Located in the City of Olhão, in the District of Faro, the Agrupamento de Escolas Dr. Alberto Iria owes his designation to his patron, historian and librarian born in Olhão in 1909.
The coastal area of ​​the municipality of Olhão is part of the Ria Formosa Natural Park, one of the wetlands of world interest. The proximity of the coastal estuary boosted the “traditional” activities of fishing and the canning industry, despite the fact that, in the last decade, these have been suffering economic decline with serious social consequences, namely unemployment and poor living conditions of the population. The tertiary sector was developing, valuing tourism. However, some of the county's social problems remain, being related to poverty and social exclusion, problems that manifest themselves through unemployment, housing, education, health and access to equipment and services. In this context, the Municipality of Olhão has been developing social policies that promote the combination of efforts and partnerships, aiming at a more effective fight against poverty and social exclusion.
The Group of Schools Dr. Alberto Iria was created in 2007 with the aggregation of two schools, Escola Básica n.º 1 in Olhão and Kindergarten, where pre-school and 1st cycle education are provided, and Escola Básica 2, 3 Dr. Alberto Iria, where the 2nd and 3rd cycles are taught, and which gives the name to the Group and where its headquarters are located. This aggregation results from the functional relationship and the pedagogical articulation that had been consolidated in an increasingly fruitful way between the two schools since the 1996/1997 school year, when the TEIP Program was implemented by the Ministry of Education.