SEK International School El Castillo

A Pioneer in International Education

SEK-El Castillo holds a unique place in Spanish educational history. Founded in the 1972–73 academic year by educational pioneer Felipe Segovia Olmo, the school was built on a striking campus in Villafranca del Castillo in northwest Madrid — a campus that was so architecturally innovative that it won UNESCO's National School Architecture Prize in 1975, just three years after opening.

The school's international ambitions were evident from the start. In 1977, SEK-El Castillo became Spain's first IB World School, authorized to offer the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme. This made it a trailblazer in a country where international education was still in its infancy, and it established a reputation that has only grown in subsequent decades.

Key Milestones

• 1972–73: Campus opens, designed by architect Gonzalo González
• 1975: UNESCO School Architecture Prize awarded
• 1977: Authorized as Spain's first IB World School
• 1984–85: Girls' boarding residence added, expanding the international boarding program
• 2002: Full co-educational boarding integration
• 2021: New 3D printing and robotics laboratory inaugurated
• 2022–23: 50th anniversary celebrations held

The Founding Vision

Felipe Segovia's vision was to create a school that would genuinely prepare students for a globalized world — not just academically, but holistically. The bilingual English-Spanish curriculum, combined with the IB's internationally recognized framework, was a bold choice for Spain in the 1970s. That founding commitment to international, inquiry-based education remains the school's core identity today.

Over five decades, SEK-El Castillo has grown into a school of approximately 1,400 students from over 15 nationalities, offering the full IB continuum from PYP through DP, alongside the Spanish national curriculum and an American high school diploma track accredited by NEASC. The school continues to be recognized as one of Spain's top international schools.

A Distinctive Academic Program

SEK-El Castillo's academic model is built around the full IB continuum — PYP, MYP, and DP — delivered through a bilingual English-Spanish curriculum. What makes it particularly distinctive is the Dual Diploma program, which allows students to simultaneously earn the IB Diploma and the Spanish Bachillerato, giving graduates recognized qualifications for both international and Spanish university applications.

The school also offers an American High School Diploma track, accredited by NEASC (New England Association of Schools and Colleges), broadening university options further for students targeting US institutions.

Strong Examination Results

The school's academic outcomes are consistently above world averages:

• IB Diploma 2024: Average score of 33 points (world average ~31.98), with 40% of students scoring 40 or above and the highest score reaching a perfect 45 points
• IB Diploma 2025: Multiple high scorers including students achieving 40, 42, and 43 points with 100% pass rate implied
• Spanish EvAU 2024: 100% pass rate in the Spanish university entrance examination

Inquiry-Based Pedagogy

The school's teaching philosophy centers on inquiry-based, student-centered learning, encouraging critical thinking, independence, and collaboration. This approach is integrated across all year groups, from the thematic units of the PYP in early years through to the extended essay and Theory of Knowledge requirements of the DP.

University Outcomes

Approximately 90% of students meet the requirements for their chosen university major. Graduates attend institutions worldwide including American University, NYU, LSE, King's College London, University of Oxford, and University of Toronto, among many others.

An Architecturally Celebrated Campus

The physical campus of SEK-El Castillo is as remarkable as its academic program. Spread across 40,000 m² in the natural setting of Villafranca del Castillo northwest of Madrid, the campus was recognized with UNESCO's National School Architecture Prize in 1975 — a testament to its innovative design philosophy that puts student wellbeing at the center of physical space.

Sports Facilities

The school's commitment to athletic excellence is reflected in its exceptional sports infrastructure:

• 1,000 m² polideportivo complex with tennis courts, frontón (pelota court), 3 basketball courts, and 1 indoor futsal court
• Heated 25m indoor swimming pool (400 m², solar-heated via EcoSEK initiative)
• Beach volleyball court (200 m²)
• Two full-size football/soccer fields plus a training pitch and athletics track
• 4 multi-purpose indoor sports halls
• Dedicated taekwondo room, dance studio, and psychomotor/roller-skating studio

These facilities support a broad sports program including volleyball, basketball, soccer, tennis, swimming, martial arts, triathlon, and more. The school has won the Spanish Olympic Committee Sports Award (2010) for its commitment to sport.

Arts and Technology

• School of Music and Dance wing with music practice rooms and a mini-concert hall
• 3D printing and robotics laboratory (renovated 2021), where students work with LEGO Mindstorms and 3D modeling software
• Art and design studios
• On-site theater/drama studio
• Science laboratories (physics, chemistry, biology)

Boarding and Community

Two boarding residences (separate male and female) house students from 15+ nationalities aged 15–18, creating a vibrant international community at the heart of the campus. Green areas, playgrounds, solar panels, and flexible 'Intelligent Classroom' spaces complete a campus designed for 21st-century learning.

How Admissions Works

SEK-El Castillo takes a personal and individualized approach to admissions, reflecting its ethos of knowing each student as an individual. The process is managed through the school's MySEK platform and follows a structured sequence:

1. Information Request: Families contact the school via the website or by phone (+34 900 87 87 98) or email ([email protected])
2. Campus Visit: Prospective families are invited to visit the school in person — open days are held in April and May each year
3. Placement Assessment: Students complete placement tests in relevant subjects (Mathematics, English, Spanish as appropriate to the grade level)
4. Interview: A personal interview is conducted with the student (and parents for younger children)
5. Enrollment Confirmation: Via the MySEK portal upon acceptance

Requirements by Level

• Early Years: Observation and readiness interview; English immersion assessed
• Primary (Years 1–6): Entrance exam in Math and Language; interview; school records
• Secondary (Years 7–11): Exam in English, Math, and Spanish/equivalent; student and parent interview
• IB Diploma (Years 12–13): IB readiness interview; academic transcripts; TOEFL/IELTS recommended

What the School Looks For

Given the bilingual nature of the program, English proficiency is an important consideration. The school provides EAL (English as an Additional Language) support for students who need it, making the school accessible to families coming from diverse linguistic backgrounds. Spanish proficiency for local students is handled through the national curriculum track.

Seats are limited, and the process is considered competitive. The school does not publish acceptance rates, but university counseling data indicates strong outcomes for those who do enroll, with approximately 90% of graduates meeting requirements for their chosen university major.

An International Boarding Community

One of SEK-El Castillo's most distinctive features is its international boarding program, which accommodates students aged 15–18 from over 15 nationalities in two separate residential buildings on campus. This creates a genuinely multicultural living and learning environment where Spanish-speaking local students and international boarding students learn side by side, enriching each other's perspectives.

Boarding students participate fully in school life, with supervised study periods, shared mealtimes, and access to all campus facilities during evenings and weekends. The school arranges airport and train station transfers for international boarders.

Extracurricular Breadth

The extracurricular program at SEK-El Castillo is extensive:

Sports (many at competitive level): Volleyball, basketball, soccer/futsal, tennis, beach volleyball, athletics/track and field, swimming, taekwondo/martial arts, dance, roller skating, triathlon, and gym multi-activity. The school operates a SEK Sports Academy for elite athletic development, and has won the Spanish Olympic Committee Sports Award.

Performing Arts: Choir, school orchestra/band, dance performance groups, theater/drama club, and musical productions.

STEM and Technology: 3D printing lab, LEGO Mindstorms robotics club, photography, and visual arts workshops.

Academic and Leadership: Model United Nations (MUN), debate club, science and math olympiads, student council, and a high-ability enrichment program.

Service and Community: The school runs regular community service initiatives, including the 'Operación Kilo' food bank drive. Environmental club, language clubs, and cultural exchange programs complete the offering.

Pastoral Culture

A house system provides an additional layer of community and healthy competition among students. The school's pastoral philosophy emphasizes a collaborative, supportive environment where every student is known as an individual — a natural extension of the relatively small class sizes (average ~21, maximum 25) that characterize life at SEK-El Castillo.