Best International Schools in Santiago: 2026 Guide for Families

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

Families searching for the best international schools in Santiago quickly find that the category is looser than in many other cities. Most schools here are Chilean private schools with a strong English programme, and only a few offer the IB Diploma. What matters is the combination of language hours, exam route, district and cost, rather than the label on the gate.

This guide looks at four schools in the eastern districts, where most expat families live. It explains who each one tends to suit, gives sourced details on languages and curricula, and sets out what the school year, the fee structure and the admissions process mean in practice.

Santiago for families: districts and commuting

The eastern communes of Providencia, Las Condes, Vitacura, Lo Barnechea, La Reina and Ñuñoa hold most of the city's English-medium and IB schools. Providencia is the most central and the best served by the metro; Colegio Pedro de Valdivia Providencia, for instance, sits on Avenida Pedro de Valdivia in the middle of the district. La Reina and Las Condes are greener and more residential, and most families there rely on cars or private school transport.

Traffic on the main east-west routes is heavy in the morning, and the Andean foothills mean the best-placed schools can still be a slow journey from a flat in the wrong commune. Choose the neighbourhood and the school together. Many families decide on a school first and then rent within a 15 to 25 minute radius.

The school year follows the southern hemisphere pattern. For 2026 the Ministry of Education set the start of classes in the Metropolitan Region for Wednesday 4 March, with winter holidays running from 22 June to 3 July in the central regions, according to press reports of the Mineduc calendar (confirm with each school). Families arriving from the northern hemisphere in the second half of the year usually join mid-course.

Curricula available in Santiago

• Chilean national curriculum with intensive English: the most common model. Students follow the Ministry programme and add English hours, Cambridge English exams and sometimes an international primary or early years framework.
• IB Diploma Programme: offered by a small group of schools in the final two years. Saint Gabriel's says it joined the IB in 1985 and offers the Diploma to senior students. Dunalastair Las Condes describes itself as an IB World School and appears in the IBO directory, but the programmes it runs are not spelled out there.
• Cambridge International: IGCSE and A Level routes, which Cognita lists for Dunalastair Las Condes alongside the Chilean curriculum, according to its school page.
• International Primary and Early Years Curricula: used at Colegio Pedro de Valdivia Providencia in the youngest grades, according to the school's website.

The university admissions test, the PAES, matters for any family planning to stay in Chile. International routes sit alongside it, so ask how each school balances PAES preparation with the Diploma or Cambridge exams.

Schools worth shortlisting

Saint Gabriel's School, Providencia

Founded in 1931, Saint Gabriel's is a secular, co-educational school with two campuses in Providencia: Lilas for Pre-Kinder to 3rd grade and Bilbao for the older grades plus a sports stadium in Las Condes. The Junior School runs a bilingual programme, and intensive English continues at the other levels. Students sit the Cambridge PET in 8th grade at the school, and the school says it joined the IB in 1985, with the Diploma open to senior students.

It tends to suit families who want a long-established school with a clear IB route and who are comfortable with a Chilean-led culture. The split campuses mean younger and older siblings do not share a gate, so check drop-off logistics.

Colegio Pedro de Valdivia Providencia, Providencia

Part of International Schools Partnership, which bought the Pedro de Valdivia schools in 2019, this school takes children from Playgroup to IV Medio and sits on Avenida Pedro de Valdivia. It combines the Chilean curriculum with the International Early Years Curriculum and the International Primary Curriculum. English takes a large share of lesson time in the early grades, easing in 4th grade before a bilingual programme in 5th and 6th and intensive English from 7th, according to its published description. Ask for the exact weekly hours at your child's entry grade.

Students can prepare for Cambridge English exams such as B2 First for Schools. The school does not list the IB Diploma among its programmes, so it fits families who value a central location, high English exposure and a Chilean university route more than an international diploma.

British Royal School, La Reina

British Royal School was established in 1986 and is now part of International Schools Partnership. It has two nearby campuses in La Reina, Álvaro Casanova for infant and primary and Las Perdices for middle and senior school. The school says it gives full English immersion up to Grade 6, then an intensive English programme, and aims for every graduate to reach at least B2 in Cambridge English. It follows the Chilean curriculum and does not run an international diploma.

It tends to suit families living in La Reina or Peñalolén who want a bilingual school with a strong sports culture. Verify the immersion hours by grade directly with the school, since these figures come from the school's own description.

Dunalastair School Las Condes, Las Condes

Dunalastair, a Cognita school, began in 1937 as a girls' boarding school; its Las Condes site opened in 1989, on Avenida Las Condes, and serves ages 3 to 18. According to Cognita, it offers the Chilean curriculum with IGCSE and AS and A Level routes, with English as the main language of instruction through Year 6 and Spanish used more in later years. The school also calls itself an IB World School, and the IBO lists it, but neither source says which IB programmes run, so ask directly. There are also campuses in Chicureo and Peñalolén.

It suits families who want an English-led school with British examinations and who may continue to a university abroad. Ask the school which qualifications, IGCSE, A Level or IB, are currently offered in the final years, as school pathways change.

Fees: what to budget

Chilean private schools rarely publish a full fee schedule. A 2026 cost guide to private schools in Providencia puts monthly tuition at roughly CLP 350,000 to 700,000, with enrolment (matrícula) often equal to about one month. Over a school year that works out at roughly CLP 4 million to 9 million per child, about US$4,300 to US$9,700, which is an indicative planning range only. Schools with heavy English programmes or the IB may sit above it, so ask each admissions office for its own schedule.

The 2026 school year opened on 4 March in the Metropolitan Region, according to Mineduc, and matrícula is usually due before then. Many schools quote fees in UF, an inflation-indexed unit, so ask whether instalments are fixed in pesos or recalculated.

• Incorporation fee: a one-off joining fee at some traditional schools, which the same guide says varies from a few hundred thousand to over CLP 2 million.
• Matrícula: paid once a year, usually before March.
• Meals: roughly CLP 80,000 to 130,000 a month where billed separately, according to the same guide.
• Transport: roughly CLP 70,000 to 120,000 a month for private routes, depending on distance.
• Exams and trips: parents pay part of international exam fees at Saint Gabriel's, and trips are billed separately.
• Parents' association: some schools collect a small annual contribution; ask.

Practical advice

Match the exam route to your plan. If your child may return to the UK, Europe or the US, ask about the IB Diploma or Cambridge examinations. If you expect to stay, PAES preparation and the Chilean school-leaving record matter more.

Ask for English hours, not adjectives. "Bilingual" covers a wide spread. Request the number of weekly lessons in English at your child's entry grade and which subjects use English.

Visit the stage you actually need. Several schools split ages across campuses, so tour the campus where your child will spend the next three years, not only the main building.

Apply early. Applications for the March start typically open in the second half of the previous year, and Saint Gabriel's, for example, opened Pre-Kinder applications in February 2026 for that cycle. Confirm current dates with each admissions office.

Compare more schools

For a wider comparison by district and curriculum, see Best international schools in Santiago (ranking).

More guides to schools in Santiago

• Bilingual schools in Santiago
• International school admissions in Santiago
• International school fees in Santiago
• Best international schools in Santiago (ranking)

Frequently asked questions

Which international schools in Santiago offer the IB Diploma?

Only a minority do. Saint Gabriel's School in Providencia says it joined the IB in 1985 and offers the Diploma to senior students. Dunalastair Las Condes calls itself an IB World School, but its programmes are not specified, so ask. Many bilingual schools follow the Chilean curriculum with Cambridge English exams instead.

How much do international schools cost in Santiago?

A 2026 cost guide puts monthly tuition at private schools in Providencia at roughly CLP 350,000 to 700,000, with matrícula about one month. English-immersion schools may cost more. Add a possible incorporation fee, meals of roughly CLP 80,000 to 130,000 monthly and private transport if needed.

When does the school year start in Santiago?

For 2026 the Ministry of Education set classes in the Metropolitan Region to begin on Wednesday 4 March, with winter holidays reported as 22 June to 3 July. Applications for the March start usually open in the second half of the previous year, so begin enquiries early.