EscolasPT — School Discovery & Parent Review Directory for Portugal

The Problem

Choosing a school in Portugal is one of the most stressful decisions parents make — and they're flying blind. There is no GreatSchools, no Niche.com, no Ofsted-style parent-friendly platform for Portuguese schools.

What exists:

• DGEEC (government statistics): Raw data tables, impossible for normal parents to interpret, delayed by 1-2 years
• Rankings Expresso/Público: Annual newspaper rankings based solely on exam results — a narrow, misleading metric
• Word of mouth: The dominant "tool" — ask neighbors, Facebook groups, colleagues
• School websites: Vary from excellent to non-existent; biased self-promotion

What doesn't exist:

• Parent reviews and ratings by category (teaching quality, facilities, bullying, extracurriculars, inclusivity)
• School comparison tools (side-by-side on metrics that matter)
• Neighborhood-level school quality maps
• Expat-focused school guides (English-language information on Portuguese schools)

This affects 600,000+ Portuguese households annually, plus a fast-growing expat community (200,000+ foreign residents) who are completely lost when choosing schools for their children.