International schools in Ecuador

Are you looking for an international school in Ecuador? You can find a list of selected schools at the bottom of this page. Use the search filters to select only girls' or boys' schools, prep schools, senior schools or sixth forms; or you can search for schools that offer a particular curriculum, such as the International Baccalaureate, the UK or US national curriculum or the International Primary Curriculum.

A developing country with a young and diverse population, Ecuador has invested in a series of education reforms aimed at strengthening the economy and reducing poverty. Its well-established and growing international school sector caters to both local elites and expatriates. 

Schools are clustered around the capital Quito and port city of Guayaquil, with a scattering of institutions in other major cities. Among the oldest are schools following an American-style education; former embassy schools offering the curriculums of Germany, France and the UK; and Catholic religious foundations. The vast majority offer coeducational day schooling. 

Ecuador also has a very large number of state schools and private high schools offering the curriculum of the International Baccalaureate Office in Spanish. There are 81 IB World Schools, of which 78 are authorised to offer the IB Diploma.

Colegio Internacional SEK-Ecuador, Quito, is one of 13 schools that follow all three stages of the IB programme. Spain’s SEK Education Group has three international school campuses in Ecuador.

Accrediting bodies active in the country include Cognia, which incorporates the former Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, and the Association of Christian Schools International.

Under the Ecuadorian constitution, education is compulsory until students achieve a “basic level of education”, which is estimated to take nine years. Primary education, which begins at age six and lasts six years, is followed by three years of middle school, and three years of optional high school, leading to the bachillerato exam. An aptitude test determines admission to Ecuador’s 29 public universities, which are free to attend.  

Education spending accounted for 4.2 per cent of GDP in 2019, when gross tertiary enrolment reached 48 per cent. Net enrolment was 60 per cent in pre-primary settings, 91 per cent for primary schools and 85 per cent for secondary schools the same year.