Cities / Barcelona / Benjamin Franklin International School
Benjamin Franklin International School
Barcelona's only full American-curriculum school (Pre-K to Grade 12) with both IB MYP and IB Diploma. Non-profit, founded 1986; around 700 students from 60+ nationalities in Pedralbes. IB Diploma average 35 in 2025 with a 98% pass rate.
In brief
An American-curriculum IB school in Sarrià, founded in 1985 by Barcelona families and now serving around 700 students from over 60 nationalities. American framework with the IB Diploma in the senior years, plus Advanced Placement.
BFIS sits on a single Sarrià campus that has had heavy capital investment over the past decade: a new Elementary building in 2016, a new Secondary in 2021, a four-storey Baccalaureate building in 2025, and a Center for Creativity and Innovation due in 2026. The school is non-profit, accredited by CIS and MSA, and runs the IB Diploma alongside US graduation requirements, which gives families optionality at university application stage.
Parent voice is consistently strong on teacher accessibility, small classes, and a real urban international community feel rather than embassy enclave. Families with multiple international school comparisons tend to single out the personal relationships staff build with students. University placement is solid. Suits American-track families who want a smaller, urban alternative to ASB; the central location and Sarrià setting are part of the appeal.
Fees
Annual fees
| Year level | Age | Fee |
|---|---|---|
| Early Childhood (Nursery - Pre-K) | 3 | €12,950 |
| Elementary School (Kinder - Grade 5) | 5 | €17,000 |
| Middle School (Grades 6-8) | 11 | €18,240 |
| High School (Grades 9-12) | 14 | €21,720 |
One-time fees
| Item | Age | Fee |
|---|---|---|
| Application Fee (non-refundable) | €250 | |
| Matriculation Fee - first child (non-refundable, annual) | €1,100 | |
| Entrance Fee (one-time, non-refundable) | €6,000 |
Reviews
Sarrià-Sant Gervasi campus, founded 1986, non-profit and board-governed with a US embassy representative on the board. American curriculum from nursery, IB MYP from grade 6, IBDP plus AP options in the senior years, and an alternative track to the Spanish bachillerato. Roughly 700 students, split about a third US, a third Spanish, a third wider international. Lila Jorge stepped up to Head of School in 2024 after years as Assistant Head. Parent reaction skews warm on community, teacher attention and the small-school feel; the friction points are the urban footprint, an IB Diploma that is effectively the default route in the senior years, and an entry-fee structure that lands hard on top of tuition.
Positives
- Community feel. Parents talk about a school that feels known rather than processed. New families describe being absorbed into the parent network early, and staff and classmates tend to learn names quickly. The Association of BFIS families runs an active programme alongside the school.
- Academic outcomes. The IB Diploma is the headline route. The 2025 cohort produced 58 graduates with a 98% pass rate and an average score of 35, comfortably above the world average. Senior students can layer AP courses, and university placement extends across US, UK, Spanish and wider European destinations.
- Multilingual support. Instruction is in English with Spanish, Catalan and French taught alongside. The school runs a first-language support programme that lets students sit IB Language A in their home language even when the school does not formally teach it, which suits families rotating through Barcelona with non-English mother tongues.
- Small school feel. Class sizes sit in the mid-teens through to about 18, and parents single out individual attention from teachers and counsellors. The trade against a larger campus is conscious and most families speak of it as a feature.
Considerations
- Senior curriculum flexibility. The IBDP is the dominant pathway in grades 11 and 12. Families looking for a pure American high-school diploma without the Diploma load have less room to manoeuvre than at some Barcelona peers. AP runs alongside rather than as a parallel track.
- Urban campus. The Sarrià-Sant Gervasi site is well placed for the city but constrained by it. A LEED-certified Center for Creativity and Innovation with performing arts, robotics, gym and amphitheatre is scheduled to open in fall 2026 and will ease the squeeze on sport, arts and maker space. Until then, outdoor and specialist space is tighter than at the suburban campuses outside the city.
- Fees and entry costs. Annual tuition runs roughly EUR 14,000 to EUR 23,000 by grade. On top sit a EUR 250 application fee, an EUR 1,100 first-child matriculation, and a non-refundable EUR 6,000 entrance fee per family. Sibling discounts kick in only from the third child. The headline tuition is mid-pack for Barcelona international schools; the one-off entry costs are the line item that parents call out.
- Admissions and waitlists. Rolling admissions through the year, with priority for siblings and children of staff. Once a grade is full the school moves to a waiting pool, and position on it can shift as new applicants arrive, so a place this term is no guarantee of a place next term.
Leadership
Lila Jorge
Lila Jorge is the Head of School at Benjamin Franklin International School. She has extensive experience in international education leadership. She previously served as the Assistant Head of School at BFIS and has a background in education from New York. She is committed to fostering a sense of belonging and community as the foundation for learning, encouraging students to ask bold questions and become global citizens prepared to design innovative solutions for complex problems.
Accreditations
- Council of International Schools 01
- Middle States Association Commissions on Elementary and Secondary Schools 02
Academic results
- IB DP Average (2025) 35.0
- IB Pass Rate (2025) 98%