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Escuela Japonesa de Panamá

Panama, Panama City

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The school at a glance
Instructs in Japanese
Fees $10,200
Ages Not listed
Pupil numbers 13
Type Co-educational
Opened 1974
Bus Service No
Academic offering
Curriculum Japanese Curriculum
Taught languages Spanish, English
Strengths Languages, Academic Enrichment, Service and Sustainability
Clubs Cultural and Language, Community and Service, Leadership and Professional
Stages Elementary, Middle School
Introduction

Escuela Japonesa de Panamá offers a Japanese curriculum taught to elementary and lower secondary students in Panama. Recognized by the Japanese Ministry of Education (MEXT), the school provides education in line with Japan's laws and regulations while fostering cross-cultural understanding with Panama. Its Education Goals emphasize a solid academic foundation, independence, empathy, and a distinctive Japanese identity, helping students engage with local and global communities. The campus includes an auditorium, indoor gym, schoolyard, pool, library, and parking, with an open-use policy under an established permit system that supports community access. Open classes in Spanish and English and ongoing language study strengthen multilingual communication. The school promotes local partnerships through a volunteer program called School Supporters and regular parent–teacher dialogues. Daily life is shared via Instagram, and governance practices include school management briefings and self-evaluation. Through exchanges with schools, students develop cross-cultural teamwork and perspectives while maintaining ties to Japanese traditions.

The Essentials

Escuela Japonesa de Panamá has 13 pupils, instruction in Japanese.

Stages
The school provides elementary and secondary education.

Type
The school is a Japanese international school.

Country affiliation
Japan
Diving Deeper

Governance and Ownership
Governance is through a School Management Committee. If the principal determines that the specified conditions are met, enrollment of foreign-national students may be permitted with the Committee's approval.
Fees

Annual tuition at Escuela Japonesa de Panamá ranges from USD 10,200 for 2026/27.

Application fee (one-time)

- Entrance (admission) fee: USD 600 (one-time).

Tuition fees (published amounts and calculated equivalents)

- Published tuition (standard): USD 850 per month.
- Published tuition (third child and subsequent children): USD 750 per month.
- Annual equivalent (calculated from published monthly rates):
- Standard: USD 850 × 12 = USD 10,200 per year (calculation shown as an arithmetic conversion from the published monthly amount).
- Third-child rate: USD 750 × 12 = USD 9,000 per year (calculation shown as an arithmetic conversion from the published monthly amount).
- Per-term equivalent (calculated using a three-term academic year: annual ÷ 3):
- Standard: USD 10,200 ÷ 3 = USD 3,400 per term (calculated).
- Third-child rate: USD 9,000 ÷ 3 = USD 3,000 per term (calculated).

Additional recurring fee

- Published family donation (for families not enrolled in the local Japanese association): USD 50 per month per family. Families that are members of the Japanese association are exempt from this monthly donation. Annual and per-term arithmetic equivalents are USD 600 per year (USD 200 per term) when the donation applies.

Billing schedule and payment terms

- Only the monthly tuition amounts and the one-time admission fee are published; a formal billing schedule, payment deadlines, installment structure, and accepted payment methods are not specified in the published admission information. (The published amounts above are presented as monthly figures.)

Boarding fees

- No boarding program or boarding fees are published. No separate boarding charge is listed.

Other costs or fees (uniforms, materials, transport, insurance, school activities)

- No specific fees for uniforms, textbooks, school lunch, school bus/transport, insurance, activity fees, or similar items are listed in the published admission information.

Refund information

- No published refund policy or details on refunds of admission fee or tuition are provided in the admission information.

Fee payment options

- Accepted payment methods (bank transfer, credit card, international transfer services, currency requirements, local account details) are not specified in the published admission information.

Notes on the published schedule and calculations

- The published figures are listed as monthly amounts (the admission information displays the monthly tuition and the one-time admission fee). The annual and per-term totals shown above are arithmetic conversions derived from the published monthly figures (monthly × 12 for an annual equivalent; annual ÷ 3 for a per-term equivalent) and are presented here as calculated equivalents rather than separately published rates.

Summary of what is published and what is not published

- Published: one-time entrance fee (USD 600), monthly tuition (USD 850 standard; USD 750 for third child onward), and a monthly family donation of USD 50 for non–Japanese association members.
- Not published (no amounts or policies provided in the admission information): grade- or year-group differentiated tuition rates, explicit per-term or per-year published tariffs, billing schedule and payment deadlines, accepted payment methods, boarding fees, uniform costs, textbook/materials charges, transport fees, insurance costs, and a refund policy.
Academics

Escuela Japonesa de Panamá teaches Japanese Curriculum.

Curriculum
The school is recognized by the Japanese Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) as an approved school, and provides elementary and lower secondary education in accordance with Japan's laws and regulations. It emphasizes cultural and educational exchanges between Japan and Panama to deepen mutual understanding. School Education Goals aim to cultivate students with rich, harmonious character, international awareness, and physical and mental health. The school develops solid academic ability, autonomy, and compassion, and fosters a Japanese identity. It promotes global perspectives through local school exchanges and language study, and maintains an open-school approach with classroom observations, school-management briefings, parent–teacher dialogue, a volunteer program for local community members, and active community engagement.

Student Teacher Ratio
Small class sizes enable instruction tailored to each student and strong linkage with home study. This approach supports progress for each student.
Parent Experience

Community
Daily life at the school is shared on Instagram. The school's facilities are open to all members of the Panama Japanese Association. Downloadable items include the School Opening Guide, School Opening Schedule, Facility-Use Application Form, and Borrowing Application Form. The School Opening Schedule for Reiwa 7 has been posted. The Principal's Office posted the March issue of the Reiwa 7 school newsletter.

Parent Teacher Association (PTA)
The Panama Japanese Association coordinates community life for the Escuela Japonesa de Panama. The school facilities are available to all members of the Panama Japanese Association. Downloadable items include the School Opening Guide, the School Opening Schedule, Facility-Use Application Form, and Borrowing Form. The Association coordinates events and helps facilitate communications among families, staff, and the school. It acts as the liaison with the school administration and supports school activities and community involvement.
Facilities

Facilities Overview
The Panama Japanese School offers facilities for school activities and community use. Facilities include an auditorium, indoor gym, schoolyard, pool, library, and parking lot. An application and permit process governs facility use, requiring the date, person in charge, organization, contact details, purpose of use, number of users, and the specific facilities to be used. Usage rules require users to follow the permit, not to be liable for accidents by the school, promptly notify of changes, return equipment to its original state, and refrain from leaving personal belongings. Participants cannot be charged for using facilities during school openings, except for Japanese Association circle fees.

Sports Facilities
The school has an auditorium, indoor gym, schoolyard, and pool.
Extra-Curricular Activities

Academic & Intellectual
The school is a MEXT-recognized institution delivering elementary and middle school education in accordance with Japanese regulations. It emphasizes cultural and educational exchanges between Japan and Panama to deepen mutual understanding. The education goals are to develop students with solid academic ability, independence, empathy, and a Japanese identity. It fosters communication skills for cross-cultural understanding and cooperation.

Cultural & Language
Global human resource development includes exchanges with local schools and language study to cultivate attitudes and communication skills for living with people around the world. Open classes in Spanish and English are conducted to share learning with the community. The program strengthens multilingual communication and cross-cultural understanding among students.

Social & Hobbies
Inter-age school events and student council activities, along with daily play, cultivate empathy, collaboration, and a sense of community. These experiences help students develop social skills and strengthen their sense of identity as members of the Japanese community. They contribute to a positive school climate.

Community & Service
Open school initiatives involve local residents and the Japanese community as educational volunteers called 'School Supporters'. The school promotes and implements this volunteer system. This strengthens community ties and supports student learning.

Leadership & Professional
Open school activities include holding school management briefings and publishing self-evaluation and school evaluation results. Individual consultations and class meetings promote mutual understanding between teachers and parents. These practices support ongoing collaboration and accountability in school governance.

Lifestyle & Wellbeing
Health and physical fitness are emphasized through annual swimming instruction and participation in sports events organized by the Japanese community and local groups. This helps students maintain healthy bodies and develop lifelong habits of exercise. Daily life at the school is shared on Instagram.
Admissions

Admissions
The Panama Japanese School opened on October 12, 1974, as a Japanese school with the support of the Japanese Association, the Embassy, and parents. Classes are conducted based on the Japanese curriculum guidelines. From April 2026, operations move to a new URL, and the current site will remain accessible for a transitional period before being closed. The school's daily life is shared on Instagram. For admissions, contact escuela_japonesa_1974@panama.lolipop.jp. Tuition is USD 850 per month; a third child or later pays USD 750 per month; entrance fee is USD 600. In addition, a monthly donation of USD 50 per family applies to those not joining the Panama Japanese Association; families that join the Association are exempt. Foreign-national children enrollment is addressed in the school's enrollment regulations.

Scholarships
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Waitlist
The school provides information about open access and facility use for members of the Panama Japanese Association via downloadable forms (School Opening Guide, Opening Schedule, Facility Usage Application, Borrowing Application).
School Events
The school has not added events
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