Costa Rica Private Bilingual Education - New School Year Tuition and Costs Overview
Costa Rica has many private schools, most concentrated near the San José capital city - in the greater Central Valley area.
The tuition, overall costs and programs offered by each school can vary greatly; some only teach Spanish, some only teach English, "bilingual" schools can lean toward one language more than the other (as opposed to a true 50/50 curriculum), one school teaches only German, some schools are on the Costa Rica school schedule, some on the U.S. school schedule and a few are on what is known as the International school schedule.
My 10 year old son is enrolled in Amadita Primary School, located in Coronado, Costa Rica - a nice and affordable area East of downtown San José.
Ever
wonder what's at the end of a Costa Rica rainbow?!
Although my son is a Costa Rica native, he did not speak conversational Spanish when starting the 2008 school year due to many years of living in the U.S. Amadita School has been wonderful in working with my son and offers a complete Spanish/English bilingual education on the Costa Rica school calendar ... mid February thru the first week of December.
In addition to its curriculum, Amadita offers after school programs such as; coached soccer, basketball, cheerleading, gymnastics and band. Students can be involved in as many programs as their schedules permit.
Amadita
Primary School fútbol practice with Coach
Pastor Fernández
When considering private schools, most parents are concerned with all the above information ... and some, like myself are also concerned with cost. We all want the best education for our kids, but most family's also need to have some food on the table in addition to paying the school costs.
Costa Rica private school tuitions can range from $100 - $700 USD/month, or more. Complete school costs are really a combination of items. When comparing schools for affordability all the following must be considered: Annual Registration Fees, Tuition Fees, Extra Curriculum Fees, Extra-Curricular Fees, Book Costs, Supply Costs, Uniform Costs, etc., etc.
Junior and his 2009 school books, supplies and uniforms.
As an example, Amadita Primary School's 2009 costs:
Registration Fee: 98.500 colones ($177.00 USD)
Tuition: 122.717 colones ($220.00 USD / 9 monthly payments)
Extra Curriculum Fees: none - included in tuition
Extra-Curricular Fees: none - included in tuition
Book Costs: 54.809 colones ($99.00 USD)
Supply Costs: 48.641 colones ($87.00 USD)
Uniform Costs: 76.841 colones ($138.00 USD)Total Annual Cost: 1.383.244 colones ($2,488.00 USD)
We hope you find this information useful when shopping for Costa Rica private schools!
¡Pura Educación!
Resources:
Amadita Primary School - official web site: www.Amadita.ed.cr
Related post: Costa Rica Bilingual Education for Grade School Students
Categories: Schools in Costa Rica, Moving To Costa Rica, Learning English in Costa Rica, Pictures of Costa Rica, Education in Costa Rica, Culture in Costa Rica, Living in Costa Rica, Life in Costa Rica, Costa Rica Bi-lingual Education, Costa Rica Private Schools, Bilingual Education in Costa Rica, Cost of Living in Costa Rica, Learning Spanish in Costa Rica, Kids in Costa Rica
Nice article, Bill.
Is your son just starting now, or has he already been there a while?
Sounds like a great value at that price. Good shopping!
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2009 is my son's second school year at Amadita Primary School.
The school's teachers and administration are wonderful in getting non-Spanish speaking students up to speed as quickly as possible with after school group Spanish instruction and outside of school one-on-one tutoring at 5.000 colones ($9.00 USD) per 1.5 hour session with a certified, full-time teacher.
Also, one of the school janitors makes my son "arroz con leche" periodically because he loves it and apparently she figured that having a Gringo for a father meant my son isn't getting such a treat at home
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Thanks for this post, I have 4 kids, and we're considering relocating to Costa Rica in the next year or so.
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Bill, where is the Spanish tutor that you use and do you think it would be possible to get this tutor for a kid who doesn't attend the school? I'd like to help my daughter's Spanish along a bit more and a private tutor might be the best choice. We live in Pavas.
Thanks,
Chris P
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Chris,
My son's Spanish tutor is located near his school in Coronado. Your location of Pavas is on the other side of the San Jose, Central Valley. Based on my experienced drive times it could take you 1 hour to get across depending on traffic.
I suggest locating a Spanish teacher closer to your home. It is my understanding many full-time private school teachers tutor after school.
Let me know if I can provide you with any additional information.
-Bill
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Rosetta Stone is a computer software that the student uses to learn spanish. They have a student version, a travel version and a homeschool version. We have the homeschool version and my kids enjoy it. I don't know how that compares to having a private tutor but I thought I would mention it.
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Dana,
I LOVE your e-mail address (which you can't see here because it's kept private).
You reminded me that I too have Rosetta Stone and I need to plug into the program to help improve my Spanish. My theory is that every little bit helps.
That said; just like real exercise vs. watching a television sporting event - there is no substitute for participating in person. Learning and practicing Spanish with a trained first-language Spanish instructor is the best way to learn if the opportunity is available.
Combine the tutoring with my son attending a completely bilingual school where a majority of the children speak Spanish as their first language and my 10 year old son will be fluently bilingual in two years (reading, writing, speaking, thinking simultaneously in English and Spanish).
On the other hand, my son's dad (me) continues to struggle. Rosetta Stone, here I come.
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This is very interesting. I'm so glad that you posted it, Bill.
My daughter (kindergartener) and I are considering spending one or two years in Costa Rica starting next January. Naturally finding a school that we can both be happy with is very important. We are planning a two week visit in July to explore and see if I can work out the details. A few of the schools I found were terribly expensive (about $1000 a month by the time everything was figured in). Since I won't be working for our time in Costa Rica, naturally "budget friendly" is the order of the day!
Thanks
Lorri
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Hello,
My husband and I are considering moving to Costa Rica. We have a 3 year old son. He is my main concern. We are down to earth people looking to expose ourselves and son to a more healthy lifestyle. I would love to know how to contact other people who made the move with small children. I appreciate all you information. It is wonderful! Also, I have noticed that if you speak the language, Spanish, it is an advantage to get lower prices on housing etc...Is this true? Muchas Gracias
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Michelle,
There are many couples that have made the move to Costa Rica with small children ... as for a dedicated group or web site, I am not aware of one.
An active discussion board on Yahoo! with a wide range of members is Costa Rica Living (permalink: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/CostaRicaLiving/). I'm sure you can make some contacts there.
As for lower prices/better deals on almost anything ... you being Gringos (non-Costarricenses) will be a disadvantage regardless of your Spanish level. Like any good entrepreneur, those offering goods/services/housing will offer you 'Gringo pricing' due to your being used to higher prices in your native country and your obvious ability to pay these higher prices - their assumption, not mine
The single best way to pre-negotiate anything is by using a trustworthy Tico friend with you being out of sight and not mentioned. Go house shopping, find several you like - then have your Tico friend make their own appointment(s) and try to get the best deals.
I have good friend that is a middle-aged Tica. You wouldn't know she has any money based on how she dresses, the fact that she doesn't have a car and takes the buses everywhere, etc. She also enjoys the game of seeing how low she can get the prices ... which is part of the fun and a total benefit to me!
Hope this help!
-Bill
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