Good to know
Good to Know
- ISC is the only English-medium, full IB-continuum (PYP/MYP/DP) school on the island, making it the default choice for most nomad/expat families wanting an internationally transferable curriculum.
- Nearly all other named secondary schools (Radulphus College, Kolegio Alejandro Paula, Dr. Albert Schweizer College, Maria Immaculata Lyceum) follow the Dutch HAVO/VWO/VSBO system, teach primarily in Dutch, and are government-subsidized — so they're essentially tuition-free but not English-medium or geared toward short-term expat families.
- Papiamentu is taught as a required subject in the local Dutch-system schools, but the schools themselves are not marketed as 'bilingual international' options in the way ISC or CAPS are.
- If English-medium bilingual (not just American/IB) education specifically for younger children is the priority, Miguel Pourier Academy is the one commonly cited English/Dutch bilingual option, though we could not verify current tuition for it — contact the school directly.
- Tuition figures for both ISC and CAPS should be reconfirmed directly with each school before enrolling, since published rates can lag 1-5 years behind actual current pricing.
- For ISC and CAPS, applications are accepted year-round, but families should apply as early as possible — ideally as soon as a move to Curaçao is confirmed — since certain grade levels fill up and put late applicants on a waitlist.
- A child must be 4 years old at the start of the school year to enroll, and mid-year enrollment is rare across Curaçao schools — if you're arriving mid-year with a young child, plan for a temporary daycare/gap arrangement.
- Papiamentu-medium public schools tend to have shorter waits/more open spots than Dutch-medium public schools or the international schools, but come with larger class sizes and Papiamentu as the main language of instruction and daily interaction.
- Homeschooling is not a simple 'opt-in' choice here — it requires a Ministry-approved exemption from compulsory schooling, and that exemption process has been getting stricter, not easier, in recent years.
- If homeschooling is part of your plan, budget for the possibility of rejection and have a backup school option lined up rather than assuming an exemption will be granted.
Schools And Curricula
International And Bilingual Schools
International School of Curaçao (ISC)
- Location
- Emmastad, Willemstad
- Curriculum
- Full IB continuum (PYP, MYP, DP) combined with a U.S.-based academic framework; instruction in English, grades K3–12.
- Curriculum Type
- IB + American
- Notes
- International School of Curaçao is a K-12, accredited, private, nonprofit, coeducational day school that provides instruction in English, founded in 1968. It recently became the only full IB-continuum school (PYP, MYP and DP) in Curaçao, having earned PYP authorization in May 2026 in addition to its existing MYP and DP authorization.
Tuition
- Period
- per year (academic year, in installments)
Tiers
K-4
- K 4
- ANG 14,017
K-5 to Grade 5
- K 5 To Grade 5
- ANG 24,883
Grades 6-12
- Grades 6 12
- ANG 31,239
Curaçao American Preparatory School (CAPS)
- Location
- Willemstad
- Curriculum
- US-based curriculum taught in English with ESL support; offers a virtual high-school track connected to Florida Virtual School (FLVS).
- Curriculum Type
- American
- Notes
- The Curacao American Preparatory School is a private, American school with small class sizes taught in English (with ESL Support), and the curriculum is US based.
Tuition
- Period
- per year
Tiers
Full range (lower to upper grades)
- Currency Local
- ANG
- Amount USD Range
- 4420 - 11380
- Amount Local Range
- 7910 - 20370
Miguel Pourier Academy
- Location
- Willemstad area
- Curriculum
- Bilingual primary education delivered in both English and Dutch — the only genuinely bilingual (non-IB, non-American) school named in local school-choice guides for Curaçao.
- Curriculum Type
- Bilingual (English/Dutch)
- Notes
- Only the International School of Curaçao teaches fully in English, while the Miguel Pourier Academy offers bilingual education in English and Dutch, according to a local school-guide overview.
Tuition
- Note
- No reliable current tuition figure was found for this school; it appears to operate closer to the subsidized local system rather than a fully private international fee structure. Contact the school directly for current fees.
Radulphus College
- Location
- Willemstad
- Curriculum
- Dutch HAVO/VWO system (government-subsidized), Catholic-affiliated; Papiamentu is a compulsory subject alongside Dutch-medium instruction.
- Curriculum Type
- Dutch/local (HAVO-VWO), not English-medium international
- Notes
- Radulphus College is described as the largest secondary school on Curaçao, with roughly 1,200 students, following the same profiles as schools in the Netherlands and reporting recent HAVO/VWO pass rates in the low-to-mid 90% range.
Tuition
- Note
- Most local HAVO/VWO/VSBO secondary schools, including Radulphus College, are financed by the Curaçao government, so families generally do not pay school fees beyond costs for books — this is a subsidized local-system school, not a fee-charging international school.
Kolegio Alejandro Paula (KAP, Formerly Peter Stuyvesant College)
- Location
- Willemstad
- Curriculum
- Dutch HAVO/VWO system, government-subsidized.
- Curriculum Type
- Dutch/local
- Notes
- Listed among the main Dutch-curriculum secondary schools on the island alongside Radulphus College.
Tuition
- Note
- Government-subsidized local school; largely tuition-free aside from book/material fees.
Dr. Albert Schweizer College
- Location
- Willemstad
- Curriculum
- Dutch VSBO and HAVO/VWO tracks, government-subsidized.
- Curriculum Type
- Dutch/local
- Notes
- Appears in local secondary-school overviews as one of the main VSBO/HAVO/VWO providers.
Tuition
- Note
- Government-subsidized local school; largely tuition-free aside from book/material fees.
Maria Immaculata Lyceum (MIL)
- Location
- Willemstad
- Curriculum
- Dutch HAVO/VWO only (no VSBO track), government-subsidized.
- Curriculum Type
- Dutch/local
- Notes
- Named in local secondary-school guides as a HAVO/VWO-only institution.
Tuition
- Note
- Government-subsidized local school; largely tuition-free aside from book/material fees.
Homeschooling
- Recent Tightening
- Following an evaluation of that pilot program, the Ministry announced in 2024 that it would enforce stricter conditions on exemptions, stating that recent applicants have generally not met the 'significant objections' bar and that many did not use a recognized (online) education curriculum. New conditions communicated to applicants for the 2024/2025 school year included expectations that a homeschooling parent be pedagogically qualified and provide a certificate of good conduct.
- How Exemptions Work
- Since 2018 the Ministry of Education, Science, Culture and Sport has run what it calls a homeschooling 'pilot program' under which individual families could apply for an exemption from compulsory school enrollment. To qualify, parents must demonstrate significant objections to the direction of all existing school organizations on the island, and must also show their children are receiving adequate education.
- Legal Status Summary
- Homeschooling is not built into Curaçao's education law as a standard parental option. The Compulsory Education Act (rooted in the National Ordinance on Compulsory Education, introduced in 1991 and extended in 2008) requires school attendance for children aged 4 to 18, and parents are required to ensure their child is enrolled in and attending a school unless a specific exemption is granted.
- Practical Implication For Nomad Families
- This is a genuinely restrictive, case-by-case exemption system rather than a routine registration process — it is not a reliable or fast option for a foreign family that simply wants to homeschool while based in Curaçao, and approval is becoming harder to obtain, not easier.
Local Homeschooling Community
- Name
- Homeschooling Association Curaçao (HAC)
- Caveat
- HAC appears to function primarily as an advocacy/support body engaging directly with the Ministry rather than a large formal co-op network; no evidence was found of structured in-person co-op classes, curriculum-sharing groups, or regular meetups distinct from this advocacy role.
- Exists
- Yes
- Description
- HAC is an organized local advocacy group for homeschooling families on the island. It has publicly pushed back against the Ministry's 2024 policy tightening, requesting clarity on how the Ministry evaluated homeschooling reports and objecting to what it describes as inconsistent, unannounced policy changes affecting families already mid-application.
International Bilingual School Enrollment
- Overview
- Curaçao's main options for foreign/expat families are the International School of Curaçao (ISC, K-12, IB continuum, English-medium) and the Curaçao American Preparatory School (CAPS, American curriculum). Public and private Dutch-language schools and Papiamentu-language public schools are also used by some expat families, especially those with Dutch/EU ties.
- Practical Takeaway On Timing
- There is no single universal deadline across all schools: ISC and CAPS process applications on a rolling, year-round basis but advise applying as far ahead as possible for competitive grade levels, while public Dutch-medium schools function more like a demand-driven waitlist system where early registration and local networking matter most.
- Age Cutoff And Midyear Enrollment
- Children in Curaçao can only start school if they are four years old at the start of the school year; if a child doesn't meet this cutoff, the family must wait until the next school year, and mid-year enrolments are rare — so families relocating mid-year should plan for a wait or a backup like day-care.
School By School Notes
International School of Curaçao (ISC)
- Process
- ISC accepts applications for candidates throughout the school year rather than a single fixed intake window, and provides a step-by-step admission guide alongside its published Admissions Philosophy & Policy.
- Waitlist
- Maximum class size is 20 students per grade, with room for a limited number of additional expatriate-family students up to 22. When classes are full, students are added to a waiting list and may receive a letter of provisional acceptance, with parents notified as soon as a space opens up.
- Documents
- Application forms cover personal details, educational history, medical information, and possibly references, and all required documents should be submitted before an acceptance decision can be made. Applications for special-needs students must additionally be accompanied by complete evaluation reports from specialists.
- Timing Advice
- It's highly recommended to contact the admissions team early, especially if you're planning to enroll for the upcoming academic year, as places can be limited, particularly in certain grade levels.
- Language Support
- Non-native English speakers are placed into an EAL (English as an Additional Language) support program rather than being denied admission on language grounds alone.
Curaçao American Preparatory School (CAPS)
- Process
- Families complete an application form emailed to the admissions office, can request a school tour, and are asked to provide the child's current age/grade to help plan the visit. Required forms are printed, filled in, and either scanned/emailed or delivered in person to the school office.
- Screening
- For students transferring from an English-speaking school into grade 1 or higher, a screening test in English and Math is mandatory.
- Timing Advice
- Applicants are encouraged to submit all documents as soon as possible in the process rather than waiting for a formal deadline.
- Confirmation Of Place
- A place is only guaranteed once an enrollment fee is paid after placement is confirmed, and a student is considered fully enrolled once fees and documentation are received — so paperwork plus payment, not just an application, secures the seat.
Dutch-language public/private schools
- Process
- Public Dutch-language schools are in high demand on the island; early application and networking with local families can help secure a spot.
- Notes
- Private Dutch-medium schools exist as an alternative to public Dutch schools but carry additional tuition cost on top of the government-subsidized system.
Papiamentu-language public schools
- Process
- These schools are generally easier to get into since they have fewer applicants than the Dutch-medium or international options, though class sizes can run larger (around 30 students) and instruction is primarily in Papiamentu with some Dutch materials mixed in.
AI-generated estimateData refreshed July 2026
This section has no cited sources.
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Data last updated July 2026 · Verify anything important.