The Country Day School is a U.S. accredited college preparatory day and boarding school situated in one of the world’s most beautiful natural settings - the Guanacaste province of Costa Rica. We challenge students with a rigorous college preparatory curriculum, balanced by a diverse offering of athletic and extracurricular offerings. Our curriculum is based primarily on the United States system and extends from early childhood through high school. Our mission and focus is to develop the intellectual, creative and problem solving skills of our students, based on cultural, moral and social values, in preparation for their entry into college or university. The language of instruction is English, and Spanish is taught as a required course at every grade level. The school is located minutes from the beach in the northwestern province of Guanacaste, in Costa Rica. At only 19,730 square miles, or about the size of West Virginia, Costa Rica has been likened to Hawaii for it’s incredible diversity and beauty of natural environments, habitats, and climates. Within a few hours of the school, you will find beautiful Pacific coast beaches (with hardly a soul on them), lush tropical rainforests, active volcanoes, raging rapids, dry tropical forests, and an abundance of wildlife seen in few places on Earth. Despite being so small, Costa Rica has more species of birds than all North America. You will find (and sometimes be awakened by) Howler monkeys on campus, or walk by 2-ft long iguanas on your way to class. You will also witness the entire landscape change between our two distinct seasons: a warm rainy season with lush, green rain forests, cloudy skies and the most spectacular sunsets and a very dry and warm season with African savannah like landscapes drenched by blue, sunny skies. Throughout the year, weekend trips and activities are planned to allow you to experience Costa Rica in its entire splendor. These trips and activities are part of full-time boarding tuition and do not entail additional expenses. Trips range from volcano trekking, scuba diving (certification is included in tuition) or snorkeling, overnight sailing trips to nearby islands, camping at various national parks, witnessing Olive Ridley turtles nesting at Playa Grande, to spending a weekend at a far-away beach enjoying the surf, sand, and weather. If you have a desire for a truly unique college preparatory boarding program experience, love nature, and have an adventuresome spirit, we hope you will join our exciting community! You may learn much more about our school and community through our web site, at www.cdsgte.com. We welcome your questions and stand ready to assist you through every phase of the application process.