Boarding schools in Spain: fees, options and how to choose

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

Spain is not a boarding country in the way England or Switzerland is. Most of its international schools are day schools, and the word "boarding" on a school website can mean anything from a purpose-built house on campus to a block of rooms in a student residence down the road. This guide to boarding schools in Spain separates the two, sets out real 2026-27 fees, and explains the visa and guardianship rules that apply when a child under 18 comes from outside the EU.

If you are still weighing up full against weekly boarding in general, our explainer on full versus weekly boarding costs covers that ground; here the focus is Spain.

Which international schools in Spain have real boarding?

The quickest test is to ask where your child will sleep, who will be on duty at 2am, and whether the school or a third party runs the building. The three schools below answer that question in different ways.

Barcelona High School

This American-curriculum school in Barcelona does not run a boarding house on campus. Instead it offers a Boarding Residence and Mobility Program for students aged 15 to 18, based in a partner student residence (BHS-Beyoo) that the school says is two minutes' walk from campus, with a residence supervisor living on site. Its fee page, which does not state the school year, lists EUR 50,000 for a ten-month stay, including tuition, accommodation and the supervisor; meals are charged on top.

King's College, The British School of Madrid (Soto de Viñuelas)

King's College runs Tenbury House, a boarding house inside its Soto de Viñuelas campus in Tres Cantos, north of Madrid. It opened in September 2011 and takes up to 60 students aged 11 to 18, with at least two boarding staff on duty at all times, according to the school. Boarders follow the English National Curriculum to (I)GCSE in Year 11 and then choose A Levels or the IB Diploma.

Sotogrande International School

Sotogrande, in Cádiz province, has an on-campus boarding house and is the only school of the three to publish full, weekday and flexi-boarding prices side by side. The school describes a boarding community of more than 35 nationalities with English as the main language of the house. Its curriculum is IB-based, and at the final stage the school says students can choose the IB Diploma, an American programme or A Levels.

What does boarding cost in Spain in 2026-27?

For a student in the last two years of school, tuition plus full boarding costs between roughly EUR 40,000 and EUR 55,000 a year at these schools. The table compares the senior years, where most international boarders join.

Fees for 2026-27 from each school's schedule, except Barcelona High School, which does not date its prices. Sotogrande lists tuition and boarding separately, so its total is our sum of the two lines.

One-off costs matter too. King's College charges a non-refundable enrolment fee of EUR 1,800 plus a refundable EUR 3,000 boarding deposit, and asks every non-Spanish student to pay EUR 2,160 a year for document management. Sotogrande charges a EUR 550 registration fee for secondary, a EUR 4,000 family membership fee for entry between M1 and M5, and a refundable EUR 5,000 deposit for boarders. Barcelona High School asks for a deposit of 20% of the programme fee, plus a EUR 1,000 annual matriculation fee and a EUR 2,500 entrance fee where it applies.

Full, weekly or flexi boarding: what Spanish schools actually offer

Full boarding is the default for students whose parents live abroad, and it is what visa rules assume. Weekday boarding (Monday to Friday) suits families inside Spain with a long commute: at Sotogrande it costs EUR 18,350 a year against EUR 22,720 for the standard full-boarding pack, a difference of EUR 4,370. Sotogrande also sells flexi nights at EUR 115 each for stays of 2 to 14 days, not available during school holidays.

King's College publishes full-boarding fees only, and Barcelona High School prices by length of stay (three, five or ten months), so confirm weekday boarding in writing before you apply.

Student visas for under-18s from outside the EU

A child with an EU passport does not need a student visa to board in Spain. For everyone else, the rules changed with the new immigration regulation approved by Royal Decree 1155/2024, published in the Boletín Oficial del Estado on 20 November 2024 and in force since 20 May 2025.

• The age rule. Article 35.f sets a minimum age of 18 for the visa for post-compulsory secondary studies (article 52.1.b). Younger students must instead join a student mobility programme under article 52.1.c, whose age limit follows education law.
• What the school must do. Article 53.1.c requires the student to be admitted by a school, the school running the programme to take responsibility for the student (including the cost of studies, the stay and the return home), and the student to live with a host family chosen by the programme or in a boarding house or residence attached to or contracted by it.
• Parental consent. Under article 35.g, a minor in the care of someone who does not hold parental authority needs written authorisation from both parents, naming the school, the organisation in charge and the planned period.
• Money and insurance. Article 35.h asks for means equal to 100% of the IPREM index per month unless accommodation is paid in advance, and a school's declaration that it takes charge of the student counts. Article 35.i requires health insurance from an insurer authorised in Spain.
• Duration. Article 55.1 limits each authorisation to the length of the programme, with a maximum of one year, and the extension rule in article 55.3 does not list mobility programmes. Ask the school how it handles the second and later years.

This is why the boarding arrangement is not a detail: a school that cannot show a residence linked to its own programme cannot sponsor a non-EU minor through this route.

Guardians: who is responsible for your child in Spain?

Each school prices guardianship differently. Sotogrande's Guardian Pack adds guardian services, visa and residence permit support and notary costs; Barcelona High School's EUR 5,000 fee covers visa paperwork and legal guardianship, but not translations; King's College bills the visa and residence steps separately.

Ask for names, not services. Find out who signs a medical consent form if your child needs surgery on a Sunday, who keeps the passport and residence card, and where your child stays when the boarding house closes for half-term. If the answer for holidays is "with the guardian", meet that person before you sign.

What to ask on a boarding house visit

1. How many boarders are in the house this year, how many of them stay at weekends, and which nationalities dominate?
2. Are rooms single, shared or en suite, and at what age does a single room become available? (King's College charges EUR 7,875 a year for a single room from Year 10.)
3. What is included: meals, laundry, airport transfers, weekend trips, medical insurance? Sotogrande's standard pack includes term-time medical cover; King's College's does not.
4. Who is on duty overnight, and who lives in the building?
5. For non-EU families: which visa route does the school use, who files it, and how long did it take last year?

If you are also considering Switzerland, compare these answers with our guide to IB boarding schools in Switzerland.

Compare boarding and day schools across Spain

To see these schools next to the day schools in the same regions, our ranking of the best international schools in Spain lets you filter by city, curriculum and fees.

Sources: Sotogrande International School, fee schedule 2026-27 and boarding page; King's College School Soto de Viñuelas, residence fees 2026-2027, day fees 2026-2027 and Tenbury House page; Barcelona High School, boarding residence programme and fees pages; Real Decreto 1155/2024 (BOE 20 November 2024), consolidated text, articles 35, 52, 53 and 55, and its record of later amendments on the Boletín Oficial del Estado.

More guides to schools in Madrid

• International school fees in Madrid
• Bilingual schools in Madrid
• International school admissions in Madrid
• How to choose an international school in Madrid
• Best international schools in Madrid
• best international schools in Spain

Frequently asked questions

Can a non-EU child under 18 study at a boarding school in Spain?

Yes, within the visa rules. Royal Decree 1155/2024 sets 18 as the minimum age for the ordinary secondary study visa, so a younger child coming from abroad joins a student mobility programme run by a registered school. The school takes responsibility for the student and houses them with a selected host family or in a linked boarding house or residence.

How much is a boarding school in Spain per year?

For the final two school years in 2026-27, tuition plus full boarding costs about EUR 40,000 to 55,000. King's College Soto de Viñuelas charges EUR 39,780 for A Levels and EUR 43,680 for the IB; Sotogrande's IB Diploma tuition plus full boarding adds up to EUR 50,975; Barcelona High School lists EUR 50,000 for ten months on an undated fee page.

Are there weekly boarding schools in Spain?

Yes. Sotogrande International School offers weekday boarding from Monday to Friday for EUR 18,350 a year in 2026-27, plus flexi nights at EUR 115 each for stays of 2 to 14 days. Other schools price only full boarding or fixed stays, so confirm weekday options for your child's year group before applying.