Online School & Homeschool in Lebanon

Live online Cambridge IGCSE, A-Level, Pearson Edexcel, IB Diploma, and American AP for professional, academic and Lebanese families across Beirut, Tripoli, Saida, the Bekaa and Mount Lebanon. A qualification read directly in every country your family already has ties to, fees quoted in USD, and a teaching clock within an hour of yours all year.

From USD 423/month, quoted in USD. Small live classes 4-6 students, Cambridge / IB / American AP through to A-Level — alongside your Lebanese school, at whatever hour suits.

Where our Lebanon families are

Smartious Lebanon families concentrate across Beirut (the academic centre, with AUB and LAU teaching in English and one of the most plural private school markets in the region), Tripoli and the north (the second city and its commercial tradition, thin on provision), Saida and the south (some of the deepest diaspora links in the country), Zahle and the Bekaa (the wine and farming valley, an hour over the mountain from anything), and Jounieh and Mount Lebanon (a dense corridor whose households already commute to the capital). One honest legal hedge, one very plural school market, and almost no timezone at all.

Homeschool laws and regulation in Lebanon

Lebanon is one of the markets where we could not verify the central question, and we would rather open by saying so than write around it. Here is what we can establish, and the two facts that shape our offer here more than the law does.

What we can establish

Education in Lebanon is administered by the Ministry of Education and Higher Education. Education is compulsory, and families should confirm the current age boundaries with the ministry rather than take them from any article. Private schools operate under MEHE licensing and supervision, and Smartious does not hold such a licence: we do not operate premises in Lebanon, we claim no Lebanese recognition, and the qualifications we deliver carry Cambridge, Pearson Edexcel, IB or AP validity rather than a domestic one.

What we could not establish

Lebanon's position on parental home education. We could not verify it against a primary instrument and are not going to fill that gap with confident prose. We will not tell you it is permitted and we will not tell you it is prohibited; both would exceed what we can evidence. What we would add is what we say in Jordan, Iraq, Panama and Guatemala: an absence of clear regulation is an absence of protection rather than a permission, because where a matter is unaddressed there is nothing for a family to demonstrate if the question is raised. Put it to MEHE directly.

The Lebanese Baccalaureate, and why parallel tracks are normal here

The national qualification is the Lebanese Baccalaureate and we do not teach toward it. In most markets that statement needs careful explanation; in Lebanon it usually does not. The private sector already runs the French Baccalauréat, the IB and American programmes alongside the national one, and a great many Lebanese families have direct experience of a child following a foreign programme in a Lebanese school. Ours sits in exactly that category — an internationally examined track beside the Lebanese record rather than instead of it.

Why the qualification matters more here than the legal question

This is the honest heart of what we offer, and it has nothing to do with the quality of Lebanese teaching, which is among the strongest in the region. It is that Lebanon has one of the largest and most professionally established diasporas in the world, and a great many families have members in West Africa, the Gulf, France, Brazil, the United States, Canada or Australia. A child's record has to work in whichever of those they end up applying from — and a national or French qualification is assessed through recognition procedures that differ in every one of them. Cambridge A-Levels, the IB Diploma and AP records are read directly across that whole range. For a family whose geography five years out is genuinely open, that is not a marginal advantage.

And a second reason that applies even without leaving

The American University of Beirut and the Lebanese American University teach in English and read Cambridge, IB and AP records directly. A student who arrives at either holding an externally examined English-medium school record has demonstrated years of academic work in the language of instruction rather than a single test score. That benefit applies to families with no intention of leaving the country at all, and it is one of the more useful things we can offer here.

Fees and the clock

Two operational points. We quote and invoice in USD, which is widely used in Lebanon for larger commitments, so a multi-year education decision is one figure to plan around. And Lebanon runs UTC+2 in winter and UTC+3 in summer against our UTC+3 year-round, so we are one hour apart in winter and exactly level in summer — effectively the whole teaching day is available, after-school, mid-morning or evening. Every class is also recorded, so a session that cannot be attended is never a session lost.

Why Lebanon families choose Smartious

One record, every country your family is in

West Africa, the Gulf, France, Brazil, North America, Australia and the UK all read Cambridge A-Levels and the IB directly rather than through separate recognition procedures.

English-medium preparation for AUB and LAU

Both teach in English and read international qualifications directly — valuable even for a student staying in Lebanon.

Parallel tracks, which Lebanon already understands

French, IB and American programmes already run alongside the national one here. Ours sits in the same category and needs less explaining than in most markets.

The Bekaa, the north and the south reached

A farming valley, a second city and a southern commercial region, none with matching international provision.

Fees in one figure

Quoted and invoiced in USD, widely used here for larger commitments.

Almost no timezone at all

One hour behind in winter, level in summer — evenings included.

Fees and admission

From USD 423/month for Primary, payable termly; varies by curriculum and level. One-to-one tuition: USD 15/hour.

Frequently asked questions

Is homeschooling legal in Lebanon?

We could not verify a position from a primary instrument and will not guess. Education is compulsory and administered by MEHE, and private schools operate under ministry licensing. An absence of clear regulation is not a permission — put the question to MEHE directly. Structured study alongside a school enrolment raises none of it.

Do you teach the Lebanese Baccalaureate?

No. We are not a MEHE-licensed school and issue no Lebanese qualification. We teach Cambridge, Edexcel, IB and AP examinations alongside the Lebanese record — an arrangement Lebanese families already understand, since French, IB and American programmes run in parallel here.

Our family has relatives in several countries — which qualification travels?

Cambridge A-Levels and the IB Diploma, with AP for US-focused applications. All are read directly in France, the Gulf, North and South America, Australia, West Africa and the UK, whereas a national or French record is assessed through different procedures in each.

Our child will study at AUB or LAU — is an international record still worth it?

Often yes. Both teach in English and read Cambridge, IB and AP records directly, so a student arrives having demonstrated sustained academic work in the language of instruction rather than only a test score.

How are fees handled?

Quoted and invoiced in USD, which is widely used here for larger commitments — from USD 5,076 a year for live small-group teaching, one figure to plan a multi-year commitment around.

How does the timezone work?

One hour behind us in winter and exactly level in summer, so effectively our whole teaching day is available — after-school, mid-morning or evening.

Where do Lebanese students sit Cambridge examinations?

At authorised provision confirmed per family per session — Beirut first, with Mount Lebanon for the coastal belt and travel planned ahead from Tripoli, Saida and the Bekaa. The country is compact enough that this is a handful of short journeys a year.

Which parts of Lebanon does Smartious cover?

Beirut, Tripoli and the north, Saida and the south, Zahle and the Bekaa, and Jounieh and Mount Lebanon have dedicated pages. Live online delivery works identically anywhere in the country.

Guides for families in this country

What parents say

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“I'm very much pleased by the teaching methods at Smartious eschool, the tutors are caring, they never fail to reach out to their students in any need. Highly recommend!” — Valentine M., Google review