Oeiras International School

Oeiras International School is one of Portugal's best-kept secrets — consistently praised by parents as one of the finest schools in the Lisbon area, yet far less well-known than St. Julian's. Set in a stunning 17th-century palace, the Quinta de Nossa Senhora da Conceição, with 5 hectares of grounds including woodland, a river, animals and a gardening project, OIS offers an extraordinary learning environment that feels more like a country estate than a school.

Founded in 2010 as a non-profit, non-selective school, OIS offers the full IB Continuum from Year 1 through Year 13 — one of only a handful of schools in Portugal to do so. Students follow the IB Primary Years Programme (PYP) through to the IB Middle Years Programme (MYP), then choose between the IB Diploma or the IB Career-related Programme at senior level — giving genuine flexibility for different learner profiles.

OIS consistently achieves IB results above the global average. The school is explicitly non-selective: "we see the potential in each child." The Duke of Edinburgh Award is available, and the school has a partnership with the Portuguese Rugby Federation. A CIS accreditation visit is scheduled for November 2025 — a significant quality milestone.

Because OIS is less well-known than St. Julian's, waitlists are shorter — a real practical advantage for families relocating to Lisbon on a tight timeline.