Sintra Portugal
Carlucci American International School of Lisbon

Dear Parent, We are happy you decided to visit us online. How can we help you and your family?

Description

With over 60 years of experience, CAISL is located 20 minutes from Lisbon city center, and serves about 700 children aged 3 through 18 from over 50 different countries. The curricular program is American-based and adapted to the needs of an international student body. The IB Diploma is offered in the last two years of High School. CAISL is the only school on Portugal supported by the Office of the Overseas Schools from the US State Department.

  • Day school tuition $8700 - $18440 USD
  • Grades for day school Pre-K/Reception -
    12th Grade/Year 13
  • Scholarships Available No
  • Number of Students 700
  • Year founded 1956
  • Boarding school tuition No Information
  • Curricula IB Diploma, Advanced Placement, US National
  • Type Co-ed

Accreditations

MSA - Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools


Tuition

Please find all information on our fee schedule: www.caislisbon.org/admissions/fee-schedule


Admissions Information

Admissions Process

CAISL requires the following information for an application to be considered: the Application Form and three years of school records (most recent and the two previous). If such exist, copies of current or most recent educational-psychological testing and/or individual educational plans must also be submitted.


Entry Requirements

In considering the application for admission, the decision is based on two factors: Academic and behavior record of the child and Space in Grade. Learn more at: www.caislisbon.org/admissions/apply-now


Applicant Evaluations

Decisions on whether or not to admit a child are made by a team consisting of a member of the Admissions Team, the Elementary or Secondary Principal (as appropriate), and the Director. Other specialists (Learning Support/Special Needs, English for Speakers of Other Languages, International Baccalaureate Coordinator, School Nurse, for example) are part of the decision as needed.

  • First application deadline Not applicable
  • Second application deadline Not applicable
  • Students can join after the academic year begins Yes
  • Waiting List Yes
  • Application fee (domestic) $0 USD
  • Application fee (international) $0 USD

Waiting List

Children whose complete application package has been reviewed and are “eligible for admission” but with no space in the grade or the program needed, may, at parent’s request, be put in the Wait Pool for the school year they are applying into.


Academics

  • Assigns homework Yes
  • Use of technology in the classroom Yes
  • Language of instruction English
  • ELL support Yes
  • Teacher/Student ratio 1:8
  • Learning support Yes
  • Native English teachers Yes
  • Languages taught English
  • Number of teaching staff 92
  • Examinations available ACT, Preliminary Scholastic Aptitude Test - PSAT, Scholastic Aptitude Test - SAT

Homework

Homework is defined as work done outside of the supervision of the teacher. As such, most homework is for extension of the work of the class, for practicing skills learned in class, for gathering data to be used in class, or for work on long-term class projects. In general, homework is designed to help students learn, not for them to demonstrate what they have learned. Homework that serves to reinforce or introduce concepts is not counted in the student’s grade.


Use of technology in the classroom

CAISL believes that the best way to prepare students to master the technology of the future – the one they will face when they leave school – is to give them a solid foundation in today’s technology, offering ways to access, understand, and actively change the world around them and, at the same time, help them to develop a logical approach to problem-solving, and a belief in themselves that they CAN do it. CAISL is always searching for new technology that students can use as a tool, to empower, engage them, and enable them as they increase their learning not only in IT but also in all other areas of learning.


Learning Support

To promote the academic, social, emotional and physical development of all its students, CAISL provides a range of Learning Support services. Students admitted to CAISL must be able to function within the regular classroom setting and be able to work towards successful completion of CAISL academic requirements. CAISL provides Learning Support services for students who have been identified with mild learning difficulties and does not have the facilities or faculty required to educate children with severe learning or behavioral problems.


Number of Teaching Staff

In the 2019-2020 school year, there were 92 full-time faculty members, including 35 U.S. citizens, 12 from other English speaking countries such as UK, Canada and Ireland, and 38 host-country nationals. 21% of the non-American citizens were educated in American schools or taught in USA, bringing to 51% the number of “program-carriers”.

School Life

  • Bus service Yes
  • Sports teams available Yes
  • Pastoral Care No
  • Do students practice religion at the school No
  • School start time 8:20
  • School end time 3:45
  • School provides lunch Yes
  • Supervised care before or after school Yes
  • Uniform required No
  • Access to an educational psychologist Yes
  • Student nationalities 54
  • Average class size 20

Schools Facilities

Library Media Center with over 40,000 items, computers in all classrooms and wireless internet access throughout the campus, 1 computer per student in grades 2 through 5 in the classroom environment, one laptop checked out to each student in grades 6 through 12, fully equipped science laboratory classrooms, purpose-built art and music classrooms, state-of-the-art 450-seat theater, full-service cafeteria and snack bar, 1,400m2covered gymnasium, more than 10,000m2 of exterior sports fields for basketball, soccer and other sports.


Bus Service

CAISL provides an extensive bus service to most of the metropolitan Lisbon area. Our bus service includes both large, 50-seater buses serving those areas where a lot of students live in close proximity as well as small 8 and 14 seat vans for students living in more isolated areas. Bus service is optional.


School Lunch

CAISL has a professional catering company providing lunches for the students. Each day a hot lunch is available to all students, which is prepared in CAISL's own kitchen. All lunch menus can be found below. Students have a daily choice among a meat, fish, or vegetarian option. Lunch service is optional.


ELL

Language support is available from an ESL specialist who will target specific language for acquisition, scaffold work, and support students as needed. Students will receive this support in a variety of ways including small group work, immersion, sheltered classes when appropriate, or monitoring. This support is provided based on individual student needs for no additional fee. Students identified with a mother tongue other than English, and without formal education in an English-speaking school, will be tested prior to admission for Grades 9-12.


Supervised Care

CAISL provides after school child care for pre-school (3, 4 and 5 year-olds) without charge for all those who sign up for this service in advance. A charge will be applied if the child remains in school care after 4:15 PM without timely notification from Parents.


Sports Teams

Going beyond Physical Education (PE) classes, CAISL’s Athletics program focuses mainly in team sports, and aims to develop a sense of commitment, companionship, and to foment a life-long love for physical activity. It is CAISL’s philosophy of Athletics that each student who wishes to join an after-school team and commits to trying his or her best is encouraged to do so. CAISL offers boys’ and girls’ teams for soccer, volleyball, basketball and baseball. There is also Cross Country and Track & Field.


Uniform

While we do not have a uniform or an extensive dress code, students are expected to be aware of and adhere to the proper standards of dress for a school environment. Students are required to come to school in clothing which is neat, clean, in good repair, modest, respectful, and safe.


Access to an educational psychologist

CAISL has a team of qualified and experienced counselors that provide appropriate guidance services made up of an Elementary Guidance Counselor and a Secondary Personal Counselor (both certified clinical psychologists). Counseling is always available for students in need of behavioral, emotional and/or social support. The counselors work with students both in groups and individually.


University Relations

  • University counseling Yes
  • Percent that pursue university Close to 100%. In 2019 one student took a gap year to follow an internship in a prestigious Art Museum.

University Destinations

Very diverse every year. Samples from last year: USA: Columbia, Brown, Duke, NYU, Penn State and Swarthmore; UK: Cambridge, St. Andrews, London School of Economics, Imperial College, Lancaster, Bath and UCL; PT: Instituto Superior Técnico, Universidade Nova de Lisboa and Universidade Católica.


University Counseling

CAISL uses a ‘best fit’ approach, encouraging a student-driven and parent-informed decision process as a result of a well-researched examination of institutions and self-reflection about their values, needs and aptitudes. We strive to ensure the transition from the CAISL community to their new learning environment is as smooth as possible.