Good to know
Good to Know
- Tuition at Asunción's international schools is dramatically lower than comparable schools in the US, Europe, or other major expat hubs — most run in the roughly $6,000–$15,000/year range rather than $20,000+.
- Nearly all schools quote and bill fees primarily in US dollars even though Paraguay's official currency is the Guaraní — confirm with each school which currency you'll actually be billed in.
- Waitlists are common, especially at the elementary level at the most established schools (notably ASA and St. Anne's) — apply several months ahead of the intended start date.
- For a lower-cost bilingual option without full 'international school' pricing, several private Spanish/English bilingual schools (e.g., Colegio Privado del Sol, Colegio Internacional) offer Cambridge/Trinity exam prep at a fraction of ASA/St. Anne's tuition.
- The academic year at most Paraguayan-calendar schools runs February–November, while ASA and some international schools follow an August–June, Northern-Hemisphere-aligned calendar — check which calendar a given school uses before planning a mid-year move.
- If you want your child at ASA specifically, especially at elementary level, start the application process at least 6 months before your intended start date — waitlists are real and have reportedly lengthened recently.
- Applying December–February for an August start is a commonly cited sweet spot for Asunción's bilingual/international schools, though always confirm each school's current deadlines directly.
- Some schools now expect proof of a pending residency application or a temporary Cédula rather than accepting enrollment on a tourist visa alone — worth sorting your residency timeline in parallel with school applications.
- Homeschooling is not illegal in Paraguay, but it isn't clearly regulated either — there's no official notification process, so keeping your own thorough records (transcripts, work samples, test results) is your main protection if questions ever arise.
- Don't expect an established local homeschool co-op scene in Asunción the way you might find in some larger nomad hubs — support tends to be informal, via general expat/digital-nomad groups rather than a dedicated homeschool organization.
Schools And Curricula
American School of Asunción (ASA)
- Grades
- Pre-K (K4) through Grade 12
- Founded
- 1953
- Curriculum
- US standards-based college-preparatory curriculum plus Paraguayan Ministry of Education (MEC) Studies Diploma; Advanced Placement (AP) courses available; PSAT/SAT test center. Some third-party aggregator sites list an IB program, but the school's own site and the current U.S. State Department fact sheet describe AP rather than a full IB Diploma Programme — treat IB availability as unconfirmed.
- Neighborhood
- Villa Morra, Asunción
- Accreditation
- COGNIA (formerly SACS); recognized by Paraguay's Ministry of Education and Culture (MEC)
- Notes
- Figures are 2025/26 published annual tuition; ASA bills in two semester installments. Uniforms, transport, meals and testing are billed separately.
Tuition
- Prekindergarten Annual
- PYG 36,631,000
- Annual Registration Fee
- PYG 4,263,000
- K5 Through Grade12 Annual
- PYG 57,721,000
One Time Entrance Fee Range
- Amount USD Low
- 7750
- Currency Local
- PYG
- Amount USD High
- 9500
- Amount Local Low
- 47198000
- Amount Local High
- 57855000
St. Anne's School (Colegio Santa Ana)
- Grades
- K4 through Grade 12
- Founded
- 1977
- Curriculum
- Bilingual (Spanish/English) Catholic school offering the IB Diploma Programme
- Neighborhood
- Manuel P. González area, Asunción
- Accreditation
- Recognized by Paraguay's Ministerio de Educación y Cultura (MEC); accredited by COGNIA (formerly SACS)
- Notes
- The school does not publish official tuition online; the figure above is a third-party estimate, not a confirmed official rate — verify directly with the school before budgeting.
Tuition
Annual Estimate Range
- Amount USD Low
- 7000
- Currency Local
- PYG
- Amount USD High
- 12000
- Amount Local Low
- 42630000
- Amount Local High
- 73080000
Pan American International School (PAIS)
- Grades
- Pre-school through Grade 12
- Founded
- 1993
- Curriculum
- American curriculum, instruction primarily in English with some Spanish-language classes
- Neighborhood
- Luque (roughly 15–20 minutes from central Asunción)
- Accreditation
- Recognized by Paraguay's Ministry of Education and Culture (MEC) and the National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS)
- Notes
- PAIS sits just outside Asunción's city limits but is commonly used by families based in the capital; tuition figure is a third-party estimate, not officially published.
Tuition
Annual Estimate Range
- Amount USD Low
- 6500
- Currency Local
- PYG
- Amount USD High
- 10500
- Amount Local Low
- 39585000
- Amount Local High
- 63945000
SEK Paraguay International School
- Grades
- Preschool through upper secondary
- Curriculum
- Bilingual (Spanish/English) education from preschool through upper secondary, part of the SEK International Institution network, with an International Baccalaureate (IB) pathway reported
- Neighborhood
- Asunción
- Accreditation
- Part of SEK International Institution (Spain-based international school group)
- Notes
- Tuition figure is a third-party estimate; confirm directly with the school.
Tuition
Annual Estimate Range
- Amount USD Low
- 6000
- Currency Local
- PYG
- Amount USD High
- 10000
- Amount Local Low
- 36540000
- Amount Local High
- 60900000
Colegio Goethe (Deutsche Schule Asunción)
- Grades
- Pre-primary through Bachillerato/Abitur level
- Founded
- 1893
- Curriculum
- German curriculum with IB programme elements; trilingual German/Spanish/English instruction
- Neighborhood
- Asunción (corner of Cnel. Silva and Tte. Rocholl streets)
- Accreditation
- Part of the German schools abroad network (DAS, WDA, PASCH)
Tuition
- Note
- No reliable public tuition figure found — inquire directly with the school.
Lycée Français International Marcel Pagnol
- Grades
- Primaire through Lycée
- Curriculum
- French national curriculum, instruction in French and Spanish
- Neighborhood
- Barrio Jara, Asunción
Tuition
- Note
- No reliable public tuition figure found — inquire directly with the school.
Trinity School
- Curriculum
- Fully bilingual (English/Spanish), international curriculum compatible with American standards, with Cambridge and TOEFL exam preparation and a STEAM focus
- Neighborhood
- Asunción
Tuition
- Note
- No reliable public tuition figure found — inquire directly with the school.
Colegio Dante Alighieri (Scuola Italiana Dante Alighieri)
- Grades
- Kindergarten through Grade 12
- Curriculum
- Bilingual Spanish/Italian education; the oldest Italian private school in Paraguay
- Neighborhood
- Asunción
Tuition
- Note
- No reliable public tuition figure found — inquire directly with the school.
Asunción Christian Academy (ACA / Academia Cristiana Asuncena)
- Curriculum
- Christ-centered, modified MEC curriculum
- Neighborhood
- Asunción
- Accreditation
- ACSI and AdvancED accredited
Tuition
- Note
- No reliable public tuition figure found — inquire directly with the school.
Colegio Internacional
- Curriculum
- Local academic curriculum with intensive English study progressing toward B1/B2 CEFR levels, preparing students for Cambridge PET, First Certificate Exam (FCE), and TOEFL
- Neighborhood
- Asunción
Tuition
- Note
- Bilingual local-market school; tuition not publicly published — inquire directly.
Colegio Privado Del Sol
- Curriculum
- Bilingual programme (Spanish/English) building from basic communicative skills to academic English proficiency, with Trinity College London examinations
- Neighborhood
- Asunción
Tuition
- Note
- Bilingual local-market school; tuition not publicly published — inquire directly.
Enrollment And Homeschooling
Homeschooling
- Legal Status
- Decriminalized or tolerated
- Practical Reality
- Because there is no explicit homeschooling statute, families operate with some uncertainty and often rely on exam validation if a child later re-enters the formal system; the Ministry of Education and Sciences (MEC) supervises education generally but offers no specific homeschool guidance. An expat forum account from a family homeschooling in Paraguay described school attendance as mandatory in theory but not enforced in practice in their experience, and noted homeschooling is uncommon and not well understood locally.
- Compulsory Schooling Age
- 6 to 17 years old for basic/secondary education.
- Documentation Recommendation
- Because there is no formal legal pathway, it is advisable for homeschooling families to keep thorough records — transcripts, portfolios of work, and any standardized test results — partly to support later university admission and partly as a practical safeguard given the legal ambiguity.
- Online Schooling Alternative
- Online/distance schooling from accredited home-country or international curriculum providers is a commonly used alternative for expat families in Paraguay, letting children maintain continuity with a foreign curriculum while physically living in Asunción.
- Constitutional And Statutory Basis
- The relevant framework is Article 76 of Paraguay's Constitution, which makes basic school education compulsory, together with Articles 29 and 32 of the General Education Law (Ley 1264 of 1998), which also make basic education, including preschool, compulsory; Article 14 of that same law recognizes the family as a natural setting for education, and Articles 129–130 address parental rights and duties in basic education.
- Asuncion Specific Homeschool Community
- No dedicated, documented homeschool co-op or in-person support group specifically for Asunción was found in this research. General digital-nomad/expat community groups exist in the city (large Facebook groups and weekly meetups aimed at foreigners in Asunción), and homeschooling families may connect informally through these, but this is not the same as a confirmed, organized homeschool co-op.
- Legal Status Note
- Homeschooling occupies a genuine legal grey area in Paraguay rather than being either clearly authorized or clearly banned. There is no explicit law authorizing or regulating homeschooling, and no formal notification requirement exists in law.
International School Enrollment
- Overall Pattern
- Enrollment is highly school-specific: the most in-demand bilingual/international schools run competitive, deadline-driven admissions with real waitlists, while smaller bilingual schools tend to admit on a rolling, application-plus-interview basis with more year-round flexibility.
- Admission Priority Example
- At ASA specifically, published board policy gives admission priority first to children of U.S. Embassy diplomatic staff/Category 1 teachers, then U.S. citizen children, then children of accredited diplomatic/international-organization staff, then siblings of currently enrolled students, then ASA alumni children or internationally-experienced families, with all other applicants last.
Practical Tips
- Contact the school directly as soon as a move is being planned — most schools will share prerequisites and current openings rather than requiring a full formal application first.
- Book a school tour or virtual visit before committing to apply; most schools prefer this.
- If relocating with a residency application still in progress, try to synchronize the residency/Cédula timeline with the school's application deadline so the child doesn't lose a semester.
Timing Guidance
- Guidance
- American School of Asunción (ASA) is popular, which means waitlists, and families planning to enroll elementary-age kids are advised to start the application process at least 6 months ahead, ideally earlier.
- School Or Tier
- American School of Asunción (ASA) — the most sought-after option, especially at elementary level
- Notes
- High school has more availability than elementary since students join from other international schools or transfer in from abroad, and one 2026 source described waitlists in some grades running as long as 12 months amid a recent influx of international families.
- Guidance
- Enrollment typically requires an application form and an interview process, with a school visit encouraged, rather than a strict once-a-year deadline.
- School Or Tier
- General international/bilingual schools (e.g. Colegio Internacional de Asunción and similar)
- Notes
- Rolling-admissions style processes exist at some schools, but families should still confirm current-year deadlines directly with each school since practices vary school to school.
Recommended practical window for an August start
- Guidance
- One expat-family guide recommends applying December through February for an August start, noting testing and interviews are required.
- Notes
- The Paraguayan/international school year in Asunción generally runs from around August to mid-December and mid-February to late June, so a December–February application window aligns with securing a spot before the August intake.
Required Documents Typical
- Child's birth certificate
- Valid passport (and/or national ID) for the child and often parents
- Proof of residence in Asunción
- Previous school records/transcripts
- Health/vaccination records (requested by some schools)
- Increasingly, proof of a pending residency application or a temporary Cédula (Paraguayan ID card) — enrolling purely on a tourist visa has reportedly become harder at some schools as of 2026
AI-generated estimateData refreshed July 2026
This section has no cited sources.
More About Asunción
Data last updated July 2026 · Verify anything important.