St. Nicholas School, currently with two campuses, represents the realisation of the dream of its founder, Mrs Kirsten, and the expression of the generosity and love she feels for children. These same feelings continue to inspire our community that works daily to provide high quality education in a welcoming environment. The result of this loyalty and dedication is a school that offers a meaningful and authentic learning journey, strengthened by diversity and international- mindedness. A school that educates for life!
"Love for what we do,
care for whom we do it for"
In a warm and welcoming international environment we embrace cultural diversity and help new families to settle into the community smoothly.
Ever since our foundation in 1980, we are proud to serve the families of our community! Energized by our mission and values, St. Nicholas School strives to lead the way in international education.
Our Mission
In a caring, innovative, and inspirational environment, we nurture our learners with values, life skills, and knowledge, enabling each of them to succeed and transform the world.
Integrity
Integrity is the guiding principle, ensuring honesty and ethical behaviour in every situation.
Respect
Respect is the cornerstone of the interactions, it’s about treating everyone with dignity and understanding.
Commitment
Commitment to each child’s story and process, with the families, with your team and with schools’ goals and values inspiring everyone around you.
Belonging
The sense of belonging is to foster and create an inclusive environment where everyone feels valued, accepted, appreciated and welcome.
International Mindedness
International Mindedness means to embrace different cultures and perspectives and promote an environment of appreciation and understanding to all.
1980
A love and care for children led Mrs. Kirsten to start a small play group in the garage and garden of her home. Starting with 6 children, the group began to grow and space became limited.
1993
With continued success and growth, in 1993 the School's name was changed from Tiny Tots to St. Nicholas School and the house in Pinheiros became the new home to students, staff and learning.
1998
The house system was created with the three teams Oxford, London and Cambridge.
2000
The first annual Interhouse Festival is held, and a tradition is born.
2000
The IB programme was integrated into the school curriculum.
2003
Our first IB graduating class!
2016
Our Alphaville Campus was founded.
2021
Our new building for Primary School was inaugurated in the Pinheiros Campus.
2021
One of the new Middle Years buildings was opened in the Alphaville Campus.
2022
St. Nicholas hosted its first face-to-face MUN.
2022
A spacious MYP Building added in Alphaville to house a growing Secondary student body.
2023
To the delight of our youngest learners, an updated purpose-built playground was added to the Alphaville Early Years Center.
2024
St. Nicholas Alphaville has been authorized by the IB to offer the Diploma Program, becoming a full IB school.
2024
Launch of new mission and tagline "St. Nicholas. Preparing every child for their own success."
2024
An iconic space at the Pinheiros campus, designed for Early Years children to explore, play, and learn, based on global research and tailored to each stage of development.
2024
St. Nicholas Pinheiros has been authorized by the IB to offer the Middle Years Program (MYP), becoming a full IB school.
Here each learner is
at the centre of the curriculum
By setting high academic standards and celebrating cultural diversity, we nurture individual talents and embrace a shared passion for learning.
Through an inquiry based international education, St. Nicholas School develops responsible, confident and caring citizens of an ever-changing world. Our learning is limitless, endless and rewarding. Learners have voice, choice and ownership, and their interests are the basis of our learning journey, making it meaningful and relevant.
St. Nicholas at a Glance
2
campuses (Pinheiros and Alphaville)
2000
When St. Nicholas became an IB school
+1200
pupils
+23
different nationalities
+345
employees
22
IB Subjects with 2 levels each
5/1
Student Teacher Ratio
70%
of our learners choose to study in international universities
100%
of Year 11 students are enrolled in Full Diploma Programme
44
Highest IB Score 44 (maximum 45)
St. Nicholas at a Glance
2
campuses (Pinheiros and Alphaville)
+23
years as an IB School
+1100
pupils
+21
different nationalities
+430
employees
22
IB Subjects with 2 levels each
5/1
Student Teacher Ratio
70%
of our learners choose to study in international universities
100%
of Year 11 students are enrolled in Full Diploma Programme
44
Highest IB Score 44 (maximum 45)
The Voice of our Community
The International School with more than 24 years of IB curriculum experience
developing 21 Century Skills from an Early Age.
The International School with more than 23 years of IB curriculum experience developing 21 Century Skills from an Early Age.
St. Nicholas Alumni are global citizens, extending their learning and pursuing their ambitions in Brazil and around the world.
I am a St. Nicks Alumni and I currently live in Amsterdam. I work with sustainability of food systems. My favourite memory of St. Nicks is that it used to be such a community environment, like an extended family. Where all your teachers knew who you were, all the students knew each other, and it was a lovely and cosy environment to be in.

I am a St. Nicholas Alumni, graduate from the class of 2011. I am a medical doctor and a sub investigator, and basically what I do is I conduct clinical trials. I am currently situated in Pretoria, South Africa. My favourite memory of St. Nicholas is the diversity. My best friend was half spanish half brazillian, my other very good friend was french and my other friend was half italian half brazillian, and i still have a couple of friends in Japan from school. As a result I speak good Portuguese, decent Spanish, I've tasted a lot of different food and experienced a lot of different things. I miss that.

I am proudly a St. Nicks Alumni, graduated in the class of 2007. I currently live in São Paulo. My favorite memory of St. Nicks is the Oxford team! I was very passionate about being part of a team and that made me happy and proud. It was so much fun!

I am happily a St. Nicks Alumni, I currently live in Lisbon, Portugal. I work as an accountant at a French bank. My favourite St. Nicks memory was one of the many life skills trips we had the opportunity to participate in. The biology trip we did to Cananeia was extremely interesting and amazing to me.

I am a St. Nicks Alumni and I currently live in beautiful Edinburgh, Scotland. I have just recently graduated my second degree in Business Management. My favourite memory of St. Nicks has to be the people in the school community. From the life long friends I made to the amazing teachers I had, and all the fantastic staff that worked at the school. The people at St. Nicks were the ones that made my experience there truly priceless.

I am a St. Nicholas Alumni. It was my first and only school and I was very happy there. I moved to the UK to study Economics and Politics for my undergrad and I moved to a masters in Economics. I currently live in London where I work in a research department within a bank. When I think back at my time at St. Nicholas I really miss that feeling of family I had whilst studying there. Not only with my fellow classmates, with my friends, but also with the teachers, and all of the staff. I am very happy I have kept in touch with a lot of people over the years.

I am a St. Nicholas Alumni. I currently live in California and work with compliance at a technology company. What I miss the most about St. Nicks were the life skills trips where we got to hang out with our friends, in a completely different environment and learn from it too. I also miss how the family environment in the school, everyone around you was always so helpful and so lovely.

I am a St. Nicks Alumni. I currently work in investments in a multi family office providing investment advisory for our clients. I currently live in São Paulo, but my job provides me with the opportunity to interact with people from all around the world. My favourite memory from St. Nicks was the warm and welcoming environment, we were practically family. I really believe it made a big difference in our education and social skills.

Update Yourself at our Blog
- Bruno Bettega
- 02 August 2025
Why More Parents Are Choosing
In an increasingly connected world where cultural and professional boundaries are becoming more fluid, choosing the right school has become
- St Nicholas
- 23 May 2025
Understand the IB Continuum: the
In an increasingly connected, complex, and demanding world, providing education that goes beyond traditional content has become not only a
- St Nicholas
- 06 May 2025
Cultural Diversity in Early Childhood
We live in a globalized world and this is nothing new. However, investing in globalized education involves more than having
- St Nicholas
- 05 May 2025
Inquiry-based and play-based learning
Children's learning is a complex and fascinating process beyond merely acquiring knowledge.Among the most effective approaches are inquiry-based and play-based
- St Nicholas
- 22 April 2025
Raising Global Citizens: 10 Reasons
In an increasingly interconnected world, education needs to transcend geographic and cultural boundaries. It’s not just about teaching content—it’s about
News & Events
Learn more and join us at these upcoming events
Alphaville Campus
Service Fair
01 Aug
New Students Orientation
01 Aug
First Day of School
04 Aug
Secondary Assembly (TBC)
08 Aug
First Week of ECAs (ECA Experimental Week)
11 to 15 Aug
Info Session for Parents - Early Years and Primary
11 to 15 Aug
Info Session for Parents - Secondary
18 to 25 Aug
New Parents Welcome Breakfast
22 Aug
Primary Assembly
27 Aug
MaDD
29 Aug
FoSN
29 Aug
FoSN
29 Aug
FoSN
29 Aug
FoSN
29 Aug
Pinheiros Campus
New Learners Orientation + Service Fair (Uniforms, Bus, ICT, Infirmary)
01 Aug
Uniform Sales
01 Aug
School Starts for Learners
04 Aug
19th - TT Academic Year Information - 8am-9am
19 Aug
20th - Nursery Academic Year Information - 8am-9am
20 Aug
21st - Kg1 Academic Year Information - 8am-9am
21 Aug
22nd - Kg2 Academic Year Information - 8am-9am
22 Aug
29th - PYP Introductory Workshop - 8:30am-10am
29 Aug
MADD
29 Aug
As seen in:

5 caminhos para lidar com a ansiedade no período pré-vestibular
Folha de São Paulo

Como Usar IA Para Aprender na Escola
Jornal Joca

Conheça 5 benefícios do ensino plurilíngue desde o ensino infantil
Blog Jornal da Mulher

Com foco na versatilidade, colégio St. Nicholas inaugura novo prédio
Folha de Alphaville

Educação – St Nicholas School inaugura seu novo prédio em Alphaville
Diário de Alphaville









