IB World Schools in Portugal

Are you looking for an International Baccalaureate World School in Portugal? Here you can find a list of Portuguese schools that have a profile in the IB World Schools Yearbook.

The schools featured below offer at least one of the IB's four programmes: the Primary Years Programme (PYP), Middle Years Programme (MYP), Diploma Programme (DP) and Career-related Programme (CP). You can use the search filter below to look for schools that offer one programme in particular.

A peaceful, developed country with a high standard of living, Portugal has attracted many expatriates from Britain and other northern European countries over recent decades. A wide range of international schools centred on Lisbon, Porto and the Algarve cater to foreign nationals and local elites. 

English-medium schools following the curriculums of Britain, the US and the International Baccalaureate Office predominate, but the vibrant sector also includes schools that offer French, German and Italian curriculums and teach in the respective languages. 

There are nine IB World Schools, which all teach in English. The International Baccalaureate Diploma is offered by eight schools, while three IB programmes are taught at one: Saint Dominic’s International School. High school boarding education leading to the IB Diploma is provided by Oeiras International School, which opened in 2010. 

Many private schools teach British, American or IB programmes alongside the Portuguese curriculum.

Education is compulsory for 12 years from age six to 18 and free in the Portuguese-medium public system, which is divided in to basic and secondary stages. Ensino Basico has three cycles of four years, two years and three years respectively, leading to the Certificate of Basic Education. 

Ensino Secundario takes three years and is divided into general programmes with a choice of four broad, academic subject areas, technological programmes and artistically oriented programmes. Students who pass receive a diploma. Grades from national exams taken in years 11 and 12 are used to award university places. 

In 2015, net enrolment was 91 per cent at pre-primary level, 98 per cent at primary school and 94 per cent at secondary school, while gross tertiary enrolment was 62 per cent. The number of children not at school rose from 4,069 to 12,414 between 2009 and 2015. 

IB World Schools are part of a thriving international school sector in Portugal. For information on all international schools, you can visit: www.internationalschoolsearch.com