Schools in Colombia for American families

For American families, school is often the decision that shapes everything else in a move to Colombia: which city, which neighbourhood, how much to budget and when to arrive. Colombia has a large private school sector, a public system run by local education secretariats, and a group of bilingual and international schools that many foreign families choose. This guide explains how the system is organised, how school calendars work, and how to get your child's US schooling recognised through the Ministry of Education's convalidación process.

I lived and worked in Colombia. The comments on daily life here are general observations; the rules on convalidación come from the Ministerio de Educación Nacional.

How Colombian schooling is organised

Colombian education before university is divided into three levels:

• Preescolar (preschool), including transition year.
• Educación básica, split into primary (grades 1 to 5) and lower secondary (grades 6 to 9).
• Educación media, grades 10 and 11, ending with the "título de bachiller," the Colombian high school diploma.

Colombian schooling ends at grade 11, one year earlier than in the US. Students sit the national Saber 11 exam in their final year, and universities use its results in admissions.

Schools are either "oficiales" (public, managed by the education secretariat of each city or department) or "privados" (private). Both are overseen by the Ministry of Education and the local secretariats.

School calendars: A and B

One of the first things American parents notice is that Colombian schools run on two calendars:

• Calendario A runs roughly from late January or February to late November. Most public schools and many private schools follow it.
• Calendario B runs roughly from August or September to June, like the US school year. Many bilingual and international schools use it.

Local education secretariats issue the official school calendars each year. The Ministry of Education announced in October 2026 that secretariats must issue their school calendars before November 1, so the following year's dates are usually published by then.

If you are moving mid-year, the calendar matters. A child leaving a US school in June can usually join a Calendario B school in August without losing a semester, while a Calendario A school would mean starting partway through its year.

Public schools

Public schools are free to attend, and children of foreign residents can enrol. Places are assigned through the education secretariat of each city, which runs an enrolment process each year. Instruction is in Spanish, and quality varies a great deal between schools and regions.

Families who choose public school usually do so for full immersion, often with younger children who pick up Spanish quickly. Older children who arrive without Spanish can find it hard at first.

Private, bilingual and international schools

Most foreign families in Bogota, Medellin, Cali and Barranquilla choose private schools. They fall into broad groups:

• Colombian private schools teaching mostly in Spanish, often with strong English programmes.
• Bilingual schools teaching a large part of the curriculum in English, French or German.
• International schools offering programmes such as the International Baccalaureate (IB) or a US-style curriculum, sometimes alongside the Colombian bachillerato. Some are accredited by US accrediting bodies, which can simplify a return to a US school or university.

Fees vary widely and usually include an enrolment fee ("matrícula"), monthly tuition ("pensión"), and extra charges for transport, uniforms and meals. Private school fees are regulated by the Ministry of Education's rules for each school's category, so increases are limited. Ask each school for its full cost sheet.

Admissions often include an interview, an assessment of the child and sometimes a parents' interview. Popular schools fill early, so contact them several months before you move.

Recognising US grades: convalidación

If your child studied in the US and will continue in the Colombian system, the Ministry of Education may require "convalidación de estudios," the official recognition of studies completed abroad. The Ministry describes convalidación of preschool, basic and secondary education as the official recognition that the studies are equivalent within the Colombian system.

Two kinds of request exist:

• Partial studies ("estudios parciales"), for completed grades that you want recognised.
• High school diploma ("título de bachiller"), for a completed US high school.

Many private schools will place a student based on their own assessment and help families with the paperwork, so ask the school whether it needs a convalidación at entry or only when the student graduates or applies to university.

### The documents the Ministry lists

The Ministry's basic requirements page lists, in PDF format, uploaded through its convalidación information system:

1. The student's valid identity document. For foreign students, a temporary or resident Cédula de Extranjería, or the passport if the student has no Cédula de Extranjería.
2. Report cards or grade certificates for each grade to be recognised, or the high school diploma.
3. Recognition (stamp and signature) of the certificates by the education authority of the country where the studies took place.
4. Legalisation by apostille if the country belongs to the Hague Convention. The US does, so US documents need an apostille.
5. An official Spanish translation of documents not in Spanish, including stamps and apostille certificates.
6. For a minor, the request is filed by a parent or legal representative, with a copy of their ID and the child's birth certificate or equivalent.

If documents are incomplete or illegible, the Ministry issues a request to the applicant, who has one month (with the option to request an extension) to complete them before the file is closed.

### How the Ministry decides

The Ministry describes four stages: filing the request online, document verification, an equivalence analysis using tables for agreement countries or a technical study of the foreign education system, and a decision. When the request is approved, the Ministry issues a resolution recognising the grades or the diploma as equivalent to the Colombian Bachiller Académico or Técnico.

In the US, apostilles for school records are issued by the Secretary of State of the state where the school is, so plan this step before you leave.

Documents for children who are US citizens

If your child is born in Colombia, the US Embassy in Bogota handles the Consular Report of Birth Abroad and the child's first US passport. The embassy's birth page explains the documents and appointment process. Children who hold a Colombian visa as dependants also receive their own Cédula de Extranjería from Migración Colombia once they reach the age the rules set, and schools will ask for it.

Choosing a neighbourhood around the school

In Bogota, many international schools are in the north of the city and in the municipalities just outside it, such as Chía. In Medellin, several are in El Poblado, Envigado and the Llanogrande area near Rionegro. Daily traffic can turn a short distance into a long ride, so families commonly choose housing near the school and use the school bus service. Visit at rush hour before you sign a lease.

A short checklist

1. Decide between Calendario A and B based on when you arrive.
2. Contact schools several months ahead and ask about admissions, fees and accreditation.
3. Get US report cards and diplomas apostilled by the relevant state before you leave.
4. Ask the school whether a Ministry convalidación is needed now or later.
5. Arrange official Spanish translations of all apostilled documents.

Common questions

What is the school year in Colombia? Schools follow Calendario A (roughly February to November) or Calendario B (roughly August to June). Most public schools use A; many bilingual and international schools use B.

Do I need to convalidate my child's US grades in Colombia? For the Colombian system to recognise studies done abroad, the Ministry of Education runs a convalidación process for partial studies or a high school diploma. Ask your school when it requires it.

Do US school documents need an apostille? Yes. The Ministry of Education requires an apostille for documents from Hague Convention countries, and the US is a member. Documents in English also need an official Spanish translation.

Can foreign children attend public school in Colombia? Yes. Children of foreign residents can enrol in public schools through the local education secretariat's enrolment process. Instruction is in Spanish.