A place to belong
Community
Belonging leads
A School That Feels Like a Community.
Roughly half our families are Costa Rican and half have come from around the world. The result is a community that brings together different cultures, languages, and perspectives — and creates meaningful connections not just for students, but for their families too.
~50/50
Local & international families
~30%
Seats on full scholarship for local Costa Rican families
≤ 15
Students per class
Teachers & Staff
Great Teachers Make the Difference.
In classes of 15 or fewer, our teachers have the autonomy to respond to the students in front of them — challenging them when they’re ready and providing extra support when they need it.
And teachers don’t work alone. Our dedicated Student Support Services team works alongside them, providing learning accommodations, language support, and other resources that help students build confidence and make progress.
Students
A Different Kind of School Day.
Every day begins with a campus-wide morning meeting that brings the whole school together. From there, students move between two languages, learn alongside friends from around the world, and spend plenty of time outside. Field trips extend the classroom into the coast, jungle, and communities around us.
Ask students what they love about Ballena and you’ll hear some familiar answers: switching between English and Spanish without thinking twice, friends from all over the world, time spent learning and playing outside, and a school where there’s always something new to explore.
Parents
Your Family Becomes Part of Ours.
A great school can make a new place feel like home. At Ballena, the connections that begin between students often grow into friendships between families, bringing together people from Costa Rica and around the world.
Most of our international families have just moved across the world, and most of our Costa Rican families are joining something brand new. Both are looking for the same thing: a few familiar faces at pickup and a sense of being part of something. New families are paired with families who arrived a year or two earlier, so a big move gets a soft landing.
The Wider Community
Rooted in This Coast.
We want students to understand the place they call home — and to contribute to it. They learn traditional dance and culture with the Boruca community, monitor bat populations at Reserva Playa Tortuga, take part in beach cleanups, and connect with the people and places of Costa Ballena through projects and experiences throughout the year.
For us, being part of this community means more than living here. It means learning from it, caring for it, and giving something back. We want our students to leave Ballena with a strong sense of place and an understanding that they have something to contribute wherever they go.
Come see it for yourself.
Bring your family. Walk the campus. Meet the teachers.