International schools in Mexico

Private schools in Mexico come under the Secretaría de Educación Pública (SEP). Official recognition, through SEP incorporation or a RVOE, is what allows a school to issue nationally valid Mexican certificates. International schools layer foreign credentials on top: IB authorisation, Cambridge examinations or US accreditation. The two are granted separately and can cover different grades, so ask a school which of its programmes carry SEP recognition. ↗

• American: the American School Foundation in Mexico City, founded in 1888, offers American, IB and AP options; the American School Foundation of Monterrey, a separate institution, reports 24 AP courses. ↗ ↗
• British and IB: Greengates School’s 2024–25 profile describes IEYC/IPC, then IGCSE and the IB Diploma; Edron Academy’s May 2023 British Schools Overseas report describes IGCSE and IB Diploma provision. ↗ ↗
• Full IB continuum: John F. Kennedy, The American School of Querétaro, is bilingual and teaches the IB Primary Years, Middle Years and Diploma programmes. ↗
• German and French: Colegio Alemán Alexander von Humboldt, founded in 1894, offers German and Mexican study routes, and the Lycée Franco-Mexicain follows the French programme. ↗

An IB Diploma option is not the same as the full IB continuum, and British-style schools in Mexico often lead from IGCSE to the IB Diploma rather than A levels. Our curriculum guide explains how the routes compare.

Mexico’s school year runs from late August to the early summer, and many private and international schools follow that pattern. Unlike Colombia’s Calendar A or Brazil’s February start, it lines up with a summer move from the northern hemisphere. Application windows and exact term dates are still set school by school. ↗

Visa por unidad familiar. Mexico’s National Migration Institute (INM) grants family-unity visas to the unmarried minor children of temporary or permanent residents. Children of a temporary resident receive a temporary residence visa; children of a permanent resident or Mexican citizen receive a permanent one. The parent in Mexico files the request with the INM, presenting their residence card, a copy of the child’s passport and the child’s birth certificate; the child then attends a consular interview. Within 30 calendar days of arrival, the entry form (FMM) is exchanged for a residence card at an INM office. ↗

Revalidación of school records. The SEP regulates revalidation of studies completed abroad. For primary and secondary school, foreign birth certificates and school certificates do not need an apostille or legalisation, but they must be accompanied by a Spanish translation. Revalidation can be total, for a complete level, or partial, for a grade or set of subjects, and the school applies to the local education authority on the student’s behalf. ↗

Bring original school reports for every completed grade; the school needs them for placement and for any revalidation it files. Our admissions timeline guide helps sequence records, assessments and deadlines.

Mexico City has the widest choice, including the American School Foundation, Greengates, Edron, Westhill, Peterson, the Lycée Franco-Mexicain and Colegio Alemán. Our Mexico City city guide covers each school, dated fees and the neighbourhoods families compare.

Monterrey: the American School Foundation of Monterrey offers an AP programme, and San Roberto International School, part of Nord Anglia, has campuses in Valle Alto and in San Pedro Garza García. Euroamerican and Himalaya are other Monterrey options. ↗ ↗ ↗

Guadalajara: the American School Foundation of Guadalajara, Colegio Alemán de Guadalajara and the Canadian School. The American School Foundations in Guadalajara, Monterrey and Mexico City are separate institutions. ↗

Querétaro: John F. Kennedy, The American School of Querétaro, offers a bilingual IB continuum from primary through the Diploma. ↗

Fees are set school by school, with tuition (colegiatura) and registration (inscripción) charged separately; for dated figures see the Mexico City guide and our fees comparison guide.