About Escola Árvore
Over four decades shaping artists and creative professionals in the heart of Porto.
An education centred on active citizenship and art
Escola Árvore is a professional school focused on education centred on active citizenship and on developing training in areas that require artistic skills, particularly in the domain of visual arts, with new technologies as a complementary tool.
Its educational project is oriented towards the development of creativity and active participation in defending the fundamental values of freedom, peace, and tolerance, as well as cultural and environmental heritage, in accordance with the principles of UNESCO, of which it is the first associated school.
Its pedagogy privileges the practical dimension and is oriented towards project-based work, built on cooperation partnerships with local institutions and a close teacher/student relationship.
Years of History
Graduated Students
Professional Courses
Since 1982, at Escola Árvore, 
shaping artists and creative professionals who transform 
the world through art
Our History
Located in the heart of Porto's Historic Centre, on the urban front of that balcony over the Douro River, marked on maps as Passeio das Virtudes, Escola Artística e Profissional Árvore is heir to the pedagogical experiences of the project known as Cooperativa Árvore, which developed from the 1960s.
Conceived by a wide array of artists, intellectuals, and teachers as a form of resistance and alternative to the dominant cultural, artistic, and educational landscape during the dictatorship era, it established itself as a pioneering movement in artistic, technical, and professional education, greatly influenced by the German Bauhaus experience, António Sérgio's "self-government" pedagogism, and Steiner-Waldorf school theories.
Escola Árvore is owned by Escola das Virtudes — Cooperativa de Ensino Polivalente e Artístico, C.R.L., founded in 1982 as part of the alternative project for humanistic education through art.
An atmosphere, a space for living
A school with over four decades of existence that is also a cooperative community where teachers, technicians, staff, parents, and students are all members of the cooperative that governs it. Árvore is an atmosphere, a space for living before being a time of preparation for life.
To invest far more in learning than in teaching — that is, to practise a pedagogy of discovery and invention through methods of experimentation and scientific rigour. To make the School an open system for innovation and boldness in art, while seeking to combine technical, scientific, and artistic skills with proper civic, ethical, and aesthetic education for its students — these are our founding principles.
It is an art School, but the professional must emerge before the artist. It is a good School, without pretensions to excellence, because here everyone has a place.
Everything for your growth
Psychology Services
Psychological support and vocational guidance for students' personal and academic development.
Special Education
Support services by special education teachers for a truly inclusive learning environment.
Student Support Office
Personalised guidance for students' integration into the professional world.
International Internships
We guarantee internships at leading companies in Portugal and across Europe.
Professional Equipment
Fully equipped facilities with equipment loans for in-class and off-campus work.
Academic Support
Support to improve performance in national exams for university admission.
Mission
To train young people and adults in art, design, audiovisuals, and new information and communication technologies, in order to meet local employment needs and contribute to the economic and social development of northern Portugal.
Vision
A leading professional school in the artistic field and new technologies, recognised at regional, national, and international levels by families and companies, in the domains of initial training and adult education.
International recognition
1st Associated School in Portugal
Quality Assurance in Vocational Education and Training
Accreditation for European mobility
European Forum of Technical and Vocational Education
National Association of Professional Schools
Professional guidance and adult qualification
Applications Open 2026/2027
Secure your pre-registration and come see the space where you'll grow!