The American International School of Costa Rica (AIS) is a private, nonprofit association founded in 1970. The school serves students from preschool through grade 12. The school year runs from August through June. At least 80% of our graduates every year continue their college education overseas.
Organization: Parents of enrolled students are the voting members of the Association, which is governed by a Board of Directors (6 positions + 1 fiscal). The Board is elected from and by the parents every 2 years. The school is a member of the following organizations: AASCA (Association of American Schools Central America), Tri-Association, NHS, NCAA, ACEP (Association of Private Schools in CR), and NAESP. AIS is a UNESCO Candidate School, which reinforces its commitment to Child Protection and Environmental Care.
Curriculum: English is the official language of instruction; fluency in Spanish is also achieved. Student-centered education is provided through small class sizes. Students at AIS can earn both the U.S. and Costa Rican High School Diplomas. The school offers Advanced Placement courses (APs) for U.S. college credits and MATEM courses for local university credits. Standardized exams are taken at school (MAP, PSAT and SAT). The curriculum is aligned with SACS, and class programming is supported by AERO. AIS is accredited by AdvancED / Cognia and the Costa Rican Ministry of Education. The school offers a very strong Learning Support Program (LSP) to service students with unique learning requirements. English-as-Second-Language (ESL) and Spanish-as-Second-Language (SSL) programs are also available. The school offers online – asynchronous hybrid education for the students who need to travel and/or stay home due to special situations.
Faculty: 28 full-time teachers, of whom 14% are U.S. citizens, 18% third-country nationals, and 68% host-country nationals.
Enrollment: Initial Enrollment for the School Year 2022-2023 is 183 students from 20 different countries (Argentina, Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, China, Colombia, Costa Rica, El Salvador, France, Honduras, Italy, Japan, Korea, Mexico, Puerto Rico, Sweden, United Kingdom, U.S., Venezuela). Of the total, 14% of students are U.S. citizens, 23% are third-country nationals; and 63% are host-country nationals.
Facilities: The school is located on a beautiful campus in Ciudad Cariari, Heredia (3.5 miles from the U.S. Embassy). The classrooms are equipped with electronic boards and projectors; air conditioning is available in each class; buildings are surrounded by open courtyards and tropical gardens. Sports facilities are available for kickball, basketball, ping-pong, volleyball, and soccer (2 soccer fields). Fully equipped Science Labs host students from 4th grade through High School. The Computers and Robotics Labs contains state-of-the-art resources for students in charge of the school Yearbook and Newspaper. The Maker-Space provides high-tech equipment and tools including 3D Printers, circuit soldering stations, green screen, and camera, among others. The school is an official SAT Test Center for students in Costa Rica. Students must bring their own tablets (1st – 6th grades) or laptops (7th – 12th grades) to school every day. All books and licenses are provided by the school, as well as campus-wide access to Internet, and permanent communication with parents via Seduca platform. The cafeteria and library are open the entire year.
Finances: Annual tuition rates for school year 2022-2023 are: Toddlers-PS-PK-K (full-day) US$6,895; and grades 1-12 US$10,940. The school also charges a one-time membership fee of $1,500 per family and a registration fee of $900 per student per year. Learning Support Program (LSP) fees vary depending on the number of hours required by the student.
Special Needs: Download the Special Needs Profile (2023 Special Needs- Costa Rica, San Jose, AISCR) 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 are provided by the school.