Spain is one of the most popular countries in the world as a destination for expats, for a variety of reasons. But for expats living in Spain there are many different factors that affect where exactly they choose to settle down. One of the biggest influences on this decision is often career, while for others the priority might be to find an existing expat community where you can fit in. For many expats the Spanish capital of Madrid is the right balance in the search for a destination to make their home. It is considered one of the best cities in the world for expats to live in and an excellent location for work opportunities. On the whole, it's no surprise that the bustling metropolitan city is a popular choice.
All of this is complicated however by the question of family: for those who plan to raise a family in Spain there are more things to take into account, and one of the primary considerations here is education. Of course the Community of Madrid has an excellent public education system, but many expats would understandably prefer that their children be educated in a manner similar to their own schooling. This will narrow down where exactly in the Community of Madrid you choose to live, as these schools are concentrated in certain areas of the region. Whether you're looking for a British or American school in Madrid, here we break down the four areas with the highest density of international schools and the best international schools for expats, so that your children can receive the education that you want for them. And it is worth noting that practically all of these schools offer a bus service for their students, so you have some freedom to choose where exactly you want to live within these areas without worrying about turning the school runs into a headache!
Pozuelo de Alarcón
Pozuelo is a municipality in the west of the Community of Madrid, and one of the wealthiest municipalities in the country. The low density residential area is full of green areas and parks and is even separated from the city centre by the expansive pine forest of Casa de Campo. The area boasts many nearby amenities, including sports centres, swimming pools, high-end restaurants and bars, and several shopping centres. It is also well connected to transport links (rail and the overground "Metro Ligero" tram lines) into the city centre. And of course, the municipality boasts a number of Spain's best international schools for you to choose from for your children's education. Notably, in the southern part of the the municipality we can find the British Council School, which accepts children from the ages of 3 to 18, when secondary education in Spain is completed. This is the gold standard, as the first British school in Spain, which today still works closely with the British Council to promote educational and cultural relations between Britain and Spain.
Other options in the area should you want a British style curriculum include Kensington School Madrid, which also serves children from 3 to 18, and Limitless Minds International College, a secondary school that accepts students from 12 years old. In addition, Pozuelo has several schools that provide an International Baccalaureate (IB) curriculum, an internationally recognised standard that is considered equivalent to a high quality British or Spanish education. The Colegio Internacional Aravaca (just outside Pozuelo), and the American School of Madrid both offer this curriculum to their students, and the latter also offers a more typically United States style curriculum should you be interested.
If one of these schools looks like the right fit for your children's education and you would like to live nearby in Pozuelo de Alarcón, take a look at the properties advertised on idealista in the area:
Piovera
Jumping over to the other side of Madrid, east of the city centre is the neighbourhood of Piovera. Slightly closer to the centre than Pozuelo, this neighbourhood is also a relatively wealthy area, full of low density residential housing. With easy access to the A2 highway into the city and the M12 motorway around it, the neighbourhood is well connected, but parks on multiple sides and wide open green spaces make it feel isolated and tranquil in spite of its location. Within the confines of the neighbourhood there is little more than the housing and green areas, but you will have easy access to the countless amenities in the surrounding area, from fishing and golf in Parque Juan Carlos I, to ice-skating in the Palacio de Hielo, and all of the services in several nearby shopping centres.
As far as educational opportunities, the neighbourhood has several private and semi-private (concertado) schools with good reputations for high quality education. Hastings School, which has three campuses in the neighbourhood for different age groups, offers a British curriculum to students from the ages of 2 to 18. Also offering a British curriculum to students in this neighbourhood is Dallington School, though they serve students only from 2 years old to 16, at which age students would have to change schools to complete their secondary education up to Bachillerato (the equivalent of A-Levels in the UK). Finally, if you would like to have your children study an IB curriculum, Brains International Schools has a campus in Piovera, and a second just across the A2 highway, providing an IB education based on their own internationally recognised methodology.
If you want your children to attend one of these schools, have a look at some properties advertised on idealista in Piovera and find your new home nearby:
La Moraleja
To the north of Piovera, on the southern edge of the municipality of Alcobendas, is the district of La Moraleja. This affluent residential district has been home to actors, businessmen, and even politicians, and offers a high quality of life to its residents, in a quiet, peaceful corner of Madrid. The district boasts multiple well regarded golf-clubs, private sports clubs dedicated to everything from football, to tennis, to rugby, to athletics, and of course, a large number of high quality private schools. Runnymede College for example, is the oldest independent British school in Spain (opening less than 20 years after the official British Council School), offering a high quality co-educational experience and a British curriculum to students between 2 and 18 years old for decades.
Another internationally regarded British school, King's College, has a pair of campuses in La Moraleja for primary and secondary education, though it only serves students up to 16 years old, meaning that they will have to complete their seconday education elsewhere. Notably, La Moraleja has even greater variety when it comes to international education: the Colegio San Patricio and the International College Spain both offer IB curriculums to students up to 18 years old, and Brains International Schools also has a campus in the neighbourhood. In addition to this, the neighbourhood offers other, more exotic educational opportunities in the form of Lycée Francais de Madrid, offering a French curriculum, the Colegio Suizo Madrid, offering a Swiss curriculum, and the Scandinavian School of Madrid, offering a Swedish curriculum.
Search for properties in La Moraleja on idealista and find your new home to live near where you want your children to study:
Chamartín
This last area we will discuss is the most centrally located of them all. If life on the outskirts of Madrid isn't for your family, then consider this northern district of the city. If you work in the city centre, this is the district with the best transport links, with several metro lines to other parts of Madrid, in addition to the nationwide trains that depart from Chamartín train station. Though, with Madrid's main business districts right on your doorstep you may not even have to travel very far. The Gates of Europe, and the "Cuatro Torres" (Four Towers, Madrid's iconc skyscrapers) are both inside the district of Chamartín, as is the Santiago Bernabéu stadium. The district is also known for its high class shopping areas, and countless parks and green areas dotted around in local neighbourhoods.
As far as education, several of the schools previously mentioned have campuses in the district, including Hastings School, King's College, and Colegio San Patricio. In addition, the district has several other schools offering British curriculum educacations to students from the area and beyond. One of the best regarded British schools in Madrid, the International School of Madrid, has three campuses in the north of the district, serving students from 2 to 18 years of age. Meanwhile, St. Anne's School and Holy Mary British Catholic School both offer more religiously informed educations based around the British curriculum.
If you want your children to study at one of these international schools, and you want to live nearby, search for your new home in Chamartín on idealista:
