San Juan del Sur Day School welcomes applicants from all nationalities, cultures, and socioeconomic backgrounds. We seek to attract motivated, creative and curious students who will take full advantage of all our school has to offer.

If you’re interested in joining the San Juan del Sur Day School community, our staff wants to meet you! Before submitting an application, please take some time to explore our site and review our school handbook which outlines all important policies, schedules, and our rates.

Once you feel knowledgeable about our policies and practices, follow the simple steps below to ensure a successful admissions process:

~Email Admissions Committee to request a copy of the parent handbook, questionnaire and admissions forms: admissions@sanjuandelsurdayschool.com.  In your email, please include names and birth dates for all children applying to the school.  Please also note desired start date and length of time you intend to enroll.

Admissions for the 2023/2024 school year is open! The school year will begin August 28, 2023. In order to be considered for enrollment, your child must have a completed admissions packet, a family interview/tour, and for grades 1 and up, an assessment with a member of the school’s admissions team. Children entering grade 2 and up MUST be able to provide apostilled (authenticated) transcripts/report cards showing the most recent grade completed once enrollment is confirmed.

~IMPORTANT DATES~

TBD: Final day to submit admissions packets (new students)

TBD: Final day for assessments (new students)

TBD: New student entrance fee payment deadline

CHECKLIST FOR ADMISSION CONSIDERATION

1) Parents submit inquiry to admission department with students names and birthdates

2) Family tours school in person or via online call with school administration

3) Parents pay application fee of $120 per child

4) Parents complete admissions packet 

5) Student Assessment with a member of the school admission team in person or online
(scheduled only once complete application has been submitted)
Assessments are administered to determine the school’s ability to meet the needs of the child, to assess the student’s level of ability in English, math, language arts, etc.  Entrance to grade level will be determined by a combination of birth date, application information, previous schooling, and teacher and director assessment of developmental appropriateness.  

Please note that incomplete application forms will not be considered.

If admission is confirmed:

1) parents will be required to meet Nicaragua’s Ministry of Education requirements
 See below for important details.

2) Traslado
(if child previously attended a different school in Nicaragua, parents will need to provide two original transfer forms with the signature and stamp of the director of the school previously attended)

3) Sign and return the Enrollment and Financial Agreement

Independent School Entrance Rules & Regulations for Registration with Ministry of Education

Once admission has been confirmed by San Juan del Sur Day School, the following steps must be taken by parents to legally register your child with Nicaragua’s Ministry of Education.

1) It is the legal responsibility of the parent/guardian to comply with Nicaragua’s Ministry of Education (MINED) requirements. 

2) It is the parents’ responsibility to provide transcripts/report cards demonstrating proof of education:

-Students entering grade 2 and up will need to submit translated and apostilled/authenticated transcripts for all previous grades starting with grade 1.

*Transcripts should be from the end of the academic year so that there is proof of completion of that year.

3) It is the parents’ responsibility to have the transcripts apostilled/authenticated in their country of origin and then translated to Spanish and notarized by a Nicaraguan lawyer with a minimum of 10 years experience.  

4) It is the parents’ responsibility to submit the apostilled/authenticated transcripts to the school’s MINED liaison in San Juan del Sur or to the MINED’s central office in Managua (please consult with the school’s MINED liaison to determine which option applies to you), along with:

-photocopy of parent passports or cedulas

-student’s birth certificate (original and a copy)

-pay 50 córdobas (primary school), 100 (secondary, grade 7 and up) at BANPRO to the account (10011000184517 ) Tesorería General de la República. 

Bring all above documentation including the receipt of payment from the bank to the Oficina de Registro y Control de Documentos del MINED Central located in Managua. Address is: Módulo M. Planta alta, centro cívico, frente al Zumen. 

5) If unable to comply with the registration requirements noted above, parents must communicate directly to MINED.  The Day School is not able to confirm extensions.

For more information: Oficina de registro y control de documentos MINED Central.

 +505 2253-8490, Extensión: 158

While the Day School can provide guidance, we are not able to confirm the legality or appropriateness of required apostilled documents. This must be confirmed by the parents at MINED’s central office in Managua.

ADMISSIONS FAQ’s

Q: My child is healthy and has never been to a doctor.  Do I still need to submit a health record?
A: Yes, the school and Nicaragua’s Ministry of Education requires a health record.  If you do not have one, please request a physical from your local physician.   It should include results of a recent vision and hearing screening.

Q: My child has been homeschooled and does not have transcripts.  Can my child still apply?
A: Nicaragua’s Ministry of Education does not recognize homeschooling.  If you are applying for entrance to grade 1 and up, in order for your child to be considered for admission, you must submit transcripts from a registered educational institution.

Q: What is Apostille?
A: The Apostille is an official government issued certificate from the emitting country added to documents so they will be recognized when presented in another country. Some countries call it Authentication. Note that Notary is not the same thing.

Q: My child’s first language is not English – how important is English fluency?
A: Without a formal assessment, it is difficult for the school to determine a child’s English language skills and ability to learn in a second language. If your child has been studying the English language, please ask your child’s teacher to prepare an English language assessment to be shared with our admissions department.

Q:  Where do I get a background check and why is this required?
A: Because we ask that all parents volunteer at the school in some capacity during the school year, all parents must have a background check. Requirements to request a background check vary from one country to another.  If you are a Nicaraguan citizen or resident, you can request a police report in Rivas.  If you are moving internationally, please ask the local police station in your country of residence how to go about requesting a background check.  

Q: Can we schedule our child’s assessment if we haven’t submitted all admissions documents? 
A: The school requires a completed admissions packet before we can move to the second stage of admissions, which includes an interview and academic assessments.

Q: Can I pay the registration and new student fee before confirming enrollment?
A: These fees are non-refundable and do not guarantee enrollment.  

Q: Do you accept mid-year enrollment?
A: Our school year begins at the end of August/early September.  We highly encourage starting the school year with us then.  This is a time when teachers, staff, and students create ground rules, set expectations, and begin to establish relationships.  We can be flexible on an enrollment date when need be; however, we do fill classes on a first come, first served basis and once we reach our maximum number of students per grade, we do close admissions. If you are applying mid-year, Nicaragua’s Ministry of Education requires apostilled transcripts from both the most recent grade completed AS WELL AS from the first half of the current academic year.