Preparing For University

The high school program prepares students for college, either in Guatemala or abroad, with foreign emphasis on the United States and Canada. Students earn two high school diplomas, the Guatemalan Bachilerato and the US diploma. Students must fulfill requirements to satisfy both programs.

High school begins with grade 9 and students take courses in the usual core subjects of math, English, Spanish and science. For social studies, at each grade level, they must take classes in Guatemalan sociales as well as US social studies. Other courses include art, music, technology and an elective.

In addition to the core subjects, accounting is added to the 10 th grade schedule, as required by Guatemalan law. 11 th graders double up in science with courses in chemistry and physics, as well as an additional math course in statistics.

The senior year includes two very important local projects: the senior thesis, or Temario, is a research based paper in the field of humanities or science, presented orally, with the aid of Power Point, to both the parents and the Ministry of Education. A community service based program, conducted as a group research project about a contemporary social problem, and then executed at the end of the year is also required of all seniors. The results of this Seminario are presented to the parents and Ministry of Education at the end of the year as well.

We offer a selection of Advanced Placement courses to students each year, based on interest. This year we are offering AP Calculus, AP World History, AP Psychology, AP Spanish Literature and AP Spanish Language.