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- What makes your school special?
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Colegio Menor Samborondón provides a bilingual education that consists of 100% English immersion in Preschool and 80% English immersion in Lower, Middle, and High School. Students will have all core classes instructed in English alongside Spanish classes and extracurricular activities.
We offer a world-class liberal arts curriculum from top qualified teachers, and an AP program for our high school students that prepares them for college abroad. Our students grow into global citizens and have open doors to international pathways, upon graduation.
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- When was the school founded?
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Colegio Menor Samborondón was founded in the city of Guayaquil in 2013. We are the second school campus founded after Colegio Menor Quito, which was founded in 1995.
Inspired by Universidad San Francisco de Quito, Colegio Menor fulfilled the founders’ dream of offering a bilingual liberal arts education and has quickly become a renowned school in the nation.
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- Where is the school located?
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Our campus is strategically located. Campus Samborondón is in a residential area in the center of the city of Samborondón. We are close to Plaza Lagos Mall, Aires de Batán, and Guayaquil Country Club.
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- What accreditations does the school hold?
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Colegio Menor Samborondón is accredited by the prestigious international accreditation organization Cognia. Since 2020, Colegio Menor's accreditation score was 360 out of 400 and was ranked as an impacting school for leadership, learning and resources. We constantly review and update our academic programs, teaching practices, and learning environments so that we can ensure we are implementing the best for our students.
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- What does “the liberal arts” mean?
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Our curriculum is based on the liberal arts and includes various programs that contribute to the development of well-balanced individuals. Colegio Menor’s students are artists, scientists, musicians, writers, and mathematicians. The concept of the liberal arts is a balanced educational approach focused on the development of intellectual abilities and not solely on the development of technical skills. At Colegio Menor, we regard all subjects as equally important in order to ensure the well-rounded development of our students.
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- Which classes are taught in English?
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At Colegio Menor Samborondón, from Preschool, we offer 100% English immersion so that our students become comfortably bilingual from a young age. Then, we offer 80% English immersion in Lower, Middle, and High School, where all our core classes are instructed in English, alongside Spanish classes and extracurricular activities.
Because all our core classes are instructed in English, our high school students are well prepared to take Advanced Placement (AP) courses at the college level. Our AP courses are the ideal preparation for applying to universities abroad, especially in the US. Some of our students earn college credits and scholarships because of their outstanding work at the AP level.
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- What’s an Advanced Placement (AP) Program?
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Advanced Placement (AP) is a program that gives the opportunity for students to earn US college credits while attending high school and provides students with efficient preparation for continuing education coursework at the university level.
Our AP program offers more than 30 college courses, including in the areas of Computer Science, Arts, Mathematics, History and the Social Sciences, Languages and Cultures, and English.
Students may choose the courses that strategically support their interests, goals, and talents—positioning them in an ideal way when applying to college.
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- Do you have extracurricular activities?
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Yes, we do have extracurricular activities. We have many sports programs like soccer, basketball, volleyball, dance, and martial arts. We also have many non-sports activities that change each year according to students’ preferences: art, ceramics, Science Club, robotics, Model of United Nations, and Green Movement, among others.
Students from Playgroup through 1st Grade can attend our after-school sports camp, Little Pumas Academy, from 4:30 pm to 5:30 pm.
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- Can my child learn a musical instrument?
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Yes! During the Early Childhood years, our students learn general music and play percussion instruments, and from the 4th Grade, they learn to play string and wind instruments. From 4th Grade onward, each student can choose to specialize in a musical instrument and receive lessons from our music teachers.
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- What is the school schedule?
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Our school’s schedule varies by the school group, as follows:
Playgroup and Pre-Kindergarten: 8:30 am to 12:45 pm
Kindergarten: Monday to Thursday: 8:30 am to 2:30 pm; Friday: 8:30 am to 12:45 pm
Lower School: 8:00 am to 2:30 pm
Middle School and High School: 8:00 am to 2:45 pm
Extracurricular activities: 3:00 pm to 4:20 pm
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- What are the academic groups of the school?
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The academic groups are separated into the following:
Early Childhood: Playgroup, Pre-Kindergarten, and Kindergarten
Lower School: 1st Grade to 5th Grade
Middle School: 6th Grade to 8th Grade
High School: 9th Grade to 12th Grade
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- How many students do you have per class and grade?
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For the Early Childhood years (Playgroup, Pre-Kindergarten, and Kindergarten), we have 17 children in each class.
For Lower School, Middle School, and High School, we have 25 children in each class.
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- What is Colegio Menor Samborondón School Calendar?
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Our school calendar runs from May to February.
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- Do students have to wear uniforms?
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No, students do not wear uniforms. However, we have a dress code for all our student community, which is shared with the community at the start of the school year.
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