Aloha College

Aloha College has been part of the educational fabric of Marbella since 1982, which makes it one of the longest-established international schools on the western Costa del Sol. It teaches a British curriculum to pupils aged 3 to 18, sits within the National Association of British Schools in Spain, and is accredited by the Council of International Schools. The school is day-only, which shapes both its daily rhythm and the kind of family it tends to attract: residents rather than visitors.

The academic offer is broader than the standard British template. Younger pupils follow the International Primary Curriculum, then move through IGCSE before choosing between A-Levels and the IB Diploma in the sixth form. The IB Diploma Programme was authorised on 19 July 1990, giving the school more than three decades of experience with that qualification specifically. Elements of the Spanish national curriculum are also taught, which matters for families who expect their children to keep a door open to Spanish universities or to validate their studies locally.

Examinations run through and Edexcel for the British track, and through the Organization for the Diploma. The combination of three recognised exam boards under one roof is unusual, and it gives sixth-formers a real choice between the linear specialism of A-Levels and the broader IB profile rather than a school preference dressed up as a recommendation.

Languages are taken seriously. English is the language of instruction, with Spanish, French and German taught alongside. For a buyer relocating from northern Europe, that mix tends to be the practical hinge: children arrive in an English-medium classroom, pick up Spanish through daily life, and keep a third European language on the timetable. Admissions run in two windows each year, from 1 November to 31 January and from 1 March to 31 May, so families house-hunting in spring or autumn can usually align a school place with a completion date.

On fees, the school sits in the mid range for international schools in the Marbella area rather than at the top of the market. Published university destinations include Universidad Carlos III and IE Madrid in Spain, alongside UCL, the London School of Economics, King's College London and the University of St Andrews in the UK. That spread is consistent with the dual-track curriculum: leavers go in both directions rather than defaulting to one system.

The campus sits in Nueva Andalucía, inland from Puerto Banús and ringed by the golf valley. For property buyers, that location is the practical point. A school of this age and size anchors demand in the surrounding postcodes, because families who enrol tend to stay enrolled for a decade or more. The drive-time catchment realistically extends from the eastern edge of Estepona through San Pedro, Nueva Andalucía and central Marbella, and as far as the lower slopes above the coast road.

If you are weighing a purchase nearby, the school's profile is worth reading carefully. A 3-to-18 age range removes the friction of switching schools mid-childhood. The presence of both A-Levels and the IB Diploma means a family can change its mind about university destination without changing address. And the day-only model, combined with two structured admissions windows, tends to reward buyers who plan the property search and the school application on the same timeline rather than treating them as separate problems.