Rio de Janeiro, Brazil: Escola Americana do Rio de Janeiro: 2023-2024 Fact Sheet

The American School of Rio de Janeiro is a private, independent, twin campus coeducational day school which offers an educational program from preschool through grade 12 for students from 32 nationalities. The school was founded in 1937. The school year consists of two semesters extending from early August to mid-December and from early February to mid-June.

Organization: A 13-member board of directors governs the school. The school is incorporated and tax-exempt in Brazil.

Curriculum: EARJ is a three program International Baccalaureate (IB) world continuum school built around U.S. curriculum standards. Instruction is in English with Portuguese taught as a first and foreign language. Music, art, drama, sports and community service are among the curricular activities offered. There is no religious instruction. There is a chapter of the Junior and National Honor Society on each campus. The school offers the American, Brazilian and IB diplomas. The IB Diploma Program has been offered at EARJ since 1982. EARJ is officially recognized as a fully authorized IB Primary Years Program (PYP) school, and a candidate school for the IB Middle Years Program. Escola Americana’s strong college preparatory program prepares graduates for university attendance worldwide. Our graduates matriculate to universities worldwide: 55% in the USA; 10% in the UK; 18% in Europe; 10% in Canada and 7% in Brazil. The school is fully accredited by Cognia, and is licensed by the Brazilian Ministry of Education and the Secretary for the State of Rio de Janeiro.

Faculty: In the 2023-2024 school year, EARJ has 365 total staff including 172 teachers, 31 of whom are U.S. citizens, 122 host-country nationals, and 19 third-country nationals. At EARJ 100% of teaching faculty have a minimum of a Bachelors degree and teaching certification and 54% of faculty have advanced degrees (Masters, Doctorate).

Enrollment: At the beginning of the 2023-2024 school year, enrollment was 1,294 (nursery-grade 5: 658; grades 6-8: 294; grades 9-12: 342). Of the total, 97 were U.S. citizens, 963 were host-country nationals, and 234 were third-country nationals.

Facilities: The school has two campuses, in Gávea (PS-12) and Barra (PS-12). Both campuses have playgrounds, science labs, classrooms, sport facilities, cafeteria, etc. The 12-acre site in Gávea has over 780 students and is located at the edge of Tijuca National Forest. The tropical climate provides lush vegetation and abundant flowering shrubs and trees throughout the school grounds, as well as wildlife native to the tropical forest. Located in a different setting than Gávea, but nonetheless charming, the Barra Campus is a modern building located in the heart of Barra da Tijuca neighborhood in a pleasant residential area and has close to 510 students.

Finances: In the 2023-2024 school year, about 93% of the school’s income derives from regular day
school tuition. Annual tuition average rates are as follows: $25,800 for all grade levels. An
entrance fee of $ 8,400 is required for Corporate students and $ 7,000 for Self-Payers. All fees are payable in Brazilian Reais. (All fees quoted in U.S. dollars.)

Special Needs: Review the Special Needs Profile for this school to learn more about their capability to support students with exceptionalities.

This Fact Sheet is intended to provide general information. Prospective users of the schools may wish to inquire further of A/OPR/OS or contact the school directly for more specific and up-to-the-minute information. Information and statistics are current as of September 2023 and provided by the school.