Cities / Barcelona / St. Peter's School Barcelona
St. Peter's School Barcelona
The only school in Barcelona running the full IB continuum (PYP, MYP, DP) in English, founded 1964 and based in the upper Sant Gervasi area. Around 630 pupils, Cambridge ESOL English certifications alongside the IB.
In brief
The only school in Barcelona running the full IB continuum (PYP, MYP, DP) in English, founded 1964 and based in the upper Sant Gervasi area. Around 630 pupils, Cambridge ESOL English certifications alongside the IB.
Tuition includes meals, books and most extras, which makes the all-in cost more competitive against the headline fees at peer schools. The IB DP average sits around 33 points in recent years, reasonable rather than top-of-table, with the school consciously prioritising breadth, languages and student wellbeing over a pure results sprint.
Parents repeatedly describe a family atmosphere where children are known by name and where leadership listens. Critical reviews are scarcer and tend to centre on isolated discipline issues rather than systemic concerns. A sensible default for English-speaking families who want full IB continuity through to the Diploma without paying the city's top tier of fees.
Fees
Annual fees
| Year level | Age | Fee |
|---|---|---|
| Foundation 1 | 3 | €11,250 |
| Foundation 2 | 4 | €11,250 |
| Foundation 3 | 5 | €14,500 |
| Foundation 4 | 6 | €14,500 |
| Foundation 5 | 7 | €14,500 |
| Primary Year 1 | 8 | €19,250 |
| Primary Year 2 | 9 | €19,250 |
| Primary Year 3 | 10 | €19,250 |
| Primary Year 4 | 11 | €19,250 |
| Primary Year 5 | 12 | €19,250 |
| Middle Year 6 | 13 | €21,250 |
| Middle Year 7 | 14 | €21,250 |
| Middle Year 8 | 15 | €21,250 |
| Middle Year 9 | 16 | €21,250 |
| Diploma Year 10 | 17 | €22,250 |
| Diploma Year 11-12 | 18 | €22,250 |
One-time fees
| Item | Age | Fee |
|---|---|---|
| Standard Enrollment | €4,500 | |
| Adaptation Enrollment (language support) | €7,500 |
Reviews
A small, long-established trilingual school in Pedralbes that has built its reputation on the IB continuum, taught in English from early years to diploma. Parents repeatedly come back to the family feel: small cohorts, teachers who know every child by name, and a leadership team that picks up the phone. Diploma results have climbed in the last two cycles, with a 2025 cohort average of 35.3 and a clutch of scores above 40. Where the picture darkens, it does so around staff side of the house: turnover and management style draw consistent criticism from the teacher community, and a minority of older-student accounts describe inconsistent handling of behaviour issues.
Positives
- Family atmosphere and accessibility. Small cohorts and a tight community come through in almost every parent account. Teachers know children by name, families say leadership listens, and the day-to-day feel is closer to a neighbourhood school than a Cognita-scale international.
- IB continuum in English. The only school in Barcelona running the full IB Continuum (PYP, MYP, DP) in English. Cambridge sits alongside it. For families wanting one programme spine from age three through diploma, the offer is genuinely distinctive in the city.
- IB Diploma outcomes. Results have moved up. The 2025 cohort averaged 35.3 with two students on 44 and two on 43, and more than half of grades at 6 or 7. The 2024 cohort sat at 34 across 56 candidates. Both sit comfortably above the global average.
- Inclusions in the fee. Lunch, breakfast, books and photocopies are bundled into tuition. Compared to other IB schools in Barcelona that price these as extras, the headline fee tracks closer to the all-in cost.
Considerations
- Staff turnover and management. The teacher-facing picture is less flattering than the parent-facing one. Accounts from staff describe abrupt departures, management that doesn't always listen, and a gap between the warmth families experience and the working culture inside. Parents won't see this directly, but it shows up over time in continuity of teaching.
- Behaviour and pastoral handling at older ages. Most accounts of pastoral care are warm, but a thread of older-student feedback flags rough peer behaviour and inconsistent follow-through from administration on disciplinary issues. Isolated rather than dominant, but it recurs.
- Location and site. Sits on Carrer d'Eduard Toldrà in Pedralbes, one of the city's quieter, leafier districts. Easy reach for families in the upper zone; a longer haul from Eixample or the Born. The campus itself is compact rather than sprawling.
Leadership
Lourdes Barceló
Lourdes Barceló Mestre has served as the Head of Education at St. Peter's School Barcelona since 1992. A graduate of the Universitat de Barcelona with a degree in Philology and Linguistics, she has played a pivotal role in the school's development for over three decades. Under her leadership, the school became the first in Barcelona to offer the full IB Continuum in English and has integrated cutting-edge subjects such as artificial intelligence, nanotechnology, and blockchain into its curriculum. She is recognized for balancing the school's international outlook with its local roots in Barcelona, maintaining its position as a top-ranked educational institution in Spain.
Academic results
- IB DP Average (2025) 35.3
- IB Ranking Spain (2025) 4th