Country & territory guide
Compare schools across Costa Rica.
Narrow the selected Costa Rica school collection by actual campus and graduation route. Blue Valley in Escazú, Country Day in San Rafael de Alajuela and La Paz’s Brasilito campus provide useful comparisons between metropolitan and Guanacaste locations, bilingual learning, an American diploma with AP study and a senior IB Diploma sequence.
7 included profiles · 7 destination collections · 0 dated tuition schedules
This is a selected directory, with different levels of evidence in each collection. Open the named campus profile to check its curriculum phases, review date and sources before contacting admissions.
Planning a school search in Costa Rica
Separate Escazú, San Rafael de Alajuela and Brasilito
Blue Valley identifies its school with San Rafael de Escazú. Country Day’s contact page gives Hacienda Espinal in San Rafael de Alajuela, on Route 27. These are different localities despite the shared San Rafael wording and their association with the wider San José area. Use the actual campus when arranging a visit and checking the proposed daily journey; a metropolitan search label is not a drop-off address.
La Paz’s selected profile is the Cabo Velas campus near Mar Vista in Brasilito, Guanacaste. Its school website also describes a separate Tempisque campus. A group-level enquiry should identify Brasilito explicitly and confirm which division and programme the child would enter there. Compare the receiving campus, transport proposal and after-activity collection together, especially when siblings need different stages. Do not transfer another La Paz campus’s arrangements into this selected profile.
Sources: Blue Valley: Escazú high school and distinct graduation routes · Country Day: actual Hacienda Espinal, Alajuela campus · La Paz: dual immersion and separate campus addresses
Choose the actual diploma rather than an international label
Blue Valley’s high-school page distinguishes its Costa Rican, American and IB routes. Its own description places national completion at Grade 11, American completion at Grade 12 and formal IB Diploma study in Grades 11–12, following preliminary work in Grade 10. Treat this as Blue Valley’s published course map and ask for the current award requirements in the offered plan. An advertised combination of diplomas does not mean every entrant can complete every route.
Country Day instead publishes an American High School Diploma and Advanced Placement study. Its academic page describes US standards in middle school and an AP Capstone option in high school. Compare the diploma, AP subjects and any Capstone sequence separately from Blue Valley’s IB programme. Bring completed coursework and examination plans to the discussion, since switching senior systems requires checking subject continuity and the remaining time available for assessed work.
Sources: Blue Valley: Escazú high school and distinct graduation routes · Blue Valley: Grades 11–12 bilingual IB and examination sessions · Country Day: American diploma, AP and Capstone context
Check bilingual subject learning and the examination calendar
La Paz describes dual-immersion education and an IB Diploma in Grades 11–12. Its earlier school phases are not thereby established as PYP or MYP. Blue Valley’s IB page identifies English and Spanish Language and Literature within its bilingual Diploma provision. Ask how the pupil’s reading, writing and subject vocabulary fit the proposed courses, rather than treating everyday conversational fluency as the whole language assessment.
Blue Valley publishes May and November IB examination arrangements. Ask which session and preparation sequence apply to the individual offer; this does not establish La Paz’s calendar or Country Day’s AP timetable. Obtain the intended school year’s start dates and an itemised quotation from each shortlisted school. Keep tuition, joining charges, transport and any additional language or learning support attached to the named campus and programme.
Sources: La Paz: dual immersion and separate campus addresses · La Paz: Diploma Programme specifically in Grades 11–12 · Blue Valley: Grades 11–12 bilingual IB and examination sessions · Country Day: American diploma, AP and Capstone context
Curriculum pathways recorded across the collection
Each row combines evidence from several profiles. Its phases may be offered at different schools; it does not mean every school provides every phase. Online delivery is listed separately. Open the school profile for its exact route and eligibility.
| Route and delivery | Recorded phases across profiles | Included profiles and source examples |
|---|---|---|
| IBOn campus | Primary, Secondary, Sixth form | 6 profiles |
| AmericanOn campus | Secondary, Sixth form | 2 profiles |
| BritishOn campus | Secondary | 1 profile |
| International Primary CurriculumOn campus | Primary | 1 profile |
Parent questions about Costa Rica schools
Are Blue Valley and Country Day in the same San Rafael locality?
Blue Valley identifies San Rafael de Escazú; Country Day gives Hacienda Espinal in San Rafael de Alajuela. Use the named campus and offered division when assessing the journey. The shared San Rafael wording and broader San José association do not identify one location.
Sources: Blue Valley: Escazú high school and distinct graduation routes · Country Day: actual Hacienda Espinal, Alajuela campus
Does La Paz’s senior IB Diploma establish IB programmes in every younger phase?
Its dedicated programme page describes the IB Diploma in Grades 11–12. The IB authoriser record corroborates the Diploma. That evidence does not establish PYP or MYP for earlier years. Ask the Brasilito admissions team for the actual phase and language arrangement, keeping its separate campus in view.
Sources: La Paz: Diploma Programme specifically in Grades 11–12 · IB: La Paz Diploma authorisation and Brasilito coordinator location
Start with a destination collection
The following collections have the most included profiles. Counts describe directory coverage, rather than local market size or school quality.
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