Schools in Panama City, Panama
If you're considering moving your family to Panama City, Panama, then you will need to know about schools. There are two types of schools--schools in English specifically for expats, and local bilingual schools that target the upper echelon of Panamanian students.
INTERNATIONAL SCHOOLS FOR EXPATS IN PANAMA CITY, PANAMA
Journey School
Balboa Academy
Trail School
Oxford International School
GOOD BILINGUAL SCHOOLS FOR LOCALS (THAT ACCEPT EXPATS) IN PANAMA CITY, PANAMA
Howard Academy
Javier
Brader
AIP
All schools offer bus service. The bus picks up the kids at the door in the morning, and drops them at the door in the afternoon.
Unlike schools in the US, most schools have their prices listed right on their website. Choosing a school requires visiting the school and determining how much money you wanted to spend. The least expensive schools would be the local bilingual schools. The only drawback to a local school is that the school calendar is different from North America. The local schools start in March and end in December, whereas most North American and European schools start in September and end in May. The international schools will be on the same school schedule as the North America.
The websites for the bilingual schools will all be in Spanish. If you have zero Spanish, you can translate the page using the "translate" button on your browser. Although learning Spanish might be hard for you as an adult, studies have shown that children pick up new languages very quickly. Don't let the fact that a school is in Spanish deter you from sending you children to a bilingual school! Within a short time, you'll have bilingual children.
There are a lot of options when it comes to international schools for expats in Panama City, Panama. When you come to Panama, choose two or three schools to visit. By seeing your top schools in Panama City in person, you'll be able to decide which Panama school is best for you and your family.
Journey School
- Preschool to Grade 8
- Area: Punta Pacifica
- For Expats
- Link: https://www.journeyschool.net/education/curriculum/
- This is a good pre-school, but it has a much smaller program for kindergarten through Grade 8.
Balboa Academy
- Preschool to Grade 12
- Area: City of Knowledge (near Panama Canal)
- For expats
- Link: https://www.balboaacademy.org/
- Note: Allegedly the best international school in Panama, and its priced accordingly
Trail School
- Preschool to Grade 12
- Area: Panama Pacifico (only a few minutes from Casa Bonita)
- For expats
- Link: https://www.trail-school.org/admissions/tuition-financial-aid
- Note: This is a brand new school so prices will be low until the student numbers increase
Oxford International School
- Preschool to Grade 12
- Area: San Francisco
- For expats
- Link: https://ois.edu.pa/
GOOD BILINGUAL SCHOOLS FOR LOCALS (THAT ACCEPT EXPATS) IN PANAMA CITY, PANAMA
Howard Academy
- Preschool to Grade 12
- Area: Panama Pacifico
- For locals – bilingual school
- Link: http://howardacademy.edu.pa/
Javier
- Preschool to Grade 12
- Area: Clayton (near the US Embassy)
- Tip tier bilingual school for locals
- Link: https://javier.edu/ct-menu-item-7/requisitos-para-primaria
Brader
- Preschool to Grade 12
- Area: Costa del Este
- Tip tier bilingual school for locals
- Link: https://colegiobrader.edu.pa/
AIP
- Preschool to Grade 12
- Area: Costa del Este
- For expats & locals
- Link: https://www.aip.edu.pa/admisiones/
- Note: This is supposed to be less expensive than the other top-tier local schools
All schools offer bus service. The bus picks up the kids at the door in the morning, and drops them at the door in the afternoon.
Unlike schools in the US, most schools have their prices listed right on their website. Choosing a school requires visiting the school and determining how much money you wanted to spend. The least expensive schools would be the local bilingual schools. The only drawback to a local school is that the school calendar is different from North America. The local schools start in March and end in December, whereas most North American and European schools start in September and end in May. The international schools will be on the same school schedule as the North America.
The websites for the bilingual schools will all be in Spanish. If you have zero Spanish, you can translate the page using the "translate" button on your browser. Although learning Spanish might be hard for you as an adult, studies have shown that children pick up new languages very quickly. Don't let the fact that a school is in Spanish deter you from sending you children to a bilingual school! Within a short time, you'll have bilingual children.
There are a lot of options when it comes to international schools for expats in Panama City, Panama. When you come to Panama, choose two or three schools to visit. By seeing your top schools in Panama City in person, you'll be able to decide which Panama school is best for you and your family.