Creating Thinkers
Students learn to think deeply by making connections and applying ideas across subjects.
PK–12 · Bilingual · Costa Ballena, Costa Rica
The life you want for your family. The education your kids deserve.
At Ballena Academy, you don’t have to choose. We’re a bilingual, PK–12 community in Costa Ballena where kids grow into Curious, Confident Creators, and families find the place they belong.
What your child grows into
A School for Curious, Confident Creators.
Learning in Nature
Students learn through direct connection to the natural world.
Finding Voice
Students develop voice and confidence through music, art, dance, and performance.
Growing Creators
Students learn by making and building meaningful projects.
Connecting to Life
Students connect their learning to real-world projects, people, and challenges.
Building Community
Students learn in a diverse, bilingual environment where they feel seen, valued, and connected.
One campus
One Campus, From Age Three to Graduation.
Ages 3–Kindergarten
Early Childhood
Play-based, integrated PreK and Kinder, with bilingual immersion from the first day.
Grades 1–5
Primary
Cross-subject learning that turns curiosity into real skill, in two languages.
Grades 6–12
Secondary
Concept-based and inquiry-driven, built around learning that lasts past the test.
What We Believe
Four Values We Live, Not Recite.
Everything runs on four core values that we expect everyone (kids, teachers, and parents) to live each day.
Be Kind
Kindness is the baseline, not a bonus, for classmates, teachers, and the community around us.
Bring Your Best
Real effort and real care in the work, whatever the subject and whatever the day.
Stay Curious
Questions are welcome here. Curiosity sets the pace, and wonder is treated as a skill.
Be True
Honesty with yourself and others, especially when it would be easier not to be.
I feel happy in the way we learn and how the teachers teach. I also have a lot of fun in class. I like the school because of the environment—it feels very healthy, and I’ve been able to make a lot of new friends.
See it for yourself
The heart of Ballena.
Our story
We built the school we wished existed.
We moved to Costa Ballena in 2022 looking for the same thing most families here are looking for: a better, more intentional life for our kids. What we didn’t expect was how hard it would be to find a school that matched the move. We tried what was available. Nothing quite fit. And rather than be another family that talked about what was missing, we decided to do something about it.
We opened Ballena Academy in 2024 alongside another family who felt the same way. We didn’t move here to run a school, but we committed to build something this community actually needed: a bilingual, PK–12 school rooted in this coast without sacrificing the education kids deserve. We’re still building it. But we’re grateful we started.
Come See for Yourself
Three steps. One easy first move.
1
Tour
See the campus and feel the place. In person or virtual.
2
Try
A trial day for your kid, so they (and you) know it’s real before you commit.
3
Enroll
Join the community.
Insights
