Santiago College

The Santiago College is a bilingual, independent, co-educational day school, founded as a non-sectarian institution in 1880 with support from the US Methodist Church.

The educational programme at Santiago College meets the requirements of the Chilean Ministry of Education, the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools and the International Baccalaureate Organization. It has been broadened and enriched to incorporate North American and European ideas in curriculum development and teaching methods. The appointment of fluent English speakers is a primary goal of the school.

Students normally enter Santiago College at nursery level and stay until they graduate from 12th Grade. The students are mainly Chilean, but a considerable number of students come from other countries and priority admission is given to overseas applicants. Approximately 90% of the graduating class enters Chilean universities and the remainder pursue studies in the USA or Europe.

The Santiago College operates a 180-day minimum calendar starting in early March and ending in mid-December. Nursery, kindergarten and first grade children have a half-day schedule. All other grades have a full school day beginning 08:00 and ending at 14:00, 15:35 or 16:20, depending on their class schedule.

The Santiago College campus of 3.3 hectares is located close to the city centre. Facilities include a library of 40,000 volumes, 62 classrooms, AV rooms, an auditorium, gymnasiums, playing fields, science labs and computer labs, music and art studios and a dining room. The school owns an 11.2 hectare campus at La Dehesa, a suburb of Santiago, where most sports and physical education activities take place. In addition to playing fields and sporting facilities, a new Pre-school opened its doors to the local community in March 1996.

Students applying for admission to Nursery must be four years old by December 31st of the year prior to school entry. Santiago College accepts students without regard to gender, colour, creed, or ethnic, national or social origin. The selection process includes an interview with prospective students and their parents.