Hastings School vs International College Spain
🇪🇸 Madrid · Side-by-side comparison on verifiable public data.
Reviewed by Priscilla Han
Which should you choose?
Both run IB, so the difference is inspection rating, boarding, and fees rather than the curriculum itself; Hastings School has a public inspection verdict (NABSS (National Association of British Schools in Spain) "Inspected (no published overall graded band)") while the other sits in a market with no public inspectorate, judged on accreditation instead. The choice comes down to target curriculum, whether you need boarding, and budget — verify fees against each school's own figures.
Hastings School holds a public inspection verdict (NABSS (National Association of British Schools in Spain) "Inspected (no published overall graded band)"), while International College Spain operates in a market with no public inspectorate — so the former has a verifiable official quality anchor and the latter is judged on accreditation depth. On cost, Hastings School has the noticeably lower entry fee — a material difference for budget-conscious families. See the table below for the figures, and verify against each school's own published fees.
Key Facts
| Hastings School | International College Spain | |
|---|---|---|
| Curriculum | British / IB | IB |
| Ages | 2-18 | 3-18 |
| Languages of instruction | English, Spanish | English |
| Annual fees | EUR 800-2,120/month (2026-27, billed over 10 instalments; lowest = Pre-Nursery, highest = Year 12-13 IB) | EUR 12,957-27,258/yr (2026/27) |
| Enrollment | 1,375 | 1,000 |
| Boarding | Day only | Day only |
| Inspection rating | NABSS (National Association of British Schools in Spain): Inspected (no published overall graded band) | — |
| Accreditations | NABSS, Cambridge International, Pearson Edexcel, IB World School | IBO, CIS, NEASC, Nord Anglia Education |
Strengths
- ✓Long-established (1971) and Cognita-backed, giving institutional stability and group resources.
- ✓Dual sixth-form pathway lets students choose between A-Levels and the IB Diploma.
- ✓Full English immersion from age two with structured EAL support for non-native speakers.
- ✓Age-dedicated campuses keep each stage in a setting scaled to its pupils.
- ✓Internationally diverse roll (over 50 nationalities) within a British-curriculum framework.
- ✓Exceptional IB pedigree - the 13th school worldwide to offer the IB Diploma, teaching it since 1980
- ✓Only school in Madrid delivering the full IB continuum (PYP, MYP, DP) in English from age 3 to 18
- ✓Dual international accreditation from CIS and NEASC plus IB World School authorisation across all three programmes
- ✓IB results above the global average - 2022 cohort averaged 36 points with three perfect 45 scores
- ✓Highly international community of roughly 1,000 students from more than 70 nationalities, backed by the Nord Anglia network
Trade-offs
- !The IB Diploma is newly established with only an early track record of results.
- !No single published 'Outstanding/Excellent' inspection band to evidence top-tier quality.
- !Six-site model means siblings of different ages attend separate campuses.
- !Senior fees (especially the IB stream) sit at the higher end of the Madrid market.
- !Premium fee structure rising to over EUR 27,000 per year at Diploma level
- !Single-campus, non-selective international school without the scale of a multi-site selective system
- !No published, independently verified recent (post-2022) IB average located in public sources
- !No graded state inspection band exists in Spain, so external rating relies solely on accreditation cycles
Best Fit For
- • Families wanting an established British curriculum with an IB Diploma option.
- • Internationally mobile families needing strong English immersion and EAL support.
- • Students aiming for university entry via either A-Levels or IB.
- • Parents valuing age-specific campuses over a single large all-through site.
- • Internationally mobile families wanting an English-medium IB pathway from early years to university
- • Students aiming for the IB Diploma at a school with one of the longest IB track records in the world
- • Expatriate families based in or near the La Moraleja and northern Madrid corridor
- • Families who value rolling admissions and the ability to join mid-year
University Placement
School-reported · not independently verified
School-reported, unverified: the school states that '100% of our students go on to university' in most years.
School-reported, unverified: ICS cites IB outcomes above the global average with more than 20 percent of students achieving 40+ points, supporting progression to selective universities; no independent university-destination breakdown was located in public sources.
More Comparisons
Frequently Asked Questions
Should I choose Hastings School or International College Spain?
Hastings School is best for: Families wanting an established British curriculum with an IB Diploma option.. International College Spain is best for: Internationally mobile families wanting an English-medium IB pathway from early years to university. The right choice depends on target curriculum, budget, and family priorities — the two are not linearly comparable.
How do fees compare between Hastings School and International College Spain?
Hastings School: EUR 800-2,120/month (2026-27, billed over 10 instalments; lowest = Pre-Nursery, highest = Year 12-13 IB). International College Spain: EUR 12,957-27,258/yr (2026/27). Verify against each school's own published fees; some figures are sourced from third-party aggregators.
What curricula do Hastings School and International College Spain offer?
Hastings School: British, IB. International College Spain: IB. Hastings School inspection: NABSS (National Association of British Schools in Spain) "Inspected (no published overall graded band)".
Do Hastings School or International College Spain offer boarding?
Hastings School: day school only. International College Spain: day school only.
Questions parents ask
This comparison is BrightKey's independent assessment using verifiable public data only. University-placement figures are school-reported and not independently verified. BrightKey takes no payments from schools. Our method →