By Valentina Cruz · Lifestyle & Living
The question I am asked most often by families considering a move is not about property or taxes or visa requirements. It is about schools. Specifically: where will my children be educated, will the education be good, and what happens if we need to move again — will that education transfer?
These are the right questions. School choice is the single decision that most determines where internationally mobile families actually end up living — because the school that works shapes the neighbourhood you choose, the apartment you lease, and ultimately the timeline of the whole life project. Get it wrong and you spend your first two years trying to fix it. Get it right and everything else becomes easier.
Here is my assessment of the best options in three cities I know well.
Miami
Miami's international school landscape is extensive and, by global standards, expensive. The city's large populations of Latin American and European expatriates have driven demand for high-quality international education over decades, and the offering reflects it.
Ransom Everglades School (Coconut Grove/Coral Gables) is consistently rated among the top private schools in Florida. It is not formally an "international school" in the IB sense — it follows a US college-preparatory curriculum — but its student body is genuinely international and its university placement results are exceptional. Annual fees are approximately USD $40,000-45,000. It is deeply selective and maintains long waiting lists.
International School of South Florida (Doral) offers the International Baccalaureate Primary Years Programme (PYP), Middle Years Programme (MYP), and Diploma Programme (DP), making it one of a small number of true IB continuum schools in the greater Miami area. Fees are approximately $20,000-28,000 per year depending on level. The school's location in Doral makes it most convenient for families living in that western corridor.
Carrollton School of the Sacred Heart (Coconut Grove) is a girls' school that draws an internationally diverse enrolment from Miami's Latin American and European communities. It follows the Sacred Heart network's curriculum and has a strong college placement record. Fees are approximately $32,000-38,000 per year.
For families with younger children or those uncertain about long-term Miami residency, the city's French-American School (Lycée Français de Miami) provides French national curriculum instruction in both French and English — an option that transfers cleanly to French lycées globally.
Admissions reality: Miami's best private schools fill in January for September starts. If you are planning a September move, applications should be submitted the previous October at the latest.
Lisbon
Lisbon's international school landscape has expanded rapidly to meet the demand created by the NHR-era influx and its successors. The options range from established international institutions to newer entrants that have grown with the city's expat population.
St. Julian's School (Carcavelos) is the established benchmark. Founded in 1932, it has grown into a school of approximately 1,400 students from more than 40 nationalities and offers the IB Diploma alongside its British curriculum primary and secondary provision. Academic results are strong and the school's position in Carcavelos, between Lisbon and Cascais, makes it conveniently located for the western corridor. Annual fees are approximately €12,000-18,000.
Carlucci American International School of Lisbon (CAISL, Linhó/Sintra) is the US-oriented option, with an American curriculum and accreditation that transfers cleanly to the US university system. It also offers the IB Diploma. Fees are approximately €14,000-20,000. Location is more northerly, which suits families based in the Sintra or Estoril line corridor.
Aga Khan Academy Lisbon is a newer entrant — the European member of the Aga Khan global network of schools — with a fully authorised IB continuum from primary through to diploma. It opened its Lisbon campus in 2021 and has grown consistently; the environment is genuinely international and the teaching quality is high. Fees are approximately €13,000-19,000.
For families happy with the Portuguese national curriculum delivered in English and Portuguese, the Colégio Internacional de Vilamoura model is replicated in several Lisbon-area schools and provides an integrative option that helps children develop genuine Portuguese language skills — a meaningful long-term advantage for families who intend to stay.
Barcelona
Barcelona's international school market is older and more established than Lisbon's, reflecting the city's longer history as a pan-European business hub and expat destination.
Benjamin Franklin International School (Pedralbes) is the city's principal American school, offering a US curriculum and IB Diploma. It has a diverse student body and strong university placement results. Fees are approximately €19,000-26,000.
Agora International School Barcelona (Les Corts) is part of a Spanish network of IB World Schools and offers the full IB continuum in English. It is strong at the primary years level and the campus environment is well-resourced. Fees are approximately €14,000-21,000.
Lycée Français de Barcelone is, alongside Zurich, Paris, and London's Lycée, one of Europe's stronger French lycées. If French language maintenance is a priority — for French nationals or families planning eventual return to the French system — it is the default choice. Fees are approximately €6,000-12,000, subsidised by the French state.
Barcelona's international schools are competitive for spaces at secondary level, particularly for families arriving mid-year. Applications well in advance of the intended start date — six to twelve months for most schools — are the correct approach. The city's population growth among internationally mobile families has tightened admissions across the board.
A note on IB portability
Families who know they may move again within five to ten years consistently report that the International Baccalaureate curriculum is their preferred choice for its transferability across IB World Schools globally. The IB network covers more than 5,000 schools in 150 countries. A child who completes their IB education — whether in Miami, Lisbon, Barcelona, or elsewhere — carries a transcript and a set of credentials that are understood and accepted at universities across the world. For a generation of internationally mobile families for whom a single destination is not certain, that portability has real value.