The senior school is where the full St Dominic's pathway comes to a head, and it is one of the senior IB destinations on our Lisbon city hub. Where the primary years build inquiry habits through the Primary Years Programme, the senior phase turns that into formal qualifications: the IB Middle Years Programme through lower secondary and the IB Diploma in the final two years. For a family arriving with a teenager, this is the part of the school that matters most, because it sets the qualification a child leaves with and the universities that qualification opens.
This profile is an independent reference page focused on the senior years. GlobalSchoolGuide does not rank schools for payment and no school appears here because it paid to. We researched the facts below from the school and public sources at the time of writing and flag anything we could not confirm as not published.
At a glance
Senior curriculum and Diploma
The lower secondary years run the IB Middle Years Programme, which keeps subjects connected and asks students to apply learning across disciplines rather than treat them as separate silos. That feeds naturally into the IB Diploma at the top, the school's defining senior qualification. The Diploma asks each student to take six subjects across language, sciences, mathematics, the humanities and the arts or a further option, alongside the extended essay, theory of knowledge and the creativity, activity and service strand. It is a broad qualification by design, which suits students who do not want to narrow to three or four subjects at sixteen.
That breadth is the senior school's main argument. A student finishing the Diploma keeps language and mathematics alongside their stronger subjects, which reads well to universities across Europe, North America and beyond. Families weighing this against the A Level route offered by the British schools nearby should read our IB curriculum guide to understand how the Diploma's structure differs before they choose, because the decision shapes a teenager's final two years more than any other.
Model the full cost of the senior years
Diploma tuition, examination entry and extras add up. Use our fee calculator to estimate the total before you commit.
St Dominic's senior fees
The senior years are the most expensive stage at St Dominic's, and the IB Diploma is the highest rate of all because it is the most resource intensive phase to deliver. Published schedules have placed the upper grades roughly in the mid to high teens in euros a year, above the school's primary tuition. Treat any figure as one that changes each academic year, confirm the latest directly, and set it against the bands in our Lisbon international school fees guide to see how the senior tier compares with the rest of the city.
The senior bill carries extras the lower school does not. On top of tuition, expect the annual registration charge and the one time capital levy, plus IB examination entry fees in the Diploma years, which are charged per subject. Trips, the higher level subject materials and university guidance support add further. Ask how senior fees are staged and use our fee tools to build a realistic two year figure for the Diploma phase.
Admissions to the senior years
Entry to the senior school follows the same rolling pattern as the rest of St Dominic's, with places committed for a September start and applications reviewed through the year subject to space. For older students the process leans more heavily on prior school records and an assessment, partly to place a student in the right year and partly to confirm they are ready for the demands of the Middle Years or Diploma phase. Late entry into the first Diploma year is possible but tighter, because subject combinations and the two year structure leave little slack.
Families arriving with a teenager should move early. Ask directly about availability in the specific year group, discuss subject options for the Diploma before committing, and confirm what evidence the school needs from a child's previous system, since a mid pathway transfer into the IB is more involved than entry lower down.
Location and who goes there
The senior years share the main St Dominic's campus at Outeiro de Polima in Sao Domingos de Rana, in the Cascais municipality west of central Lisbon. The location sits within the coastal belt favoured by international families, and most senior students travel in by car or school transport from along the western line. The senior community is broadly international, drawing on the more than thirty nationalities across the school, with teenagers often arriving mid posting as families relocate.
For the wider picture of who settles where and how the St Dominic's senior offer compares with the other IB and British senior schools in the area, see the Lisbon city hub, which maps the full landscape of secondary options across the city and coast.
Reviews
We do not yet have verified parent reviews for the senior years at this school. GlobalSchoolGuide is independent and no school pays to be listed, so we publish reviews only once we can confirm they come from real families. If your child is in the senior school here, we would value your first hand account. Share your experience through the school reviews hub and help the next relocating family decide with better information.
Frequently asked questions
How much are St Dominic's senior school fees?
The senior years are the most expensive stage at St Dominic's, with the IB Diploma the highest rate because it is the most resource intensive phase. Published schedules have placed the upper grades roughly in the mid to high teens in euros a year. Budget on top for registration, a capital levy and IB examination entry, and confirm the current figures directly because they change each academic year.
What does the senior school at St Dominic's offer?
The senior phase runs the IB Middle Years Programme through the lower secondary years and the two year IB Diploma Programme at the top, taught in English. Students leave with the full IB Diploma, with its six subjects, extended essay, theory of knowledge and creativity, activity and service core.
Does St Dominic's offer A Levels?
No. St Dominic's senior pathway is the IB Diploma rather than A Levels, preceded by the IB Middle Years Programme. Families wanting A Levels should look at the British schools on the Cascais coast, while those wanting a broad final qualification will find the IB Diploma here.
When should I apply for the senior years at St Dominic's?
Apply ahead of a September start and expect an assessment for older students to place them correctly and confirm readiness for the Middle Years or Diploma phase. Diploma places in particular should be arranged early, with subject combinations discussed before entry.
Where is the St Dominic's senior school?
The senior years share the main St Dominic's campus at Outeiro de Polima in Sao Domingos de Rana, in the Cascais municipality to the west of central Lisbon.
