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International Schools in Italy: How They Work and What They Cost (2026)

By Maria GarofaloFacts checked October 24, 2026

Main types

IB, American, UK-style (Cambridge), bilingual Italian (paritarie)

Annual tuition, 2026-2027

€8,500 to €28,300 at the 5 schools checked (school fee pages)

Entry fees for new students

€500 to €8,300, depending on the school and grade

When to apply

Florence (ISF): October to February; AOSR in Rome and ASM in Milan: rolling admissions

Waitlists

Grade by grade: the American School of Milan listed grades 8 to 11 in October 2026

Legal status

Foreign schools are outside Italy's national system; paritarie are inside it

State school instead

Foreign children can enroll on the same terms as Italian children

What counts as an international school

Italian law sorts schools into legal types. They include state schools, scuole paritarie (state-recognized private schools), private non-paritarie schools and foreign schools authorized to operate in Italy. "International school" is how schools describe themselves, by curriculum.

The schools checked for this guide fall into these groups:

• IB schools teach the International Baccalaureate's programmes. The International School of Florence (ISF) lists three stages. They are the Primary Years Programme (grades 1 to 5), the Middle Years Programme (grades 6 to 10) and the Diploma Programme (grades 11 and 12). The International School of Turin (IST) charges by the same three stages.
• American schools use US grade levels from Pre-K to grade 12. The American Overseas School of Rome (AOSR) offers both Advanced Placement (AP) and the IB Diploma. The American School of Milan (ASM) includes IB exam fees in grades 11 and 12.
• UK-style schools use year groups. Rome International School charges by Year 1 to Year 13, teaches the Cambridge IGCSE leading to the IB Diploma, and makes Cambridge Checkpoint, IGCSE and IB exams mandatory.
• Bilingual Italian schools are a different case. A bilingual school with paritaria status follows Italy's general education rules and issues Italian diplomas with legal value. Ask any bilingual school whether it is paritaria.

How to check accreditation

Accreditation comes from international bodies, and it is separate from a school's legal status in Italy. Three directories let you check a school's claim:

• Council of International Schools (CIS). Its directory distinguishes CIS member schools from CIS Accredited schools. Membership involves a visit and a code of ethics; accreditation is a full school-wide evaluation.
• Middle States Association (MSA). It publishes a directory of all officially MSA-accredited schools.
• NEASC. Its directory lists only accredited schools and approved candidates, and you can filter by country, including Italy. An asterisk marks a school on probation.

AOSR, for example, states accreditation by MSA and CIS and calls itself an IB World School. If a school names an accreditor, look it up in that body's directory before you apply.

Legal status: paritaria or foreign school

Italy's sistema nazionale di istruzione (national education system) is made up of state schools and scuole paritarie, under Law 62/2000. A paritaria is a non-state school that meets the general rules of Italian education and can issue diplomas with legal value. It must accept any student who accepts its educational project.

A foreign school needs authorization to operate. Under D.P.R. 389/1994, operators from outside the EU need ministry authorization; EU operators file a notice of start of activity. The regional school office supervises these schools: Lazio's office authorized its list of foreign schools for 2024/2025 by a decree of July 12, 2024.

The same decree restates the rules that follow from this:

• Foreign schools are not part of the national education system.
• Their certificates do not have the legal value of Italian diplomas, and enrollment forms and diplomas must say so.
• A child moving from a foreign primary or middle school in Italy into the Italian system takes an esame di idoneità (placement exam). That rule is in D.Lgs. 62/2017, unless a bilateral agreement says otherwise.

Some schools prepare students for that step. ASM charges exam fees for its Italian prep program. Rome International School lists €2,020 for terza media (Italian middle school final exam) preparation and exams.

Compulsory schooling. Foreign children present in Italy are subject to compulsory schooling (D.Lgs. 286/1998, art. 38). Ministry circulars cited by Lazio's regional office list where it can be met. The options are state and paritarie schools, private non-paritarie schools on regional lists, regional vocational training, and istruzione parentale (education arranged by parents). According to the ministry's enrollment portal, families choosing istruzione parentale, either at home or through a non-paritaria school, file a declaration with the nearest state school. Ask your school how its resident families handle this.

What international schools cost in 2026-2027

Every figure below comes from the school's own fee schedule for 2026-2027. Fees are per child, per year, at the standard or private rate.

Read the fine print before you compare:

• Corporate rates. ASM and ISF charge more when an employer pays. At ISF, the IB Diploma costs €30,370 at the corporate rate; at ASM, grades 11 to 12 cost €26,800.
• What tuition covers. IST includes hot lunch, field trips, textbooks and exam fees. Rome International School bills a compulsory lunch fee of €1,355 to €1,550 separately. AOSR's bus costs €3,500 a year round trip.
• Support services. IST charges up to €3,000 a year extra for English language learning, and up to €3,000 for special educational needs support.
• Siblings. Rome International School takes 10% off for a second child and 20% for a third. ASM takes €500 off for a second child at private rates. IST discounts from the third child.
• Payment dates. ASM asks for full payment by August 24, 2026. Families can instead pay 60% then and 40% by December 1, with 4% added to the late balance. ISF splits tuition between July 15 and September 30.

When to apply, and how waitlists work

Timing differs by school. Here is what each one publishes, as of October 2026:

• ISF runs its main application window from October to February. Later applications are reviewed only if seats remain.
• AOSR has rolling admissions, with no deadline and no waitlist. It usually decides within 2 weeks of a complete file, longer in July and August. Its fee page recommends applying in January or February for September.
• ASM reviews applications on a rolling basis if the grade has space, and usually decides within 3 weeks. It keeps a waitlist when a grade fills, and listed grades 8 to 11 as waitlisted.
• IST confirms places subject to class availability. The registration fee rises from €3,300 to €3,800 for applications after January 31.

ASM and IST both ask for report cards or transcripts, a passport copy, a teacher recommendation and an immunization record. ASM adds an online math and English test for grades 4 to 12, and an interview for grades 9 to 12. IST asks for the parents' codice fiscale (Italian tax code).

Where international schools are

The schools priced here are in or near Rome, Milan, Florence and Turin, and the International School in Genoa takes applications year-round. Several campuses are outside the city center. AOSR is on Via Cassia in north Rome and runs about 22 bus routes. ASM's address is Noverasco di Opera, and IST's is Chieri, in the province of Turin.

Families planning moves to small towns, Calabria or Parma report finding few or no English-language options. Choose the school first, then search for housing within its bus area. City detail is in International Schools in Rome and International Schools in Milan.

The Italian state school alternative

Foreign children have the right to attend Italian schools on the same terms as Italian children, regardless of residence status (D.P.R. 394/1999, art. 45). Enrollment can be requested at any point in the school year. The school's teachers choose the class, based on prior schooling and an assessment of skills. For 2026-2027, online enrollment for first-year classes at state schools ran from January 13 to February 21, 2026. A child without a codice fiscale could enroll with a provisional code. How the system works is in The Italian School System, Explained.

Common problems and fixes

The town you like has no international school. Families report this in small towns and in the south. Shortlist schools first, then towns within reach of them.

The grade you need is full. Waitlists run grade by grade. Apply in the main window, and ask which grades are waitlisted before you choose a start date.

You are staying only a semester or a year. Families planning short stays ask about this. ASM charges the full year for anyone starting in the first semester. ISF charges 60% of annual tuition for one semester, plus the full application and entrance fees. Get the partial-year rule in writing before you apply.

Your child may later switch to an Italian school. A move from a foreign school into the Italian system means a placement exam. Ask whether the school offers Italian curriculum preparation.

Your child needs learning support. ASM keeps diagnosed learning needs to about 10% of each grade. It may confirm a place only after re-enrollment in March and April. Send evaluations with the application, and keep your child's current school place until an offer is confirmed, as ASM advises.

Do you need help choosing a school?

Most families can shortlist and apply on their own, since every school publishes its fees and process. It gets harder when a school offer, a lease within its bus area and a visa date must all line up from abroad.