BHS
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What is Barcelona High School?
Barcelona High School (BHS) is a non-traditional international American school in Barcelona Spain, for students ages 3 to 18, created to solve the failures of traditional education.
Who founded BHS and why?
BHS was founded in 2020 during Covid by American entrepreneur, Harvard graduate and Barcelona resident, Akida Mashaka, who became obsessed with the need for a better education model for his teenage son once the Covid pandemic exposed that the traditional education system was a failure in the modern world.
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What is the problem with tradtional education?
The main issue with the traditional education system is that it is based on having power over students as the method to teach and control them.
At BHS, however, student progress comes NOT from having power over students, but instead from empowering students.
What is the problem with traditional schools?
The problem with traditional schools is that they still use the outdated rote memorization teaching method designed 200 years ago in the industrial age that uses strict and boring repetitive tasks as the way to control and teach students to be cogs in a machine, and not to think outside the box.
Moreover, the traditional school system lacks equal focus on the social and emotional wellbeing of students and fails to prepare students for the world that exists today.
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What is the Mission of BHS
BHS was created during the Covid-19 pandemic to specifically solve the failures of traditional education so all students in the post-Covid era not only excel academically, to attend the world's most elite universities if desired, but also excel socially and psychologically as well in equal measure to truly find their superpower to have control over their own destiny.
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What kind of school is BHS
While BHS is an accredited US curriculum American school, BHS is a non-traditional school and the first Social Wellness School™ in the world. Moreover, in growing from 5 students to over 500 students in two campuses in only 5 years, BHS is also the fastest growing American school in Barcelona.
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BHS Middle & High School Campus
BHS started as only a high school but then added a middle school to keep up with the growing demand of families who wanted the best modern education for their children. Now for this 2025-2026 school year, the middle and high school students are in our new secondary school campus in the innovative and startup zone of Barcelona known as District 22@.
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BHS Elementary & Preschool Campus
Also for this 2025-2026 school year, BHS has opened a new primary school campus with an elementary school and preschool, in the Gracia district of Barcelona, to fully serve as the best international school in Barcelona for creating global citizens of the world and to fully revolutionize education as we know it.​​​
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Why is BHS the best school in Barcelona?
First of all, BHS is the only school in Barcelona that focuses on the social life and emotional wellbeing of students in equal measure with academics. Moreover, BHS has the most internationally diverse student population from around the world while still maintaining a small student-teacher ratio unlike other international and American traditional schools. This unique focus on academics and social and emotional wellbeing in equal measure, combined with small class size and unity in diversity creates the most amazing student life and core values.
This is why BHS students say:
"BHS feels like one big family where we get to make new friends everyday".
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What is the BHS Pedagogy?
BHS uses its own entrepreneurial and modern pedagogy known as the BHS Method™. In this methodology, the BHS stands for "Build. Harvest. Succeed." which means that students learn better by doing versus long and boring lectures and memorization as the best way to obtain the skills they will need for the world they will be in.​
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What is the BHS Philosophy?
At BHS, our philosophy is that the students are our customers. Our goal is to empower students, instead of always trying to exert power over them. Therefore, our responsibility to our students is to make sure they don't just like school, but that they love school. This also creates a one-of-a-kind relationship between students and teachers. This philosophy is much different than at traditional schools where these schools are only concerned with what parents want which is always not the best way for students to find their superpower to take control of their own destiny.
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Why is BHS not for you?
BHS is NOT for you if you prefer traditional schools because of their strict rules, educational philosophy that only "teaches to the test", or the happiness of your child is not your top priority.
BHS is also NOT for you if you prefer super alternative schools that don't value academic structure and the importance of a student's ability to reach their full potential through perseverence.
Why is BHS perfect for you?
BHS is the PERFECT school for you if you want a school that keeps its promise to holistically teach students to be problem solvers and in charge of their own destiny through academic curiosity, social engagement and psychological wellness.​​