American School of Recife is a private, not-for-profit, coeducational day school founded in 1957. The school offers a nursery through grade 12 instructional program for students currently representing 14 nationalities. The two semesters comprising the school year extend from August to December and from January to June. The school is accredited by Cognia in the United States and by the State of Pernambuco Ministry of Education and Recife Municipal Education Council in Brazil. The school is a member of the Association of American Schools in Brazil (AASB), the Association of American Schools in South America (AASSA), and the Association for the Advancement of International Education (AAIE). Class hours are 7:50 a.m.‑3:15 p.m., and extracurricular activities start at 3:20 p.m. The school has no religious affiliation.
Organization: The school is governed by a board of trustees comprised of five members elected by the general assembly of parents of children enrolled in the school, two members appointed annually by elected members, and a member appointed by the U.S. Consul General of Recife. The school is registered as tax-exempt in Brazil and is not incorporated in the United States.
Curriculum: The school provides a U.S., standards-based, college-preparatory curriculum, which enables students to successfully enter universities in the U.S., Brazil, and throughout the world. Instruction is primarily in English, with mandatory Portuguese language study beginning in pre-kindergarten. Support is provided for language learning difficulties and mild learning disabilities. Electives include Spanish, French, computer science, art, drama, music, photography, journalism, virtual high school online courses, and a variety of Advanced Placement courses. Extracurricular activities may include soccer, volleyball, basketball, indoor soccer, tennis, dance, drama, math club, chess club, eco club, robotics, peer tutoring, Knowledge Bowl, and Model United Nations.
Faculty: In the 2022-2023 school year, American School of Recife has 184 total staff including 61 teachers, 9 of whom are U.S. citizens, 47 host-country nationals, and 5 third-country nationals.
Enrollment: At the start of the 2022-2023 school year, 610 students are enrolled (nursery-grade 5: 354; grades 6-7: 124 ; grades 9-12: 132). Of the total, 28 were U.S. citizens, 536 were host-country nationals, and 46 were third-country nationals.
Facilities: The school occupies eight-and-a-half acres in a preferred residential area of Recife. The preschool, elementary, and secondary school divisions are in separate buildings. Facilities include 60 classrooms, science labs, two music rooms, a technology lab, two dining areas, two faculty resource centers, a maintenance building, an infirmary, administrative offices, three playgrounds, three multisport covered courts, a soccer field, and sand volleyball courts. We are building a new media center that will house two libraries, several classrooms, and a number of offices. It will be ready for use in August 2023.
Finances: 99% of the school’s income derives from tuition. Monthly tuition rates for 2022-2023 school year are as follows: Nursery, PK3, PK4: R$ 4,040.30; K: R$ 4,294.95; grades 1-5: R$5,128.11; and grades 6-12: R$ 5,455.62. A one-time Development Fund contribution of R$ 13,179.37 per student is payable upon enrollment. The registration fee is R$ 1,032.15 and the re-registration fee for returning students is R$ 574.95 (All fees quoted in Brazilian Reais.)
Special Needs: Download the Special Needs Profile (2023 Special Needs Brazil, Recife)for this school to learn more about their capability to support students with exceptionalities.
This Fact Sheet is intended to provide general information. Prospective users of the schools may wish to inquire further of A/OPR/OS or contact the school directly for more specific and up-to-the-minute information. Information and statistics are current as of September 2022 and provided by the school.