CRIA (Costa Rica International Academy)

I attended CRIA for all of my high school years. Previously, I had attended several international schools in the Middle East and Asia and have to say that the education that I received at CRIA was superior. I had excellent, caring and dedicated teachers who worked with students to uncover their talents and passions through a variety of teaching and assessment strategies. I was able to take a variety of courses throughout my high school years, including a wide selection of Advanced Placement (college level) and university dual enrollment courses. There are also a good selection of elective courses so each student can continue to explore courses in their areas of interest. There were also opportunities to participate in sports such as basketball, soccer, volleyball, swimming, track and field and more, and other activities like student government, National Honor Society and I was lucky enough to join the Model United Nations team and travel to NYC to participate in a worldwide conference. I was very well prepared for the highly competitive and demanding university program that I am currently in, thanks to the learning opportunities and support offered at CRIA. CRIA is by far the BEST school in Guanacaste, if not all of Costa Rica!

My kids are in their 4th year at CRIA and they are very happy with the school. My oldest boy graduated CRIA last year and was immediately accepted into his first choice of University. My kids have been in some of the best schools in the world (including Singapore), and I rank CRIA as being the best they have attended. The combination of high academic standards, excellent teachers, and a program designed to take my kids where they want to go in their futures sets this school above others. It also doesn't hurt that the school is located in one of the most beautiful places on the planet... There are over 20 countries represented in the student body, and my kids have developed life-long friendships in a multi-cultural community. They will have an advantage over 99% of students who do not have access to this form of cultural experience -- which will be necessary in this new, competitive world. The combination of quality of life and quality of education means that we will stay at CRIA until the kids graduate, and beyond.

We visited CRIA early of 2021, we started the enrollment process late July 2021 for 2021 - 2022 school year, which starts August 17. We got the acceptance letter two days after we submitted all the documents.

Rebeca, the administrative assistant, has been very helpful, she is responsive and amazing in gathering all the documents needed so your kid can start asap.

This will be the first school for our 3y.o daughter and we are hoping she would love the school.

I will update this post when for more information.

Schools were one of the important factors in considering our move to Costa Rica. We visited all of the schools in the Guanacaste area and chose CRIA as the best option. We could not be more pleased with our decision and CRIA has exceeded expectations and continues to improve. We are now in our 3rd year of school at CRIA. Our son has come to know friends from all over the world as well as becoming bilingual. We also appreciate the community involvement the school fosters and teaches the students the importance of being active in helping your community. The school also has a "house team" system that places all grades in 4 different teams that compete in different events throughout the year. It is wo derful to see kids of all ages and different backgrounds work together.
We plan to stay and let our son finish school at CRIA so that he has several options to choose from to continue his education.

When our family made the decision to move to Costa Rica in 2015, a quality education was at the top of our list of considerations. We have been fortunate to have lived in several countries around the world and had already experienced two other highly regarded international Schools offering both the PYP IB curriculum and Middle School American curriculum. Our expectations and standards are high. We did our homework, took our time and visited several schools in the Guanacaste area and were impressed from the start with CRIA. Our daughter entered as an 8th grader and will graduate this May having accepted an offer at her first choice University in Canada and secured a substantial scholarship award based on her academic performance. CRIA has exceeded every expectation we had. The leadership is solid, the policies are clear and the quality of the dedicated educators on staff is impressive. The School community spirit is the best we have ever experienced and the not for profit status means that every dollar goes to direct improvements for the students. I truly cannot express how much we have enjoyed our experience with CRIA and we have never wavered in our choice. It’s just a truly impressive School and in our opinion, completely unrivaled.

We have two children who have been attending Costa Rica International Academy (CRIA) for the last 8 years. Quality instructors providing a proven curriculum in a beautful location. We are very happy with the quality of education provided at this private school in Guanacaste.

Costa Rica international Academy has been an amazing experience for our family. Our kids have been enrolled in the school since pre-K and I can say with great confidence that this is far and away the best choice for private education in Guanacaste, Costa Rica. Not only is the academic experience on-point but the coastal culture/lifestyle surrounding the school and parents is something special.

A wonderful school with intelligent, caring teachers and friendly staff. I spent 9th and 10th grade at this school had an education second to none. I took an overnight hike to the top of a volcano, exploring the changes in the environment as we went. We also went overnight to a giant sea turtle nesting and walked among thousands of turtles. In addition, the education was great. The teachers took time to ensure each student was learning and the classes were small enough no one was left out. I wish we had teachers like that here in the states or that I was still there.

CRIA Academy is an awesome school! It’s a great feeling to know that when you drop your kids off at school, they are in good hands and are getting the best education!!

The best school in the area

Une école de haut calibre ! Après seulement 2 années au sein de cette institution, mes enfants sont maintenant trilingues. Le programme international ce fait en anglais et espagnol . Les classes ont approximativement 10 élèves pour deux professeurs. Les enfants adorent l’école et leur professeur . Merci à Mme Marisol et Mme Érika

La mejor escuela en la costa de Guanacaste, los niños aprenden, se divierten, tienen las bases y la estructura de una escuela a nivel internacional estando cerca de las playas mas lindas. La escuela es un lugar seguro, limpio, promueve diferentes actividades enfocadas con la naturaleza y la tecnología, nuestros hijos iniciaron la escuela acá hace 6 años y esperamos con ansias su titulo de colegio!....Quieren vivir una experiencia por un año? Luego tomaran la decisión de quedarse, los invito!
The best school on the coast of Guanacaste, children learn, have fun, have the foundations and structure of an international school being close to the most beautiful beaches. The school is a safe, clean place, promotes different activities focused on nature and technology, our children started school here 6 years ago and we look forward to their college degree! Do you want to live an experience for a year? Then you will make the decision to stay, I assure you!

Siendo maestra , nacida en España y viviendo trabajando como educadora en EEUU , puedo asegurar que esta escuela es una de las mejores a nivel mundial.

E muito legal

Hello I attended CREA in 2019 I hated it, it is was a beautiful school don't get me wrong plus there was ping-pong which I loved but I always had 4 hours of homework every night and in my opinion it was overwhelming and I didn't learn anything just due to the stress alone I hated it.

CRIA is an amazing school overall. However, the new school principal has made the quality of the school lower dramatically.

The teachers and the environment are perfect. But they should change the new high school principal for someone who actually cares for the school’s wellbeing.

My child attends this school and it is awful. He has been bullied by multiple teachers