What month high school starts in Panama?

Question

My boy will be first grade this year.Also are the public schools good or should I look for private school.Any info about high schools in Panama will be great.I am moving there next month.

Thank you in advance

Answer 1

As an American who has made the transition to Panama I will offer a few things that might be useful.  First, you asked about the public schools in Panama.  They are good, but unless your child is fluent in Spanish he will not be able to keep up in Public School.  Unlike the US there are no programs in place that cater to students that have Spanish as a second language.  Also, in the Public schools here you pretty much have to pay for everything from transportation to uniforms and beyond.  In Panama, all schools up to and including High School require students to wear uniforms here.  Transportation can take up to an hour one way everyday, which is something you may not be use to unless you are living in a rural area of the US.   The other thing we found challenging is the calendar schedules of the public and private schools in Panama.  Since the new school year starts March you face the dilemma  of having your child repeat half of the year or try leap forward for half of a year.  There are a couple of schools in Panama that have the same schedule as the US schools and teach in English.  One is the International School of Panama, they are one of the most expensive private schools here and they use ‘the King’s English’, so what;  your child may have a slight British accent. It is also true there is an application process (you can’t just enroll you have to be accepted) and maybe a waiting list.  I think that as more Americans with school aged children continue to arrive in Panama the school choices will increase.

A lot of Americans in Panama home school.  There is a yahoo group of home-schoolers.  Here is the link http://groups.yahoo.com/group/HSPanama/  

Maybe you should consider starting a yahoo group for American with school age children moving to Panama who are interested in traditional schooling that would help with the transition process.  

Welcome to Panama.

Answer 2

Schools start in march, or the final weeks of February.  We have a 2 week vacation in August and a 3 month vacation in December.

You have to look for a private school.  There are many, many good bilingual private schools.  But, as soon as you arrive, start looking for one, because they are full and sometimes do not have space for new kids.

Good Luck!