Schools In El Salvador

Hello Parents, there are many options when it comes to educating your young ones in El Salvador.

Education in El Salvador is composed of preschool, primary school, secondary school, and higher education levels, offered by public and private institutions, and is regulated by the Ministry of Education (MINED). Compulsory education begins at age 7 and ends at age 15, students are then able to study for two more years to receive the bachillerato general, the degree required to enter the country’s universities. The school cycle is from the end of January to the end of October/early November, except in the case of private bilingual schools that use the U.S. cycle from August until early June. A university bachelor’s degree takes five years to complete under the semester model. There are 41 higher education institutions in the country.

Here is a list of recommended primary and secondary schools:

• Escuela Americana
• Academia Británica Cuscatleca
• Highlands International School San Salvador
• Deutsche Schule San Salvador
• Liceo Francés de El Salvador
• Colegio Internacional de San Salvador
• Acton Academy

Another popular option is homeschooling.

There are mechanisms recognized in the current law that allow the validation of learning acquired outside of formal education. Additionally, there is not a law stating otherwise. Therefore, we conclude that home education is a viable option in El Salvador.

Article 11 of the General Education Law (Decree No. 917) establishes that the levels of formal education will be open to all those who come from non-formal or informal education, with only one requirement of passing through an evaluative body. Likewise, Article 63 stipulates that “Every person with self-training has the right to request from the Ministry of Education proof of sufficiency that proves the incorporation to the different levels of the educational system.”

[Download Link]General Education Law of El Salvador (en español)

List of recommended post-secondary schools

• Nueva San Salvador University
• University of El Salvador
• Central American University
• Technological University of El Salvador
• Universidad Francisco Gavidia San Salvador
• Universidad Evangélica de El Salvador
• Universidad Modular Abierta
• Universidad Salvadoreña Alberto Masferrer
• Universidad Don Bosco
• Les Arts Culinaires
• Escuela de Comunicación
• Escuela Superior de Economía y Negocios

There is also a ‘Spanish Immersion Class‘ with transportation, accommodation with a Salvadoran family included, featuring Spanish lessons in Santa Ana and one on one lessons in the capital San Salvador and La Libertad.