For those aiming to ensure a quality education for their children, the best schools in Rio de Janeiro, RJ, offer excellent options of private education. These schools uphold a standard of educational excellence and are primarily situated in the southern zone of Rio de Janeiro, where one can also find some of the city’s finest luxury properties.
Such a choice can indeed be one of the most influential in securing a future brimming with accomplishments for the young ones. Having an education that fosters reading, questioning, and logical reasoning as its foundation is unquestionably exemplary.
The availability of slots in private schools in Rio de Janeiro is ample, catering to preschool, elementary, and secondary education. The city boasts high-standard schools with a level of educational excellence, predominantly concentrated in the southern zone of Rio de Janeiro.
Rio de Janeiro International Schools
In the vibrant tapestry of Rio de Janeiro’s educational landscape, international schools stand out as beacons of global learning and cultural exchange. Among these esteemed institutions, The British School, American School of Rio de Janeiro, Swiss International School (ESB Rio de Janeiro), and Escola Chinesa Internacional (ECI) shine brightly, offering diverse curricula and fostering a cosmopolitan environment.
The British School is renowned for its adherence to the rigorous standards of the British education system while embracing the rich cultural diversity of Rio de Janeiro. With a focus on academic excellence and holistic development, it prepares students for the challenges of a rapidly evolving world.
American School of Rio de Janeiro embodies the spirit of American education, emphasizing critical thinking, creativity, and collaboration. Its comprehensive programs, including Advanced Placement (AP) courses, provide students with pathways to success in both national and international arenas.
At the Swiss International School (ESB Rio de Janeiro), a commitment to academic rigor, multilingualism, and global citizenship defines the educational experience. Students benefit from a curriculum rooted in Swiss educational traditions while embracing Rio’s dynamic cultural landscape.
Escola Chinesa Internacional (ECI) offers a unique opportunity for students to immerse themselves in Chinese language and culture while receiving a world-class education. Through bilingual instruction and cultural exchange programs, ECI prepares students to navigate an increasingly interconnected world.
In Rio de Janeiro’s international schools, students embark on a journey of discovery, embracing diverse perspectives, and cultivating the skills needed to thrive in an ever-changing global society. With their unwavering commitment to excellence and innovation, these schools shape the leaders and thinkers of tomorrow.
American Schools in Rio de Janeiro
The Escola Americana do Rio de Janeiro (EARJ) – American School of Rio de Janeiro is a prominent educational institution nestled in the vibrant cityscape of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Established in 1937, EARJ has maintained a legacy of academic excellence and cultural diversity for over eight decades.
As an American international school, EARJ offers a comprehensive curriculum tailored to meet the needs of a diverse student body, including both Brazilian nationals and expatriates from around the world. The school follows an enriched American curriculum, incorporating elements of Brazilian culture and language, fostering a truly global learning experience.
With a strong emphasis on holistic education, EARJ provides students with a stimulating environment that encourages intellectual curiosity, critical thinking, and creativity. The school’s faculty comprises dedicated educators who are committed to nurturing the academic, social, and emotional development of each student.
Beyond academics, EARJ promotes a rich extracurricular program encompassing sports, arts, and community service, allowing students to explore their passions and interests outside the classroom. The school’s sprawling campus provides state-of-the-art facilities, including modern classrooms, science laboratories, libraries, and athletic fields, ensuring students have access to resources conducive to their growth and success.
Overall, the Escola Americana do Rio de Janeiro stands as a beacon of educational excellence, preparing students to thrive in an ever-changing global society while fostering a sense of community and belonging.
Carolina Patrício School
The Carolina Patrício School in São Conrado has closed! However, the three units in Barra and the unit in Recreio continue to operate normally. In São Conrado, the institution was located at 722 Estrada da Gávea. Housed in a beautiful mansion with ample space, the traditional school offered nursery, early childhood education, and elementary education, catering to the needs and demands of the most traditional families in Rio’s society.
The unit stood out for offering quality education and attentive, humanized care for children from Nursery 2. Now, the unit with nursery is “Gente Miúda,” in Barra da Tijuca. The focus is on the motor and sensory development of babies through practices that enhance affection and confidence. The nursery infrastructure is complete and secure, with absolute hygiene and specific rooms for each activity. In addition to nursery teachers, the team consists of nurses and teachers who, aiming to develop typical cognitive schemes of this age, gradually expose children to external stimuli. The educational institution has a playful, modern, very comfortable, and safe environment, ideal for welcoming children.
Thus, the school still operates with a pedagogical proposal based on sensory, motor, cognitive, and intellectual development. Moreover, several units also offer balanced nutrition, psychomotor activities, technological education, and much more.
The Carolina Patrício School in Barra and Recreio offers Early Childhood Education with Portuguese Language, Arts and Movements, Mathematics, Society, and Nature. Meanwhile, the school also works with bilingual education and prioritizes interactive education with games, play, challenges, interdisciplinary work, cultural expressions, and group experiences.
But it doesn’t stop at early childhood education! The Carolina Patrício School also offers Elementary and High School, the latter only at the “Golfe Olímpico” unit, in Barra. At this stage, education is prepared for a multicultural and globalized society, aiming to expand skills and disciplines in special spaces such as the Library and the Science Laboratory.
Additionally, it focuses on research in Environmental Education, systematic investigations, and complete problem-solving. The São Conrado school had excellent infrastructure and welcomed interested parents for a guided tour. Thus, it was possible to better understand the pedagogical proposal of the Carolina Patrício School before enrollment! This practice was continued in other units.
Addresses: Avenida Prefeito Dulcídio Cardoso, 400, Barra da Tijuca, Rio de Janeiro. Rua Petrônio Castro Souza, 495, Barra da Tijuca, Rio de Janeiro. Rua Vitorino Fernandes, 275, Condomínio Village Marapendi, Recreio dos Bandeirantes, Rio de Janeiro. Avenida das Américas, 7899, Bloco 01, Barra da Tijuca, Rio de Janeiro.
Opening hours: Check by unit.
Mater School
Mater School – São Conrado Campus is a highly traditional institution in Rio de Janeiro with over 37 years of history. The institution welcomes students in Early Childhood Education, Middle School, High School, and Pre-College. It is one of the best private schools in RJ, providing comprehensive, innovative, and transformative education.
Founded in 1982, the school values the holistic development of students, encompassing intellectual, cultural, physical, emotional, and psychological levels. Some pillars of the school’s worldview include concepts of globalization, democracy, creativity, synergism (Protestant doctrine), freedom, and equality.
Thus, the entire pedagogical proposal of the institution is based on principles of its religious and philosophical convictions. Mater School also provides all the technical and scientific resources necessary to stimulate curiosity and the formal development of its students.
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The school facilities include a swimming pool, living room with balcony, technology room, sports court, laboratory, cinema room, library, playground, and much more.
The school employs various scientific and technological resources, offers subjects from the national curriculum, external and semi-boarding regimes, and several extracurricular activities that contribute to the students’ well-rounded education. Thus, Mater School’s infrastructure is incredible, featuring playgrounds, swimming pools, and sports courts.
Address: 126 Engenheiro Álvaro Niemeyer Street, São Conrado, Rio de Janeiro.
Colégio Santo Agostinho
Colégio Santo Agostinho has two campuses: Instituto Cultural Santo Agostinho and Novo Leblon, both located in Barra da Tijuca. Founded in 1946, based on the Augustinian philosophy of its founder, the school offers elementary and high school education. Its intense pedagogical concern and the monitoring of education development lead its students to top positions in college entrance exams.
The school has a Catholic origin and to this day cultivates Christian values in its educational approach. Thus, kindness, respect for others, and a well-elaborated internal pedagogical proposal are part of its routine. The institution educates children as well as students preparing for the Enem (Brazilian National High School Exam) and college entrance exams – in this case, they study hard to get into the country’s best universities. The pedagogical proposal is innovative and solid. The institution has excellent physical infrastructure, including laboratories, a chapel, sports courts, a library, and much more.
Colégio Santo Agostinho works with a human and religious education that forms students integrally, working on various values and skills.
Address: Avenida das Américas, 7777, Barra da Tijuca, Rio de Janeiro. Rua Rino Leví, 485, Barra da Tijuca, Rio de Janeiro.
Opening hours: Monday to Friday, 07:00 AM to 06:00 PM, and Saturdays, 07:00 AM to 12:00 PM.
Colégio Santo Agostinho Leblon
Colégio Santo Agostinho Leblon, or CSA, is one of the most traditional schools in the neighborhood located in the South Zone of Rio de Janeiro. With over 70 years dedicated to education, the history of CSA Leblon is extensive. The educational institution was founded in 1946. It’s been 74 years of dedication to quality education, based on a solid and comprehensive pedagogical proposal.
The school has a high-level teaching staff, equipped with computer, chemistry, biology, and physics laboratories, as well as a complete library equipped with a study hall and four group study rooms. The teaching at CSA Leblon is designed to meet very noble objectives in shaping a complete citizen by stimulating various points:
- focus on the rights and duties of each student;
- respect for freedoms and dignities of man;
- love for truth and appreciation of study;
- capacity for discernment;
- better relationship with God and Nature.
With a human and religious education, Colégio Santo Agostinho Leblon addresses themes related to values, ethics, pedagogical and educational content that prepare students for global challenges, so that each student can self-structure critically and consciously to build a successful professional path.
To learn about the proposal of Colégio Santo Agostinho in Leblon, simply visit the unit and schedule a guided tour with one of the educators. It is a school that serves and welcomes children from the most traditional families in Rio de Janeiro.
Addresses: Rua Cupertino Durão, 75, Leblon, Rio de Janeiro. Rua José Linhares, 88, Leblon, Rio de Janeiro.
Opening hours: Monday to Friday, 07:00 AM to 05:00 PM, and Saturday, 07:00 AM to 12:00 PM.
Espaço Educação Leblon
Espaço Educação is also an excellent option in Leblon, in the southern zone of Rio de Janeiro. Located at Rua Timóteo da Costa, 149, it is a preschool and elementary school with over 40 years of history and tradition. The institution develops students with a humanistic philosophy in a critical and autonomous manner.
The school specializes in Early Childhood Education and the first year of Elementary School. It positions itself as a space for the formation of ethical, autonomous, supportive, and critical individuals. As a result, it aims to contribute to the integrity of human beings capable of fully developing their emotional and cognitive intelligence.
Espaço Educação began in the 1980s, with three mothers and a pedagogue colleague. Since then, the institution has sought to apply humanistic principles in its approach to pedagogy. The ideal location was found: a calm and tree-lined street in Alto Leblon.
Moreover, there is a delicate rigor in selecting the professionals who make up the pedagogical team at Espaço Educação. All teachers have degrees in education, many with some form of postgraduate education. This makes the team highly capable of assessing the best methods and content taught in the classroom.
Thus, the institution devises a specific pedagogical proposal for each class, fully personalized according to the needs of the students (depending on their ages, for example). There are classes for ages 1 to 3 and from 4 years old onward, for example. In terms of extracurricular activities, Espaço Educação in Leblon offers English-language instruction, full-day programs, and various extracurricular activities such as theater, yoga, and judo.
Address: Rua Timóteo da Costa, 149, Leblon, Rio de Janeiro.
Opening hours: Monday to Friday, from 07:30 AM to 07:00 PM.
Colégio de São Bento
One of the most traditional schools in Rio de Janeiro, with over 150 years of history, Colégio de São Bento, located in Centro, is led by Benedictine monks, combining innovation with religious education exclusively for boys. Its classrooms do not exceed 35 students, who enter the school after an evaluation process with an average of three candidates per spot.
Founded in 1858, Colégio de São Bento follows the principles of Roman Catholicism and has as its rector the Alagoas-born Dom Filipe da Silva, a monk since 1998. In a 2013 report in O Globo, the abbot (the highest position in the Benedictine order) pointed to the boys of São Bento and said, with pride and approval, “They are happy here. They are very friendly. They don’t think about girls.”
With the motto “Ora et labora” (Latin for “pray and work”), the school achieved, in 2010, a Group 1 classification in the National High School Exam (Enem), with an average score of 761.7 points. This made the institution rank first in the scores in Rio de Janeiro and Brazil.
The institution offers classes for the levels of education that comprise Elementary School and High School. Among the mandatory subjects are English and French, but students can also choose to study the Spanish language. The main objective of the school is to form men committed to God.
Furthermore, the pedagogical proposal of Colégio de São Bento is based on the principles of the Rule of Saint Benedict, identified as Christian Humanism. Thus, the school’s teaching structure considers students in their totality, in the truly human dimensions of their intellectuality, history, and socialization.
Address: Rua Dom Gerardo, 68, Centro, Rio de Janeiro.
Colégio Notre Dame Ipanema
The Notre Dame Network operates in various municipalities across the country and, in Rio de Janeiro, it is also among the most traditional schools in the city. Notre Dame is one of the most traditional schools in Rio de Janeiro. Located in a privileged area of the South Zone, the school has Catholic origins and is managed by the Congregation of Our Lady.
Its pedagogical inspiration is based on Saint Julie Billiart, precursor of the Congregation of the Sisters of Notre Dame in France. But it was the Franciscan friars who, in 1933, proposed the opening of the new school in Rio, which today has units in Ipanema and Recreio.
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Students can be enrolled from Early Childhood Education to Preparatory Course (Pre-Vestibular) in one of the units installed in the city. Highlighted at Notre Dame RJ is the appreciation of artistic, social, cultural, and sports activities offered always with the involvement of the family.
In Ipanema, the school is located at Rua Barão da Torre, 308. The school integrates the extensive infrastructure that Ipanema offers to its residents. Notre Dame’s Early Childhood Education is structured for the full development of the child, such as cognitive, affective, and motor functions. Thus, the student can take on certain responsibilities and gain autonomy for day-to-day activities.
Address: Rua Barão da Torre, 308, Ipanema, Rio de Janeiro.
Opening hours: Monday to Friday, from 07:00 AM to 06:00 PM.
Colégio e Curso Ponto de Ensino
Better known as PENSI, Colégio e Curso Ponto de Ensino has historically been ranked among the best in the country by the Ministry of Education. It belongs to the Eleva Educação group, a holding company that provides the institution with all the didactic material and a complete online platform.
The quality of the content and teaching staff is among the major concerns of this school, which has some of the most renowned teachers in Rio de Janeiro.
The school is also a pioneer in the application of socio-emotional skills among students, offering from Early Childhood Education to High School in units in Recreio, Madureira, Copacabana, Tijuca, and Freguesia.
Address: Colégio PENSI has units in Flamengo, Copacabana, Tijuca, Vila Isabel, Freguesia, Méier, Madureira, Vila da Penha, Ilha do Governador, and Recreio.
Opening hours: Check by unit.
Colégio Santo Inácio Botafogo
Santo Inácio School in Botafogo, in the South Zone of Rio de Janeiro, also has a Catholic tradition and over 115 years of existence, being one of the most traditional in the city. Of Jesuit origin, the pedagogical proposal aims at the complete formation of the student with Christian values and citizenship.
Currently, the school has more than 4,000 enrolled students thanks to its seriousness and commitment to quality education. Students from the 1st year of Elementary School, Elementary School 1 and 2, High School, and also for the evening course of Youth and Adult Education (EJA) can enroll in the unit. In addition to traditional classes, the unit has complementary projects in Dance, Sports, Languages, Music, and Educational Robotics.
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With over a century dedicated to the integral formation of its students, Santo Inácio Botafogo School stands out for its traditional Jesuit architecture. Despite this, it has a pedagogical proposal that is fully updated for the modern world. Its project includes foreign language education, programs to encourage art and culture, and the development of creativity.
Santo Inácio RJ School also prioritizes physical activity and physical education to promote teamwork and students’ awareness of their own bodies. Finally, Christian values are part of the pedagogical proposal, including justice, peace, respect, and solidarity.
Address: Rua São Clemente, 226, Botafogo, Rio de Janeiro.
Opening hours: Unknown.
PH Barra School
PH Barra School, in the West Zone of Rio de Janeiro, welcomes students from Elementary School I and II. The institution also offers High School and Full-time Schooling for those who need to spend the whole day at school.
With a great tradition in college entrance exam preparation, PH Barra RJ School has a highly qualified pedagogical team. The school’s pedagogical proposal allows for discoveries and stimulates learning through student autonomy, with exercises and challenges that facilitate the understanding of subject matter.
All educational material at PH Barra School in the South Zone of Rio de Janeiro is structured and adapted by units, in order to offer the most complete and personalized education possible for students. In addition to classes with teachers, students receive support from monitors to develop their exercises, clarify doubts, and receive individualized guidance whenever necessary.
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The school has a socio-emotional learning program called “The Leader in Me!”, which seeks to develop the skills necessary for 21st-century citizens and is part of a program of over 3,000 schools in about 50 countries around the world.
In addition, the school’s pedagogical project provides space for discovery and encouragement of learning through student autonomy, promoting the understanding of disciplinary content through exercises and challenges.
Note: PH Barrinha School changed its address in Barra! Previously, the school was located at Avenida Vitor Konder, 500.
Address: Avenida Prefeito Dulcídio Cardoso, 2000, Barra da Tijuca, Rio de Janeiro.
Opening hours: Monday to Friday, from 06:30 AM to 07:00 PM, and Saturday, from 08:00 AM to 04:00 PM.
Real Estate in Rio de Janeiro: Live closer to the best schools in Rio
And you, were you already familiar with any of these schools? The South Zone of Rio de Janeiro boasts the city’s best private schools. It’s an excellent area to live with your family and enjoy a more peaceful routine, with quick commutes and easy access to educational institutions.
