One of the major factors preventing married couples from relocating to Mexico is concern for their children's education. The Gringo Gazette, Baja’s English language newspaper, claims to get “bombarded” with phone calls from people wishing to relocate to Los Cabos but not sure “what to do with their kids”. However, the child dilemma shouldn’t delay your move until you are empty nesters. Rest assured that you can find adequate educational options, especially in the private sector, to help your student attain a satisfactory education.

Because of large class sizes and frequent teacher absenteeism in the public schools, most parents prefer private schools if they can afford it. In Cabo there are a dozen schools that you can choose from. The enrollment period is in February for the following academic year and you will be required to present your child’s FM3, copy of birth certificate, small black and white photos, vaccination records, and a record of the satisfactory completion of the previous grade attended.

Beware of any school that does not ask for all of these requirements. As convenient as it may seem to someone who’s just moved to a new country and can’t find the box marked “important documents” in the garage, this may be indicative of lax safety standards. Imagine picking your child up early from school one day to find all of the preschool children playing unsupervised on the playground, one small child peeing in the bushes and all of the teachers in the principal’s office having their daily meeting. Needless to say, that was my daughter’s last day there.

Prices vary and run approximately $3,000-$9,000 annually including books and uniforms. Price is not necessarily an indication of quality. A popular American standard for measuring quality is class size. The most expensive school in Cabo, and arguably the most popular with a long waiting list, has a kinder class size of 30 children.

In Mexico children are required to attend grades 1 through 9. Preschool is optional and generally is a three-year program starting at age 3. Preparatory or High School covers grades 10-12 and is also optional.

Whatever school you choose, plan to provide some sort of supplementary education or home school if your child plans to attend High School or college in the U.S. It is highly unlikely that you will find a school that offers an American History or Social Studies program.

Relocating to a new country can pose certain challenges, and choosing the right school is no exception. Despite sacrificing some intangibles of a US education, a bilingual multicultural education in today’s global economy may put your child at an advantage over children who have access to even the best public schools in the United States.