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Costa Rica, San Jose
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San Rafael de Alajuela, Hacienda Espinal, Km 17.5 of the Route 27 (San José – Caldera), Costa Rica
Early Childhood through High School
Private day school
English as a Second Language
US-accredited
Application and One-time Enrollment Fees
- Application fee: USD 50, payable in full when the application form is submitted.
- Matriculation fee: Early Learning USD 500; PK–12 USD 1,300. The matriculation fee is due in full for all enrolling students regardless of date of entry. Due date for returning students: May 8, 2026; due date for new students: upon enrollment.
- Entrance fee (one-time per student): USD 2,500, due upon acceptance. For students entering Grades 1–12 the full entrance fee is charged at enrollment; for students entering Pre-K through Preparatory 50% of the entrance fee is charged at enrollment and the remaining 50% is due when the student reaches Grade 1.
- Family fee (one-time per family, first-time enrolment): USD 1,000, payable upon initial admission.
Annual Tuition — Yearly, 10-Month, and One-Pay Discounted Rates (2026–2027 academic year)
All tuition figures are listed in U.S. dollars.
- Early Learning (Half day): Yearly USD 7,353; 10-month instalments USD 735.30; one‑pay (3% discount) USD 7,123.41.
- Early Learning (Full day): Yearly USD 8,977; 10-month instalments USD 897.70; one‑pay USD 8,707.69.
- Pre‑Kinder (Half day): Yearly USD 7,353; 10-month instalments USD 735.30; one‑pay USD 7,132.41.
- Pre‑Kinder (Full day): Yearly USD 12,253; 10-month instalments USD 1,225.30; one‑pay USD 11,885.41.
- Kinder: Yearly USD 14,168; 10-month instalments USD 1,416.80; one‑pay USD 13,742.96.
- Preparatory: Yearly USD 15,310; 10-month instalments USD 1,531.00; one‑pay USD 14,850.70.
- Grades 1–5: Yearly USD 20,352; 10-month instalments USD 2,035.20; one‑pay USD 19,741.44.
- Grades 6–8: Yearly USD 21,723; 10-month instalments USD 2,172.30; one‑pay USD 21,071.31.
- Grades 9–11: Yearly USD 21,931; 10-month instalments USD 2,193.10; one‑pay USD 21,273.07.
- Grade 12: Yearly USD 22,015; 10-month instalments USD 2,201.50; one‑pay USD 21,354.55.
Payment Plans — Amounts per Instalment (examples by grade band)
- One‑Pay (100%): payable July 17, 2026; one‑pay amounts shown above include the 3% discount when paid in full by the due date.
- Two‑Pay plan (semester-style): first payment 70% due July 17, 2026; second payment 30% due December 4, 2026. Example two‑pay instalments (70% / 30%):
- Grades 1–5: 70% = USD 14,246.40; 30% = USD 6,105.60.
- Grades 6–8: 70% = USD 15,206.10; 30% = USD 6,516.90.
- Grades 9–11: 70% = USD 15,351.70; 30% = USD 6,579.30.
- Grade 12: 70% = USD 15,410.50; 30% = USD 6,604.50.
- Kinder: 70% = USD 9,917.60; 30% = USD 4,250.40.
- Ten‑Pay plan: annual tuition divided into ten instalments with the following scheduled due dates — 1) July 17, 2026; 2) August 14, 2026; 3) September 18, 2026; 4) October 16, 2026; 5) November 20, 2026; 6) December 16, 2026; 7) January 22, 2027; 8) February 18, 2027; 9) March 18, 2027; 10) April 23, 2027. Monthly (10‑pay) amounts are listed above for each grade.
Billing, Currencies and Surcharges
- All school fees are quoted in U.S. dollars. Payments are accepted in U.S. dollars (USD) and Costa Rican colones (CRC); payments made in colones are converted using the official Banco Central sell‑rate as shown on the electronic invoice.
- Accepted card payments: Visa and MasterCard (credit or debit). USD checks drawn on banks domiciled outside the USA are not accepted, except dollar checks drawn on Costa Rican banks. Payments at the school business office may be made by check or credit card; cash or check deposits can be made directly to specified local bank accounts.
- International wire transfers: an additional USD 50 is added to the invoice face value for any international wire or bank transfer (if bank charges are higher, the school will advise and collect the difference). Specific bank account instructions and intermediary bank details are provided for USD transfers.
- Late payment surcharges: 1.5% per month on past due accounts. A 10% surcharge applies to past due matriculation, entrance fee, and family fee invoices. A USD 45 fee is charged for each check rejected by the bank.
- Payments originating from Crimea, Cuba, Iran, North Korea, Sudan, or Syria cannot be accepted.
Other Fees and Additional Costs
- School supplies: consumable workbooks, on‑loan classroom textbooks and some basic supplies are included in tuition. Students in Grades 6–12 must supply their own laptop. No lab, locker or computer fees are charged.
- Uniforms and P.E.: students are required to purchase the official P.E. and school uniform.
- Optional and additional charges: regular school‑to‑home transportation (bus service), food service (cafeteria), instrument rentals, class trips and field trips, sports trips, certain after‑school activities, special examination fees (e.g., Advanced Placement and Pre‑SAT), and consumable materials for some courses. Cafeteria service is optional and paid separately via a cafeteria account.
- Bus service: bus fees are charged per year (VAT included) and can be billed by semester; rates vary by service area. Example annual bus rates by area (VAT included): Area 1 USD 2,562.84 per year (Semester 1: USD 1,139.04; Semester 2: USD 1,423.80); Area 4 USD 3,101.85 per year (Semester 1: USD 1,378.60; Semester 2: USD 1,723.25). One‑way service is charged at 75% of the total.
- Special education and additional support services: there may be additional fees for specific special education services, assessments, remediation, or required aides; some families may be asked to provide an adult aide or learning coach as a condition of enrollment and may incur additional costs.
Refunds and Non‑Refundable Policy
- All fees (tuition, matriculation, entrance fee, family fee) are non‑refundable for any reason, except that a tuition refund may be considered only for a prolonged student illness of thirty (30) days or more, certified by an attending physician. No refunds are made for dismissal, suspension, removal, withdrawal, or any other reason.
Boarding
- Country Day School operates as a day school; boarding services are not applicable.
Contact details for payments and business office
- Business office email for payment confirmation and copies of transfer vouchers: cds_businessoffice@cds.ed.cr. Bank account beneficiary name: Country Day School Ltda.; beneficiary ID and account details are provided for wired transfers.
Country Day School, Costa Rica (CDS) is a US-accredited private day school serving an international community from ages 1 to 18. Founded in 1963, it joined Nord Anglia Education in 2018, strengthening its offerings through collaborations with Juilliard, MIT, and UNICEF. The curriculum follows US frameworks: Elementary and Middle School use Common Core standards; High School leads to the US high school diploma alongside the Costa Rican Bachillerato, with more than 25 AP courses and the AP Capstone Diploma. Students prepare for university with mathematics built on Harvard Pure Math, Harvard Engineering, and MIT curricula, and Mandarin is available as a high school elective. The campus in San Rafael de Alajuela is LEED-certified, solar powered, and designed to save water and energy. It features 81 classrooms, seven STEAM spaces, arts and athletic facilities, and outdoor areas. Global Campus connects students with peers, enabling field experiences, international trips, and cross-cultural collaboration.
