Argentina public schools

BenHy

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Hello,

Not sure what the protocol is for making a first post, but I'll start by saying hola to all here and that I'm grateful to have found such an extensive resource for expat life in Argentina. I'd be especially grateful if anyone would share their experience or opinions of the Argentine public school system.

I'm from the UK and my wife is Argentinean. We married in the UK in 2013 and have been living there ever since. However, she's never really settled and we're seriously considering making a permanent move to BA, which is where she's from, where we met, and where we have lots of friends and family nearby.

My main concern about moving is our daughter's education. She's three years old so hasn't started school yet. I work remotely, and would be able to maintain a UK income if we did move, but I don't think it would be sufficient for living costs, healthcare, and private school for my daughter.

The comments I've found on this forum about public schools in Argentina are overwhelmingly negative. My wife's own experience of public school (in a small town in BA Province) was also negative. However, we have Argentinean friends in the city who are happy with the public schools their children attend.

I'd welcome any views, particularly those based on experience - good or bad. Thanks.

Ben
 
State schools (they are not referred to as "public" schools in Argentina) are with few exceptions very poor. To begin with, the school day is only a few hours long - normally mornings or afternoons. In addition there are strikes that can seriously disrupt a child's education. While there are a couple of exceptions, in general the system is very deficient. I'm afraid you'll have to send your young daughter to a private school. There are many to choose from. She doesn't have to go to one of the most elite schools. There are others that do an adequate job and charge far less.
 
I believe that state school teachers' salaries re very low.You get what you pay for.
There is a state elementary school, near where I live, at Libertad, Quintana and Juncal in Recoleta..I don't think that any child ,who lives in the area, attends this school. All the children are from the Retiro shantytown.
 
I would also strongly advise against a public school, but not just for the education. With your child being a foreigner, there is a good chance she will be ostracized or even bullied at the public school. Most foreigners go the private school route so they are rare and “strange” in public schools. My friend with three kids had such a bad experience with bullying of her kids that she ended up homeschooling. Check out the range of private schools...they are much less expensive than in the UK or US and with many options for bilingual education. Suerte!
 
I believe that state school teachers' salaries re very low.You get what you pay for.
There is a state elementary school, near where I live, at Libertad, Quintana and Juncal in Recoleta..I don't think that any child ,who lives in the area, attends this school. All the children are from the Retiro shantytown.

Some may be children of porteros.
Sorry to say but if you are going to live in Argentina you have to stop thinking like a foreigner. State schools are simply NOT an option, especially at the primary school level.
 
Trouble here with state schools are the large class sizes, lack of resources and poor facilities which prevent teachers from delivering an acceptable standard of education.
So as advised already fee paying schools really are the best option and needn't cost a fortune.
 
Actually even the best private schools in Argentina have large classes - thirty or more in a class is common private schools. That's easily twice what would be considered good in a US private school. Poor facilities are the norm but you don't need the best buildings to get a good education. Even in the very top tier private schools in Argentina you're going to find deficiencies but far fewer than in state schools.
 
Hi, Ben.
We're in a similar situation with an almost 3 year old. He did 1/2 A year at a private school San Lucas in olivos and is returning for 3 year old class on Monday.
As others say, private is really the way only option.
Several have english influenced curriculum and most are bilingual. I found the cost of top level private schools to be about half of US (Atlanta) schools. Sala de 3 is 6,700 peso per month.
As I mentioned in another post a minute ago, organizing location of home, school and work (your remote, so 1 is easy) is important.
PM if you like more info on the schools we visited.
Thanks
Brandon
 
Hello everyone,

Thanks for your replies. I'd naively been hoping to read something positive about state schools but these comments just support what my wife's been saying all along. And the possibility of my daughter having difficulties because of her nationality hadn't even occurred to me. I'll need to do a lot more research about what we could realistically afford before making any long term decisions.

Thanks again.
 
One other thing Ben, you asked about protocols for posting here, and I would just say that the genuine curiosity of a question coupled with appreciation for people’s helpful responses is all it takes, and you’ve already demonstrated both. Welcome!
If you want to inquire here about specific private schools, I’m sure you will get thoughtful feedback. We ended up choosing Belgrano Day School and living in the adjacent neighborhood, Belgrano R. Both choices ended up really well. We also looked at BA English High School, but at that time, there were very few foreigners in the school (at BDS it was about 15%). The school facilities were a little creaky, but the teachers were excellent, and our son even had an affordable in-school tutor to help him get his Spanish up to par in order to stay with his class full time (which only took a few months). This was almost a decade ago, so I’m sure many out there have more recent experiences. We found the whole private school process to be far less stressful (and more affordable) than in the US.
 
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