St Dominic's International School is one of the senior names in international education near Lisbon and an anchor school on our Lisbon city hub. Its history begins in 1954, when the Irish Dominican Sisters opened the Bom Sucesso girls' day school, which became St Dominic's College in 1963 and took its present international name in 1988. That long institutional history sets it apart from the wave of schools that arrived on the Cascais coast more recently. It runs from the early years through to grade 12 on a campus at Outeiro de Polima and offers the complete IB pathway, an authorisation few of its neighbours hold.
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At a glance
Curriculum and academics
The defining feature of St Dominic's is the complete IB continuum under one roof. Younger children follow the Primary Years Programme, an inquiry led approach that builds skills across subjects rather than teaching them in isolation. The Middle Years Programme carries that forward into the secondary years, and the two year IB Diploma sits at the top, with its six subjects, extended essay, theory of knowledge and creativity, activity and service core. The school has held IB authorisation since the late 1990s, so the continuum is long established rather than recently bolted on.
Teaching is in English, with the international intake supported through English as an additional language where needed, and Portuguese taught as part of life in the host country. The single most important thing the continuum offers a relocating family is consistency: a child can move from the early years to the Diploma without changing educational philosophy, which matters when a posting is open ended. Families weighing the Diploma against other senior routes can read our IB curriculum guide to see how its breadth compares before deciding.
Comparing Lisbon schools?
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St Dominic's fees
St Dominic's sits in the mid to upper part of the Lisbon market, and tuition rises by stage. Published schedules have put the early years near the lower five figures in euros, the primary years a step above that, and the senior and Diploma years roughly in the mid to high teens, with the Diploma the most resource intensive phase. Treat any figure as one that changes each academic year, confirm the latest directly, then place it against the bands in our Lisbon international school fees guide to see where it falls across the city.
Budget well beyond tuition. Families should expect a one off application fee, an annual registration charge and a one time capital levy that helps fund the campus, all on top of the headline tuition. In the Diploma years, examination entry fees are charged separately, and transport, lunch, trips and activities add to the annual bill. Ask how fees are staged across the year and use our fee tools to model the full figure before you commit.
Admissions
St Dominic's admits for a September start and reviews applications throughout the year subject to space, which suits the diplomatic and corporate families who move on their own timetables. Entry usually draws on prior school records and, for older children, an assessment to place them correctly and to confirm readiness for the Middle Years or Diploma phase. The school's Catholic Dominican character is part of its identity, though its intake is broadly international and multi faith.
Demand for the most popular year groups runs high at a school of this standing, so waiting lists can form. Families planning a move should apply early, ask directly about availability in their child's grade, and confirm what the school needs from applicants approaching the IB Diploma years.
Location and who goes there
The campus is at Outeiro de Polima in Sao Domingos de Rana, within the Cascais municipality to the west of central Lisbon. That places it inside the coastal belt where a large share of the area's international families live, between the city and the Cascais and Estoril seafront. Many families drive or use school transport, and the location is a practical fit for households settling along the western line rather than in central Lisbon.
The community is genuinely international, drawing on more than thirty nationalities alongside a Portuguese cohort, a mix shaped by the school's long history and its full IB offer. For the wider picture of who settles where across the region and how St Dominic's compares with the other internationals, see the Lisbon city hub and our guide to the best international schools in Lisbon for relocating families.
Reviews
We do not yet have verified parent reviews for 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 attends or has attended St Dominic's, 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 International School fees?
St Dominic's sits in the mid to upper part of the Lisbon range, with tuition rising by stage from the early years to the Diploma. Published schedules have placed the early years near the lower five figures in euros and the senior years roughly in the mid to high teens. Budget on top of tuition for an application fee, an annual registration charge and a one time capital levy, and confirm the current figures directly because they change each academic year.
Is St Dominic's International School a good school?
St Dominic's is one of the longest established international schools near Lisbon, an authorised IB World School running the full continuum of Primary Years, Middle Years and Diploma programmes, with a Catholic Dominican heritage and a community drawn from more than thirty nationalities. Whether it suits depends on your child and your destination. We do not publish a rating without verified reviews.
What curriculum does St Dominic's International School follow?
The school is authorised for all three International Baccalaureate programmes, the Primary Years Programme, the Middle Years Programme and the Diploma Programme in the final two years, taught in English. It is one of the few schools in the Lisbon area to offer the complete IB continuum on a single campus.
Where is St Dominic's International School located?
The campus is at Outeiro de Polima in Sao Domingos de Rana, in the Cascais municipality to the west of central Lisbon, within reach of the coastal belt where many international families live.
When do St Dominic's applications open?
The school admits for a September start and reviews applications throughout the year subject to space. Popular year groups fill early, so families planning a move should apply ahead and ask about availability in their child's grade and the IB Diploma years.
