Public or Private?

Finding the right school for preteen kids

Many moons ago, long before my husband and I had kids, I said one of those things that people without kids often say.

“When I have kids, I will never send them to a private school.”

You know where this story is going.

In early 2024, we had to decide where our kids would attend school in Spain. Whatever city we chose, we were committed to it for at least a year. By the time it was time to enroll them (most schools here begin that process in March), we’d decided on Valencia.

We could take one of three paths: public, concertado, or private.

The public and private options are self-explanatory. But what is a concertado school? In a nutshell, they are similar to charter schools in the U.S. Like U.S. charter schools, they vary in quality and instruction. Some are bilingual. Nearly all are religious. (Spain is a Catholic country, after all.) One of the biggest benefits of a concertado is its affordability. The parents usually pay a couple hundred euros in tuition each month while the Spanish government contributes the rest.

I loved the idea of the concertado option, but we would not be in Spain to start the registration process. Thus, we had two other options: public or private.

At the time of the move, our kids would be 10 and almost 12. In an ideal world, we would put them into a public school, they’d learn Spanish fast, and we’d be well on our way to integrating into Spanish culture and life. But my mom Spidey senses told me that was not our best option. Our kids had never been exposed to a language other than English; they were hitting puberty, and we were asking them to leave behind everything they had ever known: friends, family, house, city, and even their toys.

With all of this information in hand, Will and I knew a private school was the best (and most expensive) choice.

Remember what I said earlier about never sending my kids to a private school?

You’ll find many private international school options in the larger cities around Spain. Most follow a British curriculum, but not knowing that system at all, we settled on finding an American school. There are far fewer of those in Spain and only a couple in Valencia, so we knew our most likely option–if we could get in.

International schools tend to be competitive. There are several reasons for that, but suffice it to say, it worried me if we couldn’t get our kids into the school I felt would be the best fit.

We started the admissions process for our school in February 2024, gathering paperwork to submit for the initial application. In March, both kids were administered a shortened version of MAP testing, which would help the school determine whether or not they’d be a fit.

Just one week later, we got their admission acceptance letters! (I felt like they’d both just been admitted to Harvard.) Having their school squared away was a relief, another box checked in this long process.

Will and I have been happy with the school, although we’ve had a few hiccups along the way as the kids have adjusted. Our son is in sixth grade and began the school year with one language: English. He’s now learning three others alongside it: French, Spanish, and Valenciano. Our daughter is in fourth grade and started with one language, and she’s learning two others: Spanish and Valenciano. It was a lot to throw at them, but they’ve grown and stretched so much from the challenges. They’ve made friends. They’ve been exposed to an international community they wouldn’t have known back in Tennessee. We’re so proud of how well they’ve done.

Would I choose an international school again? Absolutely. I think it was the best transition for them. A woman we know who moved to Spain from the States as a child said she wished her mom had placed her in an international school first because she went directly to a Spanish public school, which was rough. Still, it’s a big hit on the budget every month and a consideration the longer we’re here. I’m still keeping my eye on the concertado schools.

As long as our kids remain happy, Will and I will grin and bear the cost because, even though I believe this move was for the best, they didn’t ask for it and have had to make adjustments they would not have made in the States.