Colégio de Santa Maria

What Colégio de Santa Maria does

Colégio de Santa Maria is a private Catholic school headquartered in Lisbon, Portugal, founded in 1999 and operating with approximately 47 employees across multiple Lisbon campuses (including the newly inaugurated Colégio de Cima in 2026). The institution delivers a continuous educational pathway from pré-escolar (preschool) through the 3rd cycle of ensino básico (up to 9th grade), structured around its proprietary "CSM Pedagogia 5 Estrelas" framework that integrates academic formation, autonomy, critical thinking, citizenship, arts and sports, and Catholic religious formation.

The school's product surface comprises core curricular programs (pré-escolar, 1º ciclo, 2º e 3º ciclo), its branded pedagogical methodology, complementary services in religious education and psychopedagogy, a broad extracurricular and holiday-program offering, and an online portal (Portal CSM) for parent, student, and teacher communication. It supports the Cambridge English-track and is a member of APEC (Associação do Ensino Particular Católico).

The business model is a B2C subscription tuition model with ancillary recurring revenue from catering (€4/meal, €3.50/snack), and after-school prolongamento (€4/hour, or €42-€72/month). Tuition for 2026-2027 is priced at €532/month (pré-escolar), €610/month (1st cycle), and €636/month (2nd/3rd cycles), with annual prepayment discounts and tiered sibling discounts (20%-50% for the 3rd child onward). Go-to-market is direct enrollment via the school's secretaria, supplemented by organic social channels (Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn) and a content-driven institutional website. The school does not disclose revenue, enrollment, or capacity figures in publicly available materials.

Name

Colégio de Santa Maria

Legal name

Colégio de Santa Maria

Website

https://colegiodesantamaria.pt

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Colégio de Santa Maria is a private Catholic K-9 school in Lisbon offering preschool through 9th-grade education under its proprietary "Pedagogia 5 Estrelas" framework, serving Lisbon-resident families via subscription tuition plus ancillary catering and after-school services.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Private K-12 Catholic Education

NAICS

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

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Montessori K–12 Schools (EDAJABAD)

akta.pro secondary industry

Faith-Based Early Learning Academies (EDACADAH)

Keywords

• Private Catholic education
• Preschool education
• Primary school programs
• Extracurricular activities
• Religious education services

Headquarters

HQ city

Lisbon

HQ country

Portugal

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Others, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Tuition Fees: The primary revenue stream comes from monthly and annual tuition fees charged for educational services across pré-escolar, 1º ciclo, 2º e 3º ciclo programs. Pricing varies by education cycle level.
2. Catering Services: Revenue from school meals (almoço) and snacks (lanche) provided to students during school hours.
3. After-School Activities: Fees collected for extracurricular activities including prolongamento (extended care) services, arts, sports, and holiday programs.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Colégio de Santa Maria is a private Catholic school in Lisbon, Portugal, providing preschool (pré-escolar) and basic education (1º, 2º, and 3º ciclos) for children from approximately age 3 through 9th grade. Instruction is delivered under the proprietary 'CSM Pedagogia 5 Estrelas' framework, integrating academic formation with Catholic religious education, extracurricular activities, psychopedagogical support, and family/community engagement programs.

Product overview

Colégio de Santa Maria is a Catholic private school offering a unified educational program spanning preschool (Pré-escolar) through basic education (1º, 2º, and 3º Ciclos). The school's core offering is its CSM Pedagogia 5 Estrelas framework, which integrates academic excellence with character development across five pillars: intellectual curiosity, autonomy with critical thinking, joy and responsibility, arts and sports, and democratic citizenship. The institution supplements its core curriculum with dedicated services including Religião e Pastoral (religious education), Psicopedagogia (psychopedagogy), and a comprehensive Atividades Extracurriculares program. Family engagement is supported through the Associação de Pais and an online Portal CSM platform. Together, these components form a holistic Catholic education that extends beyond academics to spiritual, emotional, and social development.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• CSM Pedagogia 5 Estrelas: The school's own educational methodology/philosophy focusing on 5-star pedagogy for student development.

Products and services

• Educação Pré-Escolar (Preschool Education)

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Instituto Rodrigo GuimarãesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEducational institution partnership shown on school's partnerships section. Instituto Rodrigo Guimarães is a supporting institution for the school.
• AEEP (Associação de Estabelecimentos de Ensino Particular)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMembership in association of private education establishments in Portugal. Provides networking and representation for private schools.
• APEC (Associação do Ensino Particular Católico)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAssociation of Catholic Private Education - a core partnership aligning with the school's Catholic identity and mission. Provides network of Catholic schools and religious education support.

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Broad incumbents

• Deutsche Schule Lissabon: German international school in Lisbon offering K-12 education. Comparable to CSM as a Lisbon private school with structured curriculum and family-focused offering, though with a different language/cultural orientation.
• Cognis Education: Portuguese education group operating multiple private schools across the country. Comparable to CSM as a Portuguese private education operator but at significantly larger scale with multi-region presence.
• PaRK International School: International private school in the Lisbon/Cascais area offering early years through secondary. Comparable to CSM as a premium private school serving Lisbon-region families with full multi-cycle coverage.
• St. Julian's School: Long-established private international school in Lisbon serving preschool through secondary students. Comparable to CSM as a Lisbon private school targeting local and international families, though broader and English-language oriented.
• King's College School, Lisbon: Established international private school in the Lisbon area offering a broad curriculum from early years through secondary. Comparable to CSM as a premium Lisbon private school competing for the same family demographic, though broader and more international in orientation.

Regional players

• Oporto British School: Established British private school in Portugal (Porto region) offering K-12 education. Comparable to CSM as a Portuguese private school with structured multi-cycle curriculum, but operating in a different region.

Direct peers

• Colégio São João de Brito: Catholic private school in the Lisbon area offering preschool through secondary education with a faith-based identity. Closely comparable to CSM in mission, scale, and target market.
• Externato São José: Catholic private school in the Lisbon region offering preschool and basic education. Comparable to CSM in faith-based identity, multi-cycle offering, and Lisbon-area family target market.
• Colégios Cedros: A Lisbon-area Catholic private school group operating multiple campuses with K-12 programs. Closely comparable to CSM in faith-based positioning, multi-cycle offering, and Lisbon private-school target market.
• Colégio Valsassina: A well-established Catholic private school in Lisbon offering preschool through secondary education. Directly comparable to CSM as a same-city, same-faith, multi-cycle private school targeting Lisbon families.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookpt-pt.facebook.com/www.santamaria.edu.pt
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/col%C3%A9gio-de-santa-maria
• Instagraminstagram.com/csm.colegiodesantamaria

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 Colégio de Santa Maria