Quick answer: Costa Rica has two school calendars, and they drive when you can enrol. Public schools (and some bilingual schools) follow a February-to-December year; many international schools run a Northern Hemisphere August/September-to-June calendar. The two clean intake windows are therefore August/September and January/February. Mid-year enrolment is often possible but harder, so if your move lands off-cycle, confirm the school’s policy and plan for a transition.
The two calendars
Costa Rican calendar (public + some bilingual): February to December, set by the Ministry of Education (MEP), with a mid-year break around July. Northern Hemisphere calendar (many international schools): August/September to June, which keeps children aligned with US, Canadian and European systems — valuable if your family may relocate again. Choosing a school partly means choosing which calendar your family runs on.
What international schools need to enrol a child
- ☐ Prior school records and transcripts — often needing translation, and sometimes apostille for formal grade placement.
- ☐ Birth certificate and passport for the child.
- ☐ Immunisation/health records. [VERIFY: each school’s and MEP’s exact health-record requirements]
- ☐ Assessment or interview — many schools assess for placement, especially for older students.
- ☐ Proof of residency/address and the enrolment/registration fees.
Handling a mid-year move
Public schools technically permit enrolment through the year, but mid-year transfers are academically harder, and the strongest international schools fill their places on-cycle. If you are arriving off-cycle:
- Contact your shortlist early and ask directly whether they accept mid-year entry and how they handle catch-up.
- Consider a summer or interim Spanish-immersion programme to ease the transition before formal enrolment.
- Gather and translate records in advance — this is the step that most often delays placement.
- Be realistic about the hardest window: moving a teenager mid-year is genuinely tough, and worth planning around.
Choosing the school, not just the slot
Placement timing should not override fit. Curriculum (US-accredited, IB, bilingual), teacher retention, the parent community and support for a child’s specific needs matter more than squeezing into the nearest intake. The international-school sector concentrates in the Central Valley around Escazú and Santa Ana, which is a major reason many relocating families settle there. For the regional context, see living in Atenas and Grecia.
Choosing the calendar is choosing part of your life
The two-calendar reality is not just an enrolment-timing detail — it is a decision about how your family lives. A school on the Northern Hemisphere calendar (August/September to June) keeps your children aligned with US, Canadian and European systems, which matters enormously if there is any chance you will relocate again or send a child to university abroad; transcripts, exam cycles and grade levels stay synchronised. A school on the Costa Rican calendar (February to December) points toward deeper local integration and is common in bilingual and public schools. Neither is better in the abstract; the right one depends on whether your family’s future is likely to stay international or root locally.
This is why the calendar question should be answered alongside the school-quality question, not after it. Once you know which trajectory suits your family, the field of schools narrows, and so do your realistic intake windows — August/September for the Northern Hemisphere schools, January/February for the Costa Rican ones. Planning your move to land near one of those windows spares your child the harder path of a mid-year transfer.
Making a mid-year move work when you cannot avoid it
Relocations do not always align to school calendars, and a mid-year move is workable with the right handling. Contact your shortlist early and ask directly whether they accept off-cycle entry and how they support catch-up — schools vary widely, and the strongest ones fill on-cycle, so availability is the first constraint. Gather and translate prior transcripts in advance, since records are the step that most often delays placement, and older students may need an assessment for correct grade placement.
A bridging strategy helps enormously: an interim or summer Spanish-immersion programme eases a child into the language and social environment before formal enrolment, turning a cold mid-year start into a warmer one. Be realistic, too, about the hardest case — moving a teenager mid-year, away from an established friend group, is genuinely tough, and worth planning around with extra support and honest expectations rather than treating it as a simple administrative step. The families who handle it best give the child real input and a clear plan to stay connected to old friends.
Why so many families settle in the Central Valley
The international-school sector concentrates around Escazú and Santa Ana in the Central Valley, which is a major reason many relocating families settle there rather than on the coast — alongside proximity to the country’s best hospitals. If schooling is a primary driver of your move, let it shape your location choice: the depth of curriculum options, learning support and the strongest schools is simply greater in the Valley. Decide the school, then the neighbourhood — families who do it the other way round often end up with a long daily commute.
Frequently asked
When are the main school intakes?
August/September (Northern Hemisphere international schools) and January/February (Costa Rican calendar). Time your move to one if you can.
Can my child start mid-year?
Often yes, but it is harder and depends on the school and year group. Contact your shortlist early and ask about catch-up support.
What records do schools need?
Prior transcripts (often translated), birth certificate and passport, health records, and usually an assessment. Gathering and translating records early prevents delays.
Which calendar should I choose?
Northern-Hemisphere schools keep children aligned with US/Canada/Europe if you may move again; the Costa Rican calendar suits deeper local integration. Both exist in the Central Valley.
Which calendar should we pick?
Northern-Hemisphere schools keep children aligned with US/Canada/Europe if you might move again or send them to university abroad; the Costa Rican calendar suits deeper local integration. Decide alongside school quality, not after.
How do we ease a mid-year start?
Contact schools early about off-cycle entry and catch-up, gather and translate transcripts in advance, and consider a Spanish-immersion bridge. For teenagers especially, plan extra support and honest expectations.
Where are the best international schools?
Concentrated around Escazú and Santa Ana in the Central Valley, near the top hospitals — a major reason school-focused families settle there. Choose the school, then the neighbourhood.
What matters more than the intake window?
Fit — curriculum, teacher retention, the parent community and support for your child’s needs. Timing is secondary to choosing the right school.
Do public schools accept foreign children?
Yes, and some families choose them, especially for younger children where Spanish comes quickly. Instruction is in Spanish and the calendar is February–December, so weigh integration against alignment with home systems.
Will my child need to repeat a year?
Not usually, but placement depends on records and sometimes an assessment, especially for older students. Gather and translate transcripts early to support correct grade placement.
Need a hand with this step?
This is exactly the kind of task our client-services team handles day to day for people relocating to Costa Rica. If you would like us to walk you through it — or take it off your plate entirely — request concierge support and we will pick it up from wherever you are.
This guide is general, practical information, not legal, immigration or tax advice. Costa Rican procedures, fees and thresholds change and are applied to individual circumstances; details here are current as of July 2026 and should be confirmed with the relevant authority or your advisor before you act.