Most of Peru's international schools are in Lima, although a handful can also be found in Arequipa and Cusco. Between them, they teach the Peruvian national curriculum and the International Baccalaureate, alongside British, American, French, German, and Italian schools that follow their own countries' systems.
Each school sets its own admission requirements, so it's worth contacting them directly for the details. Most expat parents choose international schools to get around the language barrier in the public system, and so their children can share a classroom with others who know what it's like to move countries.
International schools are pricier than their private and public counterparts, but the trade-off is usually better teaching and a wider spread of activities outside the classroom.
At the top schools, children can try everything from gymnastics and volleyball to music and drama, so there's plenty of room to grow beyond the classroom. If you're set on an international school, try to negotiate an education allowance into your relocation package to take the pressure off your living costs.
Some of Peru's leading international schools are listed below.
International schools in Peru
Casuarinas International College
Casuarinas International College keeps its class sizes small, at 18 to 25 pupils, so each student gets plenty of individual attention. It was one of the first schools in Peru to gain certification across the full International Baccalaureate continuum, from the Primary Years right through to the Diploma. Lessons are taught in Spanish and English, and from Grade 6 pupils add either French or Mandarin. Outside of lessons, pupils can take up Model United Nations, robotics, volleyball, swimming, gymnastics, or the arts.
Gender: Co-educational
Curriculum: International Baccalaureate
Ages: 3 to 18
Website: www.casuarinas.edu.pe
Colegio Franco Peruano
Founded in 1950, Colegio Franco Peruano offers a bicultural French-Peruvian programme that is recognised by both countries' education ministries. It is part of the AEFE, the agency that runs France's network of schools abroad. Pupils progress from maternelle right through to lycée. Teaching is trilingual. Children are immersed in French from age three and take up English at five, and in the senior years, they can add a fourth language, either Italian or Portuguese. Around 90 percent of its graduates go on to leading universities in France and elsewhere.
Gender: Co-educational
Curriculum: French and Peruvian
Ages: 3 to 18
Website: www.lfrancope.edu.pe
Colegio Franklin Delano Roosevelt (The American School of Lima)
The American School of Lima, or Colegio Franklin Delano Roosevelt, opened in 1946. It sets out to help its students become lifelong learners and socially responsible citizens. The school follows a US college-preparatory curriculum taught in English, and every graduate leaves with an American high school diploma. Older students can also sit the International Baccalaureate Diploma or complete the Official Peruvian Programme. Beyond the classroom, children take part in after-school clubs, community service, fine arts, and athletics.
Gender: Co-educational
Curriculum: American, with optional International Baccalaureate Diploma
Ages: 3 to 18
Website: www.amersol.edu.pe
Markham College
British immigrants founded Markham College in 1946, and it is now one of Peru's best-known international schools. Around 2,000 pupils attend its campuses in Miraflores and Santiago de Surco. Markham teaches an adapted British curriculum alongside the Peruvian national programme, in both English and Spanish. Pupils work towards Cambridge IGCSEs, and then the International Baccalaureate Diploma, and the school runs more than 100 clubs and sports outside lessons.
Gender: Co-educational
Curriculum: British and Peruvian (Cambridge IGCSE and International Baccalaureate)
Ages: 3 to 18
Website: www.markham.edu.pe
San Silvestre School
San Silvestre School has been educating girls in Lima since the 1930s, and it is among the country's leading international schools. As a girls-only school, it shapes its teaching around how girls learn, and its pupils have a strong record of going on to top universities in Peru and abroad. Girls follow a British and Peruvian curriculum and sit Cambridge IGCSEs before moving on to the International Baccalaureate Diploma in the senior years.
Gender: Girls' school
Curriculum: British (National Curriculum and Cambridge IGCSE), International Baccalaureate, and Peruvian
Ages: 3 to 18
Website: www.sansilvestre.edu.pe