Sao Paulo - School Report Question and Answers
Are other schools available to expatriates in this city? Why did you choose this particular school?
Most expatriate kids attend one of the two best known schools: Graded (American school) and British College of Brazil (British school). Graded is usually everyone's top choice since it is the American school. It is extremely large and has lots of events and activities for attending families and the community, but it can also have a long waiting list (Americans do not receive priority placement) and is a lengthy drive from most of the expat communities (long bus rides result in very early pick up and very late drop off). BCB is a smaller, more intimate school that is close to the U.S. consulate and most of the expat communities. It has two campuses in the city - Cidade Jardim and Chácara Flora (our daughter attended Chacara Flora). It is still growing and is lacking an upper school, but the programs available to middle school and under are great. Both schools are academically advanced with top-notch teachers and accolades. So really it depends on the type of experience you want (and who has an opening when you need it). - Jun 2018
There are 3 schools offering an American diploma (soon to be 4 schools in 2019). The other 2 schools (Chapel and PACA) have religious affiliations which were not good fits for us, but I did look at Chapel because of its strong academic reputation. The main reason we chose Graded was the outstanding performing arts facilities and (relatively speaking) greater performing arts opportunities. After getting to know all the schools quite well (we have lived in Sao Paulo for 6 years), I would recommend Graded for anyone who prefers their child to be in a truly international environment. All other schools offering English-language instruction have student populations that are 80-95% Brazilian passport holders, which means the international perspective is not really there. And (I feel) the risk of non-Brazilians being bullied/marginalized is higher when they are just a tiny minority within the group. - Jan 2018
It was the primary State Department school and it was secular. - Mar 2014
