# School for expatriate kids



## renatok

Hi dear friends,
I'm Brazilian, living on D.F. since June this year, and I'm planning to bring my family to Mexico next year, for a yet undefined period of time. 
I have 2 little boys - they are now 10 1/2 and 7 1/2 years old respectively - and I'm already starting to look for school options (preferrably bilingual). One of the first issues to be solved is the fact that in Brazil school cycle starts at the beginning of the year, whereas in Mexico it starts around August (as I was told).
We don't see any issues if they have to redo half of the period again (considering they would have finished the year in Brazil), even because we don't know how long we're going to stay here anyway, so the main objective would be them learning a new language (or two if we can add English to the package). We understand they will eventually lose one year, but the advantage of learning new languages is a good enough compensation.
Can you recommend some good options of schools in Mexico City? We plan to settle in Polanco, Anzures, Roma or Condessa ...
Thanks in advance !


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## tresninos

renatok said:


> Hi dear friends,
> I'm Brazilian, living on D.F. since June this year, and I'm planning to bring my family to Mexico next year, for a yet undefined period of time.
> I have 2 little boys - they are now 10 1/2 and 7 1/2 years old respectively - and I'm already starting to look for school options (preferrably bilingual). One of the first issues to be solved is the fact that in Brazil school cycle starts at the beginning of the year, whereas in Mexico it starts around August (as I was told).
> We don't see any issues if they have to redo half of the period again (considering they would have finished the year in Brazil), even because we don't know how long we're going to stay here anyway, so the main objective would be them learning a new language (or two if we can add English to the package). We understand they will eventually lose one year, but the advantage of learning new languages is a good enough compensation.
> Can you recommend some good options of schools in Mexico City? We plan to settle in Polanco, Anzures, Roma or Condessa ...
> Thanks in advance !


Majority of the schools are bilingual. Some have 1/2 day in english and 1/2 day in spanish. Greengates was one of the schools I was looking at, however it is further north of DF than I would like. Greengates does not have pricing a on line, and I have sent an email but no reply.
Since you are in Mexico already, you should google private schools in the Mexico City area. There are many. Private schools it seems you have to pay an admittance fee of around $5000 USD a year in one shot. That is not tuition.I have also read that the kids keep coming home with letters for money for school projects and by no means is it small.
Since you still have time, you should look into as many as you can.


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## conorkilleen

tresninos said:


> Majority of the schools are bilingual. Some have 1/2 day in english and 1/2 day in spanish. Greengates was one of the schools I was looking at, however it is further north of DF than I would like. Greengates does not have pricing a on line, and I have sent an email but no reply.
> Since you are in Mexico already, you should google private schools in the Mexico City area. There are many. Private schools it seems you have to pay an admittance fee of around $5000 USD a year in one shot. That is not tuition.I have also read that the kids keep coming home with letters for money for school projects and by no means is it small.
> Since you still have time, you should look into as many as you can.


That $5,000 that you are talking about is the American School and they are the highest that I have seen in Mexico City, but its one of the best in Mexico City. That school is also roughly another $2-3,000 per month if you pay tuition, bus, and all of the "extras".

I am in the same position as the OP (moving to DF with my children needing school), however I am coming from Monterrey, Mexico where we only pay $200 for the yearly inscription and another $150 a month for tuition. The books are basically free at my oldest daughters school. She will be turning 10 in October. The school she is in is a private school and one of the best "middle range" schools in the area. 

DF is a little more challenging, however we are finding that schools that are popular for EXPAT children and families are mixed with upper middle class to upper class Mexican families tend to be a little less expensive than schools geared more towards the hyper rich. You can find schools anywhere from $200 USD per child per month to $3,000 per child per month. You just need to look.

Post a few more times and you will be granted the ability to PM (private message) people. You need to post 5 times in order to be granted the ability to PM.

I am moving to DF in October/November and we are in the process of interviewing schools as I type this. I can possibly help you if you are interested.


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## tresninos

conorkilleen said:


> That $5,000 that you are talking about is the American School and they are the highest that I have seen in Mexico City, but its one of the best in Mexico City. That school is also roughly another $2-3,000 per month if you pay tuition, bus, and all of the "extras".
> 
> I am in the same position as the OP (moving to DF with my children needing school), however I am coming from Monterrey, Mexico where we only pay $200 for the yearly inscription and another $150 a month for tuition. The books are basically free at my oldest daughters school. She will be turning 10 in October. The school she is in is a private school and one of the best "middle range" schools in the area.
> 
> DF is a little more challenging, however we are finding that schools that are popular for EXPAT children and families are mixed with upper middle class to upper class Mexican families tend to be a little less expensive than schools geared more towards the hyper rich. You can find schools anywhere from $200 USD per child per month to $3,000 per child per month. You just need to look.
> 
> Post a few more times and you will be granted the ability to PM (private message) people. You need to post 5 times in order to be granted the ability to PM.
> 
> I am moving to DF in October/November and we are in the process of interviewing schools as I type this. I can possibly help you if you are interested.


Yes an American school quoted that price, not Greengates.
Greengtes through a lot of research seemed the better school, but expensive.
Funny my son is 10, but I will have 2 in college so I think that amount is crazy.
On one of the other forum, a mother said that her daughter did not have interaction for a whole year with other kids, because they refused to speak or play with her.

Good luck with the interviews.It was be great information that can help many.It is one topic that is hard to find.


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## Longford

tresninos said:


> Yes an American school quoted that price, not Greengates.
> Greengtes through a lot of research seemed the better school, but expensive.
> Funny my son is 10, but I will have 2 in college so I think that amount is crazy.
> On one of the other forum, a mother said that her daughter did not have interaction for a whole year with other kids, because they refused to speak or play with her.
> 
> Good luck with the interviews.It was be great information that can help many.It is one topic that is hard to find.


Expensive, they are ... the schools you've mentioned. But they are the best of the best and where the level of education is similar to either the UK or the USA, and from which grades are accepted by universities outside of Mexico. That may be an important consideration ... if the child will eventually go to a university outside of Mexico. Not all "escuelas particulares" (private schools) are good or worth the money. For a couple of hundred US$ a month ... I wouldn't send a child of mine to one. The education system in Mexico is so bad that these few very good schools can can command a good price. The children are well-educated in them and make friends with children of some of the best families in the region. In Mexico, that's very important. Best of luck. Sounds like you're on the road to success!


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## conorkilleen

Longford said:


> Expensive, they are ... the schools you've mentioned. But they are the best of the best and where the level of education is similar to either the UK or the USA, and from which grades are accepted by universities outside of Mexico. That may be an important consideration ... if the child will eventually go to a university outside of Mexico. Not all "escuelas particulares" (private schools) are good or worth the money. For a couple of hundred US$ a month ... I wouldn't send a child of mine to one. The education system in Mexico is so bad that these few very good schools can can command a good price. The children are well-educated in them and make friends with children of some of the best families in the region. In Mexico, that's very important. Best of luck. Sounds like you're on the road to success!


So you have had children in school in Mexico? Tellme more about how private schools for a couple hundred a month are not worth it. We are talking about 10 year olds here.

The level of education at the American School or Greengate is far higher than the typical public US school or US private school if you study the curriculum.


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## conorkilleen

By the way...found 4 schools in DF and Santa Fe area that are "a couple hundred bucks" a month and their grades are accepted at US universities as well as global for prep school....but we are talking primaries here.. You don't need to pay 3,000 a month just to tell your other rich friends that your kids go to a Brand name school and mingle with other rich brats. 

I agree that the school matters, but so does not paying ridiculous amounts of money for a school whose grades are accepted the same way as a small school in the US with less than 1500 kids does.


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## maesonna

My kids went to an ordinary private school, the kind that has “couple hundred bucks” tuition for primary, and then to public school for _secundaria_, UNAM _preparatorias_, and UNAM for university. The oldest got into a fully funded Master’s program in Canada, the others are still undergraduates at UNAM.

Public school is out of the question because of its poor quality in many other areas of the country, but in Mexico City there are some that give a decent education—however it depends where you are in the city; the quality of schools is variable.


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## tresninos

Conorkilleen when you start intervwing schools try to speak to expat parents and see what they say. Of course this is if they pick up there child.


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## conorkilleen

Will do. I always ask for parent references. I am also good at making friendly conversation outside while waiting for the kids. Sometimes I don't trust references because they could be "loaded".


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## stilltraveling

renatok said:


> so the main objective would be them learning a new language


There is a Waldorf School in Mexico City and another one in Cuernavaca. They are a very good system and they also give classes in English (not just English classes). As for learning another language, I think your kids will find that the transition from Portuguese to Spanish is almost effortless, especially for children.


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## Isla Verde

stilltraveling said:


> There is a Waldorf School in Mexico City and another one in Cuernavaca. They are a very good system and they also give classes in English (not just English classes). As for learning another language, I think your kids will find that the transition from Portuguese to Spanish is almost effortless, especially for children.


When I was getting my MA in Spanish literature some eons ago, I was required to take two semesters of Portuguese for Spanish Speakers, which was a lot of fun. The hardest thing for me was the abundance of nasalized vowels and diphthongs and remembering what was like Spanish and what was different. Since your children are still young, I'm sure that they'll have no trouble picking up Spanish, though they may end up speaking it with a Brazilian Portuguese accent  .


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## stilltraveling

Isla Verde said:


> I'm sure that they'll have no trouble picking up Spanish, though they may end up speaking it with a Brazilian Portuguese accent  .


Most of the Mexicans I know, and Latin Americans in general, find that to be very sophisticated.


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## Isla Verde

stilltraveling said:


> Most of the Mexicans I know, and Latin Americans in general, find that to be very sophisticated.


Of course, the lure of the slightly-different but still comprehensible accent .


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## ebonierika

maesonna said:


> My kids went to an ordinary private school, the kind that has “couple hundred bucks” tuition for primary, and then to public school for _secundaria_, UNAM _preparatorias_, and UNAM for university. The oldest got into a fully funded Master’s program in Canada, the others are still undergraduates at UNAM.
> 
> Public school is out of the question because of its poor quality in many other areas of the country, but in Mexico City there are some that give a decent education—however it depends where you are in the city; the quality of schools is variable.



Greetings, Have you heard of any good immersion schools in ensenada or mexicali area?


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## Isla Verde

ebonierika said:


> Greetings, Have you heard of any good immersion schools in ensenada or mexicali area?


Never heard the term "immersion school" before. What is it exactly?


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## ebonierika

Isla Verde said:


> Never heard the term "immersion school" before. What is it exactly?


immersion schools are where they teach English half the day and Spanish half the day.


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## circle110

ebonierika said:


> immersion schools are where they teach English half the day and Spanish half the day.


That sounds like what they call "escuela bilingue" down here. That's probably what you should search for in place of "immersion".


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## Isla Verde

circle110 said:


> That sounds like what they call "escuela bilingue" down here. That's probably what you should search for in place of "immersion".


Do your research carefully. There are many so-called bilingual schools that do not teach half in English and half in Spanish. They may just add a couple of English classes to the students' schedules, with teachers that may not even speak English very well, and call themselves "bilingual" anyway.


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## ebonierika

circle110 said:


> that sounds like what they call "escuela bilingue" down here. That's probably what you should search for in place of "immersion".


thanks!!!!


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## salor

Hi Renato,
I am also a Brazilian, and I will soon move to Mexico with my family from Australia due to my work. We may be able to meet it will be nice.

Regards,
Salo


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## fromalohatohola

I need help!! We just found out we are moving to Mexico City last week and we need to be there by the middle of July. I have 4 children, 3 school age. One will be going into 7th grade, one going into 5th and one going into 2nd. I don't have a lot of time to do research. I read the above comments. What schools do you recommend? Does anyone have kids in Westhill? My first choice was the American School Foundation but they are full. My kids have only attended public school in the US and do not speak Spanish other than a few words and phrases.


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## RVGRINGO

I would make it an immediate priority to put your kids on duolingo.com for a few hours each day; probably an hour at a time, with a one or two hour break to do something totally unrelated. It is the fastest way to learn a language on your own, and much better than Rosetta Stone, etc. It is free! 
They will definitely need Spanish, as even schools that claim to be bilingual usually lack much English and it is often of poor quality.
Yes, avoid the schools for the spoiled rich kids, unless you want spoiled dumb kids whose lives will exist only in the texting world.
Suerte.


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## Guategringo

Try this school in D.F., my kids are going there next year.

Colegio Francs Hidalgo de Mxico - CFH


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## fromalohatohola

RVGRINGO said:


> I would make it an immediate priority to put your kids on duolingo.com for a few hours each day; probably an hour at a time, with a one or two hour break to do something totally unrelated. It is the fastest way to learn a language on your own, and much better than Rosetta Stone, etc. It is free!
> They will definitely need Spanish, as even schools that claim to be bilingual usually lack much English and it is often of poor quality.
> Yes, avoid the schools for the spoiled rich kids, unless you want spoiled dumb kids whose lives will exist only in the texting world.
> Suerte.


Thank you SO much!!! I was looking at those schools because they claim to have options where instruction is in all English. We will only be in Mexico City for 2 years. We are a normal middle class family and my kids have only attended public schools here in the US. The company is willing to pay for private schools. I will check out duolingo.com ASAP.


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## fromalohatohola

Guategringo said:


> Try this school in D.F., my kids are going there next year.
> 
> Colegio Francs Hidalgo de Mxico - CFH


Thank you!! I will definetly check it out. How do are your kids doing? Are they fluent in Spanish?


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## Guategringo

fromalohatohola said:


> Thank you!! I will definetly check it out. How do are your kids doing? Are they fluent in Spanish?


Yes, my kids are completely bilingual, ages 14 and 11. I lived in Guatemla 20 years before moving to Mexico this year. They learned English at home from me and Spanish from their mom and everyone else. They started school in Guatemala with classes in the morning in English and the afternnon and Spanish and then switched halfway through the year. Then after a few years in school in Guatemala we sent them to live with my sister in rural New England for two school years and then back to school in Guatemala and now they will attend in D.F. 

Your youngest two will pick the language up in no time. The oldest that is still school age will have a bit of a harder time. Have them watch tv in english with spanish subtitles and vice versa. 

The school is new for us this year, but what I have heard and what I have seen thus far I think it will be just what we are looking for.


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## Isla Verde

Guategringo said:


> Yes, my kids are completely bilingual, ages 14 and 11. I lived in Guatemla 20 years before moving to Mexico this year. They learned English at home from me and Spanish from their mom and everyone else. They started school in Guatemala with classes in the morning in English and the afternnon and Spanish and then switched halfway through the year. Then after a few years in school in Guatemala we sent them to live with my sister in rural New England for two school years and then back to school in Guatemala and now they will attend in D.F.
> 
> Your youngest two will pick the language up in no time. The oldest that is still school age will have a bit of a harder time. Have them watch tv in english with spanish subtitles and vice versa.
> 
> The school is new for us this year, but what I have heard and what I have seen thus far I think it will be just what we are looking for.


It may be a great school for your bi-lingual offspring (lucky them!), but will it be appropriate for mono-lingual children?


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## mickisue1

GG, a somewhat related question about bilingual household.

My daughter, in Italy, is pregnant. They plan to do what you and your wife have done: have the Italian speaker in the family speak Italian at home, and the English speaker speak English. She has heard, from friends with bilingual homes, that when the kids are small, they get upset to hear the Italian speaker use English, and vice versa. In their minds, they aren't supposed to speak the other language, even to each other.

Did you find this when yours were younger? Did they get upset to hear you speak Spanish, or your wife to speak English?


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## Guategringo

mickisue1 said:


> GG, a somewhat related question about bilingual household.
> 
> My daughter, in Italy, is pregnant. They plan to do what you and your wife have done: have the Italian speaker in the family speak Italian at home, and the English speaker speak English. She has heard, from friends with bilingual homes, that when the kids are small, they get upset to hear the Italian speaker use English, and vice versa. In their minds, they aren't supposed to speak the other language, even to each other.
> 
> Did you find this when yours were younger? Did they get upset to hear you speak Spanish, or your wife to speak English?


I cannot recall that ever happening. I only speak Spanish to my wife since we started that way years ago and it is how I feel most comfortable. I never remember the kids being upset. Maybe because they were so accustomed to me speaking Spanish to their mom. I do know that both started speaking at a later age than most other children and I was worried, but our pediatrician said their minds were digesting the two languages. Now years later I cannot get them to ever be quiet. 

Your daughter will be very important in the household since she will be the ONLY person who speaks English and the kids will hear Italian all the time. I made sure I ate breakfast each morning with my two boys and we would practice English and then again for supper. To this day, I refuse to answer them if they speak to me in Spanish, but it is rare for them to do anyway. My wife's family gets upset occasionally when they speak English to me and vice versa, but I ignore that and your daughter must as well. 

I bought them English books from the moment they could start reading and they read at least one per month even today...My parents would send flash cards to them, even before they could read so they started looking at letters, etc etc. I also talked to each of them while my wife was pregnant. They say they can hear and can distinguish the different sounds and languages. Who knows, but I had plenty of one way conversations with my wife's stomach!!!

My dad was born in Pisa, moved to the U.S. in 1937 but never taught us Italian!!! How sad!! Being bilingual opens so many more doors!!!


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## Guategringo

Isla Verde said:


> It may be a great school for your bi-lingual offspring (lucky them!), but will it be appropriate for mono-lingual children?


Isla that is a good question, but something I cannot answer since it does not pertain to me. I have my children registered there and since they are already bilingual I never asked questions related to them not understanding Spanish. That is something the OP will have to do and I am sure that will be her first question to them at the school.


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## Isla Verde

Guategringo said:


> Isla that is a good question, but something I cannot answer since it does not pertain to me. I have my children registered there and since they are already bilingual I never asked questions related to them not understanding Spanish. That is something the OP will have to do and I am sure that will be her first question to them at the school.


Good advice!


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## fromalohatohola

Isla Verde said:


> Good advice!


Yes, I will definetly be asking schools if they have services to help my children transition to speaking Spanish. Do you know if my children need to have a FM3 visa to go to school in Mexico or is that just for international university students?


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## fromalohatohola

I cannot express enough my appreciation for this forum and those helping me to navigate this new experience we will be having as a family!!! Thank you!!!!!


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## conorkilleen

fromalohatohola said:


> Yes, I will definetly be asking schools if they have services to help my children transition to speaking Spanish. Do you know if my children need to have a FM3 visa to go to school in Mexico or is that just for international university students?


If you are moving to Mexico, and your kids will be living there going to school, they will need an FM3. They will need an FM3 anyway of they will be living there full time and they are your dependent. The Tourist Visa will not work. This is taken from my own experience enrolling my youngest in kinder for next year.


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## Isla Verde

conorkilleen said:


> If you are moving to Mexico, and your kids will be living there going to school, they will need an FM3. They will need an FM3 anyway of they will be living there full time and they are your dependent. The Tourist Visa will not work. This is taken from my own experience enrolling my youngest in kinder for next year.


FYI. There are no more FM3s. They were replaced by No Inmigrante cards a few years ago, which now have been replaced by Residente Temporal cards.


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## conorkilleen

Isla Verde said:


> FYI. There are no more FM3s. They were replaced by No Inmigrante cards a few years ago, which now have been replaced by Residente Permanente cards.


semantics


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## Isla Verde

conorkilleen said:


> semantics


Not really. If you go to INM in Mexico City and ask to apply for an FM3, they will think you don't know what you're doing. In addition, the requirements for Residente Temporal are different than they were for FM3s.


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## conorkilleen

aw...come on Isla. It was just a joke. I know there is no FM3 anymore, I just cant spell the other one 

So serious now that you made moderator status. Its like I don't know you anymore jajajjaja.


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## Isla Verde

conorkilleen said:


> aw...come on Isla. It was just a joke. I know there is no FM3 anymore, I just cant spell the other one
> 
> So serious now that you made moderator status. Its like I don't know you anymore jajajjaja.


How was I to know it was a joke without a smiley face  ?

I have a serious side and a goofy side, as you know . . .


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## Belizegirl

conorkilleen said:


> If you are moving to Mexico, and your kids will be living there going to school, they will need an FM3. They will need an FM3 anyway of they will be living there full time and they are your dependent. The Tourist Visa will not work. This is taken from my own experience enrolling my youngest in kinder for next year.


My children have gone to school here for the past three years on tourist visas (I'm not going to discuss on this thread why we still have tourist visas, I have discussed that on another thread ). Somehow, someway, they even have a CURP.


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## Guategringo

Belizegirl said:


> My children have gone to school here for the past three years on tourist visas (I'm not going to discuss on this thread why we still have tourist visas, I have discussed that on another thread ). Somehow, someway, they even have a CURP.


You are the second person today that has told me that. I luckily am a permanent resident along with my two children so getting them registered for school was not a big thing. But a couple at my office today said they have been her two years and their kids are on tourist visas and this is their third year in school. Where there's a will there's a way.

It amazes me how much Mexico requires students to have to be "technically"eligible to attend school, when NOB you need just a verification of an address where you live. I know that because my brother in law has lived there 14 years and his two children born in Guatemala attend school in Houston. Go figure?!


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## fromalohatohola

Belizegirl said:


> My children have gone to school here for the past three years on tourist visas (I'm not going to discuss on this thread why we still have tourist visas, I have discussed that on another thread ). Somehow, someway, they even have a CURP.


What is a CURP? I have attempted contacting several schools with no response. I am starting to feel I won't be able to do anything about their schooling until I am in the country which won't give us much time. Hopefully it will all work out


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## Belizegirl

Translated into English, CURP is a unique population registry code or personal ID code number. After my children completed their first year of school here, there was a CURP number on their school documents. 

I'm sorry you have had no luck hearing anything from any of the schools you are interested in. When we first moved to Chetumal and then Playa, I had no idea of which school my boys would attend. The first week, I spent time going to various schools so I could see them for myself and have more in depth conversations with the teachers and principal.


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## conorkilleen

Belizegirl said:


> My children have gone to school here for the past three years on tourist visas (I'm not going to discuss on this thread why we still have tourist visas, I have discussed that on another thread ). Somehow, someway, they even have a CURP.


Thats interesting. I had 4 schools tell me that they did not accept a tourist Visa for enrollment. Maybe its different in Mexico City and Monterrey.


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## avg919

*Questions to Ask During Interview*

I've been reading through various posts and threads and thought you might have suggestions on types of questions to ask during the interview. We have interviews next week at Peterson, Colegio Robles and Angloamericano. Also, has anyone else encountered a pre-first requirement? Our daughter turns 6 next month and in the US would be entering 1st grade, but we've been told she'll need to do a pre-first year as all kids born in 2008 will be in that grade. The first grade will be older kids and more advanced. Would appreciate suggestions/thoughts/experience on either front. Thanks!


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## conorkilleen

avg919 said:


> I've been reading through various posts and threads and thought you might have suggestions on types of questions to ask during the interview. We have interviews next week at Peterson, Colegio Robles and Angloamericano. Also, has anyone else encountered a pre-first requirement? Our daughter turns 6 next month and in the US would be entering 1st grade, but we've been told she'll need to do a pre-first year as all kids born in 2008 will be in that grade. The first grade will be older kids and more advanced. Would appreciate suggestions/thoughts/experience on either front. Thanks!


Yep. Mexico schooling is nuts. They want your kid to have 4 years of school before they go into 1st grade. in our school is K-1, K-2, K-3 (all kindergarten), the pre-first, then first. At least this is how it is in private schools. They actually wanted my wife and I to enroll our soon to be 3 year old in a level below K-1! They wanted full inscription and tuition as well! almost 12,000 pesos only for inscription into pretty much day care and then 7k a month for tuition? yeah right. School is as much as a business here in Mexico as the US...if not more.


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## CaliTim

following along for all the helpful info.


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## Griingo_xD

Don't know if your talking about English or Portuguese bilingual school but....
I moved to Mexico when I was 11 and i'm now 18. When I arrived I didn't know a single word of Spanish and I never went to a bi school, look for a nice public school in and around your area. I went to one of the best public middle school and high school here in the city I currently reside. Like tresninos said ''Majority of the schools are bilingual''. I have friends who didn't know English when we entered middle school and by the time we finshed high school they knew. Its not just good schools almost ever signal school teaches English does not matter if your in the good side of town or in the slums.


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## Isla Verde

Griingo_xD said:


> Don't know if your talking about English or Portuguese bilingual school but....
> I moved to Mexico when I was 11 and i'm now 18. When I arrived I didn't know a single word of Spanish and I never went to a bi school, look for a nice public school in and around your area. I went to one of the best public middle school and high school here in the city I currently reside. Like tresninos said ''Majority of the schools are bilingual''. I have friends who didn't know English when we entered middle school and by the time we finshed high school they knew. Its not just good schools almost ever signal school teaches English does not matter if your in the good side of town or in the slums.


Finding a "nice public school" in Mexico may not be possible in a lot of places in the country.


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## Longford

Griingo_xD said:


> Its not just good schools almost ever signal school teaches English does not matter if your in the good side of town or in the slums.


Your comment made me laugh. The "bi-lingual" (English) classes I've seen, and talked to students, parents and teachers about ... are horrifically bad. It's the rare day I've met a teacher in a public school in Mexico who teaches English who can him or herself speak English very well and the students in the public schools have oftentime been without books or decent learning materials. Yes, there will be excpetions, but I think they're just that .. exceptions. I'm a believer in the theory espoused by so many of my Mexican friends ... that the plan of the government and the elite class in Mexico to poorly educate, or not educate at all, most of the population. Keep them dumb (as far as formal schooling foes) and "down on the farm" in hopes that they won't learn how bad their government and "system" has been to them.


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## RVGRINGO

That method seems to be working in some other North American countries, too. It helps with the acceptance of brainwashing, of which we used to complain half a century ago, when others were accused of doing it. Now, their well educated folks are taking over the world economy. Oh well.


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## maesonna

CaliTim said:


> following along for all the helpful info.


It’s a long read, but I invite you to go back and read this thread from the beginning if you haven’t already. It’s full of varied opinions based on people’s different experiences. Any single person will be biased on account of their personal opinion. 

In my case, my kids went to a modest private school for elementary, and public schools from middle school (_secundaria_) onward. On the other hand, many people wouldn’t consider sending their kids to a public school.


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## GARYJ65

Griingo_xD said:


> Don't know if your talking about English or Portuguese bilingual school but....
> I moved to Mexico when I was 11 and i'm now 18. When I arrived I didn't know a single word of Spanish and I never went to a bi school, look for a nice public school in and around your area. I went to one of the best public middle school and high school here in the city I currently reside. Like tresninos said ''Majority of the schools are bilingual''. I have friends who didn't know English when we entered middle school and by the time we finshed high school they knew. Its not just good schools almost ever signal school teaches English does not matter if your in the good side of town or in the slums.


I have to differ on this, In Mexico, it is not mandatory for public schools to teach English, in fact, very few of them do so and with lousy quality.

I would avoid public schools if possible, there is a huge difference between public and private.
And yes, some private schools are over rated, but some others are just good.

Mexican educational sister is no good, I agree on that, but there are very very good schools here as well.

If we want to compare them, why don't we do so with the best educational systems? Finland is one of them


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## maesonna

maesonna said:


> IAny single person will be biased on account of their personal opinion.


Oops; what I meant to say was:

“Any single person will be biased on account of their personal experience.”

Often we aren’t aware of what things vary in different places in Mexico, and we think that how things are in our city and our region are like that all over Mexico. I’ve learned a lot from this and other forums about how some things that I thought were part of the Mexican experience were actually unique to the part of Mexico where I ended up.


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## AlanMexicali

GARYJ65 said:


> I have to differ on this, In Mexico, it is not mandatory for public schools to teach English, in fact, very few of them do so and with lousy quality.
> 
> I would avoid public schools if possible, there is a huge difference between public and private.
> And yes, some private schools are over rated, but some others are just good.
> 
> Mexican educational sister is no good, I agree on that, but there are very very good schools here as well.
> 
> If we want to compare them, why don't we do so with the best educational systems? Finland is one of them


He is from TJ. In Aug. 2006 the state school system which is under the federal SEP [Secretary of Public Education] in Baja Norte did get approval to teach English in all their school districts. The problem was in some áreas if failed miserably and in other áreas it flourished so years later some public schools had a good program going and others simply dropped it as it didn´t work out.

In Mexicali now there are probably only a handful of public schools that kept this program going since then. Hopefully they will reintroduce it in the others some day.


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## GARYJ65

AlanMexicali said:


> He is from TJ. In Aug. 2006 the state school system which is under the federal SEP [Secretary of Public Education] in Baja Norte did get approval to teach English in all their school districts. The problem was in some áreas if failed miserably and in other áreas it flourished so years later some public schools had a good program going and others simply dropped it as it didn´t work out.
> 
> In Mexicali now there are probably only a handful of public schools that kept this program going since then. Hopefully they will reintroduce it in the others some day.


Hopefully

Right now, I'd like to see about their teachers,systems and results


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## Griingo_xD

Isla Verde said:


> Finding a "nice public school" in Mexico may not be possible in a lot of places in the country.


The nice public school middle school I attended was 40 minutes away from where I was residing at the time. My last year of middle school I got kicked out so I had to go to a ghetto school around my area. I was surprised that this school has such a bad rep when in reality this school had better teachers. My grades actually went up being in that school. Yeah the school was full of graffiti and etc.., but like they say don't judge a book by it's cover. So my point is in really don't matter which school a person go's too as long as they want to learn.


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