Why Families Are Choosing American Schools
As families in Madrid and around the world consider an American school for their children, Kat Simison, Network Director of Enrollment and External Affairs, offers insight into what defines American education in Spain and what distinguishes Brewster Madrid.
Families are increasingly drawn to American schools for their combination of academic excellence, global perspective, and student-centered philosophy. An American education in Madrid offers a distinctive learning model: a flexible, skills-based approach designed to support individual growth while preparing students for university and life beyond the classroom. And it’s all within one of Europe’s most influential global capitals.
Brewster Madrid represents a new generation of American international education, one that blends the rigor and innovation of a nearly 200-year American educational legacy with the multicultural energy, cultural richness, and global opportunities of Madrid. Below, Simison addresses some of the most common questions families ask when exploring American education in Spain and explains why Brewster Madrid may be the right fit for their family.
What Defines an American School?
American schools follow a U.S.-based curriculum taught primarily in English, emphasizing critical thinking, creativity, collaboration, and independent inquiry. Students typically graduate with an American high school diploma and are well prepared for universities worldwide.
At Brewster Madrid, that philosophy comes to life through small class sizes and a highly personalized approach. Students can pursue an American diploma alongside Advanced Placement (AP) courses or the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme (IBDP), ensuring both flexibility and global recognition.
“Personalization isn’t an add-on here, it’s the system,” Simison explained. “Every student is known by name, by story, and by potential.”
Why Madrid?
Madrid offers a unique setting for international education: safe, culturally rich, multilingual, and globally connected. Students benefit from immersion in English while living in Spain, learning within a multicultural community, and engaging directly with the city’s art, history, science, and global institutions.
With campuses in Chamberí and La Moraleja, Brewster Madrid embraces place-based learning, turning the city itself into an extension of the classroom.
Through Brewster Madrid’s robust Learning Expeditions program, learning extends beyond campus walls through museum visits, neighborhood exploration, partnerships with cultural and civic organizations, and service-learning embedded in the local community. These experiences give students authentic opportunities to apply knowledge, build independence, and deepen their understanding of the world around them.
Two Campuses, One Personalized Experience
One of the defining features of Brewster Madrid is the ability for families to choose between two distinct campus environments. Each campus has the same academic rigor and student-centered philosophy, but with a different sense of place. The Chamberí campus places students in the heart of the city, surrounded by Madrid’s cultural institutions, neighborhoods, and urban energy, while the La Moraleja campus offers a greener, more spacious setting designed for students who thrive in a quieter, nature-connected learning environment.
“Madrid is an extraordinary learning environment,” Simison said. “From globally-renowned museums and cultural institutions to service-learning and local partnerships, students are constantly connecting classroom learning to the world around them.”
Students can also study abroad in high school at Brewster’s main campus in Wolfeboro, New Hampshire, through an “American Experience” program that lets them seamlessly continue their coursework while immersing themselves in a new culture and boarding school environment.
Preparing Students for University and Beyond
American education emphasizes broad academic foundations across the humanities, sciences, mathematics, and the arts, alongside project-based and inquiry-driven learning. Students develop strong communication, analytical, and organizational skills while gradually building independence and academic ownership. At Brewster Madrid, university preparation begins early and unfolds over several years through individualized counseling, intentional advising, and close partnership with families. Our faculty and team-based approach ensure students are supported academically, socially, and emotionally throughout the process.
The result: graduates who are confident, adaptable, and prepared for top universities in the U.S., Europe, the UK, and beyond.
Ready to Learn More?
Choosing the right school is an important decision, and Brewster Madrid is here to guide families every step of the way. We invite you to visit our How to Apply page to learn more about the admissions process, including how to inquire, request additional information, and schedule a campus visit at either our Chamberí or La Moraleja campus.
“The best way to understand Brewster is to experience it,” Simison shared, noting that spending time on campus allows families to see how personal, global, and purposeful learning comes to life.
Explore the steps to apply and discover whether Brewster Madrid is the right fit for your family.
→ Visit the How to Apply page to get started!
