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Costa Rica, San Jose
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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.
14 levels: Preschool; Elementary (Grades 1-3 and 4-6); High School (Grades 7-10); IB Diploma Programme (Grades 11-12).
IB World School offering the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme.
Costa Rica
The school day runs from 8:15 a.m. to 2:45 p.m.; Wednesdays are half days.
The bus service is a private service supervised by The European School; parents must arrange payment with the transportation coordinator.
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.
Students and teachers from over forty countries are represented.
Founded in 1989 by Miss Anne Aronson, The European School in San José, Costa Rica, serves preschool through high school across 14 levels and about 540 students. It is an IB World School offering the Diploma Programme for Grades 11–12 and is accredited by Costa Rica's Ministry of Public Education and the International Baccalaureate Organization. The curriculum uses integrated teaching that unites literature, history, geography and art under central themes, with typical class sizes around 20. The school day runs from 8:15 a.m. to 2:45 p.m., with Wednesdays as half days, and a calendar featuring short vacations every nine to ten weeks. Facilities emphasize the arts and languages, with violin instruction leading to a string orchestra in primary. Meals are provided daily, including a balanced lunch with vegetables, many organic, served family‑style. The campus prioritizes sustainable practices and aims to develop mature, globally engaged graduates who contribute as responsible citizens.
