New here...considering move to PR soon and looking for a good school

Hi Jill,

Welcome to Expat.com!

Thank you for this introduction.

I wish you good luck in your search.

All the best,
Christine

Sorry but I do not know anything about schooling in Humacao. I have written a lot about English-speaking schools in the San Juan metropolitan area in other forum threads, for what that is worth to you. Good luck!

Thank you all!  I appreciate any feedback.  This is so exciting, but there is so much to do.  I will have to check out the Condado area, and look at the other posts on english speaking schools.  Thanks so much, again. 

Hi TheJilly!!
Welcome! That sounds so exciting! You will Love it here. Very social culture.
Are you think of moving to Humacao because that is where your husband will work? I know that several of the big companies are located their. If so, I wouldn't live in San Juan, since the commute is around 45 min to an hour. (Can be done, but not fun
If so, Humacao has great restaurants and some nightlife as many of the larger companies have their foundations their because of land availability.
One of my fav french restaurants on the island is there!!

If your husband does not work in Humacao, but closer to San Juan, then you would love Condado. And in-terms of schooling, I suggest the St.John school. It is an incredible international school here in Condado, and as a parent the networking options are endless.

If you need suggestions on properties or areas, let me know and maybe I can share some of the wealth of knowledge I have! I have been living here for over a year now and its wonderful.
Best of luck!

CarribeanLifestyle,

Thanks so much for your feedback!  I have been hearing wonderful things about St. John's.  I understand that it is in San Juan, right?  So I guess it would be a little far from Humacao for daily commuting for the kids.  We're not really interested in San Juan, in terms of where we will live. Could you recommend somewhere closer to San Juan to live, if we ended up at St. John's?  We're really looking for a gated community if possible.

I saw in your profile that you're a Real Estate agent.  What company are you with?  You can message me if you don't want to post it here, but we will probably be going to PR in the next month or so to look at property.  Thanks!

I think it would be much too hard on yourself to enroll your kids in St. John's while your husband works in Humacao. No matter where you live in-between those two places, the commute to either would just be too time-consuming on a daily basis. You would loose multiple hours each day just driving back and forth. Additionally, there are frequent, massive traffic jams close to St. John's (I used to live near there and commuted right past the school to my office in Old San Juan regularly). These jams can take hours to clear.

I'd take some pressure off of your self and just look for a school near Humacao. I will ask some of my relatives if they can recommend a good English school in the East.

Finally, although St. John's is a fine school, it's not really any better than the other reputable English-speaking schools such as Commonwealth-Parkville, which is about 1/3 the price (I'm not sure if your husband's employer is picking up the tab or to what extent if it is). Commonwealth-Parkville is also too far from Humacao, but I mention this just so you know there are other English-speaking schools in PR that are just as good as St. John's even though they do not cost $17,000 per year. St. John's is very much a status school for the parents, really (and of course it's conveniently located if you live in Condado, Old San Juan or Isla Verde).

Anyway, good luck with whatever you decide to do. The east of PR is my favorite region in PR. There are plenty of things to do around there. It has great natural beauty and places like Humacao still have a relaxed air about them (unlike the San Juan metropolitan area). I think you will enjoy your time there.

For someone with a family in particular, I would definitely recommend living in, or close to, Humacao over living closer to the metropolitan area.

TheJilly,
I sent you a message, let me know if you received it!

There are 3 really good international schools on the island:
1.  Tasis - Dorado
2.  St. John - San Juan
3.  Baldwin - Guaynabo

I have 3 kids at Tasis and they really like it.  We live in a very safe neighborhood with many expats and walking distance to the beach..

Humacao's a nice town. I worked there last year. It compares to a large US town -- shopping malls, close to the coast, Las Palmas (the old military base turned resort). Many English speakers there because of Las Palmas.

Speaking English is considered a path to success in PR (and it's probably true). Hence there are dozens of small private academys that offer instruction in English, both church-based and otherwise. The advantage is that your child is forced to learn Spanish in order to socialize, but will not lag academically.

That's the route we took with our elder child (age six at the time). She hated it at first, but now two years later is basically fluent in Spanish. The younger one ended up in Headstart (as it took us over a year to find work). She did not show any problem getting dropping into an all-Spanish environment, but does sometimes claim a preference for English. She's now in public school (still too young for our private school) which, despite a shocking lack of resources, has a strong neighborhood community.

The other thing with the little academies is that you have a selection of approaches. The first school we attended basically borrowed home-schooling curriculum. The next one is self-paced.

I'll see what I can find out from my old coworkers.

Hey, there's actually a good Internet resource for this sort of thing! Kinda rare here...

http://www.colegiosdepr.com/pueblos/humacao-0.html

Seems like there is an option or two for you. Besides The Palmas Academy, Eastern Bilingual School and The Next Generation Academy. I strongly suggest scoping out possibilities in person beforehand, if at all possible.

Here we start registering toward the end of the preceding year. Actually, our public school is already registering the new class of Kindergarteners.

Hi Jill, this is Mardie from Ponce, Puerto Rico...There is a private English School in Palmas del Mar...i think it is still there. here is the link to the web site

http://www.palmasacademy.org/

Does anyone know what the tuition cost is for Palmas Academy?  This doesn't seem to be posted anywhere publicly. 

My family is preparing to move to PR in the next two years and I'm doing some research on where we should actually move to and what school to enroll my son in.  We are leaning towards Palmas.

Thank you.

Hello everyone,

Lots of great information in this thread and throughout the site.  Many thanks to those of you who have experience and contribute regularly, its really helpful.  My family is moving to PR in the coming weeks (mid-May, 2013), however, we've been watching the news over the last few months and have been getting disturbed about the rampant violence, car-jackings, brutal murders, kidnappings, and muggings (we live in between Detroit and Chicago and its still unsettling).  It seems to be spilling into formerly 'safe areas'.  My wife and I will each be working in the Rio Piedras area so were planning on living in the Ocean Park or Condado area, but are open to suggestions - we're looking for the safest situation possible.  We also have a 5 year old daughter and are looking for a school, she's presently in a pre-K Montessori program and we have heard there are quite a few in the San Juan area - again any suggestions? We are looking for a bilingual school and one of several reasons for this move is we want her to be bilingual.  As of now, we will be in PR by mid-May, but yes honestly have some reservations about the violence - please don't sugar coat responses, we have good opportunities here if we opt to not go, but it would be disappointing.  thanks in advance, hope this is perceived as concerned realism versus alarmist... I'll be looking forward to your input!  thanks

melaniea3174

Palmas del Mar is great.  We've lived here for a number of years and it's a safe, friendly community with nearly everything you need on a daily basis. 

The Palmas Academy is a good school also.  The primary language is English, but Spanish is taught here. 

If you need additional information such as (real estate agent, Palmas school contact, insurance, etc) I can provide the names and numbers of the people we use.  They are all bi-lingual.

The problem with living in Palmas de Mar (a beautiful resort like community) would be the daily commute to Rio Piedras. At normal working working hours a one way trip can easily take two hours!

There are several gated communities and condominiums with good security in the metro area from where it's taking a lot less time to get to Rio Piedras. I'd recommend to talk to a couple of real estate brokers - if possible come over for a couple of days and check possible locations to live.

Yes, there's a lot of violence but a lot of it is drugs related and unless you're out of luck and find yourself in the wrong place at the wrong time you won't get in trouble.
Common sense like not driving in certain neighborhoods in a big shiny car also helps.

Nobody can give you a guarantee for absolute safety but if you take care like you would anywhere else in the world you should be doing just fine.

Tony and Gary thanks for your quick responses!  I appreciate your insights about common sense, is it your sense that random violence isn't as bad as the media portrays it?  I guess a follow-up question, to avoid being in the wrong place at the wrong time, how much of your life is spent planning to avoid dangerous or sketchy situations?  A PR native whom my wife has been speaking to and lives I think in the Ocean Park or Isla Verde says that you just don't go out after 7pm...  What does that mean?  don't go bar hopping or don't go out for milk?  How many 'rules of thumb' are there like that and how much do they influence your day to day life in and around San Juan, versus outside the city? 

Recognizing that Palmas de Mar is a bit out of logistical range for working in the city, is the Rio Grande area more doable as a commute?  I've been in contact with a realtor from Coco Beach, a gated community, any insights, distance/logistics or safety?

thanks again everyone, I do hope I'll be able to reciprocate someday!  Despite these concerns, we're super psyched to get there!

If the violence is bad or not depends on one's personal experience I guess. I'm out in the country and recently there were two homicide cases in our area. I heard the shots fired in both cases and from the news reports I learned that both were drugs guys killing one another.

Friends who lived in Miramar (in the metro area) didn't feel safe on the streets after dark because of multiple cases of robbery and shootings.

I personally don't spend any time planning to avoid dangerous situations. I know the areas where I don't want to go. Also, I drive a 6 y/o car that nobody wants to carjack. Many times I forget to lock it and it's always there the next day.
Generally we don't go to stores after dark but a night out in f.i. Old San Juan or Condado seems to be OK although I heard of some robberies but it doesn't occur that much. Both in OSJ and Condado police officers / patrol cars  are always around and that sure helps.

About commuting from Rio Grande, it won't take as long as coming into town from the south but you will still spend some time in traffic jams. You could easily spend  one hour or more for a one way trip.
There are three directions from where people go to town to work: south, west and east and all of them are heavily congested during rush hour. There's basically one expressway coming into town from each direction.

Gated communities should be safe but I'd check the area / talk to residents before signing a rental contract.

Thanks Gary!

I agree with Gary that it's all about where you are at any given point in time.

I'm from Chicago and unfortunately, have seen my share of both minor and major crime.  The difference between the crime in PR and Chicago, in my view, is that in Chicago, you can be a target no matter who you are, where you are and for any reason and most times, for no reason.  In PR, it seems that most violent crime is drug related.  I haven't gone deep into various smaller communities in PR so I can't say what a good or bad area looks like.  In Chicago I know exactly where NOT to go. I think the general rule of thumb applies, always travel with a hightened sense of awareness and flashy cars, jewelry, etc is usually very attractive to criminals.

With that being said, I prefer PR over Chicago any day.  Each place has pros and cons but ultimately it's about your personal tolerances.

Regarding Palmas, like Gary says, it's a distance Rio Grande.  I was used to driving 1 to 1.5 hours each day in Chicago just to get downtown which is only 20 miles from my house - traffic is bad everywhere.

Hope this helps!

I know I'm a little bit less of an alarmist: don't go out after 7?? Maybe if you are WALKING in OCEAN Park on dark streets, and you SCREAM "TOURIST; ROB ME"! it's a sad reality but it's true everywhere!!!!  Kasalta is PACKED until 10 PM. MANGO's and the yogurt place as well.   SOMEONE must be out after 7: most restaurants are full as are the movie theaters, as are the malls, as are the main streets in Condado. I teach a class from 5:30 to 7PM and DRIVE from Bayamon to Condado. There is a mass at 6 PM at Stella Maris which is well attended and many folks walk home afterwards; just last week i WALKED to Via Appia AFTER mass to eat with some friends.  Last night I went to dinner with some friends and got home at 9PM.. late for me but I certainly was more afraid of the DRUNK drivers i might encounter on the road than bandits.   IS there crime? sure.. there are muggings on the avenue but there ARE police on most corners.  Would I walk on a dark street or on the beach at night? HELL, NO!  But I wouldn't do that ANYWHERE.  Do I try to park close to the door when I go shopping, SURE?  Do I have my car keys in my hand when I return to my car AFTER shopping, SURE! i'm not STUPID but I would do the same in New York or Colorado.  is there NO crime where you are??
I am sorry your friends don't go out at night, they are missing a lot of great activities in the area. Hope you will be a BIT more discerning.

By the way, your best schools are BALDWIN, St. JOHNS( VERY academic) and ROBINSON. there are several more which teach in English but these are the three top. Baldwin is in Guyababo but St. John's and Robinson are in Condado.
You mentioned CoCO beach gated community: that's where I was last night for dinner... Route 66 makes it a BETTER commute but if you are working in Rio Piedras, it can be an hour or more commute EACH WAY every night.  Try Condado for apartment living. also GUYANABO has many nice gated communities closer to the city, a better commute for you and closer to good schools... frankly, I'm not sure what the school situation is out at Coco  and you don't want to have to DRIVE them to Condado or Guyanabo every day to school! you would need to put a bed in your car!

Thanks so much for all the information, its all been really helpful! 

So, I know the crime thing is getting old and annoying, but 3 more final related questions on the topic:

1.  where is the safest neighborhood in San Juan area?  and how do Condado, Isla Verde, and Ocean Park compare?  We're very interested in a house in a gated community in the Ocean Park/Isla Verde area. 

2. My wife has been reading about a lot of on-the-road car-jackings and shootings, for those of you commuting into and away from San Juan, how much of a concern is this for you?  What is the frequency of car-jackings, we've read of several, but not sure if over years or all recent, or what.

3. We'll both be working or taking classes in the Rio Piedras University area, the news has been full of daytime violence, can anyone weigh in on the safety of the university area?  Safety driving around the Rio Piedras area, etc.  Are GPSs reliable to keep newbies out of dangerous neighborhoods?

And yes, we presently do live in small town that could be called "Maybury"... its ultra safe, quiet, and yes, rather boring.... We've lived in places where crime was more common and do understand common sense prevention, but the statistics and high profile news coverage in PR is giving us reasonable doubt and I guess we're just trying to figure out if the trade-off in safety and personal freedom is worth the beaches and mountains...  that is how much does real on the ground crime or risk of crime affect your daily life, decisions, plans, etc. 

thanks for your patience and insights!

1) gated communities are best in GUYNABO area. lots of expats and main land americans to talk to .  big houses, lawns and recreation areas. Condado, Ocean Park and Isla Verde are Metro areas, Isla Verde very transient touristy.  Ocean park has houses but it's not "gated" in the way you mean it. lots of weekend beach traffic and kids.... personally i'd stay away.
Condado is apartment living at it's best and worst.. depends on your budget and idea of luxury: St, Marys' has it all... beach pools walking to starbucks, great restaurants etc.
2) Please don't worry about car jacking... they happen all over and to everyone. if you drive a luxury car you are a target. period!BUT everyone drives a luxury car here.......
3) GPS doesn't work well here at all. it's only good for the maps. there's a long explanation but it doesn't matter.. get a map, get blue tooth and use the google map on your PDA... it shows you where you are
4) are you teaching or students?  if teaching you will NOT be hanging out where the violence usually fueled by drink happens.  If you are a student, don't go to the bad bars after class... same advice I would give you if you were going to COLUMBIA in Upper Manhattan...
Since you say you are coming from Mayberry, you might want to consider a "TRAINING" in cultural values and customs here which will help you understand some of the things you will see which may seem violent and will of course be VERY DIFFERENT even thought you are IN AMERICA ... that's what I do for major companies transferring their execs here......if you company will pay for the one or two day training it might be worth if for you.
My suggestion is go to Guyanabo, it will be less shocking to your Mayberry system... it's the city but more like Atlanta rather than New York or LA  ;-)

Hi I don't know if you moved already. Ilive in Gurabo, which is in between San Juan and Humacao. My kids go to American Academy in Gurabo, which is an excellent school and in a very nice neighborhood.
Good luck

Hello, I will moving to Puerto Rico on Monday, can you share your experiences about schools there?  i need to make a desicion for a good school.
Thank you.

Hi Mazzyy > this thread is inactive since 2013. You should continue on your new thread here. Thank you.

There are other kids at St John's from palmas who do the commute every day. SJS was the only school on the island to offer the variety of classroom taught AP classes so my kids could keep up with the high school plan they established before we moved here. I think their upper lever HS classes are excellent.

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Sorry i cant help with an answer, due to me not understanding Spanish

Sorry for the Spanish. Thanks everyone's for the answer. I was asking for feedback on Amarican Academy in Gurabo. I moved to Humacao recently and I'm clueless about school in this area.

Jereda8265 wrote:

Sorry for the Spanish. Thanks everyone's for the answer. I was asking for feedback on Amarican Academy in Gurabo. I moved to Humacao recently and I'm clueless about school in this area.

There is a good school inside Palmas Del Mar in Humacao that maybe you should investigate. Most. not all our members in Humacao live in Palmas.