Italian International School Enrico Mattei

A small Italian-curriculum school in Lekki Phase 1, originally set up to serve Italian oil-and-gas families and now broadly multinational.

The Italian International School was founded in the 1960s on the initiative of Italian companies operating in Nigeria, with the current Lekki Phase 1 campus completed in 1991. It runs preschool, primary, lower secondary, and a liceo upper secondary, all on the Italian state curriculum, with IGCSE and UK-curriculum elements layered in for international leavers. The 1.7-hectare site has a swimming pool, gym, sports field, and tennis courts, which is unusual for a school of this size.

Families value the small classes, strong language pathway, and family-feel community. Teachers are noted as attentive to non-Italian families, with bilingual notices, Italian classes for parents, and a homework club. Children who later transfer into Italian secondary schools tend to land well, which matters for diplomatic and corporate families on rotation. The natural fit is families who want or already have Italian, and English-only families who want a small, multilingual, European-flavoured school.

• Italian-medium school recognised by the Italian Ministry of Education, with bilingual Italian-English elements in nursery and primary, and a Liceo Linguistico added in 2011-12 in response to parent requests.
• Small classes draw consistent praise. One parent said teachers gave their children enough attention that the eldest moved into secondary school in Italy without difficulty.
• Parents describe the school as family-oriented, secure, and supportive of non-Italian-speaking families, with a homework club and language help.
• Facilities on the Lekki Phase 1 site include two football pitches, an athletics track, tennis courts, a swimming pool and playground.
• Signal pool is small and skewed positive: most online discussion comes from parents or directory listings, not forums. No substantive negative feedback surfaced.