International Schools

The Inter-American Academy is an independent, non-profit day school, which offers an educational program from nursery(age 2) through grade 12 for students of all nationalities. IA was founded in 1979 and is governed by a school board comprised of seven elected parents. It is fully accredited in the United States by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools and is also recognized by the Ecuadorian Ministry of Education. IA is a member of the Association of American Schools in South America. The curriculum is based on best practices in American and international education. Instruction is in English. Average class size is 15 students. Supplementing the core program of English, math, science, social studies and Spanish, instruction in art, computers, music and physical education is offered at all grade levels. Spanish is taught in grades K-12. English-as-a-Second-Language is provided to those students not fluent in English. A Learning Resource Center provides support for students with learning difficulties. Distance learning courses, global citizenship, yearbook, sociology, graphic design, and French are some of the high school electives available. With a wide range of Advanced Placement (AP) courses offered, graduates of IA are well-prepared for colleges and universities in North America, Ecuador, and Europe. A rich extracurricular activity and athletic program is available for students from pre-kindergarten through 12th grade. The student body is split roughly into thirds with 25% U.S. citizens, 40% Ecuadorian, and 35% other nationalities. Responsible for teaching and guiding the students is a highly talented faculty of 26 full-time and 2 part-time teachers, counselors, and administrators, including eleven U.S., ten Ecuadorian, four Canadian, one French, one Dutch and one Brazilian educator. The IA campus has 31 classrooms, a library, a 25 meter semi-olympic swimming pool, a covered multi-purpose court and playground, and a cafeteria. It has 35 computers between the computer and media lab (along with teacher computers in each classroom), and the library houses various periodicals and over 15,000 volumes. The school campus is situated on a 27,400 square-meter campus with beautifully landscaped playing fields and gardens--complete with iguanas! IA is located in Puerto Azul, a suburb of Guayaquil in Ecuador.