Good to know
Good to Know
- The International School of Aruba (ISA) is effectively the only dedicated international K-12 school in the Oranjestad area — there is no separate IB-diploma school or British-curriculum international school currently operating on the island based on available records, so families wanting IB or British A-Levels/IGCSE specifically may need to look at homeschooling, online IB providers, or relocating expectations.
- ISA's tuition is quoted natively in US dollars by the school itself, which is worth knowing since most other local costs in Aruba are quoted in Aruban florin (AWG).
- Beyond tuition, ISA charges a one-time capital levy for new students plus a smaller application fee, and there's a 5% surcharge if you choose to pay tuition in monthly installments rather than in full.
- For very young children, Beautiful Sun Monterossi offers a bilingual (English/Dutch) Montessori option, but it only covers ages 3-6 and does not publish fixed tuition — you'll need to contact the school directly for current rates.
- If considering the local Dutch-system schools instead of ISA, be aware these are oriented toward the resident Aruban population and instruction language mix (Papiamento/Dutch/Spanish/English) varies significantly by school, so this path suits longer-term residents more than short-stay nomads.
- The International School of Aruba (ISA) in Wayaca is realistically the only English-medium international school option for foreign families based in Oranjestad; Aruba's other private track (De Schakel Aruba) is Dutch-medium.
- ISA's overall enrollment is well under its physical campus capacity, but because classes are small, specific grade levels can still fill or waitlist — don't assume a spot is guaranteed just because the school isn't 'full' overall.
- ISA does not publish a detailed public document checklist or waitlist timeline online, so the most reliable move is to email the admissions office directly and ask what's needed and how far ahead to apply for your specific child's grade.
- Homeschooling in Aruba is legally possible but requires formal annual approval: a written request to the Compulsory Education office (Bureau Leerplicht Aruba) before the school year starts, inspectorate review of your planned curriculum, and a certificate of good conduct for whoever teaches at home.
- A homeschooling contact/resource for Aruba exists (listed via HSLDA), but we couldn't confirm how active any local homeschool co-op or meetup currently is — worth reaching out directly rather than assuming an established in-person community.
Schools And Curricula
International School of Aruba (ISA)
- Type
- International, English-language, K-12 (PK-3 through grade 12)
- Location
- Wayaca 238A, Oranjestad (Wayaca residential area, across from the airport)
- Curriculum
- American-based curriculum (U.S. college-preparatory model) with Advanced Placement (AP) courses; not an IB school
- Accreditation
- SACS/Cognia (U.S. accreditation) plus recognition from AAIE and the Dutch NOB (Nederlands Onderwijs in het Buitenland) foundation
- Languages Taught
- Primary instruction in English; native-language Spanish and Dutch tracks also offered; first languages of the student body primarily include English, Dutch, Spanish, Hindi, and Papiamento
- Curriculum Detail
- The International School of Aruba (ISA) is a nonprofit, coeducational, English-language, college preparatory day school, enrolling approximately 150 students from PK-3 through grade 12. Instruction is in English, but students may also study native Spanish and native Dutch programs, and it is the only school on the island with both a Native Spanish Language Program and a Native Dutch Language Program.
- Notes
- A 5% surcharge is charged if a payment plan for tuition is selected. Fees are natively quoted in U.S. dollars by the school itself; AWG figures above are our own conversion at the fixed peg rate for consistency.
Additional Fees
One-time capital levy (new students)
- One Time Capital Levy (New Students)
- AWG 14,158
One-time application fee
- One Time Application Fee
- AWG 379
Tuition 2024 2025
PreK
- PreK
- AWG 31,935
Elementary
- Elementary
- AWG 31,474
Middle School
- Middle School
- AWG 33,700
High School
- High School
- AWG 39,032
Beautiful Sun Monterossi School
- Type
- Early-years Montessori, bilingual
- Tuition
- Not published; school states to inquire directly for current rates
- Location
- Balashi Web 6, Aruba
- Age Range
- 3-6 years old
- Curriculum
- Montessori method with an integrated academic curriculum (language/literacy, math, science, geography, music, art)
- Languages Taught
- English and Dutch
- Curriculum Detail
- This is the first dedicated Montessori school in Aruba serving children ages 3-6, and it offers a fully bilingual program in English and Dutch.
Homeschooling
- Legal Basis
- Home education is allowed if the family gains an exemption under the Compulsory Education Act (Leerplicht Verordening), specifically Article 3, section 1(b) and section 3.
- Legal Status
- Decriminalized or tolerated
- Practical Takeaway
- Homeschooling is a recognized legal exemption process in Aruba, not an automatic right — a family needs advance approval from Bureau Leerplicht Aruba and Inspectorate sign-off on the curriculum before the school year begins, and needs to reapply annually.
- Process From Official Source
- According to Aruba's Department of Education (Enseñansa Aruba / Education Aruba), a parent wanting to homeschool must send a written request to Bureau Leerplicht Aruba (the Compulsory Education office) asking for the home instruction to be recognized under the compulsory-education law. The Education Inspectorate (Dienst Inspectie van het Onderwijs) then evaluates the content of the proposed home-education program to check it meets requirements, and the request must include a certificate of good conduct for the person who will provide the instruction, along with the child's identifying information. This request must be renewed every year before the new school year starts, and compulsory-education officials do follow up to confirm the child is actually receiving the home instruction.
Local Community
- Caveat
- We could not independently verify current activity level (e.g., regular meetups, co-op classes) of this listed group — it is documented as a contact point rather than confirmed as an active, ongoing co-op community.
- Documented Contact
- A homeschooling resource/contact for Aruba is listed by HSLDA (Home School Legal Defense Association) as homeschoolingaruba.yolasite.com with contact email homeschool.aruba@gmail.com.
International Bilingual Schools
- Overview
- For a foreign family in Oranjestad wanting English-medium schooling, the realistic option is the International School of Aruba (ISA), located in Wayaca, a few minutes from the city center. Aruba's government also recognizes a Dutch-medium track (De Schakel Aruba) as the other main non-public option, but that is not an English/bilingual international school in the sense most nomad families are looking for.
Schools
International School of Aruba (ISA)
- Type
- English-language, US-curriculum, PK-3 through Grade 12, nonprofit foundation
- Realistic Timing Guidance
- ISA does not publish an exact 'apply by X months in advance' rule or a public waitlist length, so this is an inference from the enrollment/capacity numbers and general international-school norms rather than a guaranteed figure: for the August-start school year, applying in the preceding winter/spring (roughly 4-8 months ahead) gives the most flexibility, especially for popular grades (typically early elementary and the college-prep years). Families arriving mid-year or applying only 1-2 months out should expect a real chance of being placed on a waitlist for specific grade levels even though the school overall is not at full capacity.
- Recommend Contacting Directly
- Because the published information does not include a specific document checklist or waitlist policy, the most reliable step is to email or call the school directly for the current year's exact requirements.
- Size Context
- The school's own admissions and US State Department materials describe a fairly small community rather than a mass-intake school.
- Capacity Note
- The International School of Aruba enrolls approximately 150 students from PK-3 through grade 12, on a purpose-built campus designed to serve 250 students. Because average class sizes are reported at around 15-16 students per teacher, individual grade levels can fill up or run a short waitlist well before the school reaches its overall physical capacity.
Application Process Known Details
- Described Process
- The school's admissions page frames enrollment around attending an open house and going through an application process, but does not publish a detailed public checklist of required documents or a fixed waitlist timeline.
- Annual Tuition Range Reported
- AWG 13,600
- Annual Tuition Range Reported High
- AWG 30,100
Fees Reported
One-time application fee (per new student, non-refundable)
Local Dutch System Note
Aruba's broader public/subsidized school system (e.g. schools like Maria College, La Salle College, EPI) follows the Dutch educational model and instruction commonly spans Papiamento, Dutch, Spanish and English, but this system is designed for the resident local population rather than marketed as an 'international school' option for expat/nomad families, and reliable published tuition schedules for short-term or expat enrollment were not found.
AI-generated estimateData refreshed July 2026
This section has no cited sources.
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Data last updated July 2026 · Verify anything important.