High School Programs Costa Rica

DESCRIPTION :

Discover testimonials of our High School Program's past participants

International students will discover this beautiful country, its rich biodiversity and its incredible national parks. Costa Rica is a republic in Central America, bordered by Nicaragua to the north, Panama to the east-southeast, the Pacific Ocean to the west and south, and the Caribbean Sea to the east. Costa Rica stands as the most visited nation in the Central American region, with 1.9 million foreign visitors in 2007. Ecotourism is extremely popular with the many tourists visiting the extensive national parks and protected areas of the country.

The country has a population of 4,1 million inhabitants. The climate is tropical and subtropical with a dry season from December to April and a rainy season from May to November. It may be cooler in highlands.
Students will be hosted in Costa Rican host families, wishing to share their everyday life with a foreign student. They will attend classes in a local school.

Location
We place our students in different parts of the country around the capital San José, like in Heredia, Alajuela and Cartago. It may be possible to choose a location among available Costa Rican families and Costa Rican high schools.

Type of schools
Public, private and semi private high schools in Costa Rica.
Most of the high schools in Costa Rica are located in San José and surroundings. All high schools in Costa Rica have security services, school bus services, cafeteria, some of them sale lunches to students, all of them offer Orientation or Psychology services. High Schools in Costa Rica teach English as second language and French as third language.

Some private and semiprivate high schools in Costa Rica also have swimming pool. Most of them have soccer teams, basket ball teams as well as other sports and activities`clubs. All high schools in Costa Rica offer extracurricular activities for their students; these activities may be different in each high school in Costa Rica.

- Private schools
Most of the private schools in Costa Rica are small schools, this means less than 200 students; they teach English as a second language and have high academic standards and results. Recruitment is middle - high class families.

- Semi private schools
Most of the semi private schools in Costa Rica are Catholic (there are also Adventist and Christian schools); they have a student population between 100 and 300 students and recruit in middle class families.

- Public schools
Public schools in Costa Rica are large schools, with more than 500 students and recruit in low - middle class families.

School system
Education in Costa Rica is divided in 2 phases: 6 years of primary school and 5 years of high school. There are only a few of schools in Costa Rica that go beyond the 12th grade. Those schools that finish at 11th grade receive a Costa Rican Bachillerato Diploma accredited by the Costa Rican Ministry of Education. The Bachillerato Tests are required to get the high school diploma needed for admission to universities. International students will get a certificate of attendance at the end of their stay.
There are no common lists of subjects for all school in Costa Rica; the curriculum is specific to each high school.

Typical day at school
Classes start at 7am in public costarican schools, at 7.30am in semiprivate and private schools. Students go directly to their classroom. All of the schools have their own schedule but there are two short and one long breaks on mornings and a break of 45 to 60 minutes for lunch.
There are generally 5 lessons on mornings and 3 or 4 on afternoons.
The school day includes academic and special classes (Maths, Spanish, Civic course, etc, and sports, music, arts, etc.). On Fridays there are classes on mornings only, afternoons are free.

PHOTOS :

SCHOOL TYPE :

Public/Private

ACCOMMODATION :

Costa Rican Host family, on a full board basis.  Costa Rican Host families are carefully selected, visited and interviewed. We check out their residence and living conditions (security, environment). International students will attend classes in the high school, where the host sister or brother also go.
Students would need between 10 and 15 USD pocket money per day, depending on their personal expenses.
 

ELIGIBILITY :

Students must be interviewed in their home country before being accepted (if possible in Spanish).
A minimum of 2 years of Spanish study and good academic results are required to participate in this academic program in Costa Rica.
 

DEADLINE :

- Academic year semester and term starting in February: September 15th
- Second semester and term: April 15th
 

PROCEDURES :

Please require information through the contact form.

CONDITIONS - HIGH SCHOOL IN COSTA RICA :

Prices 2012

PRICE INCLUDES :

- Administration fees
- Host family accommodation on a full board basis
- Host school placement and tuition fees
- Airport pick up and transfer from San Jose
- Orientation on arrival
- Transport from and to the school
- Support, assistance and 24 hours emergency phone number during the whole program
 

PRICE DOES NOT INCLUDE :

- International airfare
- International Travel Insurance
- Visa, passport and medical exam fees
- Extra school fees, extracurricular activities, excursions, school books, school lunches
- Local transport (other than school)
- Extra activities organized by schools and others
- Extra language courses
- Personal expenses and pocket money
- Medical and Emergency Repatriation Insurance
- 40 euros application fees