We accept applications throughout the year depending on space availability in the School. However, to guarantee a place for your child at the start of a new school year the following application deadlines apply:

  • 2023-2024  school year starting in August 2023 the application deadline: June 10th 2023

  • 2024-2025 school year application deadline: June 2024

It is important to note that although applications are accepted throughout the year, students are admitted to the school only during the months of September, at the beginning of the school year, and January, after the December vacation. Exceptions are made on a case by case basis.

After completing the admissions process, and providing all information requested, you will have a family interview. 10 days after the family interview you will receive official notice if your child has been accepted.

We are pleased to welcome students for partial year enrollment. The minimum duration of a student’s enrollment is three months. Regardless of the length of a student’s stay, tuition, materials, and monthly fees for the entire 12-month period must be paid in advance.

Gaia School follows an international calendar, with the academic year starting early September and ending mid-June.

Yes. We currently have transportation which runs from Playa Carmen and Santa Teresa through Hermosa and Manzanillo to the school each morning and back in the afternoon.  Routes will be added as the school grows.

We are pleased to offer a menu that is gluten-free, sugar-free, and plant-based Our meals are made with fresh, whole ingredients and are carefully crafted to meet the nutritional needs of growing children. We understand that some students may have specific dietary needs or allergies, and we are committed to accommodating these needs to the best of our ability.

The food program fee is included in the monthly fee.

Early Childhood: 12 to 18 students per class with a teacher and a teacher’s assistant. 1st-6th° grade: 12 to 18 students per class with one lead teacher.

“The need for imagination, a sense of truth, and a feeling of responsibility – these three forces are the very nerve of Education”. – Rudolf Steiner

Waldorf philosophy emphasizes a developmentally appropriate education that weaves together an appreciation for nature with the sciences, art, music,  movement and the development of interpersonal skills.  In the early years, student learning is very experiential, and they may spend much of their day outdoors.  We think this approach fits well with the local culture and priorities of those born on the Nicoya Peninsula and those who chose to live here.

Waldorf is academically rigorous.  While some traditional “school” subjects like reading begin later in the Waldorf curriculum, by eighth grade Waldorf students typically are more advanced than their conventionally educated peers.  In addition to excelling in the subjects measured by a standardized test, Waldorf students will likely be far ahead of their peers in the important subjects that aren’t tested, such as art, music and dance.

For older students, we will offer the advanced courses they need (to prepare for an advanced education or a technical career.  Often these subjects are taught through project-based learning, in the same way that they are used in the real world.

These two educational approaches began with a similar goal: to design a curriculum that was developmentally appropriate to the child and that addressed the child’s need to learn in a tactile and intellectual manner.  Montessori approaches learning more individually, with many individual work stations and activities. Waldorf approaches learning in a group setting.

Our goal is to foster passionate readers who continue reading for pleasure throughout their lifetimes. To that end, we introduce reading in a developmentally appropriate way, when students are more comfortable with the written word and fully ready to engage with them.

Waldorf teachers begin teaching reading in the first couple months of first grade by teaching consonants and vowel names and sounds through an artistic approach of drawing, painting, movement, and speech. This artistic, deliberate process engages the children with great interest, and by the end of first grade, children are writing and reading sentences and short texts. Students typically begin reading printed readers with their teacher during the second half of second grade. This thorough and artistic approach to teaching literacy has been proven to build a solid base for advanced comprehension and vocabulary skills in later years.

No. Waldorf schools are non-sectarian and non-denominational. They educate all children, regardless of their cultural or religious backgrounds. The pedagogical method is comprehensive, and, as part of its task, seeks to bring about recognition and understanding of all the world’s cultures and religions. Waldorf schools are not part of any church. They espouse no particular religious doctrine but are based on a belief that there is a spiritual dimension to the human being and to all of life. Waldorf families come from a broad spectrum of religious traditions and interests.

Currently, our teachers come from a varity of countries. The majority have strong links and have lived in Costa Rica for many years. 

All of our current teachers have university degrees, teacher training, and Waldorf training. Gaia School runs our own Waldorf Teacher Training Program, and sends teachers internationally for specific courses. Our commitment is to hire from our local community and fund high quality training.

Yes. We plan to build a high-school program on the same property as the current school. We are currently accepting children from pre-K through 5th grade.,. After that, we will add approximately 1 grade per year through 12th grade.

Waldorf graduates typically excel when they choose to pursue higher education, and as a result are accepted at top universities around the world. Our curriculum will ensure that our graduates have the skills they need to excel in these institutions.

We plan to pursue both Costa Rican (MEP) and International Certifications such as Waldorf, SACS, and others., 

While such certifications are important for higher education, they will take 5-7 years to achieve.  If specific accreditations are important to your family, please email our Head of School with any questions or concerns: reese.langston@gaiaschoolcr.org.

The Gaia School is non-profit, and we seek to offer a high quality educational experience at cost.  We anticipate annual fees to increase on par with inflation (5-10%) per year.  Our average annual fees in the next few years will be a maximum of $1000 to $1200 per month, on par with other private, non-profit schools in Costa Rica.

Yes. We desire to have a mix of students that represents the range of nationalities, races and socio-economic statuses of the local community. In order to ensure that all students are on an equal footing, it is important to offer instruction in both Spanish and English starting in the earliest grades. English is the primary language of instruction, and Spanish is taught during 1 to 2 hours per day depending on the grade level.

We are building a world-class Waldorf School on our 46 hectare (113 acre) property in Betel, near Manzanillo.

Our rate of growth will be based on our facilities build-out, the interest of students and parents, and our ability to hire the right teachers and staff to deliver a high-quality education . Our enrollment plan is as follows:

  • To enroll 52 students from P-K to 5thgrade by September 2023.
  • To enroll 76 students from Nursery to 6thgrade by September 2024.
  • To enroll 104 students from Nursery to 7hgrade by September 2025.
  • To enroll 153 students from Nursery to 8thgrade by September 2026.
  • We have established the school as a not-for-profit association, and all tuition and donations will be reinvested in the school.
  • Initially, the costs of the land, facilities and operating costs are being covered by donations for the first 5 years of operations.
  • In the longer term, we plan to have all of the land and facilities donated while the tuition will cover the annual operating costs and scholarship programs.

While English proficiency is beneficial and recommended, it’s not a requirement for admission.

Gaia School doesn’t currently have a uniform policy. We value students’ self-expression through their clothing choices while maintaining a respectful and appropriate dress code. We particularly appreciate plain t-shirts and shirts, avoiding overly eye-catching designs or brand logos.

Gaia School is dedicated to inclusive education. When applying to the school, if your child has a specific health condition—whether physical, cognitive, or social—we kindly ask for a document from a relevant professional outlining the condition and the related special requirements. Not sharing such information could lead to unenrollment. We collaborate closely with families to comprehend each student’s distinct needs and assess whether our resources can accommodate them effectively.  We desire to enroll all children in our school, but are limited by our resources to accommodate certain special needs.

Certainly, the safety and security of our students, staff, and visitors are paramount at the Gaia School. To ensure this, we have implemented a comprehensive security system, including 24-hour security provided by an external security company registered with the Ministry of National Security in Costa Rica. This additional layer of security complements our own safety measures. We continuously evaluate and improve our security protocols to maintain a safe learning environment for all.