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Cloud Forest School

Costa Rica, Monteverde

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The school at a glance
Instructs in English, Spanish
Fees CRC 6,250 - 10,000
Ages 4 - 12 years
Type Co-educational
Opened 1991
Bus Service No
Academic offering
Curriculum Bespoke Curriculum
Taught languages Spanish, English
Strengths Outdoor Education, Languages, Service and Sustainability
Clubs Cultural and Language, Community and Service, Leadership and Professional
Stages Preschool, Kindergarten, Primary School
Introduction

Cloud Forest School is an independent bilingual K–6 program set on 106 acres of cloud forest near Monteverde, Costa Rica. The bespoke curriculum blends English and Spanish instruction with a strong emphasis on environmental education embedded across all subjects. Since 2003, the school has piloted six-week units that guide learning decisions and connect academics to real-world ecological issues, helping students graduate bilingual and environmentally conscious. Classrooms open onto the forest, with outdoor, play-based kindergarten and Prepa programs. Learning extends beyond the campus into the forest and local community, including field trips, volunteer opportunities, and internships. The mission is to cultivate well-rounded individuals who can meet today's challenges with curiosity, compassion, and practical problem-solving. The campus features an organic garden, a native tree nursery, a recycling center, a reforestation program, and an extensive trail system that supports daily land stewardship and experiential learning. The school welcomes diverse learners and families worldwide.

Cerro Plano, Santa Elena de Monteverde, Puntarenas Province, Costa Rica

The Essentials

Cloud Forest School has instruction in English, Spanish.

Location
Santa Elena, Costa Rica

Stages
Kindergarten through 6th grade (K-6)

Type
bilingual K-6 school

Pupil Nationality Mix
Approximately 85% local Costa Rican students and 15% international students

Additional learning support
Spanish as a second language program

Country affiliation
Independent
Diving Deeper

Uniform Requirement
Yes, a t-shirt with the Cloud Forest School logo is worn.

Food Options
No dining room service is provided.

Governance and Ownership
Independent, non-profit school located on 106 acres of cloud forest in Monteverde, Costa Rica. The school has a student body that is 91% local Costa Rican students and 9% international students, and 40% of students receive scholarships.
Fees

Annual tuition at Cloud Forest School ranges from CRC 6,250 to CRC 10,000 for 2026/27.

Application / Registration Fees
- A registration (pre‑matrícula) requirement exists and a specific registration fee for families living outside Monteverde has been listed as USD 200.

Tuition fees by year group (annual and per term where available)
- Pre‑Kindergarten / Kindergarten: Annual tuition reported at approximately USD 6,250 per year.
- Preparatory year: Annual tuition reported at approximately USD 7,000 per year.
- Grades 1–6: Annual tuition reported at approximately USD 10,000 per year.
- Range reported for the school overall (various sources) is roughly USD 6,450–USD 10,200 per year depending on program and grade.

Billing schedule and payment terms
- The school operates on the Costa Rica academic calendar (August–May) with stated deadlines for pre‑registration/payments in the academic calendar; families are required to meet pre‑registration payment deadlines. Exact term-by-term billing dates and instalment schedules are managed through the school's enrollment process and family contracts.

Boarding fees
- No boarding program or boarding fees are published for the school; available information describes it as a day school.

Other costs and fees
- Summer camp: Program cost was listed as USD 500 per week for camp offerings (includes program, some transportation, one tour per week, t‑shirt, snack and lunch under the camp terms).
- Uniforms: The school has been described as not requiring uniforms, so uniform costs are not listed as a standard tuition item. Families should still expect incidental costs such as field trips, materials, school photos, and optional activities.
- Financial aid / scholarships: The school provides partial scholarships and reduced tuition to a substantial portion of local students; additional fees (application for scholarships) and documentation requirements exist for scholarship consideration.

Refund information
- No publicly posted, detailed refund policy for tuition or deposits was found in the available documents. Refunds, withdrawal penalties, and prorating of tuition are handled according to family contracts and the school's administrative policies.

Fee payment options
- Accepted payment methods include domestic bank transfers (accounts in Costa Rica in colones and in US dollars), international wire transfers (SWIFT), PayPal, checks payable to the school's association or to the Cloud Forest School Foundation (for U.S. payments), and credit card payments via a credit card authorization form. Contact emails for payments and finance queries are finanzas@cloudforestschool.org and recepcion@cloudforestschool.org. Specific bank account details and wiring instructions are provided in the school's bank information document.

Notes on published detail availability
- The school publishes payment instructions, pre‑registration forms, credit card authorization, and the academic calendar. Precise, itemized per‑term tuition amounts, explicit term instalment schedules, detailed refund policy text, and a full current fee table by grade for the 2026/27 academic year are not published in a single publicly accessible fee schedule in the materials located. The figures above are drawn from available enrollment documents and independently published summaries; families should expect to confirm exact current amounts and instalment options directly with the school's finance office during enrollment.
Academics

Cloud Forest School teaches Bespoke Curriculum for students aged 4 to 12.

Curriculum
The school has a strong interdisciplinary curriculum that integrates environmental education into all subject areas and aims to graduate well-rounded, bilingual and environmentally conscious individuals.
Wellbeing

Social and Emotional Learning (SEL)
The school addresses the intellectual, emotional and physical needs of each child.

Special Educational Needs (SEN)
The school has a Special Education teacher on staff who supports students with special education needs.

English as an Additional Language (EAL)
Spanish as a Second Language Teacher provides English as a second language support.

Mental Wellbeing
Kindergarten focuses on developing language and social emotional skills.

Safeguarding
A security guard is on the Cloud Forest School campus.
Parent Experience

History
The CREATIVE Education Center Cloud Forest School is an independent school located on 106 acres of cloud forest in Monteverde, Costa Rica. For over 30 years, the school has provided bilingual instruction with an emphasis on environmental education. In 2003, the school piloted an integrated curriculum based on six-week units, with environmental education guiding decisions. The mission is to graduate well-rounded, bilingual and environmentally conscious individuals with the tools to meet today's complex challenges. The vision emphasizes a sustainable future for the Earth, achieved through education that respects the environment and promotes peace and justice in local, national and global communities.

Community
The school is focused on serving the students of Monteverde and the international community. The student body includes local and international students, with scholarships supporting many families. The school describes itself as a place for building positive relationships, self-awareness and community. The Cloud Forest School hosts community events such as Children's Day Celebration and Pop-Up Playground, and runs fundraising events like Little Feet, Big Dreams – Creative Race to support student programs. The Group Learning Experience page describes opportunities for homestays with local Costa Rican families and group learning programs that connect visitors with the local Monteverde community.
Facilities

Facilities Overview
The Cloud Forest School campus sits on 106 acres of cloud forest in Monteverde, Costa Rica. The campus is a beautiful forest with classrooms where children can explore and learn surrounded by nature. The school is a Creative Education Center serving preschool through sixth grade. Environmental education is integrated across the curriculum and learning takes place on campus, in the forest and in the local community.

Academic Facilities
The school provides a bilingual curriculum for preschool through sixth grade. English literacy, math and science are taught in English, while Spanish language and social studies are taught in Spanish. Kindergarten and Prepa programs emphasize outdoor, play-based learning with bilingual instruction. Environmental education is embedded across subjects and learning extends beyond the classroom into the forest and community.

Extra Curricular Facilities
Camps are offered throughout the year with 2027 dates including March 29–April 2 and July 12–16 and July 19–23. Each week centers on activities related to the Cloud Forest and sustainability, including arts, physical education, environmental education, conversational Spanish and English, gardening, hiking, forest exploration and local field trips. Cultural immersion is included (Spanish classes, Costa Rican food, dance and music) with field trips to places like the Butterfly Garden and Bat Jungle. The school also offers group learning experiences for K–12 and hosts volunteer opportunities and internships, with programs tailored to participant interests and schedules.
Extra-Curricular Activities

Academic & Intellectual
The school's mission is to graduate well-rounded, bilingual and environmentally conscious individuals with the tools to meet today's complex challenges. An integrated curriculum weaves environmental education into all subject areas. All students in grades 4-6 study a global socio-environmental curriculum that integrates geography, geology, ecology, climate, anthropology, literature and history. Students in preschool through 6th grade participate in land stewardship through hands-on activities, including an organic garden, recycling, composting, a native tree nursery, a reforestation program and a campus trail system.

Arts & Creative
Camps expose participants to the arts as part of a broader program that also includes physical education, environmental education, and language practice. Participants engage in arts activities alongside exploring the cloud forest, local field trips and garden projects. The volunteer opportunities page notes opportunities to lead or participate in art projects as part of school outreach.

Cultural & Language
The school is bilingual, with approximately 85% local Costa Rican students and 15% international students. English and Spanish are used in learning experiences, including conversational Spanish and English during camps. Group learning experiences also include a homestay with a local Costa Rican family to learn in a community setting.

Social & Hobbies
The school welcomes groups of diverse backgrounds for learning experiences and tailors programs for K-12 students, college students and adults. Activities emphasize collaboration and cultural exchange as part of group learning experiences, homestays, and local/regional excursions.

Community & Service
The mission emphasizes conserving and sustaining the local and global environment. Students participate in land stewardship through on-site garden, recycling, compost, native tree nursery, reforestation, and trail maintenance. Group learning experiences include homestays with local Costa Rican families and learning opportunities with local communities.

Leadership & Professional
Volunteer opportunities include roles such as Teacher/Teaching Assistant, school and curriculum development, and landscaping, reforestation, and trail maintenance. The school also offers on-the-job training and seeks teachers and interns from around the world. The internship program is listed among Programs, and employment highlights hiring certified and experienced teachers from around the world.

Lifestyle & Wellbeing
Camps engage children in arts, physical education, environmental education, language learning, gardening, hiking and cloud forest exploration. The school sits on 106 acres of cloud forest and maintains facilities such as an organic garden, a recycling center, composting, a native tree nursery, a reforestation program and trails, supporting daily land stewardship. Outdoor, nature-based learning and the forest setting foster physical activity, environmental appreciation and well-being.
Languages

Language Provision
Bilingual education at K-6.

Bilingual Teaching
The school is bilingual.
Reputation

Accreditations
The school is accredited and recognized by the Costa Rica Ministry of Public Education (MEP).
Admissions

Admissions
1) The school is bilingual and located on 106 acres of cloud forest in Monteverde, Costa Rica. The admissions process begins with an initial interest interview with the director of external and international relations to discuss the student's goals, language needs and fit with the program. This interview helps determine whether further steps are needed and can guide next steps.
2) Applicants complete the enrollment form to apply, and the school will schedule a virtual meeting to answer questions if desired. The international-student pathway notes that the Spanish as a second language program is available for those who need language support.
3) Families commit to at least one full semester to participate fully; the minimum attendance is one semester, as shorter visits are disruptive to the regular student body.
4) The school operates on a differentiated calendar from August to May, with 180 school days; bilingual instruction in English and Spanish is part of the program and environmental education is integrated across subjects.

Scholarships
The school offers scholarships; 40% of students receive a scholarship. To apply for a scholarship you must demonstrate that your family's income is not sufficient to pay the full monthly tuition. A formal scholarship application is available for the 2025-2026 academic year. Scholarships are for the school program itself, not for higher education progression.
School Events
The school has not added events
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