Belo Horizonte, Brazil: The American School of Belo Horizonte: 2023-2024 Fact Sheet

The American School of Belo Horizonte is an independent, nonprofit association serving students in grades PK-12 in a full-day program. EABH offers the American and Brazilian curricula within an international framework accredited by Cognia and the Brazilian Ministry of Education and authorized by the International Baccalaureate Organization and the College Board. We are a culturally diverse community that fosters educational excellence and empowers compassionate agents for a better future. The 2023-2024 school year covers two semesters extending from July 26 to December 15 and from January 17 to June 07.

Organization: The school is governed by a seven-member board of directors elected for two-year terms by the association of the International Educational Association of Belo Horizonte. Membership in the association is automatically conferred to all parents of children enrolled in the school. The school name is registered in Brazil as Associação Internacional de Educação de Belo Horizonte and is commonly referred to as the Escola Americana de Belo Horizonte (EABH). It is not incorporated in the United States.

Curriculum: We offer a comprehensive curriculum that includes arts, sports, languages, design, and robotics (in upper school). Instruction is in English, with Portuguese taught to all students. The school is accredited by Cognia, recognized by the Brazilian Ministry of Education, and authorized as an International Baccalaureate (IB) Primary Years Program (PYP) and Middle Years Program (MYP) World School. Advanced Placement (AP) and online courses are offered in a variety of subjects for students in grades 9-12. The school offers the following three diplomas: the Brazilian, the American, and the AP Capstone Diploma from the College Board.

Faculty: In the 2023-2024 school year, EABH has 127 total staff including 72 teachers, 22 of whom are U.S. citizens, 39 host-country nationals, and 10 third-country nationals. Our faculty and staff represent a total of 14 nationalities, including American, Brazilian, Colombian, Bosnian, Australian, British, Canadian, Spanish, Korean, Polish, Peruvian, South African, Ugandan, and Italian. All teaching faculty maintain a teaching certificate/credential e.g., a Diploma of Teaching and/or registered Teacher’s Certificate from their respective country of origin. Here is a breakdown – Doctorate Degree: 1, Master’s Degree: 28, Postgraduate Degree: 8, Bachelor’s Degree: 63, High school Degree: 23.

Enrollment: At the beginning of the 2023-2024 school year, enrollment was 533 (PreK – G5: 302; G6-G8:139; G9-G12: 92) and 19 nationalities represented. Of the total, 45 were U.S. citizens, 434 were host-country nationals, and 54 were third-country nationals.

Facilities:  The school is located on a seven-acre site in a suburban setting and has two main buildings. One of them is a brand-new building, whose construction was concluded at the end of 2021. It hosts 12 new learning spaces and an open area on the rooftop and serves the upper school (grades 6-12). The other building hosts classrooms that are used mainly by the lower school (grades 1-5), and includes a library and lab. There are separate buildings that house the Pre-K and Kindergarten classrooms; additional upper school classrooms; an outdoor learning space called the “Yellow Submarine” and a specialized building featuring spaces for art, drama, music, and multipurpose learning. There are also two administration buildings, three playgrounds, a soccer field, a covered outdoor court, an indoor gymnasium, and a restaurant.

Finances: In the 2023-2024 academic year, about 90% of the school´s income derives from tuition and fees. Annual Tuition rates are as follows: PreK – G5: $17,944; G6-G8: $19,815; G9-G12: $21,210. A one-time registration fee of $6,488 is charged at the time of enrollment. These fees are payable in Brazilian reais (All fees quoted in U.S. dollars = exchange rate R$ 4.93).

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.