Schools and Educational options for foreigners with children in Playa del Carmen and the Riviera Maya.

One of the most frequent e-mails we get here at All About Playa comes from people from all over the world, who want to move to Playa del Carmen or the Riviera Maya in general. As many come with children, they naturally wish to know more about educational options for their kids. Some of the most common questions are: What is Mexican schooling like? How good are public schools? Are there alternative teaching options? As a former teacher, I decided to make this education master post, about the best schools in Playa del Carmen, for foreigners.

About Schools in Mexico

The first thing we need to discuss is public and private schools. In Mexico, most schools are private; especially in Playa del Carmen. However, there is also a few public schools available. From my experience, there is a generalized problem in Mexican public schools: they are overcrowded and tend to not have bilingual programs. Even when they have bilingual programs, they are not really that good. That is why in this article I will be focusing exclusively on private schools.

All schools require uniforms, and parents are required to pay registration fees, book fees, and all the school materials. I.e. glue, pencils, paper, notebooks. This rule applies to both public and private schools. In addition, in private schools, the average monthly payment runs around $300 – 450 USD. As children grow older and get into higher levels, so will increase their fees.

Registration fees: they are called inscription (inscripción). This consists of a non-refundable fee collected at the registration period and ensures the place for your child within the program. The earliest registration periods are in March (for the next school year starting in August). As some schools have higher demand, it is good to register early.

You must bring your child to a SEP-certified program. What does it consist of? The SEP is the Secretary of Public Education, and it issues the accreditation of all schools so that they can award valid diplomas at the end of their programs. This is especially important if you are an expat, because you wouldn’t want to go to a different country without a valid certificate of your child’s studies. The SEP also synchronizes the school calendar of most centers, so by checking their website, you should get an idea of most school years. 

Mexican Schools vs. US Schools

Schools in Mexico and those in the United States are very different. First, because Mexican schools tend to be more strict. They also usually give a heavy workload to their students of all ages. However, Mexico is sufficiently flexible to allow other educational options, such as alternative teaching methods (Waldorf, Montessori, and others), or homeschooling.