State or International? How One Family Chose a School in Valencia - and What We'd Tell You to Do Differently

Last updated: June 2026

The Harts are a composite of the international families we help each year, written so you can see the school decision from the inside. The details are illustrative; the system, the fees, and the timing are real.

Of every decision the Harts made, the one that cost them the most sleep was school. Not the visa, not the flat, not the shipping. School, because it was the choice that landed directly on their two children, aged six and ten, and because they did it half-blind from another country before they had ever set foot in a Valencian classroom.

Here is how it went, and where, with hindsight, we would steer your family differently.

The fork they faced

Spain gives families three broad options, and the Harts had to weigh all three.

• State schools, publicly funded with no tuition, where teaching in the Valencian Community happens in both castellano and valenciano.
• Concertado schools, semi-private and partly state-funded, with modest fees.
• International and fully private schools, with British, American, or IB curricula and fees that ran, for them, into the hundreds of euros per child each month and far higher at the top end - roughly €600 to €2,500-plus per child monthly depending on the school.

Their instinct, from the home country, was international - same language, same curriculum, soft landing. It is the default instinct of almost every family we meet.

The thing that changed their mind

What they had not understood was ATAL. In the Valencian state system, newly arrived children who do not speak the language get dedicated language support built into the school day. The Harts had assumed their kids would sink in a Spanish-only classroom. In practice, and this is the pattern across the families we work with, children typically reach functional Spanish within roughly six to eighteen months of immersion, with that support carrying them through the first stretch.

The ten-year-old, they decided, would have found a Spanish-only state school genuinely hard at first. The six-year-old would barely notice. So they split the difference in their thinking, and that is where the timing problem bit them.

The mistake: they applied too late

By the time the Harts committed, the international school they wanted for the older child was full. International schools in Valencia have been filling up - the surge in international families since 2020 has pushed up demand for places faster than new schools have opened - and the advice we now give every family is blunt: start applying as early as you possibly can, before you have even finalised the flat. The Harts ended up on a waitlist, took a state place for one child and a concertado for the other for a term, and reshuffled later. It worked out. It was more stressful than it needed to be.

What we would tell your family

1. Decide by child, not by family. Older children landing with no Spanish lean toward international or strong language support; younger children adapt fast in state schools.
2. Do not underestimate the state system. ATAL support is real, the schools are solid, and the bilingual castellano-valenciano environment is an asset, not an obstacle, for most kids.
3. Apply absurdly early for international places. This is the single biggest timing mistake families make. Waitlists are real and places are scarce.
4. Budget honestly. International fees are often the largest line in a family's monthly budget; state and concertado change that maths entirely.
5. Visit if you can. The Harts chose from abroad. The families who visit classrooms first regret the decision far less.

The Harts are happy now. Both children are settled, the younger one is correcting the parents' Spanish, and the older one made the friends they were so worried about. The route there was just longer than it needed to be, for one reason: timing.

Key takeaways

• Spain offers state (no tuition), concertado (low fees), and international schools (roughly €600 to €2,500-plus per child monthly).
• ATAL language support in state schools helps newly arrived children reach functional Spanish in about six to eighteen months.
• Decide school by child, not by family - older children with no Spanish weigh differently than younger ones.
• The biggest timing mistake is applying late to international schools, which are filling up fast - apply early.
• Visiting classrooms before deciding reduces regret; choosing entirely from abroad is the harder path.

People also ask

Do expat children have to pay for school in Valencia?

No, state schools in the Valencian Community are publicly funded with no tuition and are open to resident children, including foreigners. Concertado schools charge modest fees, and international schools charge full private fees.

Will my child cope in a Spanish-speaking state school?

Most do. State schools provide ATAL language support for newly arrived children, and kids typically reach functional Spanish within roughly six to eighteen months. Younger children adapt fastest.

When should we apply to international schools in Valencia?

As early as possible. International schools have been filling up due to rising demand since 2020, and late applicants often face waitlists. Begin the process before you finalise your housing.

What languages are used in Valencian state schools?

Teaching in the Valencian Community is delivered in both castellano (Spanish) and valenciano, with ATAL support available to help non-native speakers integrate.