King's Madrid vs ICS vs ASM: How They Compare

Comparison table

# King's Madrid vs ICS vs ASM: How They Compare

Madrid · Comparison

Three names come up in almost every relocation conversation about Madrid: King's College, The British School of Madrid in La Moraleja, International College Spain (ICS) also in La Moraleja, and the American School of Madrid (ASM) in Pozuelo de Alarcón. They cover the three dominant English-medium tracks in the city (British, IB Continuum, and American with AP and IB Diploma), and they sit close enough in fees and age range that families often shortlist all three before deciding.

The differences sharpen on closer reading. King's La Moraleja runs to age 16 and feeds into a sister Sixth Form site at Soto de Viñuelas. ICS is a single-site IB Continuum from 3 to 18, now under Nord Anglia. ASM has been the default American school in Madrid since 1961, offering an American High School Diploma with the IB Diploma alongside.

At a glance

King's College, The British School of Madrid (La Moraleja). Part of the King's Group, in Madrid since 1969 and operated by Inspired Education since 2019. The La Moraleja site opened in 2007 and serves about 650 pupils from age 1 to 16. English National Curriculum, IGCSE at 16, then a move to Soto de Viñuelas for A Levels. CIS and BSO accredited. IGCSE outcomes for 2025: *52 percent A and 73 percent A-A*.

International College Spain (ICS). Founded in 1980, settled on its La Moraleja site in 1983, joined Nord Anglia in 2013. Around 1,200 students from roughly 70 nationalities, full IB Continuum (PYP, MYP, DP) from age 3 to 18 in English. CIS, NEASC, and Cognia accredited. The 2025 IB Diploma average was 35.2, in line with strong English-medium IB schools internationally.

American School of Madrid (ASM). Founded in 1961, on its Pozuelo de Alarcón campus with about 1,000 students from more than fifty nationalities, demographic mix of roughly one third American, one third Spanish, and one third other passports. American High School Diploma, with AP courses and the IB Diploma available in the senior years. Not-for-profit, MSA-CESS accredited. The reported 2024 IB Diploma average was 37.9 (top 30 percent) rather than a whole-cohort figure, which sits it in a different reporting bracket from ICS.

Curriculum

The three schools represent three distinct academic tracks, and curriculum is the cleanest decision filter.

King's is English National Curriculum through and through. Early Years Foundation Stage, Key Stages 1 to 4, IGCSE at 16, then A Levels at Soto de Viñuelas. This is the obvious pick for families coming from or returning to a UK or British international system, and for students aiming at UK universities where A Levels remain the most legible currency. The break at age 16 is real: La Moraleja and Soto are two campuses, two journeys, and two school cultures, even if the academic pathway is continuous.

ICS is the only full IB Continuum in this trio. PYP in the primary years, MYP through the middle years, and the IB Diploma at the top. The inquiry-driven approach runs from age 3, which families either value as a coherent thread or find too unstructured depending on what they want from primary years. The IB Diploma is the only senior pathway offered, with no parallel American or British track.

ASM runs the American High School Diploma as its spine, layered with AP courses and the option of the full IB Diploma in the final two years. The result is the most pathway-flexible senior school of the three: a student can graduate with a US transcript and AP scores, with the IB Diploma, or with both. For families who expect to return to the US system, ASM removes most of the curriculum friction.

Results

Each school reports results in a different shape, so direct comparison takes care.

King's publishes IGCSE outcomes for its age-16 cohort: *52 percent A and 73 percent A-A in 2025* at the La Moraleja site. There is no in-house A Level figure because Sixth Form happens at Soto. Families looking at the whole British pathway should read La Moraleja's IGCSE alongside the separate Soto A Level results.

ICS reports a whole-cohort IB Diploma average of 35.2 in 2025. That puts it above the global IB average (which usually sits in the low 30s) and in the band associated with academically serious English-medium IB schools.

ASM's 37.9 IB Diploma average for the top 30 percent of the 2024 cohort is a different number from a whole-cohort average and should be read as such. It signals a strong upper tier but does not describe the middle of the IB stream, and most ASM students take the American Diploma route. AP results give a better read on the broader academic profile and are the figure to ask for at admissions.

Fees and what they include

Madrid sits below London, Geneva, or Hong Kong on international fees, and these three schools sit mid-market within Madrid.

King's La Moraleja runs from roughly 8,100 euros in the lower years to 16,100 at the top of the age range (which finishes at 16). Books and materials are included, which keeps the all-in cost more predictable than schools that bill these separately. Senior fees at Soto de Viñuelas for A Levels are a separate question and not in this range.

ICS runs from about 12,000 to 25,600 euros, the broadest range of the three because it covers all the way to 18. Nord Anglia membership brings group programmes and global exchange options that some families value and others see as marketing layered on top of the school day.

ASM runs from about 11,600 to 23,900 euros, similar bracket to ICS, with the not-for-profit structure meaning surpluses reinvest in the school rather than flowing to a group parent. Extras (lunch, bus, some clubs, AP exam fees, IB exam fees) are billed on top at all three schools and add several thousand euros a year at the top of secondary.

Bus routes matter more than they look on paper. King's and ICS both run routes through La Moraleja and the AP-1 corridor; ASM's bus network favours Pozuelo, Aravaca, and the western corridor.

Community and feel

King's La Moraleja is the smallest of the three at around 650 pupils, weighted toward early years and primary. Parents talk about the warmth of the EYFS and the small class sizes, and about the pipeline to Soto being well-handled in practice. The community skews British and European, with a sizeable Spanish minority who want a British education without leaving Madrid.

ICS is the most internationally mixed of the three, with around 70 nationalities and no dominant national group. The IB Continuum gives a common academic language across very different prior schooling. The site is older than newer La Moraleja rivals, and some graduates flag that buildings show their age, though academic culture is consistently praised.

ASM's community has a distinctive triad: roughly one third American, one third Spanish, one third other. The American institutional feel (yearbook, prom, varsity sport, college counselling office) is recognisably US high school in a way that neither King's nor ICS attempts. Families praise warmth and ease of slotting in mid-year. The recurring criticisms are real: teacher and counsellor turnover in some years, ageing parts of the facility, and college counselling that some families have found weaker than they expected at this fee level.

Admissions

All three schools take applications year-round, with the strongest demand for September entry into early years and the move into Year 7 / Grade 6.

King's La Moraleja assesses for early years through observation and conversation, and for older entry through age-appropriate assessment in English and maths. A move into the system after Year 5 needs solid English; the school's working language is English with Spanish taught throughout.

ICS assesses in line with IB practice, with attention to a student's ability to access English-medium IB curriculum. Entry into MYP and especially DP is competitive, and prior IB or comparable curriculum experience helps. Sibling priority applies.

ASM runs a US-style admissions process with transcripts, recommendations, and entry testing. Senior school entry is harder than primary because cohort sizes are set; the school is more likely to find space lower down. Families on US corporate moves often have admissions support through relocation packages, which makes mid-year entries more workable than they look from the outside.

How to read the comparison

The clean rule is curriculum first. A family returning to a UK system in eighteen months is reading a different document from a family settling in Madrid for ten years, and both are reading something different from a US corporate posting on a three-year rotation.

If the destination after Madrid is UK universities or a UK school, King's keeps the path legible. For a single English-medium IB pathway with no curriculum change to 18, ICS is the cleanest option. For families who are American or expect to be back in the US system, ASM removes most of the friction at both ends. Where this gets harder is for families with no fixed exit point, or with children who would benefit from different tracks. The question becomes which curriculum the family is most comfortable with, and how much weight to give campus, community, and commute.

FAQs

Does King's La Moraleja go to 18? No. La Moraleja runs to age 16 and IGCSE. Most students continue at the King's College Soto de Viñuelas campus for Sixth Form and A Levels. Families wanting a single-campus solution to 18 sometimes look at ICS or other La Moraleja options instead.

Is ICS only IB? Yes. ICS is a full IB Continuum from 3 to 18 (PYP, MYP, DP). There is no parallel British or American pathway.

Can ASM students take A Levels? No. ASM offers the American High School Diploma, AP courses, and the IB Diploma as an option in the senior years. A Levels are not part of the curriculum.

Which is the most international community? ICS, on the numbers, with around 70 nationalities and no dominant national group. ASM has a distinctive one-third American, one-third Spanish, one-third other mix. King's La Moraleja skews more European, with a significant Spanish minority.

How do the fees compare? King's La Moraleja runs lowest at about 8,100 to 16,100 euros, but covers ages 1 to 16 only. ICS runs about 12,000 to 25,600 to age 18. ASM runs about 11,600 to 23,900 to age 18. Extras add several thousand a year at the top of secondary at all three.

Which campus is best located? King's and ICS are both in La Moraleja, close to the AP-1 north of the city. ASM is in Pozuelo de Alarcón to the west. The right answer is whichever side of Madrid the family lives on.