Catholic education: A parent's guide

Curriculum guide

Catholic education

Catholic international schools blend a mainstream academic curriculum (usually IB, British, American or the local national system) with Catholic religious education, sacramental preparation and a whole-school Catholic ethos. Many are run by religious orders — Jesuits, La Salle Brothers, Marists, Ursulines — each with their own traditions.

Primary

Faith foundations

Daily prayer, weekly liturgy and age-appropriate RE lessons run alongside the academic programme. First Reconciliation and First Communion preparation typically happens in Years 3–4.

Secondary

Ethics, service and Confirmation

Older students explore ethics, world religions and social teaching, with a service-learning component woven into the school week. Confirmation preparation often runs in Years 8–10.

Catholic

What the academic curriculum looks like

Catholic schools rarely have their own academic curriculum — most run IB (PYP/MYP/DP), the British system (IGCSE / A-Level), the American diploma with AP, or the local national curriculum. The "Catholic" layer is the ethos, RE lessons, chapel, service programme and religious formation — not the maths syllabus.

Is Catholic right for your child?

It tends to suit families who…

•Are practising Catholic families
•Want values and ethics woven into daily school life
•Value structured service-learning and community
•Are drawn to a specific charism (Jesuit, La Sallian, Marist, etc.)

It may be less ideal if…

•You'd prefer a secular school for your child
•You object to compulsory RE or chapel
•Your child is of a different faith and won't have opt-outs available

Common questions

FAQs about the Catholic curriculum

Do Catholic international schools only take Catholic families? +

Most welcome families of all faiths and none, though Catholic families often have priority in admissions. Non-Catholic students usually participate in the RE and liturgical life but with pastoral flexibility.

What does "Jesuit" or "La Sallian" mean? +

These are the specific religious orders whose founders shaped the school. Each has a distinctive ethos — Jesuits emphasise cura personalis (care for the whole person) and social justice; La Sallians emphasise service and human-centred education.

Find schools

Schools teaching Catholic on doris

Catholic in Mexico (5)Catholic in South Africa (4)Catholic in Spain (4)Catholic in Japan (3)Catholic in Argentina (2)Catholic in Italy (2)Catholic in Jordan (2)Catholic in Belgium (1)Catholic in Chile (1)Catholic in China (1)Catholic in Dominican Republic (1)Catholic in Norway (1)Catholic in Panama (1)Catholic in Peru (1)Catholic in Philippines (1)Catholic in United Arab Emirates (1)Catholic in Vietnam (1)