Schools for expat children: international or local

What the label means on paper

A brochure that says "international school" tells you nothing about whether the school is registered, and registration is what matters for your child's next school.

"International" is not one legal category. Malaysia's government portal defines it: an international school teaches in English and follows a foreign curriculum from an approved list (British, American, Australian, Canadian or the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme). Expatriate schools are a separate group that follows the curriculum of the pupils' home country and teaches in that country's official language. Both kinds operate privately, without government funding.

Spain has its own term. A foreign school there teaches a foreign education system and has to be entered in the public register of schools kept by the competent education administration before it can operate. The rules split such schools in two: those that teach a foreign system alongside Spanish language and culture, and those that teach the foreign system only.

France, Mexico and Portugal describe schools by legal status, such as an authorisation or a contract with the State, and not by whether the school calls itself international. [P10] [P2] [P5] [P8]

Curriculum and language

A child aged 6 or older who arrives in France is assessed by a teacher on French, other languages, prior schooling and written work, then placed in an ordinary class or in a unit for newly arrived pupils who do not speak French (UPE2A). Under 6, children join an ordinary nursery class. State schooling is in French. You register at the town hall first, usually by June before the school year, and then at the school.

Spain adds a detail that matters for families with more than one passport. A school that teaches only a foreign system may not admit pupils of Spanish nationality, unless they also hold the nationality of the country whose system is taught. A child who holds both a US and a Spanish passport can therefore attend a US-system school there. For a side-by-side look at the two countries, see the France and Spain comparison.

A private school in Mexico with state authorisation has to follow the plans and programmes the education authorities set. The language each subject is taught in is a question for the school. In Malaysia, international schools teach in English by definition, and expatriate schools teach in the home country's language. [P7] [P2] [P8] [P10]

Fees

In France the State does not pay the teachers of a school outside contract. The school recruits and pays them, and enrolment dates and fees vary by school. In Mexico, a school with state authorisation has to give scholarships covering at least 5 per cent of its enrolled pupils for each plan and programme, and who qualifies is set by each school.

Fees are set school by school, so there are no figures here. A register can tell you that a school is authorised, but not what it charges. Ask for a fee schedule in one currency, listing the registration fee, the annual fee, exam entry fees, any deposit and the terms for getting it back. [P5] [P10] [P8]

Checking a school in Spain and Portugal

Spain's Ministry of Education keeps a state register of non-university schools, covering public and private schools that teach regulated courses. It can be searched nationally, by region, province or town, and by details of the school or its courses, with data supplied by the regional governments. The decree behind it makes the register open to citizens, and a certificate about one school is requested through the regional education authority. The Spain guide covers the residence rules.

A private school that teaches the Spanish system needs an administrative authorisation, and the authorisation names the owner, the address, the courses authorised and the number of classes or places. Compare those with what the school offers you. A foreign-system school needs an entry in the public register of schools and a prior authorisation to open. Studies taken at a foreign school in Spain outside this framework are not recognised for homologation or equivalence in the Spanish system.

In Portugal, the Ministry of Education approves the creation of private and cooperative schools, authorises them to operate, supervises them and applies penalties for breaches. Whether Portugal has a public search of authorised schools, or a list of those teaching a foreign curriculum, is not published; ask the Ministry of Education. Ask the school for its authorisation and confirm it with the ministry. The Portugal guide covers the visa side. [P1] [P3] [P2] [P4]

Checking a school in France, Mexico and Malaysia

France separates schools under contract with the State from schools outside contract. A school outside contract has signed no agreement with the State. It declares its opening to the rector of the academy and opens after three months unless the authorities oppose it. It is inspected from its first year, and although it need not follow public-school programmes, it must enable children to acquire the common core of knowledge. Ask the school which status it has, and the departmental education services about private-school enrolment. A child who later moves from a school outside contract into a public collège or lycée faces an admission exam. The France guide has the residence rules.

In Mexico, kindergarten, primary and secondary schools run by private providers need the State's express authorisation before they open, granted for each plan and programme. The authorities must publish a list of the institutions they have authorised, and a school without official recognition must say so in its documents and advertising. Ask a school for its authorisation number and check it against the list the state education authority publishes. The federal RVOE system is for higher-level programmes, so for basic education the state lists are where to look. The Mexico guide covers the country.

Malaysia's government portal links to a Ministry of Education list of private institutions. The Ministry of Education can say how it is searched. The Immigration Department gives a second check. A Student Pass for an international school requires a valid Private Education Institution Registration Certificate from the Ministry of Education and a Home Ministry approval letter for international student intake, so ask the school for both. The Malaysia guide has the visa side. [P5] [P6] [P7] [P8] [P9] [P10] [P11]

If you return home: how credit travels back

Receiving schools and districts decide how a foreign school year counts toward a US, Canadian, Australian or New Zealand record, and the rules differ by place.

A 2024 report to Oregon's legislature found wide variation in how US districts recognise prior learning from abroad, and found that getting records from other countries is hard and causes delays. That is one state's report, and other states set their own policies. A US federal research lab adds that identically named courses can differ in content, hours and grading, so districts look beyond course titles.

Ontario puts the decision with the principal of the receiving school. An elementary pupil is placed in an age-appropriate grade, using attendance records, report cards and other assessment material. For a secondary pupil, the principal works out the credit equivalency and the credits still needed, and records them on the Ontario Student Transcript. Other provinces may work differently, so ask the province's education ministry.

In Queensland, the principal discusses with parents the year level for a child arriving from another school, interstate or overseas. Other states set their own rules.

New Zealand treats a citizen as a domestic student, and anyone aged 5 to 19 may enrol free at a state or state-integrated school. The school may ask for documents that prove your child's right to enrol, such as a birth certificate or passport. The school can say how it sets a year level for a child returning from overseas.

Whatever you choose abroad, keep original reports and transcripts, course outlines with hours, and exam certificates. If a school promises that its curriculum transfers anywhere, ask the receiving school at home to confirm it in writing. [P12] [P13] [P14] [P15] [P16]