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Lakeside International School

Costa Rica, Guanacaste

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The school at a glance
Instructs in English, Spanish
Fees Fees not listed
Ages 3 - 18 years
Pupil numbers 250
Type Co-educational
Opened 2009
Bus Service No
Academic offering
Curriculum Bespoke Curriculum
Taught languages English, Spanish
Strengths Languages, Outdoor Education, Service and Sustainability
Clubs Cultural and Language, Community and Service, Arts and Creative
Stages Early Years, Primary School, Secondary School
Introduction

Lakeside International School in Costa Rica offers a bespoke bilingual program taught in English and Spanish from Early Years through High School. Early Years (ages 3 to 5) use thematically based units across four strands: independence, exploration, communication and healthy living. Primary Years follow an internationally minded, thematically integrated curriculum that applies learning across subjects to everyday life. In Middle Years, the International Middle Years Curriculum (IMYC) emphasizes independent thinking, interdependence and active learning around conceptual themes. High School augments the National Curriculum with international focus and eight subject groups, guided by five Areas of Interaction. Personal projects, community service and university preparation are integral to the Secondary Program. The campus sits on a 200-acre aquaculture farm with five buildings and 28 classrooms, including outdoor classroom beneath a Malinche tree and a hydroponics garden. Lakeside Learning Center emphasizes technology, and the school holds an ecological blue flag for environmental stewardship.

The Essentials

Lakeside International School has 250 pupils, instruction in English, Spanish.

Location
Located on a 200-acre aquaculture farm in Guanacaste, Costa Rica, Lakeside International School sits near Tablazo de Sardinal in Carrillo. It is about a 15-minute drive to the beach communities of Playas del Coco, Ocotal and Panama, and roughly 15 minutes from Liberia International Airport. Private and public bus services operate in the surrounding area.

Stages
Four levels: Early Years (ages 3–5; PreK-Prepa), Primary Years, Middle Years, and High School. The Middle Years Curriculum is IMYC, and the High School program combines standards with an international focus.

Type
Private, independent bilingual international school.

Additional learning support
Learning support is available; the school can offer places to students with mild learning difficulties; difficulties must be disclosed.

Country affiliation
Costa Rica

Bus service
Private and public bus service is available in surrounding areas.
Diving Deeper

Uniform Requirement
The school has a uniform; uniforms must be purchased separately from tuition and fees. Collect school uniform and books at the start of the process.

Food Options
Food services are discussed; lunch options may be offered via the MealManage App, and a soup and salad option is being considered.

Governance and Ownership
The school is a private, independent institution.
Academics

Lakeside International School teaches Bespoke Curriculum for students aged 3 to 18.

Curriculum
The school uses English and Spanish as the primary languages of instruction. Early Years serves children aged 3 to 5 (PreK-Prepa) with thematically based units and learning outcomes across four strands: independence and interdependence, exploring, communicating and healthy living. Primary Years uses an internationally minded, thematically integrated curriculum that develops skills across subject areas and emphasizes applying knowledge to everyday life. The curriculum in Middle Years follows the International Middle Years Curriculum (IMYC), focusing on independence, interdependence, active learning and conceptual themes. High School is based on strong standards, augmenting the National Curriculum with an international focus; eight subject groups are taught (language, humanities, social studies, sciences, mathematics, arts, physical education, technology) and five Areas of Interaction guide learning. Personal projects, community service and university preparation are integral to the Secondary Program.

Student Teacher Ratio
Small class sizes. The Lakeside Learning Community brings together administrators, teachers and parents and students to nurture lifelong learning.

Higher Education Progression
Graduates are prepared for university inside and outside Costa Rica.
Wellbeing

Social and Emotional Learning (SEL)
Lakeside uses the Lakeside Learner Profile as the guiding philosophy for learning, and students develop Leadership, Perseverance, Confidence, Social Consciousness, Critical Thinking, Creativity, Independence, Problem Solving, and Communicative abilities. They strive to be world citizens who collaborate, advocate, and make a difference, while continually reflecting on growth and learning in multiple languages.

Special Educational Needs (SEN)
The school can only offer places to students with mild learning difficulties. Where possible, any difficulties that are known must be declared so that individual needs can be assessed and support can be determined and arranged.

English as an Additional Language (EAL)
The school offers bilingual education in English and Spanish, with approximately 50% of instructional time devoted to each language. An ESL/SSL Intensive Program is available for grades 7–11 as an after‑school language course for $40 per month.
Parent Experience

History
In 2009 a dedicated group of educators imagined what a Lakeside Learner would look like at the end of their journey with Lakeside. What we imagined became the Lakeside Learner Profile, the guiding philosophy behind everything we do. Lakeside combines a challenging international curriculum with a holistic approach to learning, with staff challenging each student to reach his or her potential. The campus is located on a 200-acre aquaculture farm with five buildings and 28 classrooms, featuring an outdoor classroom by a Malinche tree and a hydroponics garden. Rena Willis is the General Director of Lakeside.

Community
There is a deep sense of community that defines Lakeside. Asociacion Lakeside funds a scholarship program for over 80 Lakeside students and leads initiatives including a robotics academy, a computer technology program, a tutoring center, and open courses. Lakeside students have raised over $20,000 for the Children's Hospital of Costa Rica telethon since 2015. Robotics has been included in the secondary curriculum since 2014, with an aim to extend robotics to the community via open courses and a regional competition series.

Parent Teacher Association (PTA)
Asociacion Lakeside is a Costa Rican non-profit chartered to raise and maintain a scholarship fund that supports over 80 Lakeside students by reducing tuition. It leads initiatives including a robotics academy, a computer technology program, a tutoring center, and open courses. It supports the annual Children's Hospital telethon, with Lakeside students raising over $20,000 since 2015. Donations are accepted via check to Asociacion Lakeside and directed to Lakeside International School. The association works with families and staff to support scholarships and community programs. Robotics has been in the secondary curriculum since 2014, and the association's initiatives aim to push robotics into the community through open courses and a regional competition series.
Facilities

Facilities Overview
Located on a 200-acre aquaculture farm that raises fish and shrimp and is home to over 260 species of birds. The campus includes a dry tropical forest teeming with birds, monkeys, lizards and other flora and fauna. Lining the edge of the farm are five different school buildings with a total of 28 classrooms. Our outdoor classroom sits under the shade of a Malinche tree and students often have class in Lakeside Park. All year students run the hydroponics vegetable garden located a short walk from the Park and our athletic field, which will soon be home to a brand new sport court.

Sports Facilities
The athletic field is on site, and a brand new sport court will soon be added.

Academic Facilities
English and Spanish are the primary languages of instruction. The Lakeside Learning Center emphasizes technology in teaching. Bi-lingual, multi-cultural educational environment and an integrated, challenging curriculum with clear learning outcomes.

Extra Curricular Facilities
Community service program and Outdoor experience program are offered. All year students run the hydroponics vegetable garden on campus located a short walk from Lakeside Park and the athletic field.
Extra-Curricular Activities

Academic & Intellectual
Lakeside International School offers quality bilingual programs using English and Spanish as the primary languages of instruction. The curriculum is internationally minded, integrated, and delivered with clear learning outcomes. The Lakeside Learning Community—administrators, teachers, parents, and students—works together to nurture a lifelong passion for learning. The program emphasizes intercultural understanding and preparing students to apply knowledge to real-world challenges.

Arts & Creative
Arts is one of the eight subject groups in the High School curriculum. The secondary program includes arts as a core discipline alongside language, humanities, sciences, mathematics, physical education, and technology.

Cultural & Language
The school provides a bilingual English/Spanish program, with intercultural understanding and international-mindedness at the core. The curriculum fosters awareness of one's own national culture while developing an understanding of interdependence and similarities across countries. The environment is multi-cultural, with emphasis on global perspectives.

Social & Hobbies
There is a community service program and an outdoor experience program as part of Lakeside's learning. Asociacion Lakeside coordinates initiatives including a robotics academy, a tutoring center open to the community, and open courses to share knowledge beyond the school.

Community & Service
The school operates a community service program as a formal component of its learning. Asociacion Lakeside leads initiatives such as a robotics academy, a tutoring center for the community, and open courses to engage local residents in learning.

Leadership & Professional
Secondary students complete personal projects and participate in community service initiatives, with university preparation as a key focus. The program encourages students to ask challenging questions, learn how to learn, and develop communication skills to engage with people from different cultures. The eight secondary subject groups provide a broad foundation for leadership and professional readiness.

Lifestyle & Wellbeing
The campus sits on a 200‑acre aquaculture farm with a dry tropical forest, lake, and an outdoor classroom under a Malinche tree; a hydroponics garden and athletic field support outdoor learning. Early Years learning outcomes emphasize healthy living, independence, exploration and communication. The school has been awarded the ecological blue flag for environmental stewardship.
Languages

Language Provision
English and Spanish are the primary languages of instruction. Instruction is bilingual, with approximately equal emphasis on English and Spanish. The environment emphasizes intercultural understanding and a bilingual, multi-cultural educational setting.

Bilingual Teaching
The school offers a bilingual education. Approximately 50% of time is devoted to English and 50% to Spanish. It is one of our principal aims that students are sufficiently bilingual to work, with equal facility, in both English and Spanish.
Admissions

Admissions
1. Introduction to Lakeside. On the first visit, the programs and facilities are introduced and meetings between parents and staff are arranged. 2. Submit documents. The completed application form and all required documents are submitted to the office, including the application fee, copies of the transcripts from the previous two years, copies of the student and parent/guardian passports and visas, and two small photos. 3. Student interview and placement tests. Oral interviews are conducted in English and Spanish; written tests cover English, Spanish, and Mathematics. 4. Review and acceptance. The director reviews the documentation and placement test results; upon acceptance, a letter is issued to the parents and fees are calculated and invoiced. 5. Finalize application. Tuition fees are paid; an Educational Services Contract is signed; arrangements for the school bus and insurance (if applicable) are made. 6. Welcome to Lakeside. Uniforms and books are collected and the weekly schedule is provided.
School Events
The school has not added events
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