Ready
From the book: Chapter 27: Children's Education & Schooling
Schools & Education
Official education resources that go with Chapter 27. Checked October 2026.
In the book: Chapter 27
The chapter covers your children's schooling in El Salvador:
- What the law requires, and why the rules are the same for every child
- Public, private, alternative, and home schooling, and how they compare
- Getting your child's US grades recognized, and what to bring
- What the law does and doesn't say about homeschooling
- Activities that help kids make friends and learn Spanish
Ministry of Education (as of October 2026)
- Recognizing studies from abroad (equivalencia de estudios) (in Spanish): requirements, contact, and office hours. No cost as of October 2026.
- School calendar (in Spanish): the current year's calendar to download.
- Grade-level tests (prueba de suficiencia): official instructions, 2023 (PDF, in Spanish)
Public school rebuilding
- Dos Escuelas por Día (Two Schools a Day) (in Spanish): the government's program to rebuild public schools, launched in 2025. Work had begun on more than 1,000 schools by October 3, 2026, and 210 rebuilt schools had been delivered as of May 2026.
Libraries
- Biblioteca Nacional de El Salvador (BINAES) (in Spanish): the national library in San Salvador's historic center, with a floor for young people.
Find a school (as of October 2026)
- Every school in El Salvador, 2024 (Excel) (in Spanish): the Ministry of Education's official list of 5,885 schools (5,162 public and 723 private), with each school's address, district, and sector, plus enrollment by grade. From the Ministry's education statistics page (in Spanish).
International and bilingual schools (greater San Salvador)
Plain listings, not endorsements. Each one is on the Ministry's list of private schools. Details are from each school's own website, October 2026.
- Escuela Americana (The American School of El Salvador): Calle y Colonia La Mascota, San Salvador. Phone: 2528-8300. NEASC accreditation.
- Academia Británica Cuscatleca: Km 10.5, Carretera a Santa Tecla, Pasaje Edimburgo. Phone: 2201-6222. International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma and Middle Years programs.
- Colegio Maya: Km 16.5, Carretera al Puerto de La Libertad, Tuscania, Zaragoza. Phone: 2316-7800. Bilingual; a dual high school diploma and Salvadoran bachillerato.
- Escuela Alemana San Salvador: Calle del Mediterráneo, Jardines de Guadalupe, Antiguo Cuscatlán. Phone: 2243-8120. Classes in German, English, and Spanish.
- Liceo Francés de San Salvador: Km 10.5, road to Santa Tecla. Part of the French government's school network abroad (AEFE). Classes in French, Spanish, and English.
Alternative programs
Montessori schools on the Ministry's 2024 list:
- Colegio Creciendo con Montessori, San Salvador
- Colegio Montessoriano, Urbanización Siglo XXI, San Salvador
- Colegio de Vida Integral Montessori, La Libertad Centro
- Colegio Jardín Montessori de Cojutepeque
- Colegio Montessori, Santa Ana
- Colegio María Montessori, Sonsonate and San Miguel
School associations and accreditation
- Tri-Association: AASCA member schools (in English): the Association of American Schools in Central America, with its members in El Salvador.
- NEASC (in English): the US accrediting body for many American schools abroad.
- International Baccalaureate: find an IB school (in English)
Last checked: October 2026
The book behind these resources
Moving to El Salvador
One family's real move, turned into a clear, step-by-step roadmap.
Paperwork and residency. Banking and taxes. Shipping a household, finding a home, schools, health care, and getting around. Written for those returning home and those arriving for the first time.