Public education in Costa Rica is free and mandatory. There are over 9,300 educational institutions in Costa Rica.

Our educational system is ranked 32nd in the world, the highest in Latin America, according to the World Economic Forum Global Competitiveness Report 2008-2009.

There are over 200 private schools registered with the Ministry of Education, most of them are bilingual (English, German, French or Hebrew), and offer worldwide recognized programs such as the Advanced Placement (AP) and the International Baccalaureate (IB).

For those relocating to Costa Rica and in need of an internationally certified school, there are seven schools that provide international diplomas certified by organizations such as the SACS, NEASC and MSA. Those schools are: American International School, Blue Valley School, British School, Country Day School, Lincoln School, Marian Baker School, Pan-American School and Falcon International School.