Port Au Prince - Post Report Question and Answers
What is the availability of international schools? What has been your general experience with them, if any?
No EFMs under age 18 are allowed at post, so no information on schools, activities or other child-related questions. - Aug 2019
There was at least one school (The Union School) that embassy kids went to, but I heard mixed reviews about it. - Jun 2019
In PAP there are really only a few options. United School or Quisqueya Christian School. Parents have varied opinions about either school. The commute from the Embassy is long and children board the bus early. - Dec 2016
Union School is the default Embassy school and is English speaking. It's U.S. accredited and receives virtually all of the complaints from parents. I would not use this school for high school at all, but two years during primary is probably doable. The curriculum is unclear and the kids watch movies during the school day a little more than you would expect. Lycee Alexandre Dumas is the French school and it's a really good school, but nearly impossible to get into unless your kids are transferring from another French school abroad. Coccinelle and Kikloe are both French preschools in Petionville for Kindergarten and below and the few families who have used them are very happy with the quality of instruction. Both schools also offer after school programs and French tutoring to outside students. Boucle D'art is a French Montessori school with both a maternelle section (preschool) and primary school component in Vivy Michel. It's the closest school to the Embassy and parents were also very happy there. There are quite a few new families at post with toddlers and preschoolers who are trying the school this year. Keep in mind for the French schools that all meetings and events will be conducted in French. These are local schools, not French immersion programs geared to expats. That can be good or bad depending on what you are looking for. Knowing what I know now, if you are looking for a good quality English program, hold your nose if you aren't religious and enroll your kids into Quisqeya School (K-12) or Morningstar Christian Academy (PreK-12) which are both good U.S. accredited programs. I was warned by several parents (Haitian and American) to opt for one of these two schools over Union and I was hard-headed. Well educated Haitian-Americans who I have met since arrival are using Quisqeya primarily. The biggest lesson I have learned here is that your best resource for school info will be your FSN (Haitian) colleagues. Americans love to think that they have discovered something new, but the FSNs have been using some of the good schools all along. Coccinelle, Boucle D'Art, Kikloe, Quisqeya, Morningstar, and the Lycee have been used for years by our Haitian colleagues. If you would like to find a martial arts, dance, or soccer program for your kids, ask around. The Americans are only here for 2-3 years and tend to not venture out beyond expat circles, with little exception. - Sep 2014
I hear older children (above primary grades) do not like the schools. - Sep 2013
French Lycee and American School is available. - Sep 2011
People in Need partnership, has opened 2 mini-centers which is also on my blog post. The thing that really is alarming to even me is hearing how common it is that there are some 20-30 year old people for the first time going to school and starting the 1st grade. There is a strong need for books, teachers, and more school resources for the people in Haiti. - Jan 2010
Well, they aren't particularly 'good', but if you have kids who are under 10, I'd say, 2 years at the American school here would be 'okay' and not 'life-setting' backwards, as others seem to suggest. - May 2009
American school is mediocre at best. Two families having recently left because of the quality of the school combined with the recent security incidents. - Feb 2009
