Comparing US and BA schools

[el_expatriado]

Hi everyone! Apologies if this isn't the right place for this kind of thread.

I'm not a parent, but rather a freelance writer based in Buenos Aires who is looking to profile parents who moved from the United States to Buenos Aires sometime in the last few years and have experience looking for schools for their children. I also hope that this thread may be able to serve as a place for parents to offer advice and insight regarding the various considerations to keep in mind. From what I understand, some of these factors include:

• Very limited — and expensive/competitive — options for schools that adhere to a Northern Hemisphere schedule, for students who plan on reintegrating to the United States or European school schedule.
• Reputation among some private schools as being elitist, stuffy, overly religious, etc., yet are still considered the best option by many expat parents given endemic issues afflicting the public school system. Not to mention, of course, that many expat parents will be looking for a bilingual school, many (though not all) of which are private.
• Any expat families that opted to homeschool their children? Is this recommended, and if so, why?

Please feel free to bring up additional points, of course, and recommend specific schools with which you have had positive experiences. And also feel free to message me privately if you are interested in setting up an interview or something of that sort. Hopefully this can serve as a helpful resource for folks.

I enrolled my 2 year old last year in private bilingual school in Tigre. Perhaps in the City of Buenos Aires you can take the risk of sending your kids to public school, but here in Tigre I wouldn't risk it unless you want them learning the ABCs by listening to L-Gante and socializing with the children of parents who you'd be afraid to invite over to your house.

Before I enrolled them in bilingual school here, I went to every school in the area that had vacancies and did an interview. Some of these for profit "bilingual" schools have an embarrassing level of English proficiency. I ended up enrolling my child in a not for profit bilingual school.

We actually have a Whatsapp group between the 20 or so US parents at the school and although everyone agrees the school doesn't measure up to the standards of private schools in the US. It is about the equivalent of a good middle class public school back in the states.

 

[DarrenKK]

I think there's some good observations and advice there from el_expatriado.

For pretty much any expat, probably literally all, a state school is out of the question right out of the gate,

And the range of feedback I get about the bilingual schools, of which there are a great many, backs up the findings above. You really need to pick one very carefully.

For a city of Buenos Aires' stature, the lack of international schools seems odd. There's basically only 2 as someone stated earlier and one of them is so expensive it largely attracts the kids of ambassadors and diplomats funded from the public purse of each country.

 

[artigas]

Argentina, often deservedly, receives a lot of negative comments on this forum. Unfortunately, many institutions of Argentina perform well below world standards, but, from time to time, when Argentina does something well, it can be at a top world class level, such as fútbol, Teatro Colon or parilla. Both my sons attended public schools in Buenos Aires and both eventually earned places in, and graduated, from the public, but selective, CNBA (Colegio Nacional de Buenos Aires). The level of their educators' commitments to educational excellence and knowledge were exceptional. They boys both received a first class classic education in subjects ranging from Latin to Astronomy. At CNBA they had the opportunity to fully pursue their academic interests in and after school, learn from UBA professors and represent their school in Argentine and international academic olympiads. Both were accepted straight from CNBA into highly competitive, top 10 ranked, universities in the States. The eldest is currently in his junior year, double majoring in STEM subjects and near the top of his class and the younger was recently accepted into and will be attending a top tier Ivy League university this Fall. Both would like to eventually return and live in Argentina after they complete their studies. I am convinced that none of these opportunities would have been possible for them without the benefit of their Argentine education and certainly not if they had attended any public school system in the States which I could have feasibly enrolled them in. Coming to and living in Argentina, was the best decision for their future I could have made, and we will always be thankful for the education and opportunities that Argentina gave them.

 

[kc_w]

I'd be happy to discuss compensation with anyone who might be interested in an interview. I'm primarily glad to see that this thread has sparked a thoughtful discussion among most, if not all, participants. It seems that given how wide this range of quality among public and/or bilingual schools is, a lot of research, visiting, interviewing, etc. has to go into the school selection process. These considerations are what initially sparked my interest in writing this profile, so that it may help parents who may want to move here from the United States (which, given the assault on public education in many states, is becoming more and more relevant to a lot of parents).

 

[mmoon]

Most of the comments I add here these days seem to be for a shoutout to Belgrano Day School, where our son attended back in the day. I’m glad there are still some families relocating to BA who don’t just want to mimic a US school experience. BDS is not on a northern hemisphere calendar, but there were about 15% expat kids there. In our time, more students from Asia and mainland Europe than the US or other English-speaking countries. He started in second grade, already spoke a little Spanish, but had a private tutor there (extra cost) and was nearly fluent within a few months. To this day, he credits his fastidiousness with homework, especially old-school math computation, and his excellent handwriting (all of his primary hometown was done in a notebook, in cursive and in ink) to his time at BDS. It has been a few years, but we still drop in and visit when we’re nearby. Truly half the day is in each language, and it has a solid IB program. For expats, it’s not crazy expensive, nothing like Lincoln, and your child meets a lot of local friends while learning the language with a solid porteño accent. I recommend it wholeheartedly.

 

[sergio]

Argentina, often deservedly, receives a lot of negative comments on this forum. Unfortunately, many institutions of Argentina perform well below world standards, but, from time to time, when Argentina does something well, it can be at a top world class level, such as fútbol, Teatro Colon or parilla. Both my sons attended public schools in Buenos Aires and both eventually earned places in, and graduated, from the public, but selective, CNBA (Colegio Nacional de Buenos Aires). The level of their educators' commitments to educational excellence and knowledge were exceptional. They boys both received a first class classic education in subjects ranging from Latin to Astronomy. At CNBA they had the opportunity to fully pursue their academic interests in and after school, learn from UBA professors and represent their school in Argentine and international academic olympiads. Both were accepted straight from CNBA into highly competitive, top 10 ranked, universities in the States. The eldest is currently in his junior year, double majoring in STEM subjects and near the top of his class and the younger was recently accepted into and will be attending a top tier Ivy League university this Fall. Both would like to eventually return and live in Argentina after they complete their studies. I am convinced that none of these opportunities would have been possible for them without the benefit of their Argentine education and certainly not if they had attended any public school system in the States which I could have feasibly enrolled them in. Coming to and living in Argentina, was the best decision for their future I could have made, and we will always be thankful for the education and opportunities that Argentina gave them.

They attended the Colegio Nacional, hardly typical of state schools in Argentina!

 

[Caribbean Cool]

Hi everyone! Apologies if this isn't the right place for this kind of thread.

I'm not a parent, but rather a freelance writer based in Buenos Aires who is looking to profile parents who moved from the United States to Buenos Aires sometime in the last few years and have experience looking for schools for their children. I also hope that this thread may be able to serve as a place for parents to offer advice and insight regarding the various considerations to keep in mind. From what I understand, some of these factors include:

• Very limited — and expensive/competitive — options for schools that adhere to a Northern Hemisphere schedule, for students who plan on reintegrating to the United States or European school schedule.
• Reputation among some private schools as being elitist, stuffy, overly religious, etc., yet are still considered the best option by many expat parents given endemic issues afflicting the public school system. Not to mention, of course, that many expat parents will be looking for a bilingual school, many (though not all) of which are private.
• Any expat families that opted to homeschool their children? Is this recommended, and if so, why?

Please feel free to bring up additional points, of course, and recommend specific schools with which you have had positive experiences. And also feel free to message me privately if you are interested in setting up an interview or something of that sort. Hopefully this can serve as a helpful resource for folks.

 

[on the brink]

They attended the Colegio Nacional, hardly typical of state schools in Argentina!

The Nacional Buenos Aires is open to anyone with good grades. Welcomes students from all social backgrounds, provided they have both brains and a sense of commitment.

 

[sergio]

The Nacional Buenos Aires is open to anyone with good grades. Welcomes students from all social backgrounds, provided they have both brains and a sense of commitment.

Yes and they have a very limited number of places. The overwhelming number of students attend far less demanding state schools.

 

[on the brink]

Yes and they have a very limited number of places. The overwhelming number of students attend far less demanding state schools.

So?