Sharing Education Group has announced a new wave of expansion and investment across Portugal, with investments in its international schools topping €75 million and a growth plan to surpass the 3,000-student mark by 2028.
Founded as a family project, Sharing Education Group dates back to the 1980s when the Madeira British School was established to serve the island’s British community. Since the 1990s, the school has been run by the Ladeira Santos brothers – Miguel, Filipe, Francisco and Gonçalo – who transformed a small local school of 40 students into an international education group.
Today, Sharing Education Group operates three major international schools and plans to exceed 3,000 students in Portugal within the next few years.
Most of the group’s planned investment is going into the International Sharing School – Taguspark (Lisbon/Oeiras), acquired in 2018 now one of Portugal’s most recognised international schools. Student numbers have grown from just 100 to more than 700, representing over 60 nationalities and offering the International Baccalaureate (IB) curriculum. The next phase of development will see a €50 million expansion project, including a 400-bed boarding house, a “Sharing Club” with coworking and leisure spaces, and top-level sports facilities. The project, due for completion by 2028, is being developed in partnership with Dukes Education and designed by Denmark’s Rosan Bosch Studio, together with Portuguese architecture firms Openbook and Saraiva + Associados.
Further south, the group’s Bright International School in the Algarve has doubled its student body in just one year — from 70 to 140 students — and aims to reach 500 in the next three to four years. The €10 million campus has recruited teachers from across Europe and attracts families from more than 25 nationalities, with strong representation from British, Portuguese and American students, the school group says.
Back where it all began, the Madeira campus is entering a new era of growth, the group says. Located in a restored historic building once owned by the Vatican, the new facilities are set for an official inauguration in early 2026. According to Sharing Education Group, the €15 million investment reflects its commitment to the island, which is becoming an “increasingly popular destination for international families.”
Enrolment has already climbed to 300 students, with many coming from abroad, particularly from the United States, as new direct flights between Madeira and the US continue to boost demand.
