International Christian School - San Jose vs The European School - San Jose

	I International Christian School - San Jose San Jose, Costa Rica	T The European School - San Jose San Jose, Costa Rica
Snapshot	Snapshot
Fees / year	Fees / year CRC 11,760 - 36,520	Fees / year CRC 8,990 - 15,360
Age range	Age range 0 - 17 years	Age range 3 - 18 years
Type	Type Co-educational	Type Co-educational
Curriculum	Curriculum IB (PYP), IB (MYP), Bespoke Curriculum, Christian Curriculum	Curriculum IB (DP)
Pupils	Pupils —	Pupils 540
Typical class size	Typical class size —	Typical class size 20
Instruction language	Instruction language English, Spanish	Instruction language English
Opened	Opened —	Opened 1989
Bus service	Bus service No	Bus service No
Essentials	Essentials
Location	Location —	Location Located in Heredia, San Pablo, Costa Rica. The European School serves students and teachers from over forty countries. A Waze link is available to find the campus. The bus service is a private service supervised by The European School, and parents must arrange payment with the transportation coordinator.
Stages	Stages PK-11; Little Jaguars (preschool), Preschool, Elementary, Secondary, College Prep	Stages 14 levels: Preschool; Elementary (Grades 1-3 and 4-6); High School (Grades 7-10); IB Diploma Programme (Grades 11-12).
School type	School type International school	School type IB World School offering the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme.
Pupil nationality mix	Pupil nationality mix —	Pupil nationality mix Students and teachers from over forty countries are represented.
Additional learning support	Additional learning support —	Additional learning support —
Country affiliation	Country affiliation Costa Rica	Country affiliation Costa Rica
Religious affiliation	Religious affiliation Christian	Religious affiliation —
School day structure	School day structure —	School day structure The school day runs from 8:15 a.m. to 2:45 p.m.; Wednesdays are half days.
Bus service details	Bus service details —	Bus service details The bus service is a private service supervised by The European School; parents must arrange payment with the transportation coordinator.
Fees	Fees
Fee details	Fee details Application and admission fees - Admission test (one-time, for new students): USD 25. - No separate non-refundable application or registration fee amount is published on the school's public admission pages. Tuition fees by year group and per term - No published tuition schedule for any year group (preschool, elementary, secondary/IB) is available on the school's public pages. Specific tuition amounts per term or per academic year are not listed. Billing schedule and payment terms - A detailed billing schedule and formal payment terms (for example: number of instalments per year, due dates, late-payment penalties) are not published on the school's public pages. Parents are referred to the school's payment office for clarification and for completing payments. Boarding fees (if applicable) - No boarding program or boarding fees are published. The school's public information identifies the campus location and presents ICS as a day-school operation; no residential/boarding fees or boarding program details are available. Other costs and recurring charges - No published amounts for uniforms, school transportation (bus), activity/athletics fees, materials/lab fees, exam fees, or extracurricular program fees are available on the school's public pages. While the school lists programs such as athletics and arts, specific charges related to these services are not given. Refund and withdrawal policy - A published refund or withdrawal fee schedule (for example: pro‑rata refunds, non‑refundable deposits, or deadlines for refunds) is not available on the school's public pages. Fee payment options - No public list of accepted payment methods (credit card, bank transfer, local direct debit, cash, online payment portal) is published. Payments are administered through the school's payment office. Brief summary of findings and gaps - The only concrete, published fee amount located on the school's public admission pages is the admission test fee of USD 25. Comprehensive published information for annual or per-term tuition, registration/application fees, boarding fees, uniform or transport charges, refund rules, and accepted payment methods could not be found on the school's public pages; parents must obtain those figures and the formal billing schedule directly from the school's payment office or admissions office.	Fee details Registration / Application fees - 2026/27: Registration fee USD 710.00 per year, per child, payable in May. Non‑refundable. - 2025/26 (for reference): Registration fee USD 680.00 per year, per child, payable in May. Non‑refundable. Tuition fees by year group (2026/27 academic year) - Pre‑School: USD 9,800.00 per year (USD 2,450.00 per quarter). - Primary: USD 13,650.00 per year (USD 3,410.00 per quarter). - Secondary: USD 15,600.00 per year (USD 3,900.00 per quarter). - IB (11th and 12th grade): USD 16,750.00 per year (USD 4,180.00 per quarter). For IB students, an individual laptop is required and there is an additional CAS fee of USD 1,470.00 payable before October 1. Tuition fees by year group (2025/26 academic year) - Pre‑School: USD 8,990.00 per year (USD 2,250.00 per quarter). - Primary: USD 12,530.00 per year (USD 3,130.00 per quarter). - Secondary: USD 14,320.00 per year (USD 3,580.00 per quarter). - IB (11th and 12th grade): USD 15,360.00 per year (USD 3,840.00 per quarter). For IB students, an individual laptop is required and there is an additional CAS fee of USD 1,340.00 payable before October 1. Billing schedule and payment terms - Tuition is billed and payable by quarter. Payment schedule: August, November, February and May. All tuition payments must be made by the 15th of each indicated month. Boarding / Residential provision and related fees - The school operates with day services (transportation and on‑site meals are provided). No boarding or residential program fees are listed; bus transportation and daily lunch/snack services are available instead. - Bus service is offered across the Central Plateau and is managed as a separate service with its own billing options (monthly, five‑month or annual payment plans, with stated discounts for multi‑period payments). The bus service contract requires payment according to the selected plan and notes that service suspension does not automatically result in a refund or payment reduction. Specific bus fees are billed separately. Other costs and typical additional fees - IB programme: laptop requirement for each IB student and the CAS fee (USD 1,470.00 for 2026/27; USD 1,340.00 for 2025/26) due before October 1. - After‑school clubs: selected clubs are charged separately in Costa Rican colones. Example club fees (samples from published club schedule): Art ¢67,000; Yoga ¢55,000; Crafts & Jewelry ¢60,000; Ballet ¢55,000; Crochet ¢65,000; Soccer ¢55,000; many other clubs range approximately ¢45,000–¢67,000 depending on activity and grade. These club fees commonly include lunch or snack and materials as indicated per activity. - Transportation billing options: monthly, five‑month (with a discount), or annual (with a larger discount) payment options are available for the bus service. - No additional charges are applied for textbooks, class materials, snack, lunch (in primary and high school), international examination fees, local class trips, and most outdoor educational trips. Refund information (applicable items) - The annual registration fee is explicitly non‑refundable. - For bus service, the transport agreement states that suspension of the transport service will not automatically imply a refund or reduction of payment for the service. Fee payment options and bank details - Payments by bank transfer are accepted. Local bank account details are provided for BAC San José and Banco Nacional (account numbers and IBANs are published for payments in Costa Rica). International transfer details include the beneficiary name (Colegio Europeo), an IBAN account number and a SWIFT code for international payments. Sample published details: Beneficiary Name: Colegio Europeo; IBAN (example): CR92010200009027714273; Bank Name: BANCO BAC SAN JOSE; SWIFT: BSNJCRSJ. Local account numbers for BAC San José and Banco Nacional are also published for domestic transfers. - After‑school club fees are listed in Costa Rican colones and are billed separately according to the club schedule. Bus payments may be arranged monthly, five‑month or annually per the transport form.
Diving deeper	Diving deeper
Boarding arrangements	Boarding arrangements —	Boarding arrangements —
Uniform requirement	Uniform requirement —	Uniform requirement —
Food options	Food options —	Food options —
House system	House system —	House system —
Governance and ownership	Governance and ownership —	Governance and ownership —
Academics	Academics
Curriculum details	Curriculum details ICS offers Preschool, Elementary, and Secondary education. In high school, students choose between the International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma and the National Baccalaureate program, with the decision made in ninth grade; completion of either program occurs in the 10th and 11th grades. A College Preparation Program supports ninth through eleventh grade students with career exploration, the college application process, and preparation for admission exams including the UCR and TEC admissions exams as well as the SAT or ACT. The curriculum also emphasizes experiential learning, including organized outdoor trips that enrich the curriculum.	Curriculum details Integrated teaching unifies and interrelates academic work through central themes. The European School serves Preschool through High School, distributed across 14 levels with an ideal class size of 20. The school day runs from 8:15 a.m. to 2:45 p.m. (Wednesdays are half days). It is accredited by Costa Rica's Ministry of Public Education and by the International Baccalaureate Organization (IBO). The IB Diploma Programme is offered for Grades 11-12.
Student teacher ratio	Student teacher ratio —	Student teacher ratio About 20 students per class.
Exam results	Exam results —	Exam results —
Higher education progression	Higher education progression Guidance in career exploration, university selection, and the college application process; support for admission exams (UCR, TEC, SAT, ACT) to improve college admissions.	Higher education progression IB Diploma graduates are accepted at hundreds of universities worldwide, often with preferential admission and advanced standing.
Gifted and talented	Gifted and talented —	Gifted and talented —
Academic calendar	Academic calendar —	Academic calendar —
Wellbeing & support	Wellbeing & support
Social & emotional learning	Social & emotional learning —	Social & emotional learning —
Special educational needs (SEN)	Special educational needs (SEN) —	Special educational needs (SEN) —
English as an additional language	English as an additional language —	English as an additional language —
Mental wellbeing	Mental wellbeing —	Mental wellbeing —
Safeguarding	Safeguarding —	Safeguarding —
Safeguarding policy	Safeguarding policy —	Safeguarding policy —
Facilities	Facilities
Facilities overview	Facilities overview —	Facilities overview —
Sports facilities	Sports facilities —	Sports facilities —
Academic facilities	Academic facilities —	Academic facilities —
Extra curricular facilities	Extra curricular facilities —	Extra curricular facilities —
Parent experience	Parent experience
History	History —	History —
Community	Community —	Community —
Parent teacher association	Parent teacher association —	Parent teacher association —
Extra-curricular	Extra-curricular
Academic & intellectual	Academic & intellectual —	Academic & intellectual —
Arts & creative	Arts & creative —	Arts & creative —
Cultural & language	Cultural & language —	Cultural & language —
Social & hobbies	Social & hobbies —	Social & hobbies —
Community & service	Community & service —	Community & service —
Leadership & professional	Leadership & professional —	Leadership & professional —
Lifestyle & wellbeing	Lifestyle & wellbeing —	Lifestyle & wellbeing —
Language provision	Language provision
Language provision	Language provision —	Language provision —
Bilingual teaching	Bilingual teaching —	Bilingual teaching —
Immersion programs	Immersion programs —	Immersion programs —
Reputation	Reputation
Awards	Awards —	Awards —
Accreditations	Accreditations —	Accreditations —
Admissions	Admissions
Admissions	Admissions Step 1. Submit documents. Enrollment requires submitting the documents listed. Preschool applicants provide pre-school reports or a copy of the previous year's report or evaluation. Elementary and high school applicants provide an official transcript with grades from the last three years. Additional items include a reference letter from a teacher, counselor or principal; reports from a psychologist or a learning disabilities professional if applicable; a payment letter if previously enrolled in a private school; two passport-size photos; a photocopy of the birth certificate; photocopy of the immunization records; photocopy of the passport photo and visa pages for foreigners or those with double-nationality; a correctly filled-out student application form; and the interview form (first page filled out). Step 2. Interview and admission test. All students should be interviewed. All students are given an admission test. The test fee is $25. Please see the payment office for clarification and to handle payments. Step 3. Start. The admission procedure must be concluded before a student is allowed to start classes.	Admissions The school has an online application form. Fees for 2025-2026 include a non-refundable Registration Fee of $680 per year per child paid in May; Yearly payments: Pre-School $8,990 ($2,250 per quarter); Primary $12,530 ($3,130 per quarter); Secondary $14,320 ($3,580 per quarter); IB (11th and 12th grade) $15,360 ($3,840 per quarter); an additional CAS fee of $1,340 is due before October 1. Fees for 2026-2027 are: Registration $710; Pre-School $9,800 ($2,450 per quarter); Primary $13,650 ($3,410 per quarter); Secondary $15,600 ($3,900 per quarter); IB $16,750 ($4,180 per quarter); CAS fee $1,470 due before October 1. No additional fees are required for textbooks, class materials, snacks, lunch (in primary and high school), international examination fees, local class trips, or most outdoor educational trips. Tuition is paid by QUARTER, during August, November, February and May respectively; all payments must be made by the 15th of each indicated month. Location: San José, Costa Rica.
Scholarships	Scholarships —	Scholarships —
Waitlist	Waitlist —	Waitlist —
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