Private Schools in Buenos Aires and Suburbs

Buenos Aires has several private schools in the Capital and the suburbs. Many of the private schools offer excellent bilingual programs and many are used to accomodating expat students.

Argentina has an official school curriculum that must be followed and is mandatory for its schools to meet accreditation. Thus, if a student is in a bilingual program, they can typically expect to have a longer day than the traditional student, with it being split between one language in the morning classes and the other language in the afternoon.

English was officially made the second language in 1996, and thus must be taught for at least two hours per week in each school - public or private. This requirement must be met until the children reach nine years of age.

If you are used to the American school system, then you might find the Argentinian system quite different. Many of the private schools however, follow the European system or the American system. Thus there are different international curriculum depending upon the school. There are four typical programs:
                    • International General Certificate of Secondary Education (IGCSE)
                    • International Baccalaureate (IB)
                    • British A Levels
                    • American High School Diploma (for students intending to study at U.S. universities)               
Many wealthy Argentines send their children to private bilingual schools and thus there will be a predominance of Spanish speaking students at some schools. However, several schools are primarily geared to non-native Spanish speaking students with Spanish being taught as the second languge.

If you want to follow the American style and schedule then you'll probably want to consider a school like Lincoln, although for many people it is quite expensive. If you are more flexible then definately consider other options that are out there, many of which are bilingual and excellent schools.

It is important to consult with the school before you and your family move to Argentina. You will want to evaluate the school as much as possible and make sure that it will be the right fit for your child.

Note * The school year in Argentina begins in March and ends in December. However, schools such as Lincoln follow the traditional American school year beginning at the end of August and ending in June.

Here are some schools to get you started on your search:

• Associacion Escuelas Lincoln, San Isidro  (Elementary - Lincoln University College, American)
• Florida Day School, Belgrano (Pre-K -12, bilingual) excellent school, multiple intelligence theory
• Buenos Aires International Christian Academy, San Isidro (PreK-12, English)
• St. George's College, Quilmes (Ages 3 - 18, bilingual)
• St. George's College North, Los Polvorines (Ages 3 - 18, bilingual)
• St. Hilda's College, Hurlingham  (K-12, bilingual)
• Northlands, Northern Suburbs (K-12, bilingual)
• Goethe Schule, ( Fully German/Spanish bilingual)
• Colombia School, Pilar (K-12, bilingual)
• St. Andrews Scots, Olivos (K-12, co-ed, bilingual)
• St. Catherine's Moorlands, Northern Suburbs (K-12, bilingual)
• Washington School, Buenos Aires (I.B. Diploma)
• La Scuola Italiana Cristoforo Colombo, (bilingual Spanish/Italian)
• Universidad Catolica Argentina (Argentine University)
• Universidad de San Andres, Northern Suburbs (Argentine University)
• Universidad Austral,  Far Northern Suburbs (Argentine University)

Of course this is not an exhaustive list. It is merely a quick guide to some of the more popular schools for expatriates.

Here are a few other links, some are for general education, others are to universidades. Most sites are in Spanish.

El Portal de Educativo del Estado Argentino

Colegio Nacional de Buenos Aires

Universidad del CEMA

Ministerio de Educacion, Ciencia y Technologia

Universidad de Palermo

Comments

Hi Cat,

There is a french school - Lycee Jean Mermoz in Belgrano. We are English but our children (4 and 2) were born in Belgium and are bilingual so we will probably send them there when we (probably) move to BA in January.

Regards,
Sara

[Catherine]

Hi there
I might be sent to BA by my company in couple of months or so. being french myself, I wanted to know of you ever heard of any french schools there?
what's life like? I am coming from South Africa and I am not sure my son would get comfortable living in a foreign country with a foreign language?
please advise!
Thank you!

Cat

[heather meece]

Hi. I was planning on moving to Buenos Aires at the end of this year. I am a experienced speech therapist in California and would love to help children with their language. I was wondering if you knew of any schools, clinics, or daycare centers who may be in need of a English speaking speech therapist???

[mark]

Hi

Can anyone please recommend a good school/kindergarten in Capital Federal for our 3 year old son (We are currently living in Balvanera)?
Many thanks
Mark

[Chris]

Thalia,
Our family is considering the same as your family. Have you found any information on schools for kids ages 8-12?

[Arielah and Ouri, CA]

I would like to recomend ABC Translations Group. We have used them on various ocasions while preparing our move from US to Argentina. They are extremely professional in their approach, friendly and always finished on time.

[Thalia]

Hi,
My family is planning on moving to Argentina this summer.
We are looking at Mendoza and Bariloche.
We have two children, ages 13 and 10.
Can you recommend any private schools in either of these cities?
We will be traveling to both cities in April and would like to make appointments to see some schools.
Thank you,
Thalia

[John Pryor]

Mohamed,
I am a pilot who is movinf to Argentina and need to know all about the General Aviation scene there. Lets stay in touch and share info. Please forward any info you may have.
Thanks!
John

I think most of the schools are closed until Feb. 4. I think you'll have better luck in a week.

[m. rose]

I am trying to get a teaching position at Lincoln as an elementary school teacher. I have many years experience at a well respected public school in the States. So far I am not getting a response from the administration. Does anyone have any advice?

I am looking for a preschool in Recoleta. Do you have any suggestions?

[Colby]

I will be in Buenos Aires for one month from June to July and I'm looking for a jardín de infantes where only Spanish is spoken for my 2-year-old son. We are likely to stay in the Belgrano area. Any help or direction would be greatly appreciated. Saludos. Colby

[Shannon]

Hello, I have just moved to Buenos Aires about 2 months ago from California. I am 23 and graduated from the UC last year in Spanish and Communicaiton. My spanish is good and I am continuing to study the language. I am looking to be a nanny/babbysitter, I love kids and have lots of experience with toddlers and children, but it I feel it is hard to be a nanny without knowing people. What is the best way to meet parents who may need a nanny/babysitter? Thank you so much, Shannon

[Keri]

I am looking for an English speaking speech therapist for my 3 year old son. Also can anyone recommend a good daycare that speaks english?
Thanks Keri

[Christy White]

I'm sorry: me again (Christy). One more rather important question: I'd be looking for work in BA, and I am not fluent in Spanish. How is the job scene for an American? I currently work as a product marketing manager for a software firm in California. I am a writer with a portfolio of many kinds of writing, including many white papers. Are there multi-nationals hiring? Are there restrictions if I am not an Argentine citizen?

[Christy White]

This is an amazing resource! I'm looking into moving to BA within the next year with my 9 and 6 year old children. One of my primary reasons is so my children can really know Spanish (they know a little from their Venezuelan father). Therefore, I'm less interested in a bilingual school than in a good Spanish-speaking school. Is there any chance they would not learn Spanish in a bilingual school?

[Ashley]

Hi,

My husband and I currently live in Honduras. He has been teaching 4th grade at an American accredited school for 2 years. We are looking to move and I have set my sights on Mendoza, however we can not find any information on bilingual schools in that area. Any advise?

Thank you,
Ashley

[sara]

Hi,

We are coming to stay in BA for two months starting in October and leaving December. Does anyone know of a good Jardin de Infantes? I have a son who is going to be 16 months old.
Thanks,
Sara

[mariah]

i am thinking of moving to argentina for a year, with my daughter, who will be starting kindergarden. how are the public schools, and, is it a possibility for me to just enroll her when i get there. Also i am a single mom traveling alone, how welcoming is the general system to this fact?
thank you!

[Susy]

Hi. I'm an American living in Brazil in a small city where there is no international school. I plan to spend the summer (December and January) in Buenos Aires and I am looking for a school with a good summer program for my 6 and 8 year olds. They do speak English and Spanish but are now learning Portuguese full time so we need some practice in the first two to keep them up. Any suggestions/recommendations would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you.
Susy

[Iftikhar Ali Shallwani]

I will be arriving in BA in late august. what will be weather like and how can i make my stay in Argentina worth while . I will staying for atleast 2 years and i want to make lot of friends and learn spanish quickly.

[nicola]

Hi I am thinking about doing an exchange to Argentina and would like to know what the public school system is like and also how much private schooling costs approximately. Any advice you have will be much appreciated.

[Noor]

Hello, I am a recent honours graduate from Queen's University in Canada. I graduated with a Major in Psychology and a Minor in Spanish. I have several years of experience in working with children with special needs, particularly those who fall under the Autism Spectrum.

Before going into a Masters program I would like to travel to Argentina and possibly work there. Does anyone know of any programs or schools where I could work in similar fields relating to children. I am very proficient in Spanish.

Any help would be so appreciated.
Thank you, take care

Noor

[Micaela]

Hi I'm thinking about moving to Argentina and I'm looking for a good High School with the American system..can anyone help me?

[moving to argentina]

sharri, unfortunately I don't have any leads on schools like that. I wish you luck in finding one, I know there are a couple of schools in the city that specialize in special needs kids, but they're taught in Spanish.
Sorry couldn't be of more help!
Laura