San Salvador, El Salvador Report of what it's like to live there - 09/10/25
Personal Experiences from San Salvador, El Salvador
School Name:
Casa de los Ninos
Background Information:
1. Are you the parent of a child(ren) attending this school? A teacher at the school? Or both?
Parent
2. What grade or grades do/did your children attend at the school? During what year(s) did they attend the school?
Casa de Ninos (PK 3 equivalent - kindergarten)
3. What years did you live here?
2021-2025
4. What was your reason for living in the city where the school is located (e.g., government, military, corporate, NGO, retired)?
Government
5. Are other schools available to expatriates in this city? Why did you choose this particular school?
Yes, plenty of other schools are available. I chose this school for my daughter because I wanted a Montessori school, and Casa de los Ninos came strongly recommended.
Admissions & Welcome:
1. Are the admissions and placement procedures clearly stated to prospective families, either on the school website or through other means of communication?
No - if you want to know how to get into this school, you'll have to know someone who has the director's contact information or somehow find it yourself.
2. How would you rate the school's support and welcome/integration of new students and their families, and why?
I thought it was fine although I didn't have any grand expectations or anything. My child got sent home with a "facebook" of the kids in her class so that she could work on putting names to faces, and I got introduced as a new parent at a parents' meeting soon after my child started at the school.
Administration & School Procedures:
1. How is the overall communication between teachers and parents, and the administration and parents? How is communication facilitated?
Communication is exclusively via WhatsApp. I didn't pursue a ton of communication, and I would say that the consistency of communication varied wildly. Sometimes we got pictures/updates multiple times a week, sometimes it seemed like we went a week or two with no updates. However, if you reach out to a teacher on your own, they are very responsive.
2. Aside from school fees, are there required expenses such as uniforms, laptops/tablets, musical instruments, or field trips that parents are expected to cover? What are the approximate costs?
There are some initial fees for a school smock ("gabacha", not required), and a placemat. But these are one-time fees, and I think ran me something like $65 total. Tuition was something like $4500/year, and for $880 (I think), kids in the Casa de Ninos class can opt to stay for a "long day" on Mondays, where they eat lunch with their classmates, have an extra art class, and take robotics. Note that the extended Monday is not an option for the lower two classes (Nido and Comunidad Infantil).
Academics & Resources:
1. What personal or academic counseling resources are available at this school? Is there a dedicated college counselor at the school? Is he/she familiar with universities worldwide?
This is a preschool/kindergarten. I would say that if your child has any kind of special needs, Casa de los Ninos may not be the place for them. It is a tiny school (max. 50ish kids in the whole school at any given time), and probably lacks the resources to address any special needs, although it would be worth a conversation.
2. Is there before and/or after-school daycare available? What are the costs?
No, only the extended Mondays as mentioned above.
3. Does the school have a library? How large is it? How updated are the books? Can students borrow books to read at home?
No.
4. What are the technology requirements for students? Do they need their own laptops/ipads? How is technology integrated into the classroom and homework?
No technology requirements, and the only time the kids use any kind of technology is in the extended Mondays robotics class. For me this was a huge plus, but your mileage may vary.
5. Describe the physical education resources at the school. Is there a gym? A swimming pool? Are there playing fields or tennis courts available?
There's a formal "psico-motricidad" unit a few times a week. The school is also completely open to the school garden in the back, so the kids play outside a couple of times a day. No gym, swimming pool, playing fields, or tennis courts, though.
6. What is the approximate teacher-to-student ratio in the grades that your child attended?
1:8, approximately, although sometimes the school has a hard time keeping teachers around.
7. Are students generally challenged appropriately by the curriculum? Please describe any particular strengths or weaknesses in this area. Do you have any thoughts how the curriculum is applied and implemented at this school?
My daughter was continually challenged. This is a small school and the teachers really know the kids. They guide the kids to challenge themselves appropriately, and will provide extra resources to do so as needed. For example, my daughter really loves math and numbers, and the director would special order higher level Montessori materials that the school didn't already have so that kiddo could keep progressing. Note that this is a Montessori school and the Montessori mantra is that Montessori is for all kids, but not for all parents. I think that's just a nutty thing to say -- nothing is for everyone. If you don't think your child would thrive in a Montessori environment, Casa de los Ninos will not be a good fit for them.
8. Is the amount and type of homework generally appropriate for the age and grade of the students?
No homework.
9. What fine arts electives are available (music, drama, visual arts)?
No.
10. Are the teachers at the school required to speak English as a first language--or at least fluently?
No -- a few of the teachers speak some English (the art teacher speaks English fluently), but otherwise this is a Spanish-speaking school. It is a local Montessori preschool and kindergarten, not one of the large bilingual international schools.
11. What services are available for gifted/advanced students at the school? Please describe your experience with these services, if applicable.
No formal services, although the school does try to meet kids where they are, so if they need more advanced work, the teachers will find a way to give it to them.
12. What services are available for students with learning disabilities at this school? Please describe your experience with these services, if applicable.
You would need to discuss specific needs with the school. I am unaware of any services for learning disabilities, but depending on the need the school may be able to accomodate.
13. What services are available for students with physical disabilities at this school? Please describe your experience with these services, if applicable.
There are stairs right when you come into the school. Again, I suggest discussing specific needs directly with the school.
14. What services are provided for speakers of English as a second language at this school? Please describe your experience with these services, if applicable.
This school would be tougher for kids who don't come in with Spanish. Obviously for the very little kids (Nido, roughly 18 months - 3 years), it's probably not a big issue, but as the kids get older the Spanish piece will be tougher. My daughter started in the oldest class (Casa de Ninos), but was already fluent in Spanish, so it was fine.
15. What extra-curricular activities (including sports) are available at this school? Have your children participated in these activities? What activities do you feel are missing at the school?
Only the extended Mondays as discussed above. My child attended extended Mondays last year when she was 5 and she loved it, even though she felt like nap time was a waste of time, haha.
Social & Emotional Well-Being:
1. What is the climate for LGBT+ kids at this school? Are there resources they can draw upon? Does there appear to be any exclusionary behavior?
This is not an issue at the shcool that I was aware of.
2. What is the climate for children with special needs? Is there a general attitude of inclusion for children with special needs?
I was unaware of any children with special needs at the school.
3. Do expatriate students socialize with local students at the school? Are both groups successfully integrated into the school culture?
Yes -- the school is about 75% local, 25% expat. The kids all played just fine, everyone got invited to everyone else's birthday parties, etc.
4. Are there are any problems with exclusionary behavior, cliques, or bullying at this school? Please describe any problems your children may have experienced in this area.
No issues like this that I was aware of.
5. What is the climate for students who identify as ethnic, race/racial minorities or religious minorities at this school? Are there resources they can draw upon? Have your children had any experiences in this area?
Most of the "minorities" will be expat kids. There were Jewish and Muslim kids among the expat student population and I was unaware of any big issues. The Jewish family did a presentation to their child's class about Jewish holidays that was well received. Just be aware that the school unabashedly celebrates Christian holidays (Christmas, Easter).
6. What can you say about diversity among the faculty and staff at the school and their experience in supporting minority students?
Beyond the director (Italian) and the psico-motricidad teacher (Japanese), all teachers are Salvadoran. Since we're not a minority family, I don't really feel qualified to answer this question, but I was unaware of any issues.
Overall Impressions:
1. Please describe some of your child's/children's highlights and challenges during their time at this school.
The big highlight was the freedom to pursue self-directed work, and the opportunities for kids to take on leadership roles as they get older in their class. My daughter was one of the two oldest kids in her class last year and she really enjoyed being in the role of demonstrator/teacher last year. As for challenges, she claimed she was bored more often last year than previously, which might just be a consequence of being one of the oldest kids in the class.
2. What letter grade (ranging from A, excellent, to F, fail) would you assign to this school based on your overall experience? Would you choose it again?
B+ -- I would definitely choose this school again, but I do wish the administration and communication were stronger.
3. Please tell us anything else you think prospective parents and students should know about this school. Thanks for your contribution!
Despite the challenges with administration and communication, we really loved our time at Casa de los Ninos. My daughter completed kindergarten there, which is not typical -- most kids leave for one of the big international school for their kindergarten year. But this year she is in first grade in an American public school and doing wonderfully, so I think Casa did a great job preparing her.
