The True First-Year Cost of an International School in Cascais and Lisbon

Tuition is the number every school puts first. But it isn’t what you’ll actually pay in your first year.

On top of tuition come an application fee, a one-off enrolment or capital fee, sometimes an annual registration fee, and then lunch, the school bus, exams and a device. Most of the one-off fees are due in the first year, and almost none are refundable.

This guide adds it all up, using only what each school publishes on its own website for 2026/27. Where a school doesn’t publish a cost, we say “not published” and leave it out of the totals. We never fill gaps with guesses.

Last checked: 22 October 2026, on each school’s official fee pages and fee PDFs. Fees change every year and these totals are not quotes, so confirm with the school before you decide. We’re an independent guide and we’re not linked to any school.

For tuition alone, school by school, see our 2026/27 fees by school.

How much does the first year really cost?

For a child starting Year 7 (Grade 6, age 11–12) in September 2026, the compulsory first-year bill at the 11 international schools below runs from about €15,750 to €25,729. That is between €1,200 (ISS Lisbon, a minimum because its insurance, meals and bus aren’t priced) and €7,166 (OIS) more than tuition alone, because entry fees and compulsory yearly extras all land in year one. Lunch, the bus and a uniform come on top.

Fees change every year. These examples use the published 2026/27 fees for a September 2026 start. Most families moving now will start in 2027/28, when fees will be different, so check each school’s current fee sheet before you budget.

Worked example 1: Year 7 / Grade 6, September 2026 start. One child, no discounts, compulsory items only. “Entry fees” are the one-off fees you pay to join. “Yearly extras” are compulsory charges the school adds every year.

* SAIS: €17,450 if its €1,700 “yearly admission” fee also applies in year one; the fee PDF isn’t clear, so ask. King’s: we used the higher figure (€5,250, fee PDF); the FAQ says €5,000. The Lisboan: its fee PDF and fee page disagree on whether Year 7 pays the €1,000 secondary or €800 primary books, admin and capital fees; we used the higher figure, €1,000 (see conflicts).

Sources: each school’s 2026/27 fee page or fee PDF, linked in the one-off fees table below. Totals are our sums of the school’s published figures. Where a school publishes two different figures for the same item, we count the higher one and say so in a note; items a school doesn’t publish count as €0. We used each school’s own year label for an 11 to 12-year-old.

Worked example 2: Year 1 / Kindergarten (age 5–6), September 2026 start. Same rules.

* King’s: we used the higher figure (€3,000, fee PDF); the FAQ says €2,000. TASIS Portugal: its fee page lists a €100 application fee from Kindergarten, but its how-to-apply page says €150 for Early Learning Center applicants, and the ELC includes Kindergarten. We used the higher figure, €150. See conflicts.

The year-one gap between schools is bigger than the tuition gap. CAISL’s Kindergarten and St. Julian’s Year 1 differ by €3,334 in tuition, but by €8,634 once entry fees are added. That’s why it pays to compare whole first-year bills, not tuition alone.

Not sure which year group your child goes into? Our school year and age-to-grade guide lines up British, American, IB and Portuguese years.

One-off fees, school by school

Expect to pay a small application fee (€100–€250) when you apply, then a much bigger fee within days of accepting a place. That second fee ranges from a few hundred euros to €6,000 (St. Julian’s registration plus capital levy). Almost all of these fees are non-refundable.

Not published: The British School of Lisbon, International Christian School of Cascais, Instituto Español Giner de los Ríos and Sapienti don’t publish their fees online. Lisbon Montessori School publishes a fee table, but doesn’t say which school year it covers, and Boa Ventura’s two websites show different fees (we use the higher ones: €2,250 a term for mornings, €2,550 full day and a €950 registration fee; the other site says €2,100, €2,450 and €750). Colégio Papião, Colégio Quadrante, Maple Bear Estoril and St. James’s / St. George’s hadn’t published 2026/27 price lists when we checked. Ask these schools for their full list of fees in writing.

Fees that come back every year

Some “entry” fees aren’t one-off. At several schools a registration or enrolment fee is charged every year, including the first. Budget for these every year, not just in year one.

• CAISL: the €1,953 building fee is charged every year for the first five years your child is in Grades 1 to 12. Once it starts, the amount is fixed for those five years.
• OIS: annual registration of €1,398 (Years 1–4) to €2,240 (Years 12–13), billed each February.
• St. Dominic’s: annual registration of €1,178 (Nursery) to €2,316 (Grades 11–12).
• IPS Cascais: €950 enrolment fee every year, insurance included.
• The Lisboan: the €800 or €1,000 books, admin and capital fees, plus €1,000 re-enrolment from year two. The school says the re-enrolment fee is credited against the next year’s first-term tuition if you pay it by 31 March.
• From year two: King’s charges €600 re-enrolment, TASIS €750, ISS €600 and Prime €600 (€800 after the deadline).

Lunch and snacks: included or extra?

It depends on the school. Lunch is included at TASIS Portugal (with two snacks), King’s College School (snacks up to Year 6), Svenska Skolan and Aprendizes, and at CAISL up to Kindergarten. At The Lisboan it’s compulsory at €540 a term. Elsewhere it’s optional, and it can add €1,200 to €1,800 a year.

What schools publish for 2026/27:

• CAISL: €1,212 a year from Grade 1.
• St. Julian’s: €1,209 a year (Nursery to Year 1) or €1,459 (Year 2 to Year 12), or €9 a day.
• IPS Cascais: €453 a term (Nursery and Reception) or €524 (Year 1 up) for five days a week.
• Prime: €1,800 a year.
• SAIS: a €250 monthly meal pack (snacks and hot lunch), or €18 a day.
• St. Dominic’s: €145 a month from Grade 1 (Early Years lunch is included).
• OIS: €7 a meal. Lycée Français: €773 to €1,213 a year for 3 to 5 days a week.
• Kairos Montessori: its admissions page says food is included, but its 2026-27 Fees Policy lists lunch at €1,330 (Band I) or €1,600 (Band II) a year. We count the higher figure, the Fees Policy charge.
• ISS Lisbon: meals aren’t included, and the price isn’t published.

The school bus

The bus is almost never included, and a round trip often costs as much as a capital levy: about €2,300 to €4,600 a year where schools publish prices. So choose where to live with the school run in mind. Our guide to the best areas to live in Cascais with children helps with that.

TASIS Portugal, King’s College School, ISS Lisbon, The Lisboan and SAIS don’t publish bus prices. Most schools ask you to sign up for the whole year, and many will only cancel at the end of a term.

Uniform, books, devices and trips

Read each school’s list of what’s included. Books and materials are included at most international schools, but uniforms, devices and residential trips are usually extra. Schools rarely publish uniform prices: none of the schools we checked lists a full uniform price online, so ask for the price list at your visit.

• Included: CAISL gives every student a laptop from Grade 1, plus required books and team-sport kit. TASIS includes books, after-school clubs and field trips. Kairos includes materials, trips (even trips abroad for older students) and IGCSE and A-level exam fees.
• Devices: King’s asks students to bring an iPad from Year 5. It sells one for €1,131 or rents one for €105 a term. ISS Lisbon asks for your own laptop or tablet from Grade 4. Deutsche Schule Lissabon charges a monthly digital fee for its iPads.
• Uniform: Prime gives new students (Early Years to Year 11) a free welcome uniform pack in 2026/27. Further uniform is bought separately.
• Trips: day trips are included at most schools. Residential and international trips are usually charged separately, case by case.

English support, learning support and exams

These are easy to miss. English as an Additional Language (EAL) support is included in tuition at CAISL. IPS Cascais charges €35 per 30-minute session and King’s €35 an hour. Exam years add a few hundred euros:

• Year 11 (IGCSE or MYP): St. Julian’s €932, OIS €900 (MYP assessment), King’s €165 per subject, Prime €130 per entry.
• Year 13 (IB or A Level): St. Julian’s €978, King’s €920, OIS €900, Prime €240 per A-level entry.
• TASIS Portugal, IPS Cascais, St. Dominic’s, SAIS and CAISL bill exam fees separately but don’t list the amounts.

Deutsche Schule Lissabon also requires Portuguese classes for newcomers joining between Grades 3 and 9. They cost €580 to €905 a semester.

What’s refundable, and what isn’t

Very little. At every school we checked, application, enrolment and capital fees are non-refundable once paid. A few payments do count towards later bills:

• Deutsche Schule Lissabon refunds its €355 pre-registration fee if your child isn’t admitted.
• ISS Lisbon deducts the €200 application fee from the enrolment fee. Its €1,200 waitlist fee is non-refundable. If no place comes up and your child joins the next grade the following year, the policy says the waitlist fee covers the enrolment fee. It doesn’t say what happens if a place comes up during the same year, so ask.
• TASIS Portugal applies the €3,000 Pre-K enrolment deposit to tuition.
• Redbridge deducts 25% (Years 8–10) or 50% (Year 11 up) of the enrolment fee from a secondary student’s first invoice.
• CAISL asks for the first quarter of tuition when you register. It counts towards your tuition, but it isn’t refunded “under any circumstances”.

Leaving early can be costly too. St. Dominic’s and OIS ask for a full term’s notice, or charge the next term’s fees anyway. IPS Cascais asks for 90 days’ notice. Kairos says the full year’s fees are payable if you leave mid-year. If you might take a place while waiting for another school, read the withdrawal rules first. Our guide to international school waiting lists explains how long schools give you to accept.

Ways to reduce the cost

Ask about these before you sign. Schools rarely bring them up on their own.

• Sibling discounts. Prime gives 15% for a second child, 25% for a third and 40% for a fourth. OIS and St. Dominic’s start at 5% for the second child. IPS Cascais (20%), CAISL and TASIS Portugal (15% then 25%) and King’s (10% then 25%) only start at the third child. OIS and St. Dominic’s also reduce the capital levy when siblings join together, and Prime charges its €3,800 levy once per family.
• Paying the year upfront. SAIS gives 7% off, St. Dominic’s 5% (before 1 July), Prime 3% (by 31 August), CAISL 3% (by 15 June), OIS 2.5%, Redbridge 2%, Kairos 2% and St. Julian’s 1%. On €18,000 of tuition, 5% is €900.
• The bus or not. A round trip is €3,300 to €4,600 a year at several schools. Living close to school, or sharing lifts, can save more than any discount.
• Lunch. Where lunch is optional, compare the yearly pass with a packed lunch. Some schools charge for packed lunches too: SAIS charges a €50 monthly dining-room fee.
• Timing. CAISL charges the full year’s building fee even if your child joins mid-quarter. Deutsche Schule Lissabon charges tuition only from the month your child starts. Ask how your school handles a mid-year start.

Build your own estimate

Use this list to work out your own first-year figure for each school on your shortlist:

1. Your child’s year group for September (check the school’s own cut-off date).
2. Tuition for that year group, from the school’s fee page.
3. Every one-off fee: application, registration or enrolment, capital levy.
4. Every compulsory yearly fee: annual registration, insurance, books or admin fees, compulsory food.
5. The extras you’ll really use: lunch (how many days), bus (one way or both), after-school care.
6. EAL or learning support, if your child needs it.
7. Exam fees, if your child is in Year 11 or Year 13 (or Grades 10 and 12).
8. Your own estimate for uniform, a device and trips, kept separate and clearly labelled as an estimate.
9. Any discounts: siblings, paying annually.

If your salary or savings aren’t in euros, add your bank’s exchange costs, too.

Questions to ask each school

Ask for answers in writing, ideally the full fee schedule:

• Which fees do we pay in the first year, and which every year?
• Is the registration or re-enrolment fee charged in year one, or only from year two?
• Is any fee refundable if we don’t take the place or leave early? How much notice do you need?
• How long do we have to pay after an offer?
• Is lunch compulsory? What does the bus cost from our address?
• What does the uniform cost, and is there a second-hand shop?
• Do we need to buy a laptop or tablet? From which year?
• Which trips are extra, and roughly how much do they cost?
• How much are exam fees, and when are they billed?
• Do you offer sibling or early-payment discounts? Is there a fee for paying termly or monthly?
• What happens to the fees if my child starts mid-year?

Open days are the best time to ask. Our open days and enrolment calendar lists the next dates.

Conflicts we found in schools’ own documents

We report these as we found them. Where a school publishes two different figures for the same item, we use the higher one and show both. Items a school doesn’t publish count as €0. Please confirm the figures with the school.

• King’s College School, Cascais: the 2026/27 fee PDF (September 2026) lists an enrolment fee of €3,000 (Early Years 1 to Year 6) and €5,250 (Year 7 to Year 13). The school’s FAQ page says €2,000 and €5,000. We used the higher figures (€3,000 and €5,250, fee PDF) in the totals.
• The Lisboan, Year 7: the fee PDF puts Year 7 in secondary (€1,000 books, admin and capital fees). The web page lists Years 7 to 9 above its “Secondary” heading, which would mean €800. We used the higher figure, €1,000.
• The Lisboan, Years 10–11: tuition is €19,950 on the web page and €19,550 in the fee PDF. We use the higher figure, €19,950. Years 10–11 aren’t in our worked examples.
• SAIS: the €1,700 yearly admission fee is described as “per pupil for admission into the following academic year”. The fee PDF doesn’t say whether new pupils also pay it in their first year. We left it out of the totals and show the total with it alongside (€17,450 for Year 7, €16,400 for Year 1).
• TASIS Portugal: the fee page lists a €100 application fee from Kindergarten. Its how-to-apply page says €150 for Early Learning Center applicants, and the ELC includes Kindergarten. We used the higher figure, €150, so the Kindergarten total is €22,440. The Grade 6 total uses the €100 fee, which isn’t disputed for Grade 6. The €750 re-enrolment fee “secures your child’s spot for the upcoming academic year”, and the page doesn’t say whether new students pay it in year one. We left it out.
• Kairos Montessori: the admissions page says food is included, but the 2026-27 Fees Policy lists lunch at €1,330 (Band I) or €1,600 (Band II) a year. We count the higher figure, the Fees Policy charge. Kairos isn’t in the worked examples.
• St. John’s School (nursery): the 2026/2027 fee page shows a monthly fee of €660 for each class, but the same line says “10 x 630€ monthly payments”. We use the higher figure, €660 a month. Its €620 entry fee and insurance isn’t affected.
• Boa Ventura Montessori Nursery School: its two official websites list different fees (€2,250 or €2,100 a term for mornings, and a €950 or €750 registration fee), and neither gives a school year. Where we mention them, we use the higher figures (€2,250 a term mornings, €2,550 full day, €950 registration). It isn’t in any total.

Before you decide

Use the totals to compare schools fairly, not to choose one. The school run, the curriculum and how your child feels on a visit matter just as much.

When you’ve narrowed it down, check how waiting lists and deadlines work at each school, and keep our 2026/27 fees by school to hand for tuition in other year groups.