St. Julian's School

What St. Julian's School does

St. Julian's School is a private not-for-profit British international school located on the Quinta Nova estate in Carcavelos, Portugal, between Carcavelos beach and historic Lisbon. Founded on 24 November 1932 by Mrs Bucknall OBE, Mrs Franklin CBE, Mr Etherington-Smith and Sir Claud Russell (the then British Ambassador to Portugal), the school has educated students continuously for nearly 95 years. It currently serves more than 1,200 students aged 3 to 18 drawn from over 60 nationalities across four sections: Pre-Prep (ages 3-4), Prep (ages 5-10), Bilingual (ages 6-14), and Secondary (ages 11-18). The school is the only Portuguese institution ranked in the global Top 100 of the Spear's Schools Index and the only one in Greater Lisbon to hold CIS accreditation, alongside NEASC, COBIS and IBO accreditations.

The school's product set is a continuous educational pathway delivering England's National Curriculum (leading to IGCSE) alongside the Portuguese National Curriculum through a bilingual English/Portuguese model, culminating in two International Baccalaureate programmes — the IB Diploma (offered since 1986, the first in Portugal) and the IB Career-related Programme (offered from September 2025, the first in Portugal). Supporting infrastructure includes Forest School outdoor learning, a full co-curricular programme (Model UN, Duke of Edinburgh, music, sports), three dedicated university counsellors, and standard educational technology (iPads for Key Stage 3, eLearning platforms, Weather Underground weather station data). The campus itself is a differentiating asset: an 18th-century palace estate with gardens, sports facilities, and woodland areas.

Commercially, the school operates as a sales-led direct-admissions institution under the St. Julian's School Association (founded 1938), with tuition fees as the sole or primary revenue stream and ancillary revenue from zone-based transportation provided by partner F-Irmãos. All revenue is reinvested into education per its not-for-profit mandate. Customer acquisition runs through the school website, organic social channels (Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn), earned media coverage, on-campus visits ('Book a visit'), and a structured registration-of-interest admissions process targeting both expatriate and Portuguese families. Premium pricing and tuition details are not publicly disclosed but transportation annual fees for academic year 2026/27 range from €3,294 (Zone 1 round trip) to €4,092 (Zone 3), with sibling discounts of 5% (second child) and 10% (third and additional children).

Name

St. Julian's School

Legal name

St. Julian's School

Website

https://stjulians.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1932

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

St. Julian's School is a not-for-profit British international school in Carcavelos, Portugal, founded in 1932. It serves over 1,200 students aged 3-18 from 60+ nationalities through British and bilingual curricula culminating in IGCSE and International Baccalaureate programmes.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Private K-12 International School Education

NAICS

Elementary and Secondary Schools (6111), Elementary and Secondary Schools (611110)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

International/Global Curriculum Schools (IB, Cambridge, etc.) (EDAJABAG)

Keywords

• British international education
• Private K-12 schooling
• International Baccalaureate programmes
• Bilingual education services
• IGCSE curriculum

Headquarters

HQ city

Lisbon

HQ country

Portugal

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Tuition Fees: Not-for-profit institution where all tuition fee revenue is reinvested directly into education. Fees fund teaching, facilities, and academic programmes.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

St. Julian's School is a not-for-profit British international school in Carcavelos, Portugal, delivering a continuous education pathway for students aged 3 to 18. The school operates four sections — Pre-Prep (Ages 3-4), Prep (Ages 5-10), Secondary (Ages 11-18), and a Bilingual Section (Ages 6-14) — and offers the English National Curriculum with IGCSEs, the Portuguese National Curriculum delivered in both English and Portuguese, the IB Diploma Programme (since 1986), and the IB Career-related Programme (since 2025). All tuition revenue is reinvested directly into the school's educational programmes, facilities, and student development.

Product overview

St. Julian's School is a British international school in Carcavelos, Portugal, founded in 1932. The school offers a comprehensive educational pathway from ages 3 to 18 through distinct programmes: Pre-Prep (Nursery and Reception for ages 3-4) following the Early Years Foundation Stage framework; Prep School (ages 5-10) covering Key Stages 1-2 and 1º Ciclo Bilingual; Bilingual Section (ages 6-14) offering dual-language Portuguese National Curriculum; Secondary School (ages 11-18) with Key Stages 3-5; and two IB programmes for ages 16-18 — the IB Diploma Programme and the IB Career-related Programme (launched 2025). The school operates both an English Curriculum and Bilingual Curriculum pathway.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Pre-Prep (Nursery and Reception, Ages 3-4) Foundation-stage education following England's Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) framework, providing play-based learning for children ages 3-4. Designed for the earliest cohort of the school's British international education pathway.
• Prep School (Ages 5-10) Primary education covering Foundation (ages 3-5), Key Stage 1 (ages 5-7, Years 1-2), Key Stage 2 (ages 7-11, Years 3-6), and 1º Ciclo Bilingual Section (ages 5-10, 1º to 4º ano). Delivered within the British international curriculum pathway.
• Bilingual Section (Ages 6-14) Dual-language education teaching the Portuguese National Curriculum in both English and Portuguese from ages 6 to 14 (1º to 9º ano), offering seamless transition to IGCSEs and IB programmes. Founded in 1935.
• Secondary School (Ages 11-18) Secondary education comprising 2º & 3º ciclos (Bilingual Section), Key Stage 3 (ages 12-14), Key Stage 4/IGCSEs (ages 14-16), and Key Stage 5/IBDP or CP (ages 16-18). Supports progression to global universities.
• International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma Programme Two-year pre-university programme offering university preparation through six subject groups including languages, sciences, mathematics, and arts. Offered at St. Julian's since 1986, the first Portuguese school to provide it. Nearly 200 students are enrolled.
• IB Career-related Programme (CP) Career-focused alternative to the IB Diploma, combining IB Diploma courses with career-related studies. Available from September 2025 as the first school in Portugal to offer the programme.

Quantifiable outcome

• European Top 10 and Global Top 100 in Spear’s Schools Index for 4 consecutive years
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• F-IrmãoscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorF-Irmãos is the school's transportation partner, providing door-to-door bus services to students across three zones in the Greater Lisbon area. All buses are certified by IMT (Institute for Mobility and Transport), fully insured, and maintained to national standards.
• British CouncilcoreOthersProvided generous donations and support to St. Julian's School in 1963 when the Cable & Wireless Company sold the estate. Part of the school's founding support network that enabled the school to remain open as a not-for-profit institution.
• Gulbenkian FoundationcoreOthersProvided donations and financial support to St. Julian's School in 1963 as part of the effort to keep the school open after the Cable & Wireless Company sold the estate.
• Royal Society of St. GeorgeminorOthersHistorical donor to St. Julian's School in 1963, contributing to the fund that enabled the school to remain open after the estate sale.
• Shell PortuguesaminorOthersHistorical corporate donor to St. Julian's School in 1963, part of the fund to keep the school open.
• Mobil Lda.minorOthersHistorical corporate donor to St. Julian's School in 1963, part of the fund to keep the school open.
• Carcavelos Community CentreminorOthersLocal charity partner linked to the secondary school's service learning programme, with year groups working on fundraising and service activities.
• CercicaminorOthersLocal charity partner linked to the secondary school's service learning programme, with year groups engaged in fundraising and service activities.
• Centro Social Paroquial Nossa Senhora de Porto Salvo (CSPNSPS)minorOthersLocal charity partner in the enrichment and service learning programme, directly linked to specific year groups for fundraising activities.
• SemearminorOthersLocal charity partner in the enrichment and service learning programme, directly linked to specific year groups for fundraising and community service.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Regional players

• Deutsche Schule Lissabon: German international school in Lisbon serving the German-speaking community with German curriculum leading to Abitur. Comparable international-school positioning and Lisbon catchment but serves a distinct German expatriate segment.
• Lycée Français Charles Lepierre: French international school in Lisbon offering the French curriculum leading to the French Baccalauréat. Comparable premium international school in the same city, targeting the French expatriate and Francophile Portuguese family segment.

Direct peers

• United Lisbon International School: Recently established premium international school in central Lisbon offering IB programmes. A new well-capitalised entrant competing directly with St. Julian's for premium international enrolments in the Greater Lisbon area.
• Oeiras International School: International school in Oeiras (adjacent to Carcavelos) offering IB programmes from early years through Diploma. Geographic and curriculum overlap with St. Julian's makes it a near-substitute for families in the Cascais/Oeiras corridor.
• King's College School, Cascais: British international school in the Cascais/Lisbon coastal area offering IGCSE and A-Levels with a strong premium-brand positioning. Comparable catchment, fee tier, and target family profile to St. Julian's.
• Carlucci American International School of Lisbon (CAISL): American international school in Lisbon serving roughly 1,000 students across K–12 with IB Diploma authorisation. Directly comparable to St. Julian's as another premium, multi-accredited international school competing for the same international and Portuguese families in the Lisbon market.
• Prime School (Globeducate): Network of international schools across Portugal (Lisbon, Estoril, Sintra) under the Globeducate group offering IB and British pathways. Competes with St. Julian's in the Lisbon metro for international and bilingual families.
• International Sharing School: International school in Lisbon offering IB programmes from kindergarten through Diploma. Comparable in scale and curriculum mix, serving a similar mix of international and local families seeking English-language instruction.
• The British School of Lisbon: British international school offering IGCSE and A-Level pathways in Lisbon. Direct competitor to St. Julian's on the British-curriculum side, targeting the same pool of expat and bilingual Portuguese families.

Broad incumbents

• Nord Anglia International School Lisbon: Premium international school operated by Nord Anglia Education, a large global operator with extensive resources. Competes with St. Julian's for premium international enrolments and benefits from group-level investment in facilities and curriculum (e.g., MIT, Juilliard partnerships).

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/stjuliansschool
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/st-julians-school
• Instagraminstagram.com/stjulianslisbon

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about St. Julian's School