Baldwin School vs. American Military Academy...which costs more, has a better reputation, etc? (credit, how much)

[La Boricua Rosa]

Just curious as I would like to start my daughter at one of these two schools in the Guaynabo/Bayamón areas. American Military Academy and the Baldwin School are very nearby to each other and they both have exceptional campus facilities.

For those who are familiar with these two schools, which one has the better reputation? Also, which of the two costs more? American Military Academy is bilingual and Baldwin is an English school. My daughter speaks English and I really want her to learn as much Spanish as possible.

I would love to hear any opinions that you may have. Also, if there are any additional schools in the Guaynabo area that you would recommend, please let me know. All help is greatly appreciated. We will be moving to the Torrimar area of Guaynabo later this year and these were the two closest schools that I could locate online.

Gracias a todos. Que tengan un buen día.

[Sunscape]

Although I lived there a long time ago, and I am originally from San Juan, Baldwin used to be more expensive than the American Military .
My daughters went to AM for some time, it was an excellent school at that time.
Around Torrimar there are other good school like Colegio Marista.
I'm sure others will have others to recommend.

[PR Engineer]

Even though I gaduated from HS in San Juan 15 years ago, I'm almost sure Baldwin still is more expensive than AMA. It has always been that way. Both are great schools. Since your daugher is coming from the states she will feel more comfortable at Baldwin (being all english). Kids from Baldwin tend to speak english ALL the time enven after school and on the phone to each other. So, l don't know if your daugher will be exposed to spanish enough to learn it fast.

At AMA she will learn spanish faster but the initial shock might be hard to deal with.

I don't know what grade your daugher is but another excellent school to consider is Academia Maria Reina which is 7th grade to 12th grade and girls only. Also not to far from Torrimar is Academia San Jose in Caparra. This one is boys and girls from K-6th grade and girls only from 7th - 12th grade.
Both offer excellent catholic education and many of the graduates make it to US top Universities (Harvard, Yale, Princeton, etc..)

Hope this helps

[joyojoye]

We are planning on moving to Puerto Rico the beginning of next year & are trying to find a private school for our granddaughter also. She is in 7th grade & speaks no Spanish, but interested in learning the language, of course. I hate to shell shock her at first with all Spanish...haha, so I am wondering how many private schools are in the Caguas/Guayanabo area that are English speaking? On a website I noticed it mentioned only 5 (out of 100) private schools in Puerto Rico & said the tuition ranged from $160 - $250/mo. The Baldwin web site mentions $150 registration, but I'm sure the actual amount is much higher than $3150/yr. What other charges would there be? Someone said St John's tuition is $20k. Hmmm.. Does anyone know about how much the various schools charge? I guess I need a map of the local area I mentioned & where each school is located, as I am her "bus" service too. (It would make things so much easier if there was one website you could go to that listed ALL the private schools, designated on a map, and listed the tuition & other costs for their respective schools, along with their accreditions & other pertinent information.) I assume Academia Maria Reina & San Jose are bilingual schools, correct? What about Robinson & TASIS? What language is spoken at each & where are they located? Does anyone know what American Military charges & where that is located? This is my first "thread"...all along I thought I sewed with it. huh .. Actually, I don't even know if I'm "threading" where I should or if this is only in response to La Boracua Rosa's post. Please respond, if you can. Thanks!

[La Boricua Rosa]

There is an all-girls school in a gated community that is very nice with a great English curriculum from what I've heard called Colegio Puertorriqueño de Niñas. The all-girls school is in Guaynabo, one of my absolute favorite areas.

Saint John, Baldwin, TASIS (Dorado), Dorado Academy and Robinson are English schools. I am looking into either Saint John or Robinson at the moment as they seem to be the best.

Bilingual Schools include American Military, which also seems very nice. Academia Maria Reina is also all girls and San Jose I'm not too familiar with.

I'm considering only Saint John and Robinson really because of location...we would not necessarily have a car when we first move and we would be able to live within walking distance easily if we stick with those two reputable schools.

Your post is only a response to my original post, however, you should still get readers. To post a brand new post, click on New Post from the main page. I hope you have a safe move! Buena suerte.

[Sunscape]

Joy, You are sewing ....

Let's see if some of the regulars know and can tell you more about the schools.

[davsot]

Don't know much about those schools but what Boricua Rosa says sounds good.

[stowkovski]

I do not recommend American Military Academy AT ALL as an option if you are serious about your child's education. Do not get me wrong- this school is privileged to have many, many outstanding teachers, but they are severely limited in their educational career by an Administration that encourages them to consistently curb grades, give out numerous easy extra-credit handouts to students (particularly of affluent parents) who are struggling academically, and shush about the school's questionable discipline policy, all in the framework of low salary and intimidation. If you don't believe this, just befriend any teacher and ask them in confidence.

[Julian658]

OP

Are you going to live in PR for a long time? Will your kids grow up in PR?

If they are planning to live in PR for a long time choose the best Catholic School you can afford. For example most kids from the better PR families in the metro area go to San Ignacio. This gives the HS boys a chance to network and this is very helpful for jobs and a social life in the future. If you are leaving the island then networking with the better socioeconomic group will be moot abd any school you choose will likely be OK.

[tasislover]

Tasis is the best school in Puerto Rico by far