Escuela Bilingüe Internacional provides an excellent Spanish-English bilingual education based on the highest international academic standards in an environment that thrives on diversity, fosters global citizenship, and develops the character necessary to recognize cultural uniqueness as the touchstone of our common humanity.
Escuela Bilingüe Internacional
Escuela Bilingüe Internacional (EBI) is an independent Spanish-English bilingual International Baccalaureate World School serving students from Transitional Kindergarten through Grade 8 in Oakland and Emeryville, California. EBI is authorized to offer both the Primary Years Programme and the Middle Years Programme. Our educational approach combines bilingual learning, inquiry, and close attention to each student’s academic and personal growth. We aspire to be a school where every student is known, challenged, and supported. Bilingualism shapes the daily experience of an EBI education. Students develop the ability to communicate, learn, and build relationships in Spanish and English while engaging with different cultures and perspectives. In the early years, our Spanish-immersion TK program draws on Reggio Emilia–inspired practices. As students progress through the school, the IB framework encourages them to ask questions, make connections across disciplines, and take increasing responsibility for their learning. EBI’s core values—bilingualism, character, diversity, educational excellence, and international mindedness—guide both our program and our community life. EBI is also navigating a period of significant institutional change. Enrollment has declined over the past several years, placing pressure on the operating budget and requiring the school to make difficult decisions about its programs, staffing, and campuses. The school has announced the closure of its preschool program for 2027–28 while continuing to offer TK. Kindergarten and Grade 1 are moving to the San Pablo campus for 2026–27, bringing more of the elementary program together there. At the same time, EBI is planning the campus improvements needed to support younger students and is working to strengthen enrollment and retention. These changes have sharpened EBI’s focus on accessibility and long-term sustainability. Through Flexible Tuition, the school seeks to make a bilingual IB education possible for a wider range of families while managing its financial commitments responsibly. EBI is strengthening its admissions, fundraising, and community engagement work and examining how its resources can best support the program at its current scale. The CAIS self-study offers EBI an opportunity to examine these decisions alongside the student experience that remains at the center of our mission. We will assess where our program is strongest, where practice varies across grades or campuses, and what our students, faculty, and families need from the school’s next chapter. Our goal is an honest account of EBI today and a practical path toward a strong, sustainable future.