As to be expected, in Ecuador, the schools work differently than in the US or Europe.
Kids start school at age 5 as they begin the “Primaria” which lasts for 7 years. After finishing the “Primaria”, they move on to the next phase of schooling called “Secundaria” which lasts for 3 more years (kind of like the middle school of the US).
After that, they move on to the “Bachelerato” which is kind of like their high school, which lasts for 3 more years. Most kids graduate at age 16 or 17.
At that point many enter the universities, which have a standard duration of 5 years in Ecuador for most majors.
The schools in Ecuador vary greatly in quality from schools that are “not so good” to schools that are often considered even better than most in the US.
As for the grade and high schools…there are public (free) schools and private (paid) schools.
In Ecuador, over the last few years the quality of the public schools has improved greatly, but finding an open space (cupo) for your child in these schools is very difficult, they fill up fast!
Most foreigners put their kids in private, international schools where the kids are taught in English or German.
Private schools in Ecuador are easy to find, and enroll in, and cost starting from $35 a month.
To locate hoards of schools in the area of Ecuador you live, the best way is to try the local yellow pages of the town where you live looking under “Escuelas”.
To find the best schools, the only way is really to get personal recommendations from others in your area.
The requirements for enrollment are pretty basic, they will ask you for things like the birth certificate of your kid, and transcripts from past school, etc.
In an upcoming post, I’ll talk about the University system of Ecuador…until next time, Domenick
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