San Marino will have an international school.
With a resolution dated 13 October, the State Congress authorized the International School of Rimini to open a branch in the Republic, paving the way for the venture to get underway. It is a private bilingual institute that has been operating in Romagna since 2018, teaching in English with native-speaking teachers from primary school through to secondary level, and which already counts several San Marino students among its pupils.
The idea is not a new one.
The founders had already looked toward Titano eight years ago, at the time the school was established, finding a receptive ear in local politics — but the project had stalled in the face of a regulatory framework less flexible than Italy’s for private institutions. Backing the initiative is also the Colombini Group, whose chairman Emanuel Colombini is among the school’s founders and sits on its board of directors.
The Secretary of State for Education, Teodoro Lonfernini, framed the decision as part of a broader strategy to expand and diversify the country’s educational offerings: an additional option for San Marino’s young people and families, who will no longer need to cross the border, and a draw for students from neighbouring areas.
The location, opening timeline and expected number of enrolments have not yet been announced.
The news should be read alongside the Republic’s broader European trajectory. A country seeking integration into the single market needs widespread language skills, international professionals willing to relocate here with their families, and an education system capable of engaging with the wider world.
An international school does not replace public education, which remains the backbone of the system, but it can complement and stimulate it. It may also serve as a small lever for attracting investment.
