Frequently Asked Questions

Please see our Admissions page for details of our admissions and enrollment processes. 

Pioneer Fees Approved

In response to the strong enthusiasm and growing interest many families are showing in our school, and as a way of honoring their pioneering spirit, the La Scuola International School Board of Directors is pleased to announce the following founding-family benefits for those enrolling for the 2026–27 academic year:

1. Founding family tuition rates
   Families enrolling for the 2026–27 academic year will receive discounted tuition for the entire duration of their child’s enrollment, through Grade 8. 
    
2. Benefits for families with multiple children
   Families enrolling two or more children at the same time will receive a full waiver of the €2,300 registration fee for the second child and any additional children.
    
3. Benefits for families transferring in
   Students transferring into La Scuola International School in grades 2, 3, 4, and 5 from another school in Milano will have their one-time registration fees waived (even if enrolling a single student).

These initiatives are designed to thank our early families for their trust and commitment, and to provide long-term value and stability as our school grows.
 

2026 - 27 La Scuola International School, Milano Tuition & Fees
FOUNDING FAMILY RATES

Additional family discounts: a 5% tuition discount will be applied to a second concurrently enrolled sibling. A 10% tuition discount will be applied to the third and each additional sibling concurrently enrolled.

We are building a teaching team exceptionally diverse in language, training, and nationality. We will apply our decades of experience recruiting and supporting international faculty — with many teachers requiring visas — to staffing Milano. 

The quality of our educators is one of our greatest strengths, made possible in part through our nonprofit model. Across our campuses, our faculty represents a blend of expertise across International Baccalaureate, the Reggio Emilia Approach, and bilingual/immersion education. 

An estimated minimum of 8 to 10 students per class is required to open a section. This estimate is based on our experience opening our first campus in San Francisco and our second in Silicon Valley, as well as requirements to become a scuola paritaria. 

If full enrollment across all age groups is not reached, there are two possible approaches: opening selected grade levels only (such as Kindergarten — the 4 to 6 age group — and 6th grade, the first year of middle school) and/or offering mixed-age classrooms. La Scuola International School has experience teaching in mixed-age settings from preschool through 8th grade, a model used successfully during our early growth in San Francisco. The alumni who spoke at the November 25th event were part of mixed-age classrooms and reflected positively on the experience. This model fosters a larger learning community, differentiated instruction, and intentional scheduling to support whole-class inquiry alongside grade-level skill development. 

We will continue to share updates as enrollment becomes clearer in December 2025 and January 2026. For families interested in learning more, we share research resources on mixed-age classroom models: 

• How mixed age classrooms offer a unique approach, The Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development, DEC 2024
• What are Multi-Age Classrooms? A Magnified Look at This Learning Model, Rasmussen University, OCT 2023
• Wisdom of the (Multi) Ages: Students Learn by Teaching, Edutopia.org, June 2008
• Multi-Age Classrooms: Frequently Asked Questions, Burgundy Farm Day School, Alexandria, VA
   

La Scuola International School Placement Equivalency Guide

Early Years (Scuola dell'infanzia / Early Childhood)

The International Baccalaureate (IB) provides an overarching framework. The Reggio Emilia Approach shapes our image of the child, the role of the environment as the third teacher, and our belief that each learner has more than one hundred languages of expression. As for the third pillar, La Scuola International School has developed an instructional approach in which language immersion and bilingual education is situated within the Reggio philosophy and grounded in the IB framework.

Together, these three elements create a joyful, rigorous, and caring learning culture where students grow toward full bilingualism.

School Hours at La Scuola International School, Milano 2026-2027 

Preschool (2-5 anni)

• Arrival, 8.30 - 9.00
• School day, 9.00 - 15.45 
• Dismissal, 15.45 - 16.00 
• After school, 15.45 - 17.30 (additional fee for families)

Scuola primaria (6-11 anni)

• Morning Care (additional fee), 7:30 - 8:20
• Arrival, 8.20 - 8.30
• School Day, 8.30* - 15.50
• Dismissal, 15.50 - 16.00 
• After school, 15.50 - 17.30

Scuola media (11-14 anni)

• Morning Care, 7:30 - 8:20 
• Arrival, 8.20 - 8.30
• School day, 8.30* - 15.50
• Dismissal, 15.50 - 16.00 
• After school, 15.50 - 17.30

* On Wednesdays, school will start at 9:10 to account for a weekly faculty meeting. Morning care services will be offered to ensure families can maintain a consistent routine.

A final schedule will published at the Spring 2026 orientations.
 

La Scuola International School, Milano is working towards an innovative 6-day cycle format carefully designed and implemented this academic year at La Scuola International School, San Francisco. In this schedule, school is held 5-days a week (M, T, W, Th, F) but the schedule continues through the following week, so in the first week the 6-day schedule covers Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, and the following Monday. Then it repeats starting with Tuesday.

A 6-day schedule ensures equitable instructional time across all subject areas, even with more frequent Monday and/or Friday school closures. Instead of fixed daily schedules, classes rotate across a repeating six-day cycle, preserving balance in teaching and learning. This research-informed model supports continuity and equity throughout the academic year. 

Please check back to see additional sample schedules and updates to this plan. 

• Sample Grade 5 (10-11 years) Schedule

La Scuola International School students will not wear daily school uniforms; however, there is a dress code policy that will be outlined in the school handbook and shared with families during Spring orientation.

Students will be required to wear a uniform for physical education (PE). The school will also offer a selection of La Scuola logo tops and jackets that are comfortable for day-to-day activities. Dress expectations for school performances and special events will be communicated in advance.

La Scuola International School, Milan is located in a calm, family-friendly section of northwest Milan, close to parks, neighborhood cafés, and convenient transport links. Nearby, the Politecnico di Milano Bovisa campus and major urban-renewal projects — including the Bovisa mobility hub, Scalo Farini redevelopment, and planned American Consulate campus — help to lead this innovative and green district into the future. 

There will be bus service offered, for an additional fee. 

The school is located a five-minute drive from Piazza Firenze and can be reached on public transportation with trams 19, 12, 14 or bus lines 57, 90, 91. The railway link is S5-S6 at Villapizzone train station

On Mondays and Thursdays from 7.30 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. there is a local market held on the streets near the school. On those days, drop-off and pick-up will be via the Mac Mahon 113 gate entrance, where everyday school bus drop-off and pick-up is held.

La Scuola International School, Milano has an on-site kitchen that will prepare student lunches.

There is an auditorium.

 La Scuola International School, Milano offers excellent outdoor and indoor facilities, including a full-size soccer/football field, an outdoor basketball court, a gym, and two garden areas. Students enjoy Physical Education, recess, and athletics programming that includes soccer, lacrosse, track and field, and more.

Yes. These will include educational excursions and future exchanges with La Scuola International School campuses in San Francisco and Silicon Valley.

We will hold a parent education series covering topics including the Reggio Emilia Approach^®, the International Baccalaureate^®, student wellbeing, digital citizenship, and more. 

We have a robust, multifaceted system of communication that includes in-person and virtual coffee chats, teacher conferences, weekly classroom reports from teachers and staff, and other ongoing invitations to engage in dialogue. 

Our Milano campus will be home to a diverse team of educators who share a passion for inspiring brave learners to shape the future. Rooted in the International Baccalaureate framework, the Reggio Emilia Approach, bilingual/immersion education, the rigor of the Italian education system, and the spirit of San Francisco innovation, our faculty will nurture creativity, global perspective, and strong academic skills in every child.

We are building a teaching team exceptionally diverse in language, training, and nationality. We will apply our decades of experience recruiting and supporting international faculty — with many teachers requiring visas — to staffing Milano. 

The quality of our educators is one of our greatest strengths, made possible in part through our nonprofit model. 

When the Milano campus lower-secondary cycle (grades 6–8) receives paritaria recognition and the full three-year program is in place, students completing the cycle will be eligible to take the esame di terza media (third year of middle school exam) directly on campus. For students entering 6th grade in September 2026, there may be a transition period before we receive full authorization to administer the state exam. If this is the case, students may need to complete the esame di terza media through an approved state or paritaria school.

Elisa Leonardi, Parita' Coordinator — who successfully guided our San Francisco campus through the full scuola paritaria process and manages annual compliance — will support and lead the same process for our Milano campus.

La Scuola International School alumni attend the following universities, and others:

Bocconi University, Milano
University College Dublin
University College London

Boston University
Colorado School of Mines
Georgetown University
Loyola Marymount University
New York University | NYU
Pratt Institute
San Francisco State University
Stanford University
Tulane University
University of California, Santa Cruz
University of Southern California | USC
Virginia Polytechnic University

La Scuola International School in San Francisco is a scuola paritaria recognized by the Italian Ministry of Education since 2018, and one of only two schools in the United States with this distinction. Additionally, all U.S. La Scuola International School campuses are accredited by CAIS and WASC, national and state accreditations for independent schools, which we have held for more than seven years.

La Scuola International School in San Francisco has been recognized as a scuola paritaria abroad since 2018 (full PreK–elementary cycle) and it is one of only two authorized schools in the United States. La Scuola International School, Milano will apply for scuola paritaria recognition for all three school cycles — scuola dell’infanzia, scuola primaria, and scuola secondaria di primo grado — with the formal application scheduled for spring 2026.

La Scuola International School, San Francisco has been authorized as an International Baccalaureate Primary Years Program school since 2016 and a Middle Years Program school since 2020.

In September 2026, La Scuola International School, Milano expects to be recognized as a Candidate School for both the Primary Years Program (PYP) and Middle Years Program (MYP). IB candidacy typically lasts 12 to18 months and concludes with an authorization visit. During candidacy, the school operates as an IB program and will follow our San Francisco model, while adapting appropriately to reflect the culture and context of Milano.

Yes. We will need to hire both faculty and staff for this new campus. Please visit our Careers page for more information. 

The Reggio Emilia-inspired environment of La Scuola International School, Milano, was designed with the help of Michele Zini of ZPZ Partners in Modena, Italy. 

Our new La Scuola International School, Milano campus will be in what is currently a school building. Over the summer, we will be doing extensive cosmetic renovation and upgrading. This planned work will be complete in time for the beginning of the 2026/27 school year.