What is the price for European schools in Brussels?
The European schools in Brussels are international schools primarily reserved for the children of European officials and their families.
However, other children whose parents are not European officials may also have access to the European schools under certain conditions.
The access conditions to the European schools follow certain criteria that establish categories corresponding to a specific price to be paid for the school year.
Thus, the price of European schools per school year (tuition fees/school fees) varies depending on the category to which a student belongs.
Price of European schools: Category I students
Category I students are exempt from tuition fees. In other words, the annual tuition fees for these students are free of charge.
These are students whose parents are part of the staff of a European institution or an accredited organisation with which they have a contract of at least one year.
Price of European schools: Category II students
Category II students are students whose parents are part of the staff of a company that has a special agreement with the European schools.
In 2023, Category II students must pay an annual tuition fee of €10,233.50.
However, this tuition fee is covered by the company for which the parents work.
Price of European schools: Category III students
Category III students are those whose parents do not belong to the previous categories (I – II), but must still meet specific criteria.
For Category III students, the amount of the tuition fee varies depending on the level of education.
Specifically, the price for a school year in a European school in Brussels is as follows:
- €4,118.32 for kindergarten education
- €5,662.75 for primary education
- €7,721.93 for secondary education
To be part of Category III, parents must meet specific criteria based on a priority order of admission:
a) Children of national officials assigned to embassies, the NATO Representation, and consulates of EU member countries (excluding locally recruited staff).
b) Children of diplomatic personnel from EU member countries returning to their home country, where a European school is located.
c) Children of national officials from non-EU countries’ permanent representations to European institutions.
d) Children of diplomatic personnel from non-EU countries, benefiting from diplomatic status and working in Brussels or Luxembourg.
e) Other officials on foreign missions in all European schools.
f) Children of other origins: priority will be given to students whose mother tongue or previous language of instruction is not used as the language of instruction in the national education system.
In all cases, admission to European schools is given priority to Category I children, followed by Category II, and finally Category III.
Four European Schools in Brussels
Currently, there are four European schools located in Brussels:
- European School Brussels I in Uccle
- European School Brussels II in Woluwe
- European School Brussels III in Ixelles
- European School Brussels IV in Laeken
A fifth European school will be built in Brussels by 2028. This school will be located in the municipality of Neder-Over-Heembeek.
Alternatives to European Schools
As explained above, access conditions to European schools are subject to specific criteria.
Parents who do not meet the admission requirements of European schools but wish for their children to enroll in a bilingual or multilingual program, focused on high-quality international education, often opt for international schools.
International Schools in Brussels
Apart from European schools, there are 21 international schools in Brussels.
Each international school stands out by offering quality educational programs primarily aimed at the international community residing in the capital of the European Union.
For example, some international schools offer a bilingual international program based on the International Baccalaureate curriculum (IB).
> IB schools in Brussels
Other schools base their pedagogy on foreign curricula (English, French, etc.), Montessori, or other educational approaches while emphasizing the learning of different languages.
> British schools in Brussels
> Montessori School in Brussels
All international schools in Brussels and their specificities are presented on this site.
For even more comprehensive information and access to an age-specific price comparator for each international school, a digital guide is also available.
Every year this guide helps hundreds of families to quickly and easily target the international schools in Brussels that match their search criteria.
Related article:
> Price International Schools in Brussels
