Balboa Academy is a private non-profit co-educational day school, offering an American college preparatory educational program from pre-kindergarten (3 and 4 year old programs) through 12^th grade for students regardless of their nationality, race or creed.

The Academy Goal:

The Academy's goal is to provide a quality educational program for students with high potential who come from diverse cultural backgrounds, interests, and talents, and whose commonality is a desire to learn and achieve social and professional success.

We strive to instill in our students a lifelong love of learning through the application of modern methods of instruction and prepare them to meet the challenges of the future in the fields of science, fine arts, language arts, sports, technology, and civic and moral values.

The School Year:

The school year will consist of 183 days of classroom instruction divided into two semesters extending from early August to mid June.  School vacations are four weeks at midyear, mid Dec to mid Jan; one week at carnival,  and one week at Easter.  The school observes Panamanian school holidays and Thanksgiving (2 days). The 2009- 2010 school year started on 6 Aug 2009 and ends on 16 Jun 2010.   The school opened in August of 1999.

School Hours:

The school class hours for grades 1-12 are 8:00 am to 2:55 am on M, T, Th, & F and 8:00 AM to 12:45 PM on Wed.  Kindergarten hours are 8:00 am to 12:45  pm on M, T, W, Th, & F.  Pre-kindergarten hours are 8:00 AM to 11:30  PM on M, T, W, Th, & F.

Curriculum:

The Balboa Academy curriculum is a standards based US college-preparatory program similar to that of private schools in the United States.  The instructional program is implemented in English.  Spanish is taught as both a native and foreign language.  French is taught in high school as an additional foreign language.  Advanced Placement (AP) courses are offered in all major subject areas.  US and Panama history, geography, and government are integrated into the social studies curriculum to satisfy both US and Panamanian academic requirements.  All graduates qualify for a US diploma.  Graduates may also qualify for a diploma from the Panama Ministry of Education.  There is no religious instruction.

Educational Priorities:

• develop thinking and problem-solving skills

• use writing throughout the curriculum

• integrate technology throughout the curriculum

• encourage students to apply prior knowledge in new situations

License:

The Balboa Academy is licensed to operate as an private American international school on an August to June schedule by the Ministry of Education of the Republic of Panama.

Accreditation:

The Balboa Academy is fully accredited in the United States by AdvancED, Southern Association of Colleges and Schools - Council on Accreditation and School Improvement, (SACS-CASI).

Organization:  

Balboa Academy is a non-profit foundation (registered in both the US and Panama) governed by a Board of Trustees (nine members) selected from the founding educators to maintain the mission, goals and facilities, and a Board of Directors (nine members) composed of parents and educators who oversee the operation of the school.

Faculty: 

There are 72 full-time teachers, 4 part-time teachers, 3 education specialist, 3 counselors, 6 education technicians, and 5 administrators on the faculty of Balboa Academy.  There are  52 US, 16 local, and 4 third country teachers.  The classroom teachers except the Spanish language teachers are English speaking, most are educated in the United States, and most have US teaching credentials.  The Spanish language teachers are native Spanish speakers with Latin American university degrees and teaching credentials.  Thirty-seven faculty members have masters degrees and two have PhDs.  The student teacher ratio is approximately 11:1.

Enrollment:

Enrollment (12 Aug 2010) for first semester school year 2010-2011 is 830, as follows:

The student population is approximately 40% US, 25% Panamanian, and 35% international from 46 countries. 

Facilities:  BA Campus (click to enlarge)

Click to Enlarge

The Balboa Academy campus is located in the City of Knowledge, Clayton, Panama City, Republic of Panama.  The school leases four air-conditioned classroom buildings and a health & fitness complex, which include: 65 classrooms, 3 libraries, 5 computer laboratories, 3 art and 3 music classrooms, 5 science laboratories, and 2 multi-purpose rooms (lunch room/auditorium).  Capacity is approximately 850 students (60 per grade).  In addition to school facilities, the school shares use of baseball and soccer fields, tennis courts, gymnasium, Olympic swimming pool, 600 seat auditorium and physical fitness areas in the City of Knowledge adjacent to our campus.

Fees:

Tuition fees are commensurate with that of other quality international private educational institutions in Panama.  The annual tuition fees for the 2010-2011 school year are as follows: PK : $4,896; Kinder: $6796; grades 1-5: $8108; grades 6-12: $8970. In additional a registration fee for PK of $405 and for K-12 of $850 per year for books and supplies.  A one-time admission fee of $8,000 for the purchase or remodeling of buildings and purchase of durable equipment such as computers, furniture, and library books.  Each family additionally contributes $400 annually to the infrastructure fund for modernization of school facilities.  Additionally, there is a $20 annual dues per family for the Parent, Teacher, and Student Organization (PTSO).

Updated 08/31/2010

Copyright © 1999 - 2009 Balboa Academy all rights reserved
Apartado 0843-02777  Panama, Panama - Fax (507) 302-0030- Tel (507) 302-0035

Elementary Class


HS Science Lab


PK Students


HS Computer Science Class


MS Students

BA Campus (click to enlarge)