Balboa Academy is an English-speaking international school in Ciudad del Saber, Panama.
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The curriculum is a college-preparatory program similar to that of a private school in the United States. Advanced placement courses are offered in all major subject areas. The Balboa Academy is fully accredited in the United States by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools. Graduates qualify for a U.S. diploma and may also receive a diploma from the Panama Ministry of Education. There is no religious instruction.
On the Balboa Academy website, it says in the 2008-2009 school year, there are 66 full-time teachers, 5 part-time teachers 3 counselors, 1 educational prescriptionist, 6 education technicians, and 4 administrators. 54 are hired from the US, 15 are local, and 4 are third-country teachers. All of the teachers, except the Spanish teachers, have U.S. teaching credentials. Thirty-five faculty members have master’s degrees. The Spanish teachers have Panamanian university degrees. The student teacher ratio is approximately 11:1.
At the beginning of the 2008-2009 school year, enrollment was 740 (PK: 59; grades K-4: 293; grades 5-8: 202; and grades 9-12: 186). Of the total, 46% were U.S. citizens, 26% host-country nationals, and 31% from 42 other countries.
The school leases 4 air-conditioned classroom buildings and a gym, which include: 67 classrooms, 3 libraries, 6 computer laboratories, 2 art and 2 music classrooms, 4 science laboratories, and 2 multi-purpose rooms (lunch room/auditorium). The capacity is about 800 students, 60 per grade. The school has use of baseball and soccer fields, tennis courts, a gymnasium, an Olympic-size swimming pool and other physical fitness and activity areas in the City of Knowledge.
The annual tuition fees for the school year are as follow: PK: $5,408 Kdg.: $7,132 Grades 1-5: $8,516 Grades 6-12: $9,416. Additional fees: A registration fee of $425 for Pre-Kinder and $850 for K-12; a one-time admission fee of $9,000. “The Future is Now” Infrastructure Fund (waived for pre-kinder students only): $450 (per family). PTSO fee: $20 annually per family (All fees are quoted in U.S. dollars.) [1]
This article was adapted from a public domain report by the US Office of Overseas Schools, available here