St. Stephen's School is a non-profit independent American international high school in the historic centre of Rome, on the Aventine Hill, founded in 1964. The school is non-denominational, coeducational, day and boarding; in 2026 it has 309 students in grades 9-12 from 70 countries, 63 of them boarders. All students follow a four-year American programme and receive an American High School Diploma; in grades 11-12 most take the IB Diploma Programme, which St. Stephen's in 1975 became the first school in Italy to offer. Teaching is in English. In grades 9-10 a City of Rome history course with field trips is compulsory, as is a classical language of choice: Latin, Classical Greek or Arabic. The average class has 11 students, there are 6 students per teacher, and 88% of teachers hold advanced degrees. The Class of 2026 averaged 35 IB points, with a top score of 43.
Key facts
Tuition
≈ $39 088 a year
34 599 EUR
Programmes
IB · DP · American programme
Languages of instruction
English
Languages taught
Italian, French, Spanish, Latin, Chinese, Russian, Arabic
Students per teacher
6 students per teacher
Class size
An average of 11 students per class across all four grades.
Registration fee
≈ $226
200 EUR
About the fees Fees for 2026-2027: tuition for day students 34599 EUR per year; boarding adds 22542 EUR, 57141 EUR in total. Capital assessment fee 2500 EUR for new students and 800 EUR for returning students. A 2% fee applies to card payments. The school may require prepayment of tuition and boarding by 1 July. Financial aid is available under the school's model.
Admissions The school admits students to grades 9-12, day and boarding, where places are available; admission is open regardless of race, colour, ethnic origin, disability, religion, sexual orientation and gender identity, and the community is described as English-speaking students from around the world. Steps: online application, a non-refundable 200 EUR fee, documents by 18 January 2027 (transcripts, teacher recommendations, an essay, English proficiency documentation where applicable); an open house in person or online; a cognitive test (no preparation needed, applicants outside Italy take it at their school) and an interview, for boarders with a boarding faculty member. The admissions committee decides; the place is confirmed with a non-refundable deposit, the final transcript, a health form (for boarders also insurance) and the contract. Italian nationals follow an IB study plan approved by the Ministry, so the diploma is recognised in Italy; students transferring from a five-year Italian liceo must complete five years of secondary school in total. There is a semester or year abroad programme for grade 10-12 students from other schools.
Stages and year groups Grades 9-12. A four-year American high school (grades 9-12) with an American High School Diploma for all graduates: English 4 credits, mathematics 4, foreign language 3, experimental science 3, history and social sciences 3, arts 1, electives 2, yearly service and sports, compulsory Core and Health courses in grades 9-10. In grades 9-10 English, mathematics, science, PE, health, City of Rome, technology and arts are compulsory; a classical language of choice (Latin, Classical Greek, Arabic) and a modern one (Italian A or B, French A or B, Spanish B). In grades 11-12 the IB Diploma Programme (since 1975) or individual IB certificates; no AP courses, but AP exams can be taken in addition. IB subjects: Language A - English, French, Italian; Language B - Mandarin Chinese, Classical Greek, Latin, Spanish, Italian, Italian ab initio, French, Russian; History, Art History, Economics, Environmental Systems and Societies, Classical Greek and Roman Studies, Global Politics, Business Management; Biology, Chemistry, Physics; two Mathematics courses; Visual Arts and Theatre. Distinctive programmes: the Lyceum (classical world), Molecular Biology, Engineering and Robotics with the build of a miniaturised satellite.
Address Via Aventina 3, 00153 Roma
Accreditations and programmes verified against official registries
IB · DP · authorised programmeNEASC · accreditationCIS · accreditationThe school is listed in the IB register and runs the Diploma Programme. An American high school where everyone earns a High School Diploma, with the IB Diploma in grades 11-12. The school is accredited by NEASC. The school is accredited by CIS.
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
IBInternational Baccalaureate
A Swiss non-profit, working since 1968. Its programmes are among the most widely recognised school programmes in the world. Authorisation is granted stage by stage, so a school with the final stage does not necessarily run the younger ones; which stages this school holds is set out in the line below.
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: DP (ages 16-19). DP is the final stage, ages 16 to 19: six subjects plus a compulsory core of theory of knowledge, an extended essay and CAS. The diploma is accepted by universities all over the world, and in a number of countries it counts for admission on the same footing as the local leaving certificate.
Register to check for yourself, and the full guide →NEASCNew England Association of Schools and Colleges
An American accreditation working since 1885. For international schools it uses an approach where the visitors look first at live lessons rather than at folders of paperwork: the team works in the school for about a week. It is the only one here whose public directory honestly separates accredited schools from candidates.
What the badge means for this school. The school has been through this organisation's accreditation. It was judged as a whole: governance, safeguarding, staff, premises, teaching. The entry stands in the organisation's public register - anyone can check it.
Register to check for yourself, and the full guide →CISCouncil of International Schools
It accredits international schools and is a paying association at the same time. It examines governance and ownership, the curriculum, teaching, student wellbeing, staff and premises; a team of volunteers from other CIS accredited schools visits the school. Membership and accreditation are different things here, and schools confuse them more often than anything else.
What the badge means for this school. The school has been through this organisation's accreditation. It was judged as a whole: governance, safeguarding, staff, premises, teaching. The entry stands in the organisation's public register - anyone can check it.
Register to check for yourself, and the full guide →American programme
The American school programme, with the High School Diploma at the end. It usually comes together with AP courses, which the College Board stands behind, and with an American accreditation - MSA, NEASC or Cognia.
What this means for this school. The diploma is written out by the school itself: the American programme has no common leaving exam, and the content of the senior years is set by the school. Outside checking therefore rests on two things here - the accreditation of the school, and the AP exams if the school runs them.
Exams and destinations from the school's official website
Average IB score
35 (world average 30.88)
Exam results Class of 2026: 77 IB Diploma candidates and 2 non-IB students, average IB score 35, highest 43, average SAT 1328, average GPA 3.30. Class of 2025: 78 IB Diploma candidates, 3 certificate candidates and 3 non-IB students, average 36, highest 44, SAT 1298. 2026 average IB grades by subject group are above world averages: Language A 5.53 vs 4.91, Language B 6.16 vs 5.22, sciences 5.39 vs 4.59, mathematics 4.85 vs 4.49. Over ten years candidates averaged 2 bonus points; six students have scored the maximum 45 points.
Where leavers go: University of Oxford · University of Cambridge · Imperial College London · London School of Economics (LSE) · University College London (UCL) · King's College London · University of Edinburgh · University of St Andrews · Harvard University · Yale University · Stanford University · Columbia University
and others, 30 universities in the school's list in allThe school profile lists universities where graduates have applied and enrolled in Europe, the UK, the USA, Canada and Asia; each student may submit no more than 12 university applications. Careers guidance starts in grade 9.
Facilities from the school's official website
·Swimming poolnot stated on the website
·Sports hallnot stated on the website
✓Laboratories
·Theatre or assembly hallnot stated on the website
✓Library
✓Catering
·School transportnot stated on the website
✓Boarding
Also on site: Makerspace
Clubs and activities: Model United Nations · Debate · TEDx · Investment Club · Philosophy Club · Science Club · Chess Club · Student Council · Soccer · Basketball · Volleyball · Running · Tennis · Yoga · Pilates · The Lyceum
Teaching staff from the school's official website
·Teachers listed by namenot published
✓Teacher qualifications
✓Number of teachers56
✓Students per teacher or class sizein the key facts above
What the listings show: 88% of teachers hold advanced degrees; the faculty of 56 represents 13 nationalities - scholars, artists, writers and scientists.
Each student has a faculty advisor, with weekly meetings.
Safety and wellbeing from the school's official website
·CCTVnot stated on the website
·Security staffnot stated on the website
✓Access control
·Nurse or medical roomnot stated on the website
✓Counsellor
·Child protection policynot stated on the website
·Staff trainingnot stated on the website
·Anti-bullying policynot stated on the website
Boarding has been accredited by the Boarding Schools' Association since 2025; dorms are separated from teaching areas by an access control system. There are student wellness and counselling services, the Learning Center, an advisor for every student and a Director of School Culture and Student Engagement. Boarders submit a health form and proof of insurance on enrolment.
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%)84 Community rating (16%)no dataparent reviews are needed: the criterion switches on at the fifth verified one Exams and destinations (12%) scored on disclosed data80 Safety and wellbeing (12%) scored on disclosed data70 Accreditation and verifiability (10%)95 Teaching staff (10%) scored on disclosed data70 Facilities (10%) scored on disclosed data75 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
Rome, Italy · est. 1964 · Private