Just a year ago, Rafa Nadal delivered heartfelt words during the graduation ceremony of the sixth class of Rafa Nadal School, words that left a lasting impression on all the students: “I know that instant gratification is in vogue now and that patience isn’t a highly valued virtue. When we want something, all we need to do is grab our mobile phones and make a purchase, read news, or access the information we need. But today, I’d like to remind you that great life goals aren’t achieved overnight. They are achieved through fighting, struggling, and learning from setbacks.” These words are part of the DNA of an educational institution that embodies the values of one of the greatest athletes in history.

The educational offerings of Rafa Nadal School have been designed through a distinct program that prepares all students on both personal and professional levels by developing the intellectual, emotional, and social skills necessary to make a positive impact in their respective communities. “We have an incredibly diverse student community with over 47 nationalities, which has contributed to creating a highly enriching cultural and social atmosphere. Furthermore, the extensive experience of the faculty in American and British schools fosters an environment full of opportunities to understand and grow in the global world we face,” highlights its Director, Alexander Marcos Walker.

While the objective of any school is to ensure the academic present of its students, one of Rafa Nadal School’s essential goals is to also concern itself with the future of its students from an early age. The Director expresses this: “We have a professional guidance counselor who is dedicated 100% to helping all students understand their passions and guiding them toward their university futures. We are very proud that all the students who have graduated here, whether tennis players or not, have been able to choose the university destinations they aspired to.”

Over the last year and a half, the expansion and enhancement of the Rafa Nadal Academy by Movistar facilities have also facilitated the growth of the School Campus. Thanks to this expansion, at the start of the 2023/2024 academic year, Rafa Nadal School students will have access to more classrooms, new recreational spaces, ample recreational and sports areas, and state-of-the-art facilities situated in a campus that very few academic institutions can match. The campus boasts extensive open-air spaces, a covered swimming pool, over 40 tennis courts, a football field, a multipurpose court, and a new beach volleyball court that allows students to engage in numerous extracurricular activities within the campus itself. “In addition to the new classrooms, this year we are particularly excited to inaugurate a new auditorium, which will become a central point for hosting major events of Rafa Nadal School,” notes the school’s director, Alexander Marcos Walker, who also highlights the profound digitization of the entire school thanks to the installation of the necessary technology to enable hybrid classrooms, allowing students to attend classes live in case they couldn’t be physically present (something that particularly affects tennis players who need to travel for tournaments).

However, what sets the school apart are not just its facilities, but the values and DNA of its founder, Rafa Nadal, who serves as a constant example of effort, hard work, humility, sacrifice, and overcoming challenges for all students, teachers, and families. Rafa has been deeply involved in the educational project from the beginning and has now become a role model both on the courts and in the classrooms.

The school day is very full –  lessons, sports, hobbies, co-curricular activities, excursions, conferences, environmental issues, fundraising etc. At RNS, something is going on all the time and all our students are involved in many different areas that keep them busy, make them happy and not least important having fun. We believe that happy students make for successful students.

At RNS, there are cultural and educational trips organized throughout the school year. These trips are based on the topic being studied in lessons and reinforce their learning. The excursions vary with each year group and include trips to museums, farms, local industries, historical monuments, theatres and nature reserves.

Students are assigned a classroom called the homeroom in which they meet daily. These assemblies allow the teacher the chance to not only give messages and announcements to all the students and record attendance but more importantly, follow individually on students’ progress and address pastoral duties so the student is cared for. In addition, various themes are addressed and vary throughout the year and include issues such as sharing, social responsibility, recycling, inclusion, bullying, etc. This assembly time forms an integral part of our pastoral care. Students may also have the opportunity to take turns to direct the assembly in a topic in which they have a special interest in. They may also show some of their work, present a short play or report back to the other grades on a recent excursion.

Somos muy conscientes de que la filosofía educativa debe transmitirse de forma ejemplar mostrando respeto a todos incluyendo profesor a alumno, alumno a profesor, así como alumno a alumno y a la comunidad en general.

Todos nuestros estudiantes tienen un tutor profesor asignado con quien se reúnen regularmente durante “homeroom” para discutir temas académicos y pastorales. Además, los estudiantes en los grados superiores lideran con el ejemplo y tienen la oportunidad de ser mentores para los estudiantes más jóvenes y los recién llegados, de esa manera todos se sentirán bienvenidos y apoyados.

• Provide the original academic transcripts
• Students who come from Spanish centers with a foreign educational system must present a transcript in Spanish with an official translation. This certificate must be signed by the technical director of the center and with the seal of the Education Inspectorate.
• The United States grade certificates must be legalized with the Hague Convention Apostall (apostilled document) and the official translation.
• To homologate with a Spanish degree there can be no change in the educational system during the same school year, that is, a student who comes from the Spanish system in January (with the first approved evaluation) and does the second semester with us will not be able to obtain the Spanish degree (ESO and Baccalaureate). The only option to convalidate is to repeat the entire course the following year. Of course, you will not have problems obtaining the American High School Diploma.
• Only the entire approved course can be convalidated, each one of the semesters of all the enrolled subjects.
• Classes have to be face-to-face and students cannot skip any of the courses.
• In addition to the subjects mentioned, since the center is in the Balearic Islands, students have to study Spanish language and culture, Catalan language and literature and culture of the Balearic Islands (Social Sciences). These subjects are compulsory up to grade 10, the grade set by the E.S.O. (Compulsory Secondary Education).