De Paradijsvogel is a Dutch full-time day school near Silves in the Algarve, opened in the 2022-2023 school year as a not-for-profit school built by teachers and parents. The primary school (basisschool, groep 1-8) teaches in Dutch: mornings are for Dutch, reading, writing and mathematics using Dutch methods, afternoons for the school's own thematic 'expeditions' (nature and technology, geography, history, art, music, drama, media literacy), and on Fridays groups 3-8 spend the whole day outdoors and in the school garden. Everyone learns Portuguese twice a week, and English is taught. Since the 2024-2025 school year there has been an Agora secondary level for children aged 10-14 who live permanently in Portugal: students work with coaches on their own challenges and optional subjects, and in the upper years prepare for the Dutch State Examination or other exit exams. Since 5 January 2026 the primary school has been affiliated with Stichting NOB and is inspected by the Dutch Inspectorate of Education. In January 2026 the school had 50 students, with groups of up to 15.
Key facts
Tuition
≈ $5 304–8 078 a year
4 695–7 150 EUR
Programmes
Dutch programme
Admits from
4 years · Pre-School
Languages of instruction
Dutch
Languages taught
English, Portuguese
Class size
no more than 15 students per group
Registration fee
≈ $141
125 EUR
About the fees Fees for the 2026-2027 school year on the admissions page: groep 1-2 4695 EUR per year, or 635 EUR per month for less than a full year; groep 3-8 5200 EUR per year or 695 EUR per month; Agora secondary 7150 EUR per year plus learning materials. The 2026-2027 primary school guide gives a different amount: 5100 EUR per year or 680 EUR per month. A deposit of one third of the annual fee is due before the year starts, the rest in October; for less than a full year the full amount is due before the start. There is a 10% discount for the second to fifth child. The school is not for profit.
Admissions The primary school admits children from age 4, including those staying in Portugal temporarily; the Agora secondary level admits only children aged 10-14 who live permanently in Portugal, or exchange students from a Dutch Agora school. Places for 2026-2027 are allocated in order of application with priorities: current students first, then siblings, then children enrolled for the full year (up to 36 of 45 places), then temporary students for 6 and for 4 of the 10 school months (September-December, January-April or March-June), former students before new ones. The school contacts the child's current school and, for additional needs, asks for the development plan. A place is confirmed after a deposit of one third of the annual fee and signing an agreement. Agora admission includes intake interviews and trial days; the upper-years exam programme is only available to those who started secondary at the school. The school may refuse enrolment without giving reasons. The school does not name citizenship as an admission condition; the condition for secondary is permanent residence in Portugal.
Stages and year groups Grades groep 1-8, Agora VO. Dutch curriculum. Primary school (basisschool): groep 1-2 using Kleuterplein, Monday to Thursday; groep 3-8 using Rekenen in Getallen, Taal Actief, Veilig leren lezen and Leermaatje.nl plus the school's own expeditions; IEP tests twice a year, a provisional recommendation at the end of groep 7 and a final secondary recommendation in groep 8 after the IEP exit test. Secondary level (Agora, Paradijsvogel College) since 2024-2025: Portuguese, PE and Dutch are compulsory, the rest is challenges and optional subjects; students can prepare for the Dutch State Examination (Staatsexamen, mavo, havo, vwo), for Portuguese school exams after year 9, for Cambridge English instead of the regular English exam, or for American online credit programmes (Acellus, Clonlara); through the online platform of partner Brave Generation Academy students can prepare at the school for Cambridge IGCSE and A levels. Primary hours: Monday to Thursday 8:45-15:15, Friday 8:45-13:15; the Agora day runs 9:00-14:45, Friday afternoons free.
Address Montes Grandes CXP 103-K, 8300-042 Silves, Portugal
Accreditations and programmes verified against official registries
NOBThe school is affiliated to the Dutch NOB foundation, and the Dutch Education Inspectorate checks it as a Dutch full-day school abroad.
school 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
NOBDutch Education Abroad Foundation (Stichting NOB) and the Dutch Education Inspectorate
A Dutch full-day school abroad: affiliated to the NOB foundation, subsidised by the Dutch education ministry and inspected by the Dutch Education Inspectorate.
What the badge means for this school. This is a Dutch full-day school abroad: it is affiliated to the NOB foundation, and the Dutch Education Inspectorate checks its teaching - this can be seen in the Inspectorate's documents. The entry is not a quality inspection against international standards. Whom the school admits and what it charges are on its own website. The entry stands in the organisation's public register - anyone can check it.
Register to check for yourself, and the full guide →Dutch programme
The Dutch school curriculum taught in Dutch: the basisschool primary school, groep 1-8 (ages 4 to 12).
What this means for this school. The curriculum is set by the Dutch state: the school is affiliated to the NOB foundation, receives a Dutch education ministry subsidy through it and is inspected by the Dutch Education Inspectorate as a whole, not only for its Dutch lessons. A child who returns to the Netherlands carries on without switching from another system.
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 hall
·Laboratoriesnot stated on the website
·Theatre or assembly hallnot stated on the website
·Librarynot stated on the website
·Cateringnot stated on the website
·School transportnot stated on the website
·Boardingnot stated on the website
Campus: The primary and secondary levels share one site near Silves. A gym is attached to the school, where all groups have weekly PE with a PE teacher. On Fridays groups 3-8 spend the whole day outdoors and in the school garden. In the secondary level (Agora) each student has a workplace on the learning plaza, with outdoor workplaces, collaboration spaces, hammocks, a trampoline and football during breaks. There is no after-school care yet. It is a day school with no boarding.
Clubs and activities: Naschoolse danslessen (after-school dance lessons) · Naschoolse Rugby (after-school rugby)
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 sizein the key facts above
What the listings show: Primary teachers are graduates of Dutch teacher-training colleges with many years of experience, including in special education and teaching newcomers; secondary coaches are certified and qualified teachers; PE is taught by a PE teacher.
The primary team includes a lead, teachers for groups 3/4, 5/6 and 7/8, a teaching assistant, internal and external support specialists and a Portuguese teacher; the secondary team has a lead and coaches, including subject experts in Dutch, modern languages and mathematics.
Safety and wellbeing from the school's official website
·CCTVnot stated on the website
·Security staffnot stated on the website
·Access controlnot stated on the website
·Nurse or medical roomnot stated on the website
·Counsellornot stated on the website
✓Child protection policy
·Staff trainingnot stated on the website
✓Anti-bullying policy
The anti-bullying protocol has recently been revised; classes use Kanjertraining, and wellbeing is monitored twice a year with the IEP test. There is a wellbeing and care lead, two confidential counsellors and a complaints procedure; protocols and policies are available to parents in the Parro app. Older groups learn safe social media use. The internal support specialist works with gifted and highly sensitive children; for external help the school recommends specialists paid for by the family.
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 data65 Accreditation and verifiability (10%)85 Teaching staff (10%) scored on disclosed data55 Facilities (10%) scored on disclosed data65 Clubs and activities (8%) scored on disclosed data64 "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
Silves, Portugal · est. 2022 · Private