International American School of Cancun of

Cancun

The International American School of Cancun, Mexico, is a private, non-profit, non-sectarian, co-educational institution offering a bilingual, bicultural education for students from preschool through high school. The school was founded in 1990 and is dedicated to an American style education, high academic standards and the caring environment a small school can offer. The International American School of Cancun is accredited by Cognia (SACS/AdvanCED) and SAIS in the United States and by Mexico’s Ministry of Education (SEP) and the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM). The International American School of Cancun maintains a highly trained professional staff, composed of teachers from the U.S., Mexico, England, and Canada. Thirty-three percent of the teachers hold a graduate degree. These teachers support the efforts of the school community to provide an American model of education in a bilingual, bicultural setting. The school enjoys a blend of staff members who are permanent residents of Cancun and others with shorter time commitments, as well as diversity in age and experience. This is yet another aspect that helps create a professional atmosphere where ideas are exchanged freely and challenges and goals are addressed in many different and unique ways. Our elementary school students (CES) receive bilingual instruction that meets both Mexican and U.S. standards. Most of our high school students are enrolled in a full dual program, receiving both a U.S. diploma and a Mexican preparatory (high school) certificate. Thus, the majority of our graduates speak both English and Spanish fluently. These students are taking as a minimum the 24 Carnegie units required for a U.S. high school diploma as well as the Mexican program requirements in Spanish Literature, Mexican History, Geography, Law and Civics. English is the major language of instruction: English literature, science, social studies, math, and some electives and extracurricular activities are taught in English. In K-6, students spend 50% of their time in English and 50% in Spanish. In grades 10-12, eighty percent of the classes are taught in English and twenty percent in Spanish.