Why Alcaparros?

Alcaparros families value education, invest in it, have prepared themselves to play a professional or intellectual role in society, seek the human development – not only academic – of their children, and live in the north of Bogota or in La Calera.

An Alcaparros family seeks to build a united and happy family nucleus that supports each other. They do not define success solely in economic terms. On the contrary, they firmly believe that personal development and self-esteem are as important as academic, professional and economic success. Consequently, they seek a school that supports their children’s individual needs so that they can develop their individual potential – whatever that may be – and be prepared to excel in their own way and be happy in a changing world. In addition, they want their children to develop social and environmental awareness, and a sense of belonging and responsibility to Colombia. They value dialogue and accept differences and seek to connect with a like-minded community.

Alcaparros has a campus of 10 hectares (10,000 m2), 90% of which is composed of green areas and forests.

To learn about the extracurricular courses that the school offers to students every semester, you can consult them through our website in the extracurricular section or communicate directly with the area in charge through email.

The school calendar can be consulted through Phidias, accessing with the username and password previously assigned by the technology area.

Yes, the process begins in preschool in a gradual manner, first reinforcing the oral, reading and writing skills in the native language, while exposing children to sounds and texts in English. Total immersion (85%) begins in transition. Portuguese as a third language begins in 6th grade. In high school some subjects, such as science, are taught in English and Spanish for the acquisition of the vocabulary necessary for the Saber 11 tests.

Our school is bilingual Spanish – English. The process begins in Preschool in a 50/50 percentage and total immersion, 85%, begins in transition. Starting in 6th grade we offer our students the Portuguese program as a third language.

Our graduating students score in the C1 (Advanced English) and C2 (Proficiency English) level in the Duolingo, TOEFL and IELTS exams.

Over the past 30 years, Colegio Hacienda Los Alcaparros has developed a bespoke curriculum dedicated to developing the human potential of each student. We offer an education where students learn in context through project-based and active learning methodologies at every grade level. The curriculum seeks to balance academic rigor with personal development, providing students with opportunities to truly discover who they are and how they can contribute as global citizens. The curriculum is ever evolving and thus we continuously review how to best prepare our students for success in their future. Our curriculum is one of our defining characteristics.

While we recognize that the International Baccalaureate (IB) program offers benefits to many schools, it is a different and prescribed curriculum. Adopting this program would mean changing our DNA. At our core there are many things that we share with the IB curriculum such as a commitment to developing global citizens and critical thinkers, but retaining our own unique identity gives us the flexibility  to make decisions that work best for our students and in our context. Not having the IB has not compromised our academic standards, nor has it been a hindrance for our graduates in gaining admission to the universities of their choice.

American universities do not require a diploma or an IB certificate. Because we are a COGNIA accredited school, university admission processes with U.S. and some other international universities are simplified since our curriculum is generally accepted as a “U.S. Curriculum”.

Some European universities require the IB diploma for undergraduate studies, and the applicant’s results must be in the “very superior” range to gain admission.

Alcaparros is a member of UNCOLI (Union of International Schools) and UCB (Union of Bilingual Schools). All kinds of sports, academic and cultural meetings are held.