San Salvador - School Report Question and Answers
Are students generally challenged appropriately by the curriculum? Please describe any particular strengths or weaknesses in this area. Do you have any thoughts how the curriculum is applied and implemented at this school?
Yes. This is Montessori preschool -- progress is driven by and tailored to your child. My kiddo loves school and has absolutely thrived at Casa. She has grown immeasurably, and right now is reaping the benefits of being the oldest in her class and all that entails. We love the indoor/outdoor setup and the variety of materials she has the opportunity to work with. Over the summer her class teacher specifically invested in higher-level math materials because kiddo had mastered everything they had on hand, so they are very willing to grow with your child. That said, Montessori is not for everyone. (Forget that "Montessori is for every child, but not every parent" quote. Literally nothing is for everybody, and that includes kids.) We have definitely known people who have left this and other Montessori environments and been happier. I would say to know exactly what Montessori means and what it is. If it doesn't feel like the right fit for your child, there are plenty of options out there. - Jan 2025
I have heard a lot of complaints about this from both sides — that kids are not challenged enough, and that kids are too challenged. I guess that’s typical for most schools, but it seems extreme here. The teachers just double down on their curriculum and don’t seem to care about helping kids on either end of the spectrum. Consequently a lot of kids are disengaged in class. Unless you’re a middle of the road student, you’re at a disadvantage. - Mar 2022
The school follows the British curriculum. Although we came from a British school in another country and found that this school is a little behind the other one in Europe. I hear that the secondary is challenging. For the primary, not as much for English as a first language learners. Both my children read ahead of their classmates, which is not surprising, because the class is almost all Salvadoran. I find that the Salvadoran upper primary kids are still working on their English and this creates a gap with the expats. The school does differentiate in the classrooms, meaning that they divide them into groups for maths and English to add support or push the groups as needed. I feel like my child last year was not challenged a lot with his writing. - Sep 2020
Students are challenged from what we have seen and heard. It is known as the more academic school in the area. Kids can be moved up or down depending on their level in Math and English. No problem. There are several 'sets' or levels for all types of students. - May 2018
Yes. I have been really, really impressed with the competence of the teachers--especially math, geography, and science teachers. In the lower school, the curriculum incorporates art and music and involves lots of active, physical, child-directed learning. I absolutely love it. In the upper school I understand that the art teachers are not very good (not good enough to inspire my artsy daughter, anyway). But the music program is probably better than that of any other school in the city. - Nov 2016
