Lighthouse American School

Since 2019, Irene Márquez (known as Ms Irene). Hails from Madrid but her Mexican dad instilled in her a love of all things American. Adored her high school experience at boarding school in Florida and followed it up swiftly with a double major in

Prospective families can either visit the school in person or virtually and will always meet with the CEO/head.

Students from 1st grade upwards must take admissions tests in reading, writing and maths. These exams can be taken either online or in

Hard to tell as students are still quite young but based on current student nationalities, we would expect them to head off to Spanish, European or American schools and universities.

No results or leavers to speak of yet - the current eldest cohort are sitting the IB PYP assessment in June 2023 and the first YCT (Youth Chinese Test) will take place in spring 2023 for 3rd–6th graders.

Most parents feel that the school is rigorous, and students work at a good pace. Small class sizes (some with just seven students) and one class per year group, so teachers get to know each student well.

Kindergarten is play-based and although

This school most definitely ‘walks the talk’ regarding inclusive education. Any child with specialist needs is interviewed and assessed to understand their requirements within the classroom, and the school is open to inviting in external SEN

Students from 1st grade are tested to ensure that their level of English is sufficient to access the classroom teaching. If needed, the school can arrange ESL classes at the school.

Six hours of Spanish taught per week and Chinese also included in

Students have weekly music lessons with the head, along with a two-hour visual arts class, which - depending on the current topic of learning - might be theatre, costume design or dancing.

The range of extracurricular activities are voted upon by

Funnily enough, the students are huge fans of track and field but as the school does not have these facilities, the children improvise and practice long jump using a rope! At lunchtimes, the playground splits between those playing basketball (very

The school proudly tells us that there has not been a bullying incident, although the school does have a strong bullying protocol in place and will not hesitate to suspend or even expel students if required.

The main school psychologist is Spanish

Families are wealthy but the school does not feel elitist because they tend to choose the school for its smaller, more personalised style of teaching. Some have already experienced other bigger schools and decided that it is not for them, while

As a NEASC school, it is reviewed regularly and there is a strong reporting system in place. Overall families feel that they are in good hands. The school often organises charity events for different NGOs that the school supports such as ASION

This school suits families looking for a more intimate learning environment for their children. The teachers don’t just know all of their students, but their brothers and sisters too. Families who value this strong family-school connection will be