Online School vs. Concertado School – A Guide for Expats

We are a US-accredited international online school that coexists with local schooling. Families are responsible for ensuring compliance with any local education requirements applicable to their situation.

The Main Types of Schools in Spain

Spain organizes its schools into distinct categories. Knowing which is which matters before you start contacting admissions offices.

State schools (colegios públicos) are free and funded by the regional government. Instruction is primarily in Spanish, with some Autonomous Communities – the Valencian Community and Catalonia in particular – adding a regional language as a mandatory subject. For families who want their children to integrate into Spanish life and speak Spanish fluently, state schools are the obvious starting point. For families arriving mid-year with no Spanish, the first few weeks involve a real adjustment.

Concertado schools sit in the middle. These semi-private schools receive state funding in exchange for offering free or heavily subsidized places. Many have a religious affiliation – Catholic in most cases – and parents will notice it in the school environment. The distinction from a full private school is the funding structure: concertados run largely on public money, but they operate independently. Admission works on a points system. More on this below.

Private schools are fully independent. They set their own fees, curricula, and admissions criteria. Some follow the Spanish national curriculum; others follow British, IB, or American tracks.

International schools are a subset of private schools taught in English. These are the most common choice for expats with children in Madrid, Barcelona, Valencia, and the Canary Islands. Costs are real: most charge between €12,000 and €25,000 per year, before exam fees, school bus, and uniforms.

“Education is mandatory for children between the ages of 6 and 16. This covers two main stages: Primary school (Educación Primaria) for ages 6–12 and lower secondary school (ESO – Educación Secundaria Obligatoria) for ages 12–16.”

– Eurydice / European Commission, Spain: National Education System Overview

The Concertado Reality for Expat Families

Concertado schools attract attention because they look like private quality at public cost. The admission reality for recently arrived expatriate families is more complicated.

Admission is based on a points system. Empadronamiento – registering your residential address with the local authorities – is the single biggest factor. Families who have just arrived, are renting temporarily, or move neighborhoods frequently will often score too few points to secure a place at their preferred school. In Madrid and Barcelona, competition for places at well-regarded concertados is real. Schools have a religious affiliation in many cases, which some families factor into their decision.

There is also a curriculum problem for older children. The Spanish system uses Bachillerato (ages 16–18) as the pre-university track, and the university entrance exam (EBAU) is built around the Spanish curriculum. A child who has spent their schooling in an American or British curriculum and arrives in Spain at 14 faces a genuine continuity problem. Switching to a concertado mid-secondary means starting over academically in a different language on a different qualification track. Some families make it work. Many don’t.

International Schools: What You’re Actually Paying For

International schools in Madrid and across Spain offer curriculum continuity in English. That is the core value proposition, and for many expatriate families it justifies the cost. British curriculum schools prepare children for GCSEs and A-levels through Cambridge and Edexcel. American curriculum schools prepare for AP exams through the College Board. IB programs offer the International Baccalaureate diploma.

The tradeoffs are cost, geography, and waiting lists. Popular international schools fill places early. A family arriving in September without a confirmed place often finds the options it wanted are gone. And the cost – €12,000 to €25,000 per year in tuition, plus extras – is a significant commitment for a family that might move again in two years.

Where Legacy Online School Fits In

This is where the picture changes for internationally mobile families.

Legacy Online School is a WASC-accredited American private online school founded in 2023. We serve over 1,200 children across 30+ countries, including expats in Madrid, Barcelona, Marbella, and the Canary Islands. Instruction is in English. The full K-12 curriculum runs from online elementary school through online middle school to online high school, delivered through FLVS (FlexPoint Education Cloud).

Live group classes run daily with qualified teachers and a maximum of 15 learners per session. That’s a smaller class than most international school classrooms and considerably smaller than Spanish state school averages. Three learning plans are available: Live Group, One-on-One, and Self-Paced. All three lead to the same WASC-accredited outcome. The right plan depends on your child’s learning style and your family’s schedule, not on what we recommend by default.

For high school learners, 19 AP courses are available alongside structured college guidance. Dual enrollment partnerships with Arizona State University (ASU) and the University of South Florida (USF) let older learners earn real university credits before graduation. AP credits are recognized by over 3,900 universities worldwide.

“Most colleges and universities use AP as a factor in evaluating candidates for admission. Two-thirds of admissions and enrollment leadership indicate that AP courses are extremely or very helpful in evaluating candidates for admission.”

– College Board, Using AP in College Enrollment

Tuition and fees start well below comparable international school costs in Spain. No waiting lists. No empadronamiento required. Enrollment can begin within days – not months. A family that arrived in Valencia in October with no school place confirmed had their son in live Legacy classes by the end of the same week.

Virtual clubs and extracurricular activities are included in all plans at no extra cost. This matters for families who worry about social development in online settings – their child is in clubs, group projects, and live classes with peers from 30+ countries every school day.

The Hybrid Approach: Both at Once

Many expat families in Spain don’t choose between local school and Legacy. They use both.

A common arrangement: child enrolled in a Spanish state or concertado school for in-person structure and Spanish language integration, with part-time K-12 courses through Legacy for AP preparation and American curriculum continuity – at a fraction of international school fees (see tuition and fees for current pricing by grade level and plan). This sidesteps the all-or-nothing framing and gives younger children the social environment of a local school while building the college-prep record they’ll need for US university applications later.

Summer school fills credit gaps for children who arrive mid-year or need to catch up after a relocation.

For full K-12 enrollment: expat families on temporary or digital nomad visas may use Legacy as their primary provider. Families must verify whether their specific visa requires proof of enrollment at a Spanish school. Requirements vary by visa type and Autonomous Community – this is a question for an immigration lawyer, not an admissions team.

Homeschooling in Spain vs. Online School: Not the Same

Spanish homeschooling has no legal framework. Courts have generally required school attendance to satisfy compulsory education obligations between ages 6 and 16, and families who have tried to homeschool in Spain have faced legal action in some Autonomous Communities. It is a decision that requires qualified legal advice.

An accredited international online school is a different category. Legacy is not a homeschooling platform. Your child is enrolled in a school – a real institution with qualified teachers, official transcripts, and WASC accreditation. The documentation exists. The diploma is issued by an accredited school. That distinction matters for visa paperwork, university applications, and any administrative process where you need to demonstrate your child is receiving formal education.

A Note on Vocational Training

For older learners not targeting university, Spain’s vocational training system (Formación Profesional) offers technical qualifications with genuine employment value. This pathway is fully Spanish-language, requires enrollment in the Spanish system, and is outside what Legacy offers. Families with older children who speak Spanish and plan to stay in Spain long-term should know it exists.

Ready to explore whether Legacy fits your family’s situation in Spain? Book a free trial class – one session for your child and a parent meeting with our team.

Top Tips from Our Expert

Maya Robinson, College Prep Advisor at Legacy Online School

• Families who enroll younger children at a Spanish state or concertado school and add Legacy for supplementary AP preparation are making a smart combination. The key is starting AP enrollment no later than 8th or 9th grade – enough time to build a competitive AP record before university applications.
• If your child is in a concertado school in Madrid or Barcelona and wants to apply to US universities, their Spanish transcript alone will not carry the course rigor signal that US admissions offices look for. Supplementary AP courses solve that problem directly.
• The online high school program at Legacy runs on a US academic calendar. If your child is also attending a Spanish school, plan around the overlap – particularly the May AP exam period.
• For families with younger children just arriving in Spain, the online elementary school and online middle school programs maintain an American curriculum baseline. Credits and grade-level placement travel with the child, not with the country.
• Choosing between full online school and a hybrid arrangement is a real decision. Our admissions team can walk you through how other families in similar situations have structured it. One conversation before the school year starts saves months of backtracking.

We are a US-accredited international online school that coexists with local schooling. Families are responsible for ensuring compliance with any local education requirements applicable to their situation.

Legacy Online School’s K-12 programs are available to expat and internationally mobile families in Spain. The legal status of online education as a substitute for compulsory school attendance varies across Spain’s 17 Autonomous Communities and depends on individual circumstances and visa conditions. Legacy Online School does not represent that enrollment satisfies Spanish compulsory education (educación obligatoria) requirements. Families are solely responsible for verifying compliance with applicable law in their Autonomous Community and for confirming whether their visa conditions require proof of enrollment at a Spanish school. Legacy does not provide legal or immigration advice.

Questions about enrolling in Spain? Contact our admissions team for guidance specific to your family’s situation.