A Practical Guide to Athens’ International Schools, IB, A-Level, American, French and German Education — and Where Families Should Live
For an international family planning to live in Greece for the long term, one of the most important decisions is not simply where to buy or rent a home.
It is where the child will go to school.
And in Athens, these two decisions are closely connected.
One of the most common mistakes families make is to choose a neighborhood first — perhaps because they like the sea, a particular development, or the character of an area — and only afterwards begin searching for a suitable school.
In reality, the smarter order is usually the opposite:
- Choose the educational pathway first.
- Choose the school second.
- Choose the home third.
That is particularly important in Athens because the city’s strongest international education options are not evenly distributed.
The largest and most established concentration remains in the north, northeast and east of Athens, especially around Kifissia, Marousi, Psychiko, Chalandri, Agia Paraskevi, Pallini and Glyka Nera.
The south, however, has changed considerably.
Around Alimos, Glyfada, Voula, Varkiza, Koropi, Moschato and Piraeus, a second international education corridor is gradually becoming more important.
So the real question today is no longer simply:
“Are the best schools in the north?”
It is:
“Which part of Athens offers the best combination of education, commute and lifestyle for my particular child?”
North and Northeast Athens: The Deepest International Education Ecosystem
Northern Athens still offers the greatest concentration of established international education.
Families living between Psychiko, Marousi, Kifissia, Chalandri, Agia Paraskevi and Pallini can access almost every major school-leaving system available in Europe and North America.
That includes:
- the International Baccalaureate;
- British IGCSE and A-Level;
- American High School and Advanced Placement;
- the French Baccalauréat;
- the German International Abitur;
- and the Greek national system combined with international programmes.
This variety is extremely valuable.
A family may move to Greece when a child is six years old without yet knowing whether that child will ultimately attend university in Britain, the United States, Germany, France, Switzerland, the Netherlands or Greece.
Living in northern or northeastern Athens preserves more options.
Major Schools in North, Northeast and East Athens
| School | Area | Main teaching language | Main educational pathway |
|---|---|---|---|
| ACS Athens | Chalandri | English | American curriculum, High School Diploma, IB Diploma, AP |
| International School of Athens – ISA | Kifissia | English | Full IB Continuum: PYP, MYP, DP |
| St Catherine’s British School | Kifissia / northern suburbs | English | British curriculum, IGCSE, IB Diploma |
| Campion School | Pallini | English | British curriculum, IGCSE, IB Diploma |
| Byron College | Pallini | English | British curriculum, IGCSE, A-Level |
| Costeas-Geitonas School – CGS | Pallini | Greek / English | Greek curriculum + IB PYP, MYP and DP |
| Pierce – The American College of Greece | Agia Paraskevi / East Campus | Greek / English | Greek curriculum + IB Diploma + American accreditation |
| Lycée Franco-Hellénique Eugène Delacroix | Agia Paraskevi | French / Greek | French national curriculum and French Baccalauréat; Greek section also available |
| Deutsche Schule Athen | Marousi | German / Greek | German system leading to Deutsches Internationales Abitur |
| Doukas School | Marousi | Greek / English | Greek curriculum, IB Diploma, International A-Level, other international pathways |
| Moraitis School | Psychiko | Greek / English | Greek curriculum + IB Diploma |
| Athens College and Psychico College | Psychiko / Kantza | Greek / English | Both offer IB PYP and MYP; Psychico College also offers the English-medium IB Diploma |
| Platon School | Glyka Nera | English / Greek / German elements | IB PYP, MYP and DP |
| Ionios School | Marousi | Greek / English | Greek curriculum + English-medium IB Diploma |
This already demonstrates why northern Athens is so attractive educationally.
It is not simply that there are “many private schools”.
It is that there are many different final qualifications within a relatively concentrated geographical area.
ISA is currently the only English-taught IB Continuum World School in Athens offering PYP, MYP and DP under one continuous model. Platon also operates across PYP, MYP and DP, while the IB lists English as the Diploma Programme language of instruction.
Byron College, meanwhile, follows a clearly British route: UK-style Key Stages, IGCSE and then A-Levels in Years 12 and 13.
Doukas provides one of the widest combinations among Greek private schools, including the Greek Lyceum, IB Diploma, International A-Level and other international qualifications.
The German School follows a very different philosophy. Students progress toward the Deutsches Internationales Abitur, with a substantial proportion of upper-school instruction and assessment conducted in German.
And the Lycée Franco-Hellénique is part of the French AEFE education network and follows the French national education framework alongside its Greek section.
Academic Results: Several Athens Schools Perform Well Above International Averages
For families choosing an international school, published examination results can be useful.
But they should be interpreted carefully.
A school with IB cannot be directly compared numerically with one offering A-Levels, the French Baccalauréat or the German Abitur.
Still, recent results give a useful indication of academic strength.
ACS Athens
For the 2026 IB examinations, ACS Athens reported:
- 38.03/45 average score,
- 100% diploma success,
- 37.2% of candidates scoring 40 or above,
- and a highest score of 45/45.
ACS also offers Advanced Placement. Its 2026 students sitting AP-class examinations recorded an average score of 4.14 across those courses.
Campion School
Campion reported a 2026 IB average of 37/45, a 100% pass rate, with 35% of students achieving 40 points or more.
Pierce
Pierce reported a 2026 IB average of 38/45, 100% successful completion, with 28% of candidates scoring 40+ and 83% scoring at least 35.
International School of Athens
ISA reported a 98% IB Diploma award rate in 2026, with 56% of students scoring 35 or above, and at least one student achieving the maximum 45 points.
CGS
CGS reported a 100% IB pass rate for the Class of 2026, with 93% of graduates securing a place at their first-choice university; published individual results included scores of 43 and 42.
Moraitis School
Moraitis’ most recently published consolidated IB results are for 2025: an average of 36.6, a 99% diploma rate, and four students achieving 45/45.
These results demonstrate that families moving to Athens are not choosing between international education and strong academic outcomes.
Several Athens schools now operate at levels that compare very favorably with worldwide IB statistics.
Where Should a Family Live for Northern Schools?
The school should shape the residential search.
If the target schools are ISA or St Catherine’s, then Kifissia, Nea Erythraia and Ekali are natural choices.
If the family is considering Doukas or Deutsche Schule Athen, then Marousi, Lykovrysi and nearby northern suburbs are more practical.
For Moraitis or Psychico College, the strongest residential logic is Psychiko, Filothei, Neo Psychiko and parts of northern central Athens.
For ACS, Chalandri itself is particularly convenient.
Chalandri is also strategically attractive because it provides access not only to ACS but also to Agia Paraskevi, Marousi and the broader northeast school corridor.
If a family is focused on Pierce or the French school, Agia Paraskevi, Chalandri and Gerakas become especially logical.
And if the choice is Campion, Byron or CGS, living farther east — in Pallini, Gerakas or Glyka Nera — can dramatically improve the daily school routine.
South Athens and the Athenian Riviera: More Schools Than Many Families Realise
The south is frequently underestimated.
Historically, the Athenian Riviera did not have the same density of international secondary schools as the north.
That remains partly true.
But it is no longer accurate to say that families living in Glyfada, Voula, Alimos or Varkiza have very few international options.
The south and southeast now include a meaningful collection of British, IB and bilingual schools.
Major Schools in South and Southeast Athens
| School | Area | Main teaching language | Main educational pathway |
|---|---|---|---|
| St Lawrence College | Koropi / Varkiza direction | English | British curriculum, IGCSE, AS and A-Level |
| Geitonas School | Koropi | Greek / English | Greek curriculum + IB Diploma |
| Verita International School | Glyfada / Alimos | English | National Curriculum of England with IEYC/IPC/IMYC and IGCSE; families should confirm the current Year 12–13 qualification directly |
| International Metropolitan School – IMS | Alimos | English / Greek | IB Middle Years Programme and Diploma Programme authorised |
| International School of Piraeus – ISP | Piraeus | English / Greek / multilingual | IB PYP, primarily nursery to primary |
| DES – Interactive European School | Varkiza / Agia Marina, Koropi | English / Greek | IB PYP and MYP |
| Lampiri Schools | Moschato | Greek / English | Greek private education + IB Diploma |
St Lawrence is currently one of the strongest established options for a family in the southern suburbs wanting a traditional British education.
Its students take the same IGCSE, GCSE, AS and A-Level examinations used by British schools internationally.
The school’s 2026 results included 47% of IGCSE/GCSE results at A or A*, while at A-Level 37% of grades were A or A*, and 84% were C or above.
Geitonas School, also in Koropi, combines a Greek educational base with an International Baccalaureate option.
Verita has become an important option for English-speaking families in the southern suburbs. It uses the National Curriculum of England as its academic foundation and integrates international IEYC, IPC and IMYC frameworks. Its public materials describe IGCSE and senior-school development, but families considering Years 12 and 13 should confirm directly which final qualification is currently delivered and fully available for their child’s intended graduation year.
International Metropolitan School is now listed by the International Baccalaureate as authorised for both the Middle Years Programme and the Diploma Programme, with authorisation recorded in December 2025. Families should still confirm the grades currently operating at the relevant campus, admissions availability and transport arrangements directly with the school before making a residential decision.
DES is another interesting southern option. The International Baccalaureate lists the school as authorized for both PYP and MYP, with English and Greek used as instructional languages.
International School of Piraeus is particularly relevant for younger children. It is an authorized IB Primary Years Programme school and describes its offer as serving Greek and international families in Piraeus and the southern suburbs.
Lampiri, in Moschato, adds another IB Diploma option to the south-western side of the metropolitan area.
So the southern school landscape is now considerably richer than many relocation guides suggest.
North Versus South Is Really a Question of Educational Depth
The largest difference between north and south is not whether there are good schools.
There are.
The difference is depth of choice, especially at secondary-school level.
A family living in the north may have, within a broadly manageable school radius:
- an American option,
- several IB options,
- several British options,
- a French national school,
- a German international school,
- and multiple Greek private schools with international diploma programmes.
In the south, the available choice is improving, but the ecosystem is still more fragmented.
That distinction matters most as the child gets older.
For a five-year-old, a high-quality bilingual primary school may be perfectly sufficient.
For a sixteen-year-old, the final academic system is decisive.
At that point, changing from A-Level to IB, or from a Greek curriculum to a French or German qualification, is no longer a small adjustment.
The Child’s Age Should Influence the Residential Decision
This may be one of the most useful principles for families moving to Athens.
For children aged approximately 3–8
The south can be particularly attractive.
Families may reasonably prioritize lifestyle, proximity to the sea, newer housing stock and the Riviera while choosing a strong primary programme nearby.
At this stage, families still have several years to reconsider the final high-school pathway.
For children aged approximately 9–13
The educational system becomes more important.
Parents should already begin thinking about whether the child is likely to continue toward IB, IGCSE/A-Level, an American programme, or another national system.
The greater school density in the north begins to have more value.
For children aged approximately 14–18
The school should usually come first.
At this stage, the difference between living 10 minutes and 50 minutes from an IB or A-Level school can materially affect daily life, study time, extracurricular activities and the student’s overall experience.
If You Want the Riviera Lifestyle, Where Should You Live?
For Verita, areas such as Glyfada, Alimos, Elliniko and Voula offer the most natural residential logic.
For St Lawrence and Geitonas, families should look carefully at Voula, Vari, Varkiza and the wider Koropi connection rather than assuming they must live in central Glyfada.
For IMS, Alimos, Argyroupoli and Elliniko are particularly convenient.
For DES, Varkiza and the Agia Marina/Koropi side of southeast Attica make more practical sense.
For International School of Piraeus, areas such as Piraeus, Neo Faliro, Moschato and parts of Kallithea can be far more convenient than the far southern Riviera.
For Lampiri, Moschato, Kallithea, Neo Faliro and Piraeus create a practical southwest residential corridor.
This is why describing everything simply as “North Athens versus South Athens” is not enough.
A better approach is to think in terms of school corridors.
Commute Is Part of Education
One of the most underestimated factors in Athens is traffic.
A family should never decide that a school is “only fifteen kilometres away” without testing that route during a real weekday morning.
The relevant question is:
What is the journey like between 7:30 and 8:15 a.m.?
And then again when school finishes.
A thirty-five-minute commute each way means more than an hour every school day.
Over ten years, that becomes thousands of hours.
For older children, those hours could otherwise be used for study, sport, music, friends or sleep.
For parents, they can determine whether school life feels manageable or exhausting.
For this reason, the best family property in Athens is not always the largest house or the one with the best sea view.
Sometimes the best property is simply the one located fifteen minutes from the right school.
Which System Should a Family Choose?
The choice of school should also reflect the likely university destination.
For families strongly focused on Britain, IGCSE and A-Level can offer a very direct pathway.
For families who want to keep Britain, continental Europe, the United States and other international universities open simultaneously, the IB Diploma is often attractive.
For families strongly connected to the United States, an American high-school structure with AP options can make sense.
For families whose children are already educated in French, transferring into a French national school can preserve continuity.
The same applies to German-speaking families and the German Abitur system.
For Greek or mixed Greek-international families, schools such as Pierce, Moraitis, Doukas, CGS, Psychico College, Geitonas, Ionios and others can offer a useful combination of local and international education.
There is therefore no universally correct answer.
The “best” school is the one that creates the strongest match between:
- the child,
- the language,
- the curriculum,
- the university objective,
- and the family’s daily life.
So, North Athens or the Athenian Riviera?
If a family wants the widest possible educational choice, especially if the child is already approaching secondary or high-school age, North and Northeast Athens still provide the deepest ecosystem.
The concentration of schools around Psychiko, Marousi, Kifissia, Chalandri, Agia Paraskevi and Pallini is difficult to match elsewhere in Athens.
If the family’s child is younger, and lifestyle, the sea, modern housing and the Athenian Riviera are major priorities, then the south is becoming increasingly viable.
The existence of St Lawrence, Geitonas, Verita, IMS, DES, International School of Piraeus and Lampiri means families no longer automatically need to send their children from the coast to northern Athens every morning.
But families should distinguish between a school that already has a mature graduating class and one whose upper-secondary international programme is still developing.
That distinction is critical.
A school may be excellent for a seven-year-old while not yet offering the final diploma that a sixteen-year-old needs.
School authorisations, campuses, admissions availability and examination pathways can change. Families should verify the current position directly with the school and, for IB programmes, with the International Baccalaureate before committing to a home purchase, lease or long-term school plan.
The Most Important Rule
For a family moving to Greece, property and education should not be treated as two separate decisions.
They are one decision.
The school determines the family’s weekday geography.
The house determines how easy or difficult that school choice becomes.
And the education system can influence where the child eventually attends university and even where the family’s long-term international connections develop.
That is why the order should remain simple:
- Choose the diploma first.
- Choose the school second.
- Choose the home third.
For a family with children, the best place to live in Athens is not necessarily the most fashionable suburb.
It is the place where the child can receive the right education without the family sacrificing everyday quality of life to achieve it.
Official sources checked before publication
- International Baccalaureate school directory
- International Metropolitan School — IB World School profile
- ACS Athens IB results
- ACS Athens AP results
- Campion School
- Pierce IB Diploma results
- International School of Athens results
- CGS IB Diploma results
- Moraitis School IB results 2025
- St Lawrence College 2026 public examination results
- Verita International School
Related Santheos resources
- Greece Golden Visa Expert Column
- Lei Chen — family relocation, education and residential strategy
- Greece Golden Visa projects
- Santheos Golden Visa answers
This article provides general education, relocation and residential-planning information. School programmes, authorisations, admissions and transport arrangements can change. Confirm the current position directly with each school before making a property or long-term education decision.
