I need a list of private schools in florence and hopefully some reccomendations for my son in the first grade. I've been having a hard time deciding whether to keep him in the public school he's in or looking for a private school since we both dont speak italian well yet.
He is in the Torrigiani public elementary school in Florence. Does anyone have any comments about that school from experience or word of mouth from other parents?

We did it the other way round, first,our daughter attended a private school for one year here in Italy, and then, with some knowledge of the Italian language, thought it a good time to place her in a public school. Her Italian has improved considerably since she started school here.

We experienced quite a few problems with the private system, bullying in the schools from a teacher and several children, and the school did little to intervene. We found a lot of the children attending the private schools were from a different kind of background to the norm, a lot lived in palaces, mansions, castles, had maids, butlers, chauffers etc. it was a different world, cocooned from reality, a world my daughter did not fit into. Now she is considerably happier in an Italian school, the children dont bully, they mostly play very well together.


Have you considered asking for your child to be kept back a year, to allow an opportunity to improve on their Italian?

Dear Joanne,

Thank you so much for your response, especially cause I have been a nervous wreck and it made me laugh about how the kids are cocooned from reality when they are in private schools, nevertheless, I was so worried that it would be too much for my son to handle, since I am here as a single mom... He was in a Catholic private school last year and everyone was surprised how he was not at the level of speaking italian as he should be. So I am sure his italian will improve considerably also in public school also.
I am content with the public school he is in cause his teachers are wonderful and Florence is known to have great public schools. Thanks again.