Kids in Mexico

SCHOOL

For those that have children, schooling is a big priority in seeing if a move is wise. We enrolled our kids at a Spanish private school. They have a half English, half Spanish curriculum. There are enrolment fees (between $550 and $600 USD per kid) which are a onetime yearly fee. You then pay tuition fees monthly (around $300 USD per kid). These amounts vary, depending on the school. They also have American private schools, but these were outside our budget. We found that the uniforms (you get them at LANS department stores) are very reasonable. You also have to pay for the books (between $60-$100). It is best to visit many schools in the area and see how clean they are, meet the teachers and especially the principal. In our case, we found a great school, where even the principal take our kids out of class twice a week for a 1 hour Spanish tutoring session with her. That really is above and beyond the call of duty.

Some of the schools in our area that we investigated are:

Colegio Bucerias (Bucerias)

A good school. At least one person speaks English in the office. They are probably one of the most expensive schools in the area. The above enrolment fees are for this school. Your child needs to be about 40% Spanish to attend apparently, although they might make exceptions if it's the early grades and your child can learn quickly. Visit their website

PROS: It boasts a beautiful campus, lots of space for the kids to run around. Pick-up and drop off is organized. Classrooms are cool. On-site psychologist.

CONS: High price. They constantly try to get more money out of you. My honest opinion is that they seem to be more about showing off than teaching. They run the school like a business. Newsletters are in Spanish only.

Colegio Salzmann (Bucerias)

We've heard good things about this place. Everthing is about 50% less expensive than Colegio Bucerias. At least 2 people speak English in the office.

PROS: Reasonable prices. Focus seems more towards teaching and less about how posh a school should be. Stuff like music lessons is included.

CONS: Drop-off is OK, but pick-up is somewhat confusing. You have to find parking and then walk to the gate. They call your kids name and they leave the classroom and come to the door. Because of the location, I'm not sure how much better they can make it... Hot classrooms in the summer.

Colegio Mexico-Americano (Puerto Vallarta)

Located in Puerto Vallarta, they seem like a really good school. Heard lots of great things about them. Costs are similar to Salazmann for regular education (English/Spanish) and close to Colegio Bucerias for a more English curriculum. Visit their website

Cool YouTube video they made here.

PROS: Olympic size pool! Higher grades don't use textbooks, but computers. Very organized.

CONS: Strict. A friend of mine was waiting in the line-up for drop-off early, but by the time they made it to the gate, it was past their "allowed" time and they were refused entry for no fault of their own.

Costa Verde International School (Sayulita)

Visited the school and it looks very good. A friend of ours from Bucerias sends her kid there. Visit their website

Q & A

Have you (or your kids) had any problems adapting to a different culture/language/lifestyle?

They are speaking almost fluent Spanish at this point.  It’s great when they play with the Mexican kids and just blab away. They adapted very well to the point where they feel at home here when we return from a trip. Some things are difficult and sometimes they have a hard time with the Spanish classes, but all in all, I'm very impressed with them. It was the right choice.