Schools & Education in Cartagena

Good to Know

• Cartagena has fewer fully-IB or fully-international options than Bogotá or Medellín — most 'bilingual' schools here follow the Colombian national curriculum with added English instruction rather than a full foreign or IB diploma track, so it's worth confirming exactly what diploma a school leads to before enrolling.
• Karl C. Parrish, sometimes mentioned in searches about this region, is actually located in Barranquilla (about 2 hours away), not Cartagena — don't confuse it with a Cartagena-based option.
• Most schools require an in-person or virtual entrance evaluation/interview and prior academic records, and mid-year enrollment (outside the March start) can mean fewer spots or less-experienced class placements.
• For firm, current-year tuition numbers, contact each school directly — Colombian private schools typically publish an annual 'matrícula y pensión' cost sheet at the start of each school year (regulated by the Ministry of Education) rather than posting fees publicly online.
• Confirm which academic calendar (Calendar A, roughly Jan–Nov, vs. Calendar B, roughly Aug–June) each specific Cartagena school follows before planning a relocation date — Cartagena isn't clearly documented as a Calendar B city the way Bogotá or Medellín are, so this needs a direct check with the school.
• Get birth certificates and school transcripts apostilled and translated into Spanish in your home country before moving — doing this process from inside Colombia is reportedly slower and more expensive.
• A 'bilingual' school label in Colombia doesn't guarantee an international curriculum; ask each Cartagena school directly what proportion of instruction is actually in English and which accreditation body (if any) recognizes it.
• Homeschooling is commonly described as legal in a practical sense in Colombia, but there's no dedicated law regulating it — it rests on constitutional rights to choose education plus grade-validation decrees, so expect inconsistent understanding from local officials and plan on using validation exams (Saber tests or Saber 11/ICFES) to document your child's progress.
• We could not confirm a genuine in-person homeschooling community or co-op based in Cartagena itself — national Colombian homeschool networks and Facebook groups exist, but the visible community activity is concentrated in Medellín/Antioquia.