American School of Barcelona

The established American school in Barcelona, on a single campus in Esplugues de Llobregat. American curriculum from preschool, IB Diploma in the senior years, IB scores consistently above the global average since the diploma launched here in 2007.

Founded in 1962 and now serving close to 1,000 students from over 60 nationalities, ASB has the rare profile of being roughly a third Spanish, a third long-stay international, a third more transient expat. That mix shapes the social life and stops it tipping into pure embassy bubble. The campus has been heavily reinvested in, and 2025 saw the launch of the IB Career-related Programme.

Parent voice on ASB is strongly positive on community feel and on the breadth of what students get exposed to, with families describing it as the balance point between American academics and a genuine international cohort. University placement is solid, with IB averages around 35. The honest read is that this is the default choice for US-track families in Barcelona, and the price reflects it: senior-school fees push above 27,000 EUR a year.

• Long-tenured parents describe the school as warm and personal, with strong commitment from teachers and an active parent body. One five-year parent praised the professionalism, enthusiasm and care of the teachers.
• Free daily lunch and bus service feature in positive accounts more than they do at peer schools.
• One family flagged a frustrating admissions experience, citing repeated requests for documents and a rejection email the day before their scheduled interview. The school publicly apologised and said it was reviewing the process.
• Teachers describe small classes and supportive admin, but flag growing pains: facilities described as too small and falling apart in places, multiple new programmes launched at once, and staff feeling stretched, all surfaced in the most recent re-accreditation.
• One ex-teacher said it is the best-paying international school in Barcelona, but no one moves to Spain to save money.