Colegio Bilingüe Khalil Gibran, Bilingual School Khalil Gibran

• Year of foundation: 1991.
• Location: Fuenlabrada, Madrid, Spain.
• Number of students: 430 students.
• Type of institution: private bilingual day school.
• Age of students: 1–18 years old.
• Language of instruction: Spanish and English.

Colegio Bilingüe Khalil Gibran is a private bilingual Anglo-Spanish school in Fuenlabrada, a suburb of Madrid, operating since 1991. It accepts international children from age 1 through Bachillerato and combines the Spanish educational curriculum with intensive foreign language study.

One of the distinctive features of Khalil Gibran is its intimate learning format: there is only one class per grade level. The school emphasizes individual student support, close interaction with families, and a calm academic atmosphere; the educational model places great importance on emotional development, hands-on learning, and modern teaching methods.

The school operates as an official preparation center for Cambridge and Trinity examinations and prepares students for the international certificates KET, PET, First, and Advanced. High school students have access to the Dual Diploma program, which allows them to obtain both the Spanish Bachillerato and an American High School Diploma simultaneously.

Since 2023, Khalil Gibran has been part of the Educa Schools Management educational group.

Teachers carefully monitor each child's progress and promptly adapt assignments to the group's level. At the lower stages, learning is built on practice, projects, and a bilingual environment: some classes are conducted in English and some in German.

Parents regularly receive information about how their child is learning and feeling; there is a psychological support service and a medical office. Teachers hold individual consultations, help students catch up on missed topics, and prepare for Cambridge and EvAU exams.

At the Bachillerato stage, coordinators help students choose their field of study, subjects, and future university path, prepare them for EvAU, and assist with choosing a study profile.

• The school has been operating since 1991 and is named after Khalil Gibran — a Lebanese-American writer, poet, and philosopher, author of the book «The Prophet».
• Khalil Gibran — is the only fully private educational center in Fuenlabrada.
• There is no everyday school uniform here; special clothing is required only for physical education, yoga, psychomotor skills, and school trips. 
• When checking students' work, teachers use green ink instead of the traditional red: a mistake is viewed not as a reason for punishment, but as part of the learning process.

The campus is located in the southern part of the autonomous community of Madrid — in the city of Fuenlabrada; the school is conveniently accessible both by car and by public transport. The main city thoroughfares and exits to the M‑50 and A‑42 motorways pass nearby, connecting the southern suburbs with the capital; the journey to the city center takes about 30–40 minutes. Students from the southern part of the Madrid region have access to a dedicated school bus route.

Meals at Colegio Bilingüe Khalil Gibran are prepared in the school's own kitchen. The school emphasizes a 100% Comida Real approach: the menu is built around fresh produce and natural ingredients. The diet aims to avoid heavily processed foods, added sugar, hydrogenated fats, and artificial additives. Throughout the day, students have access to breakfast, a morning snack, a full lunch, and an afternoon snack. Up to grade 4, parents receive a weekly report on their child's nutrition.

The menu is developed by a nutrition specialist; separate options are available for children with allergies, food intolerances, and celiac disease. The school accepts ticket guardería — special vouchers used in Spain to pay for meals and childcare.

School life gives an important place to educational trips and international programmes. At the primary level, the school organises educational excursions; 6th-grade students can travel to London as part of a final trip. Language programmes in Ireland are also available, lasting from two months to a full academic year; at secondary level, exchanges with Ireland and Germany are arranged for language practice and preparation for the next stage of study.

After school, clubs and extra classes are available — more than 20 options, including yoga, swimming, theatre, karate, basketball, drawing, language courses, and play workshops for younger children. Some clubs are led by teachers, others by invited coaches and instructors.

For primary-school pupils, classes are held in a heated pool, along with psychomotor development programmes and creative and sensory workshops. Beyond the core curriculum, the school offers extended foreign language study: students learn English, German, French, and Chinese, and prepare for international Cambridge, Trinity, Goethe-Institut, and Instituto Confucio examinations.

An extended-day programme runs from 7:00 a.m. to 06:00 p.m., and in July until 05:30 p.m.: children can stay before lessons begin and after the school day ends under teacher supervision. Within the extended-day programme, breakfast, an afternoon snack, additional classes, and play activities are available.

During the Christmas, Easter, and summer holidays, the school organises camps and recreational programmes for children aged 3 to 14.

• The school maintains an intimate learning format: only one class per grade level. This allows teachers and administrators to know students well, and children receive more individual attention.
• Bilingual education from an early age: already in primary school, up to half of the school day is conducted in English; in upper grades, students additionally prepare for Cambridge international exams.
• Preparation for international language exams — KET, PET, First, Advanced, Trinity and TOEFL, with even partial reimbursement of the cost of certain exams.
• Minimal homework in primary school, with emphasis on mastering the material during lessons.
• Swimming and yoga in the schedule.
• Medical and psychological support for students. Parents regularly receive feedback and can seek consultations.

The infrastructure is designed for children of different ages and combines academic, sports, and creative spaces. The campus includes classrooms, a library, a computer room, laboratories, a gymnasium, a swimming pool, audiovisual rooms, workshops, and outdoor activity areas. For younger students, classes in computer science, robotics, and programming are provided, and classrooms are equipped with digital boards.

The school places great emphasis on organizing the environment for preschoolers: their learning spaces are decorated in soft, calm colors, filled with natural light, and furnished with age-appropriate furniture. The space is designed so that a child can freely work both individually and in a group, independently use materials, and feel confident and comfortable throughout the day. A Snoezelen room has been designated to support sensory perception and emotional development.

The school garden is a fully integrated part of the Khalil Gibran learning environment and one of the most distinctive elements of the campus. It is used as a space for regular lessons, observations, and hands-on projects: children grow plants, tend beds, study seasonal changes, work with soil, water, and seeds, and observe plant life cycles throughout the school year. Lessons incorporate elements of sensory learning: children touch leaves, work with textures, scents, and natural materials. In primary school, the garden is integrated into the Natural Science curriculum through hands-on workshops and observations: students conduct small investigations, record plant changes, measure growth, count seeds, and thus apply mathematics to real-world tasks.

List of additional expenses includes:

• registration fee,
• meals, including breakfast and afternoon snack,
• extended day and school bus services,
• language exam fees and purchase of study materials,
• excursions, educational trips, and summer camps,
• sports uniform for physical education, yoga, psychomotor activities, and school outings.

1. After receiving the application, staff contact the family and schedule an introductory visit: parents and the child get acquainted with the campus, the curriculum, and the specifics of the selected level of education.
2. If spots are available, the school confirms the possibility of enrollment.
3. After confirmation, it is necessary to complete the reservation within three school days.
4. Before the start of the school year, parents choose additional services: meals, school bus, extended day, and extracurricular programs.

Education at Khalil Gibran is focused primarily on admission to Spanish universities. 100% of students successfully pass the Bachillerato and EvAU graduation exams, and 95% of graduates achieve the passing score required for admission to their chosen university programs. In 2024, all students successfully passed the EvAU exam.

An additional advantage for graduates is the Cambridge and Trinity language certificates, and for Dual Diploma students — the opportunity to earn an American High School Diploma alongside the Spanish upper secondary stage.

Entrance exams are not required; for applicants from 1st grade of primary school through 4th grade of Secundaria, an interview with the school principal is conducted. For admission to Bachillerato, an individual interview is required.

Upon confirmation of enrollment, the registration fee and advance payment are non-refundable in case of withdrawal.

The school offers several forms of financial support for families.

• Students can use state and regional educational subsidies, including support programs from the Comunidad de Madrid and the Spanish Ministry of Education.
• Childcare vouchers are accepted for the preschool department.
• A benefits system is in place for large families: when a third child enrolls, the family is exempt from the registration fee, and the fourth child receives a 50% discount on tuition.

Additional support is also available at the language school: students completing a full preparation course can receive compensation of up to 75% of the cost of certain international Cambridge and Trinity exams.

• Guardianship services during the studies
• Student supervision