BHS
Founded in 2020 by Akida Mashaka during Covid, Barcelona High School (BHS) is a one-of-a-kind international American school in Barcelona Spain with a mission to solve the issues of traditional education, especially after Covid, so all students can excel socially, psychologically and academically. ​
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BHS is approved by the Spanish Ministry of Education. However, BHS receives no (0%) financial support from the local and national government because it does not strictly follow the outdated educational requirements for schools in Catalunya and Spain. Therefore, BHS is an independent private school that is 100% funded by school fees and tuition.
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Indeed, BHS is a Social Wellness School™, a new age school model for the post-Covid era that focuses on student mental health and social life, in equal measure with academics, in order for teenagers to find their superpower.
For academics, BHS uses a learning pedagogy known as the BHS Method™, derived from the BHS Method™ for Startups. The BHS stands for "Build, Harvest, Succeed" which teaches students to fearlessly learn through trial and error to achieve success and academic confidence, instead of by the rote memorization methodology used in traditional schools.
BHS teaches in native English and is the only American school in Barcelona that uses 100% US curriculum including Advanced Placement (AP), unlike the other American and IB schools in Barcelona.
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BHS offers student housing with boarding and provides official enrollment and legal guardian documentation needed for student visas. BHS is also the only secondary school in Barcelona with an Intensive English Program for non-native English speakers.​
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As explained above, BHS was created for the post-Covid education era. An era where flexibility and student-centered learning is the future and traditional one-size-fits-all education is the past.
Therefore, BHS is NOT for you if you prefer traditional schools with an educational model that focuses primarily on academics, instead of the social and emotional wellbeing of students in equal measure.
On the other extreme, BHS is also NOT for you if you prefer super alternative schools that lack a structured academic approach which undermines a student's ability to reach their full potential through learning how to study and perform well on required standardized tests.
However, BHS is the perfect school for you if you want a school that keeps its promise to holistically teach teenagers to be problem solvers and in charge of their own destiny through academic confidence, social engagement and psychological wellness.
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By keeping its promise, BHS has become not only the fastest growing school in Europe, but also the most internationally diverse schooI in the world. This growth and diversity creates the most amazing student life and student core values.
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Although BHS is growing rapidly (5 to 340 students in 4 years), BHS has a small student-teacher ratio unlike large internatonal schools in Barcelona. Indeed, BHS students say "BHS feels like one big family where we get to make new friends everyday".
Instead of being located outside the city like other international and American schools in Barcelona, BHS is centrally located in the heart of Barcelona, in the bohemian neighborhood of Gracia with perfect access to all modes of public transportation.
BHS consists of a neighborhood campus, so it feels like attending university in an urban village, which makes the BHS student experience the most unique and rewarding in the world.
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The learning spaces are open and dynamic, and students are encouraged from different grade levels and nationalities to interact and ask questions in class which leads to an incredible blend of ideas and perspectives.
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BHS is fully approved and accredited by both the Barcelona Education Department and Spanish Ministry of Education. Therefore, BHS students can attend universities in Spain.
At the BHS Graduation Ceremony, students receive an official American High School Diploma which permits students not only to attend universities in Spain, but to obtain university placement everywhere in the world, including in USA and throughout Europe.
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While BHS students have already been accepted into the most elite universities in USA (Princeton University, Parsons School of Design, Boston University, Middlebury College, etc.), most BHS students choose to attend universities in Europe that offer Bachelor's degrees in English that match their interests. Alternatively, some students take a gap year after high school to further discover or develop their true passions before attending university.