← Back to homeAlmada International School
Almada, Portugal · Private
Illustration · Almada
Almada International School stands in Sobreda, in the municipality of Almada, on the south bank of the Tejo opposite Lisbon, and calls itself an international school in the Greater Lisbon area on the Cambridge curriculum. It sums up its own work briefly: built by nature, powered by Cambridge. It takes children from the age of 1 and currently teaches up to Lower Secondary: Nursery from 1 to 2 years, Kindergarten from 3 to 5 years, Primary from 6 to 10 years and Cambridge Lower Secondary from 11 to 13 years, with Year 7 opening in the 2026-2027 academic year. Beyond that the school promises to add one year group a year up to Year 12 and to carry students towards university. It gives its own numbers: more than 300 students, more than 600 families, more than 25 nationalities and more than 15 languages. Teaching is bilingual, and that is the main thing the school says about itself: in nursery and kindergarten children live in full immersion in Portuguese and English with fluent speakers of both, while in primary they learn through English with support in Portuguese, so as to be fluent in both languages and keep continuity with the national curriculum. The site is written in English with a Portuguese version alongside. On top of the two languages the school places a third, French, and names a fourth, the language of technology and artificial intelligence: in its vision it speaks of the four languages of the future - English, Portuguese, French and the language of technology - and makes digital literacy, computational thinking and ethical awareness a foundation rather than an addition. Its approach to devices is restrained: technology is introduced gradually and a zero-screens approach is kept, so as not to lose focus or balance. In primary, critical thinking is grown through Maths, Science and Global Perspectives; phonics begins in the five-year-old classes and runs daily from Year 1. Lower Secondary subjects are English, Portuguese, French, Maths, Humanities, Science, Computing, PE, Arts, Study Time, Homeroom with Assembly and Wellbeing; that stage prepares students for Cambridge IGCSE. The school's second pillar is nature. It has a Tree House, an Educational Garden and an Educational Farm, children go outdoors every day, and physical education is given three 45-minute lessons a week, because the school holds that without motor competence there can be no true autonomy. The library is called the Lit Lab and is spread through the whole building. Food is prepared on site, freshly every day from fresh ingredients, with no added sugar and no fried food, and three meals are included in the monthly fee. The wellbeing department is led by the clinical psychologist Rita Estrela, and the school writes about it as a daily part of school life rather than a separate service. Extracurricular offerings are swimming, ballet, dance, football, guitar, judo, musical theatre, pickleball with tennis and piano. There is no school bus in this first phase. The school is open from 8:00 to 18:00 Monday to Friday and closed throughout August.
Key facts
Tuition
≈ $8 920–12 755 a year
7 678–10 980 EUR
Programmes
Cambridge · Lower Secondary, IGCSE
Admits from
1 year · Pre-School
Languages of instruction
English, Portuguese
Students
More than 300 students and more than 600 families; the school also names more than 25 nationalities and more than 15 languages in its community.
About the fees Fees for the 2026-2027 academic year, meals included. Early Years 1 and Early Years 2 - 698 euros a month, 11 instalments, 7678 euros a year. Early Years 3, Early Years 4 and Early Years 5 - 784 euros a month, 11 instalments, 8624 euros a year. Primary, Year 1 to Year 4 - 850 euros a month, 11 instalments, 9350 euros a year. Year 5 - 850 euros a month, 11 instalments, 9350 euros a year, and that amount does not include the Checkpoint examinations. Year 6 and Year 7 - 1098 euros a month, 10 instalments, 10980 euros a year. Payment may be made once by the end of September or in instalments: 11 instalments from September to July for Early Years and Primary and 10 instalments from September to June for Lower Secondary. The opening of Year 5, Year 6 and Year 7 in 2026-2027 is subject to verification of specific conditions. The application, enrolment and re-enrolment fees, insurance, uniform, textbooks, materials, trips and extracurricular activities are charged separately.
Admissions Admission runs in five steps. First a school visit, where the family explores the educational project and sees the facilities. Then, after meeting the Head of Admissions, the family formally expresses its interest by email. The third step is pre-registration: to secure it, the pre-enrolment fee must be paid and proof of payment sent, together with billing information proof (Cartão de Cidadão or AT Declaration) and proof of address; the pre-enrolment fee is 75 euros for the 2026-2027 academic year and 125 euros for 2025-2026. The fourth step is a meeting with the coordination team. The fifth is the offer and confirmation of a place, with payment of the enrolment fee and submission of the mandatory documentation. The school admits foreign children and answers the question directly: asked whether a student who is not fluent in English can enrol, it answers yes and adds that, regardless of the student's mother tongue, it offers adaptation sessions through individual learning plans. The school gives its own numbers: more than 25 nationalities, more than 15 languages, more than 300 students and more than 600 families, and names multiculturalism among the values it lives by, beyond origin, identity or language. Enrolment and re-enrolment require the agreement of both parents or legal guardians; without it the school reserves the right not to accept the student. Requests to enrol for periods shorter than a full academic year are reviewed individually: the decision rests with the Senior Leadership Team, depends on availability of places and specific conditions, and may involve fees outside the standard structure. Students are taken from the age of 1; the school currently teaches up to Year 7, which opens in the 2026-2027 academic year.
Stages and year groups Grades Nursery from 1 to 2 years, Kindergarten from 3 to 5 years, Primary from 6 to 10 years, Years 1 to 4, and Cambridge Lower Secondary from 11 to 13 years, with Year 7 opening in the 2026-2027 academic year. The school says it will add stages year by year up to Year 12, carrying the path through to university preparation, and promises families long-term planning. The opening of Year 5, Year 6 and Year 7 in 2026-2027 is subject to verification of specific conditions. Phonics is introduced in the five-year-old classes and is led by Primary teachers; from Year 1 it runs daily alongside a rich English language curriculum. In kindergarten and primary there are three 45-minute physical education lessons a week. Lower Secondary subjects are English, Portuguese, French, Maths, Humanities, Science, Computing, PE, Arts, Study Time, Homeroom with Assembly and Wellbeing. The school is open from 8:00 to 18:00 Monday to Friday and closed throughout August.
Address Azinhaga da Urraca 1, 2815-619 Sobreda, Almada
Accreditations and programmes verified against official registries
Cambridge · Lower Secondary, IGCSE · authorised programmeschool is in an official registryconfirmed by a school document, by membership or by taking part in a networkclaimed by the school, no confirmation, not counted in the scoreGuide to all organisations → What stands behind each entry
CambridgeCambridge International Education
Part of the University of Cambridge. It allows a school to teach the Cambridge programmes and to enter pupils for the exams. There are four stages and they are authorised separately: primary, lower secondary, IGCSE and A Level. If the stages are known they are named in the line below; if that line is missing, the school does not publish them, and the Cambridge registry does not show stages either - it gives only the name of the centre, the country and whether private candidates are accepted. Cambridge calls what it does registration rather than accreditation, and the network holds about ten thousand schools.
What the badge means for this school. The school is allowed to run this programme and to award its certificate. This is a confirmation of the programme, not a judgement on the school as a whole. The entry stands in the organisation's public register - anyone can check it. At this school: Lower Secondary (ages 11-14), IGCSE (ages 14-16). Lower Secondary is the middle stage, ages 11 to 14, with the same optional Checkpoint test at the end. IGCSE means exams at around Year 10 or 11, the British counterpart of a lower secondary leaving certificate.
Register to check for yourself, and the full guide →Exams and destinations from the school's official website
The school publishes nothing about where its leavers go: no share going on to university, no exam results, no list of universities.
Facilities from the school's official website
·Swimming poolnot stated on the website
·Sports hallnot stated on the website
·Laboratoriesnot stated on the website
·Theatre or assembly hallnot stated on the website
✓Library
✓Catering
·School transportnot stated on the website
·Boardingnot stated on the website
Also on site: Playground
Campus: The school stands on a single site in Sobreda, in the municipality of Almada, on the south bank of the Tejo opposite Lisbon, and calls itself built by nature. It describes its classrooms as bright and spacious, but stakes most on the outdoors: the children have a Tree House, an Educational Garden and an Educational Farm, and the school says the skills a child gains on the farm transfer into the classroom. They go outside every day, and the outdoor spaces are planned to give freedom and autonomy while keeping comfort, wellbeing and safety. The library is called the Lit Lab and is spread through the whole building: small classroom libraries stand in every area of pedagogical activity, and separate reading places are built into the Learning Stairs and the common rooms, so that a book is always a hand's length away. Physical education runs three times a week for 45 minutes in kindergarten and in primary. Food is prepared on site, freshly every day from fresh ingredients, with the partner Farm to School: no added sugar, no fried food and as few processed products as possible; the morning snack, lunch and afternoon snack are included in the monthly fee. The school has an on-site store where online orders, uniform and learning materials are collected. The school is open from 8:00 to 18:00 Monday to Friday and closed throughout August. In this first phase the school has no transport service.
Clubs and activities: Swimming · Ballet · Dance · Football · Guitar · Judo · Musical Theatre · Pickleball & Tennis · Piano
Teaching staff from the school's official website
·Teachers listed by namenot published
✓Teacher qualifications
·Number of teachersthe school does not say
·Students per teacher or class sizenot stated
What the listings show: Flor Carrilho holds a degree in Early Childhood Education, has worked since 2008, and adds specialised training in School Management and Administration and an MBA in Human Resources Management, with experience across diverse educational settings and international schools. Guy Brickley has over 20 years in education and an MA in Education and International Development specialising in parental involvement in schools, with many years of teaching in the UK and Asia. Rosette Melão holds a degree in International Politics and a Master's degree in Public Policy with a focus on Education Policy. Rita Estrela is a clinical psychologist specialising in Hyperactivity and Attention Deficit and published her first children's book in 2023. Miguel Cruz has over fifteen years of experience across all educational stages and international curricula. Rita Pimentel has been involved in the project since its inception and has extensive experience working with families from diverse cultural backgrounds. The school describes its team as experienced, bringing international expertise with it.
The school and the Early Years stage are led by Flor Carrilho, Primary by Guy Brickley, Lower Secondary by Rosette Melão, the Primary Portuguese department by Sónia Matos, sport and extracurricular activities by Miguel Cruz, wellbeing by Rita Estrela and admissions by Rita Pimentel; finance is led by Inês Pereira and marketing by Catarina Piloto. The school names its whole team on its site: 10 kindergarten teachers, 4 primary teachers, a PE teacher, an artistic expressions and music teacher, 12 teaching assistants, 2 nursery and kindergarten assistants, 7 assistants, an IT technician, two reception and administrative staff, an HR and finance officer, a store and stationery staff member and a cleaning worker. In kindergarten the school promises full immersion in Portuguese and English with fluent speakers of both. Phonics in the five-year-old classes is led by Primary teachers. The school gives no class size and no student-to-teacher ratio.
Safety and wellbeing from the school's official website
The school says nothing on its website about security, medical care or pupil support.
Reviews
No reviews yet. The community rating counts towards the score once a school has five verified reviews - until then we do not show a zero, so as not to mislead.
Criteria breakdown criterion weight in brackets
Academics and programmes (16%)72 Community rating (16%)no dataparent reviews are needed: the criterion switches on at the fifth verified one Exams and destinations (12%) scored on disclosed data55 Safety and wellbeing (12%) scored on disclosed data55 Accreditation and verifiability (10%)85 Teaching staff (10%) scored on disclosed data55 Facilities (10%) scored on disclosed data70 Clubs and activities (8%) scored on disclosed data78 "Scored on disclosed data" stands where we count only what the school has written about itself on its own site: exams and destinations, safety and wellbeing, teaching staff, facilities, clubs and activities. A low score here means the school does not write about this, not that the school does not have it: a school with good security and a sparse site will score low. A school can fill in its profile, and the score will be counted again.
The score is counted from 8 of the 9 criteria.Only those with checkable data count: programmes and accreditations from official registers, the fee from a published price list. Where it says "scored on the median", the school has no data and the middle of the list is put in its place, so that a gap gives no advantage. Admissions, teaching staff and reviews come in as their data arrives.
The full methodology → Similar schools in the country