Affordable International Schools in Rio de Janeiro

This page compares 8 international schools in Rio de Janeiro with lower published tuition, drawn from the 15 schools ExpatSchoolGuide lists in the city. The lowest published annual fee is BRL 8,799 and the highest in this comparison set is BRL 103,776, quoted in BRL.

"Affordable" here means lower published tuition relative to other schools in Rio de Janeiro — not a judgement about quality, and not an objective list of the cheapest schools in the city. Fees vary by year group and rise through secondary school, and most schools charge registration, transport, uniform and examination costs on top of tuition.

At-a-Glance Comparison

School	Curriculum	Ages	Lowest published fee	Highest published fee	Currency
Colégio Anglo-Americano	Brazilian National Curriculum; Bilingual Portuguese-English Programme; Novo Ensino Médio	0-18	8,799	13,097	BRL
Colégio Andrews Rio de Janeiro	Brazilian National Curriculum; Bilingual Portuguese-English Programme; Cambridge examinations	3-18	28,800	60,000	BRL
Escola Sá Pereira	Brazilian National Curriculum; Project-Based Learning; Research Curriculum; Bilingual/English Immersion Programme	1-18	36,000	84,000	BRL
Escola Parque	Brazilian National Curriculum; Constructivist pedagogy; daily English programme; English or French in Ensino Fundamental II	1-18	37,872	54,408	BRL
Escola Montessoriana de Laranjeiras	Brazilian National Curriculum; Montessori Methodology; Trilingual Early Childhood Education	1-18	47,190	72,600	BRL
Lycée Molière Rio de Janeiro	French	2-18	57,460	66,690	BRL
Our Lady of Mercy School Rio	American Curriculum; Advanced Placement (AP); AP Capstone; Brazilian curriculum requirements; ENEM preparation	2-18	61,692	99,240	BRL
Escola Eleva Rio de Janeiro	Brazilian National Curriculum (BNCC); bilingual Portuguese-English education; IB Diploma Programme at Urca and Barra	2 to 18 years	61,692	103,776	BRL

Schools in Rio de Janeiro that do not publish fees

School	Curriculum	Ages	Annual fees
British School of Rio de Janeiro	International Baccalaureate (IB), British curriculum, Cambridge International, British	2 to 18 years	Not published
Canadian School of Niterói	Brazilian National Curriculum; Canadian/Ontario Curriculum; IB programme; Ontario Secondary School Diploma (OSSD)	2-18	Not published
Colégio Santo Agostinho International Rio	Brazilian National Curriculum; Bilingual Portuguese-English curriculum; BYU Middle School; BYU High School Dual Diploma; Cambridge English; DELE Spanish	6-17	Not published
Rio International School	American curriculum based on Common Core State Standards and Virginia Standards of Learning; Brazilian curriculum; Advanced Placement (AP)	3-18	Not published

Fees and What They Mean

The figures above are annual tuition as published by each school, quoted in BRL. Where a school publishes a range, the lower figure normally applies to the earliest year groups and the higher figure to the senior school. Application and registration fees, deposits, transport, uniform, meals, trips and external examination entries are commonly billed separately.

Curriculum Options

Across this comparison set the curricula on offer are Brazilian National Curriculum; Bilingual Portuguese-English Programme; Novo Ensino Médio (1 school), Brazilian National Curriculum; Bilingual Portuguese-English Programme; Cambridge examinations (1 school), Brazilian National Curriculum; Project-Based Learning; Research Curriculum; Bilingual/English Immersion Programme (1 school), Brazilian National Curriculum; Constructivist pedagogy; daily English programme; English or French in Ensino Fundamental II (1 school), Brazilian National Curriculum; Montessori Methodology; Trilingual Early Childhood Education (1 school), French (1 school).

Age Range and Year Group Considerations

The age ranges above show the full span each school covers. A school with a lower starting fee may still cost more overall if fees step up sharply at secondary level, so check the published fee for the year group your child will enter and the years after it.

How to Compare Lower-Cost International Schools

• Compare the total first-year cost, not just headline tuition.
• Check the fee for your child's specific year group.
• Ask about sibling, annual-payment and bursary reductions.
• Confirm the curriculum, examination board and examination centre status.
• Weigh commute time and transport cost alongside fees.
• Verify every figure directly with the school before deciding.

Questions Parents Should Ask Before Choosing

• What is the total published cost for my child's year group?
• How much have fees risen in each of the last three years?
• Which examination board does the school follow?
• What is the class size and teacher turnover rate?
• Is English language support included or charged separately?
• What happens to fees and deposits if we relocate mid-year?

How This Comparison Is Put Together

• ExpatSchoolGuide is a research and comparison directory, not an editorial ranking or league table.
• Schools are ordered by the lowest annual tuition they publish.
• No school is promoted or excluded because of payment.
• Fees are shown only where a school publishes them; missing figures are marked "Not published" and never estimated.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the cheapest international school in Rio de Janeiro?

ExpatSchoolGuide does not rank schools by price alone. Among the 11 schools in Rio de Janeiro that publish tuition, the lowest published annual fee is BRL 8,799 at Colégio Anglo-Americano. Published fees usually cover tuition only and vary by year group, so confirm current figures with the school.

How much do international schools cost in Rio de Janeiro?

Across the schools compared here, published annual tuition runs from BRL 8,799 to BRL 103,776 (BRL). Registration, transport, uniform and examination charges are normally additional and are not included in these figures.

Which international schools in Rio de Janeiro have lower published fees?

The comparison table lists the 8 schools in Rio de Janeiro with the lowest published annual tuition in the ExpatSchoolGuide dataset, alongside curriculum and age range. A further 4 schools in Rio de Janeiro do not publish fees and are shown separately as "Not published".

Are there affordable American curriculum schools in Rio de Janeiro?

Yes. Our Lady of Mercy School Rio teaches an American curriculum and has the lowest published annual tuition among American-curriculum schools in this comparison, starting at BRL 61,692.

Do lower-fee schools in Rio de Janeiro offer recognised international curricula?

The lower-fee schools compared here teach Brazilian National Curriculum; Bilingual Portuguese-English Programme; Novo Ensino Médio, Brazilian National Curriculum; Bilingual Portuguese-English Programme; Cambridge examinations, Brazilian National Curriculum; Project-Based Learning; Research Curriculum; Bilingual/English Immersion Programme, Brazilian National Curriculum; Constructivist pedagogy; daily English programme; English or French in Ensino Fundamental II, Brazilian National Curriculum; Montessori Methodology; Trilingual Early Childhood Education, French. Curriculum information comes from each school's own published material. Accreditation and examination centre status should be confirmed directly with the school.

How does ExpatSchoolGuide decide which schools appear here?

This page compares the international schools ExpatSchoolGuide already lists in Rio de Janeiro, ordered by the lowest annual tuition each school publishes. It is not an editorial ranking, no school pays to be included or excluded, and fees a school does not publish are shown as "Not published" rather than estimated.

Explore More in Rio de Janeiro

• All schools in Rio de Janeiro
• Rio de Janeiro school fees
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