''Colegio Humboldt'' (german: Humboldt-Schule) is a German international school in

Pavas Pavas is the ninth district of the San José canton, in the San José province of Costa Rica. The district comprises Tobías Bolaños International Airport, San José's domestic airport. Geography Pavas has an area of km2 (the largest distr ...

, San José,

Costa Rica Costa Rica (, ; ; literally "Rich Coast"), officially the Republic of Costa Rica ( es, República de Costa Rica), is a country in the Central American region of North America, bordered by Nicaragua to the north, the Caribbean Sea to the no ...

, serving a student body that includes preschool through

Abitur ''Abitur'' (), often shortened colloquially to ''Abi'', is a qualification granted at the end of secondary education in Germany. It is conferred on students who pass their final exams at the end of ISCED 3, usually after twelve or thirteen year ...

. The German School of Costa Rica was founded in 1912, initially only offering classes in kindergarten and primary school levels. The school closed during the two world wars, but with the support from the local German community in Costa Rica, was able to reopen in 1956 as the ''"Colegio Humboldt - Schule"'', and expanded to include secondary school classes in 1975 with the addition of the ''"Nueva Secundaria"''. In addition to students with German backgrounds, the student body today includes pupils with backgrounds from other European countries as well as from the United States, and other countries in Latin America, including Colombia and Venezuela. Students generally enter the school at Kindergarten. In addition, the school offers a scholarship program which supports a number of Costa Rican students with high academic performance but no German-related background for entry to the school in the 5th grade. The school is trilingual, with German and Spanish taught first. From the first day of Kindergarten, learning the German language is prioritized, which is a new language for the vast majority of students. This is achieved through language immersion, and teachers communicate with the children during the day's activities exclusively in German. English is first introduced in Grade 5. By the time the students graduate, most of them are fluent in all three languages. The school offers the German high school certificate, the

, in addition to the Costa Rican Bachillerato. Humboldt is known for its wide range of extra-curricular activities, including dozens of after-school clubs, and its sports program and facilities that include an Olympic size swimming pool, a full size track and soccer field. The school also boasts a professional theater, the "Humboldt Auditorium",
Auditorio Humboldt
Colegio Humboldt-Schule''. Retrieved on 04 May 2020 which opened in August 2018.

References

External links

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Colegio Humboldt
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Colegio Humboldt"Conozca el Colegio Humboldt"
(in Spanish) {{coord, 9.9437, -84.1244, type:edu_region:CR, display=title International schools in Costa Rica San Jose Educational institutions established in 1912 1912 establishments in Costa Rica