Growing Together, From the Very First Step
SCAIS was born from the pioneering spirit of Sierra Canyon School in Los Angeles in USA. It's more than a school, it's a place built to help your child grow into who they're meant to be. Here, students learn in a warm, high-quality environment where they're encouraged to be curious, confident, and true to themselves. Our campus, set in the peaceful natural surroundings of Alcochete, is being designed so that nature and learning grow together.
We're starting small and growing thoughtfully: from September 2027, we welcome our first students: Early Years (ages 3–5) and Grade 1, with a plan to grow, step by step, into a full school for ages 3 to 18 by 2033.
Early Years
Sensory discovery and nature-based play define the first steps of education. We blend IB inquiry with trilingual immersion to spark confidence from age 3. Here, natural curiosity is transformed into the foundation for future leadership.
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Primary Years
Primary years balance active exploration with the rigor of American Academic Standards. Through transdisciplinary units, students master English, Portuguese, and French while building deep analytical skills. We focus on mathematical and literacy mastery to prepare minds for a global stage.
Middle School
Under the IB Middle Years Programme (MYP), students embrace autonomy and critical thinking through specialized guidance. The curriculum drives deep investigation in innovation labs and the arts, fostering personal responsibility. This is where academic knowledge is transformed into purposeful action.
High School
We provide a clear pathway to elite universities through the American High School Diploma and the IB Diploma. Leveraging our Los Angeles legacy, we empower resilient, trilingual graduates with world-class college counseling. The final destination is excellence in an interconnected world.
Learning at SCAIS
We reject the idea that education should be a static rehearsal of the past. We view learning as a high-performance pursuit, where the rigorous American Academic Standards meet the deep, inquisitive nature of the IB framework. This is where your child develops the "how" and the "what" in equal measure.The world is no longer just about knowing, it is a bout applying. That is why we are purposefully integrating Artificial Intelligence and Emerging Technologies into our pedagogy, not as a novelty, but as a fundamental language for future leadership. We master the tools of tomorrow to ensure our students aren't just participants in the global economy, but its architects. With an uncompromising 1:11 student-teacher ratio and a Trilingual Immersion that builds true cultural fluency, we provide the individual attention required to ignite ambition. This is the California "Can-Do" mindset, refined for a global stage.
The Early Learning Campus
Our Early Learning Campus in Alcochete is a high-performance place designed to give your child a decisive head start. More than a school, this is a pedagogical ecosystem where biophilic design and cutting-edge facilities serve one purpose: accelerated development.
Inside our expansive 72m² Creative Ateliers, curiosity is transformed into critical thinking, while our flagship 104m² Multipurpose Hall acts as a hub for trilingual expression and physical confidence. By seamlessly blending indoor academic rigor with outdoor sensory exploration, we provide the space, both physical and intellectual, for your child to master new languages and technologies. Every detail has been meticulously engineered to ensure that at SCAIS, the first steps of education are the first steps toward global leadership.
