different.

Location. As above, a great school on the wrong side of the city can mean two hours a day in the car.

Size and community. Rio's international schools range from around 600 pupils to well over 2,000. Smaller schools often feel closer knit; larger ones offer more subject choice and activities.

Our shortlist of international schools in Rio de Janeiro

OLM - Our Lady of Mercy American School

OLM is a Catholic, non-profit international school at Rua Visconde de Caravelas 48 in Botafogo, in the heart of the Zona Sul. Its defining feature is that it runs the American and Brazilian curricula side by side, so students work towards fluency in both English and Portuguese and can prepare for higher education in Brazil or abroad. According to its profile, the school has around 620 students and 82 teachers, a ratio of roughly 8 students per teacher, and about 10% of its students are international, which means the day-to-day community is largely Brazilian families who want an American education.

Annual teacher turnover is listed at around 6%, which is low for an international school and worth noting for families who value continuity. The school states three values, empathy, equity and excellence, and its Parent-Teacher Association brings together elected representatives from every grade plus a teacher representative, meeting monthly. The profile also lists support for students with ADHD, autism spectrum conditions and motor disabilities, and an educational psychologist on staff.

Who it fits: families in Botafogo, Flamengo, Laranjeiras or Humaitá who want an American programme with genuine Portuguese, a Catholic ethos and small classes. Non-Catholic families should ask how religious education and celebrations work in practice, as they would at any faith school.

The British School, Rio de Janeiro

Founded in 1924, The British School is a non-profit, co-educational day school with more than 2,000 students from over 60 nationalities. It runs two units across three sites: Botafogo and Urca in the Zona Sul, and a Barra unit in the West Zone. Students take Brazilian qualifications (Ensino Fundamental and Ensino Médio) alongside the IGCSE and the IB Diploma, and both Portuguese and English are languages of instruction.

Who it fits: British-system families, and those who want the IB Diploma with a strong Brazilian component. Because it has campuses in both zones, it is also one of the few schools where you can choose the site that matches your housing, so confirm which site your child's year group is taught at before signing a lease.

Escola Americana do Rio de Janeiro

EARJ, on Estrada da Gávea in Gávea, has welcomed international and Brazilian families for more than 80 years and has a community of over 30 nationalities. All classes are taught in English, except for the Brazilian Diploma Program requirements and the Spanish and French foreign language courses. The profile lists the IB alongside the American curriculum.

Who it fits: families who want an all-English American education and live in Gávea, Leblon, Ipanema or Jardim Botânico. The Estrada da Gávea climbs steeply and traffic around the school at drop-off is heavy, so test the journey at 7am before you commit.

SIS Swiss International School Brazil

SIS Rio, on Rua Corréa de Araújo in Barra da Tijuca, is part of a group that runs 17 bilingual day schools in Switzerland, Germany and Brazil, with more than 3,700 students across the network. Teaching is described as consistently bilingual, and the profile lists Portuguese, English and German as languages of instruction, with the IB also listed. It covers kindergarten through to secondary level.

Who it fits: families in Barra who want structured bilingual teaching rather than English immersion, and German-speaking families who want to keep that language alive. If your child arrives with little Portuguese, ask how the school supports newcomers in the Portuguese-medium lessons.

Rio International School

RIS is in Barra da Tijuca, on Avenida Prefeito Dulcídio Cardoso, and teaches in English. Its students come from over 30 countries and staff from more than 10. It is an open-enrolment Christian school: families of all beliefs are accepted, but students attend Bible classes and chapel and are taught from a Biblical worldview.

Who it fits: families in Barra or Recreio who want an English-medium school with an explicitly Christian character. Ask the school directly which diploma and university pathways it offers at the end of high school, as its profile does not list a named international programme.

International school fees in Rio de Janeiro

Few Rio schools publish full fee schedules, so the figures below are indicative ranges for 2026 to 2027 based on what families typically report. Brazilian schools usually quote a monthly fee (mensalidade), often paid in 12 instalments.

Nursery and preschool: roughly R$5,000 to R$10,000 a month (about US$900 to US$1,800).
Primary: roughly R$7,000 to R$13,000 a month (about US$1,300 to US$2,400).
Middle and high school, including IB: roughly R$9,000 to R$16,000 a month (about US$1,600 to US$2,900).

OLM's profile lists a monthly cost band of roughly 1,000 to 2,000 US dollars; ask the school for the current figure in reais. Extras to budget for:

Registration or application fee: usually a one-off payment on applying.
Enrolment fee (matrícula) or deposit: often equivalent to one monthly instalment, paid to secure the place.
Development or capital levy: some non-profit schools charge a one-off or annual contribution.
Uniforms and sports kit.
School transport: private vans are common and charged separately.
Meals and snacks, if not included.
Exam fees for IGCSE, IB or AP.
Devices: many schools expect a laptop or tablet from middle school.

One legal point shapes the school calendar and admissions. Since Constitutional Amendment 59 of 2009, schooling in Brazil is compulsory from age 4 to 17, and the Brazilian school year runs roughly from February to December. Some international schools in Rio follow this calendar, while others run an August start, so check carefully if you are arriving mid-year.

Practical advice for choosing the best school for your family

Visit in person, and on a school day. Rio's schools vary enormously in feel, from large multi-site institutions to close communities of a few hundred families. A morning visit tells you more about the language actually spoken in corridors and playgrounds than any brochure, and it lets you test the commute at real traffic times.

Ask about the calendar before you book flights. Because the Brazilian year starts in February and some schools follow a northern hemisphere calendar, a family arriving in July can face very different options depending on the school. Ask which year group your child will join and whether places are available mid-year, as popular year groups fill early.

Think about the Brazilian diploma early. If there is any chance your child will stay in Brazil for university, a school that runs the Brazilian curriculum alongside the international one, as OLM, The British School and EARJ do, saves a great deal of paperwork later. If you are certain you will leave, prioritise continuity with your home system instead.

See the full ranking

For a wider comparison, including schools beyond this shortlist and the latest family ratings, see our ranking of the best international schools in Rio de Janeiro.

More guides to schools in Rio de Janeiro

Frequently asked questions

Which international schools in Rio de Janeiro teach in English?

Escola Americana do Rio de Janeiro teaches all classes in English except Brazilian Diploma requirements and foreign languages, and Rio International School is English-medium. OLM, The British School and SIS teach in both English and Portuguese, with SIS adding German. Families wanting full immersion usually look at EARJ first, while those wanting Portuguese too look at OLM or The British School.

Is it better to live in Zona Sul or Barra da Tijuca for international schools?

It depends on the school. OLM, The British School's Botafogo and Urca sites and EARJ in Gávea serve the Zona Sul, while SIS, Rio International School and The British School's Barra unit serve the West Zone. The drive between the two zones can exceed an hour at rush hour, so most families pick the school first and then rent nearby.

Which Rio international schools offer the IB Diploma?

The ISA profiles of The British School, Escola Americana do Rio de Janeiro and SIS Swiss International School Brazil all list the International Baccalaureate. At The British School students take the IGCSE first and then the IB Diploma, alongside Brazilian qualifications. Ask each school which IB programmes run in which year groups, and whether places are open for students joining at 16.