Georgetown - Post Report Question and Answers
What is the availability of international schools? What has been your general experience with them, if any?
Georgetown International Academy (GIA) is not a good option, in my opinion. I understand that many expats (both diplomats and private sector) have curtailed their postings because of the school. It is poorly run, and while the big oil companies and the embassy will try to improve both the quality of the facilities and education, it seems like a losing battle with few successes to show so far. Covid and current leadership has resulted in a school that seems far below standard and where teachers are constantly quitting. If you have school-age kids, I would strongly recommend reconsidering taking a posting here. This has been the worst school we have seen in many overseas postings. - Aug 2021
Georgetown International Academy is the "American school". It's pretty small currently with 220-ish students counting pre-K going all the way up to grade 12 with a US curriculum. Enrollment is growing exponentially and the school is actively searching for a new location as they plan to expand up to a Tier 1 international school. At present, classes are quite small as are the school grounds. The students receive a lot of attention and gain that experience that comes with a small school that allows interacting with all age ranges up/down. It's been a solid educational experience for my middle school age child. After school activities exist- but may be considered to be more limited when compared to those expats used to much larger school with more amenities. - Sep 2020
Embassy kids attend Georgetown International Academy (GIA). GIA is very small, with rarely more than 20 kids per grade in elementary school, and only a few kids in each grade from 6th grade onward. As with any small school, our experiences were mixed. Some of the teachers are wonderful, but many are poor and/or ineffective, and teacher-parent communication is often lacking. GIA also doesn’t have a lot of resources to support programs beyond the basic curriculum, so there is little support for gifted/talented students or any other enrichment programs. If you have a middle or high-school student, your best bet may be homeschooling or boarding school. - Aug 2019
The international school is good for grades K-8. They use an American curriculum and have implemented Common Core and New Generation Science standards. Class sizes are small and teacher to student ratios are excellent.Some families have made it work for high school level. There is a real family atmosphere, all teachers, students know each other.
The down side to a small school is after school activities, which leave something to be desired, but the school does manage to get together some intra-murals with other schools in the city for soccer. Also, they cannot accommodate more than mild learning disabilities. - Sep 2016
I don't have a child in school here but have heard parents complain about the school. Guyanese education practices and considerations are different than in the U.S. and that seems to run over into some of the school activities. Some parents have stated their child fell behind in school. - Apr 2014
There is an international school, but I do not know much about the teachers or the curriculum. - May 2012
There is one "American" school here--Georgetown International Academy (GIA). It is a small place (about 100 kids from K-12), but very lively. The teachers and staff really get a chance to know your child since class sizes are limited. There is a very active School Board and PTA and they are always looking for way to get more parents to participate. Currently, GIA is recommended up to 6th grade, by the Dept of State. However, the Overseas School Advisor recently visited and has said he believes the recommendation should be increased to 8th grade. GIA is fully accredited and recently won the James Stilter Award through the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools for "The school that best exemplifies AdvancED's mission to spread academic excellence to children world-wide". Both of my children have been really happy here. - Mar 2012
Not much experience with the schools. There are some local private schools which are good, but not accredited through the US system. There is an American school that is improving. It is open to expats and locals. There is NO offering for High school and there are NO special education schools (at least up to US standards). - Feb 2012
I have no children, but have heard many complaints about the international school here. This would be the one true weak spot for this Post. - Feb 2010
