Best private schools in Belgium 2024

To study in the best private schools and colleges in Belgium means to give rise to a successful career, to provide a guarantee of admission to prestigious universities in the country and Europe. The Belgian Ministry of Education finances and supports the development of budgetary educational institutions, and private schools and colleges in Belgium are mainly self-financing. But this does not mean that the latter are beyond state control! The government maintains the rating of quality education in the country, vigilantly monitoring that all educational institutions adhere to the norms of academic education. As a result, all students – Belgians and foreigners – receive a high-level education worthy of the best European schools. And in recent years, private, or "free"/"independent" educational institutions have received subsidies from the state.

The attractiveness of private schools and colleges is obvious. The school management is interested in attracting students from abroad - they use the best innovative teaching methods, equip classrooms with modern equipment, actively communicate with European colleagues, sharing experience, arranging international conferences of students. Especially prestigious are the international schools of Belgium, because they work in a single mode around the world, including England, whose methods are considered the best in the world.

On the page you can get acquainted with the best private schools and colleges in Belgium, their curricula, admission conditions and tuition prices.

Among the advantages of studying in private educational institutions in Belgium, there are several of the most significant:

• Informal approach to children in private schools. Each student, student is assessed as a separate, significant personality: this helps to quickly reveal their abilities and focus on those subjects that are interesting
• An ability to choose subjects in Belgian private schools and colleges. In high school, having already decided on a future specialty, there is an opportunity to choose the program that will help bring it closer to the future profession
• More elite studying conditions, equipment of classrooms with language equipment, the most modern computers and other equipment necessary for comfortable learning. 

The development of private educational institutions in Belgium is quite widespread. They become popular due to high-quality academic and professional education, many of them annually get into prestigious ratings of the best educational institutions in the world.

The table includes the most popular schools due to location.

Among private schools in Belgium there are many educational institutions for children - these are kindergartens, early development schools, language schools in Belgium. Many of them are organized by language, native speakers. One of the advantages is small groups - 5-10 people, where each child is supervised, receives maximum attention and more than in budget institutions, is engaged individually.

Esther Diaz

Education specialist, career coach and consultant. She worked for Inspired Education Group and directed the admissions department at the International School san Patricio Toledo.

What would you say is the most important when choosing a Spanish school?

This is the quality of support and work of the management, the opportunity to study at IB, the prestige of the school and the percentage of successful completion of the diploma stage of IB, recommendations for further universities. It is worth considering the national "recruitment" of campus students, opportunities for extracurricular development and activities, the availability of medical services and consultations, opportunities for language immersion. Is education at the chosen school based on the values you share? Is the school a close-knit community? Is academic support good?

Education of schoolchildren and students in private schools and colleges is not funded by the state, all expenses of the students' families are borne independently. But there is hope for students to receive a grant / scholarship to study - several programs are launched in Belgium that are launched by the Flemish and French communities. The annual competition for scholarships is great, but the best students have a chance to become the owner of the state support. For this we need:

• better performance, in particular for the previous year of study at a Belgian or European educational institution
• the availability of research programs or thesis
• sufficient language proficiency.

As for the other related expenses for studying, their students and parents of schoolchildren must be borne independently. Among the main costs:

• accommodation in a rented apartment or dormitory
• nutrition
• transport (transfer, if the student is not at the boarding school)
• connection
• purchase of textbooks and study supplies.

On average, such expenses amount to about 500-600 euros per month.

Many private schools and colleges in Belgium practice teaching in several languages, more often in two state ones or English. English proficiency is mandatory in international schools in Belgium, because they mainly prepare students for jobs that are in demand in any European country.