Tuition and Fees 2025–2026
At Country Day School, Costa Rica, our tuition fees ensure your child will receive the best international education in a stimulating and encouraging learning environment. They won't just love coming to school — they'll be ready to take on the adventures ahead at college and in their career.
With our unique, integrated learning model, virtual school platforms, and personalized learning approach, our students graduate with a distinct advantage. Our fees reflect this and are broken down by academic year, allowing you to plan for both short and long-term stays at Country Day School. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact our dedicated admissions team members who will get back to you as soon as possible at (506) 2289-0919 ext. 2239 or contact the Admissions team.
We look forward to assisting you and to welcoming you and your family to our school.
| Application fee | $ 50 |
Matriculation fee (Early Learning) | $ 500 |
Matriculation fee (PK-12th Grade) | $ 1,300 |
Entrance fee (A one-time fee per student) | $ 2,500 |
Family fee (A one-time fee per family, enrolling for the first time) | $ 1,000 |
Tuition (Early Learning–12th Grade)
Grade Level | Yearly Fees | Monthly (10months) | Yearly (-3% Annual Discount) |
| Early Learning (Half day) | $ 7,280 | $ 728.00 | $ 7,061.60 |
| Early Learning (Full Day) | $ 8,888 | $ 888.80 | $ 8.621.36 |
Pre-Kinder (Half Day) | $ 7,280 | $ 728.00 | $ 7,061.60 |
Pre-Kinder (Full Day) | $ 12,132 | $ 1,213.20 | $ 11,768.04 |
Kinder (Full Day) | $ 14,028 | $ 1,402.80 | $ 13,607.16 |
Preparatory | $ 15,084 | $ 1,508.40 | $ 14,631.48 |
Grades 1-5 | $ 19,953 | $ 1,995.30 | $ 19,354.41 |
Grades 6-12 | $ 20,887 | $ 2,088.70 | $ 20,260.39 |
Application fee: $50 is paid in full when the application form is submitted.
Matriculation fee: The Annual Matriculation Fee is due in full for all enrolling students regardless of the date of entry, and is a prerequisite for enrollment.
| The due date for returning students: | June 4th, 2025 |
| The due date for new students: | Upon enrollment |
Entrance fee: Every new student will be assessed a one-time entrance fee.
This payment is due upon acceptance of the child and is a prerequisite for enrollment.
- Grades 1st through 12th students enrolling for the first time will be assessed 100% of the fee and is due upon enrollment.
- Grades Pre-K through Prep students enrolling for the first time will be assessed 50% of the fee and is due upon enrollment, with the other 50% due when they reach 1st grade.
Family fee: Every new family will be assessed a one-time family fee of $1,000, upon initial admission to Country Day School. This fund is administered by the Country Day School Educational Development Association, a non-profit entity, and will be used to fund scholarships and service projects for the community.
Tuition (Early Learning-12th Grade):
One-Pay Tuition Payment Plan: A 3% discount is applied to the annual 100%-tuition payment made in advance of the school year. In order to receive the discount, the yearly tuition should be paid in full on or before the due date for returning students, and upon acceptance for new students.
| One-Pay Tuition | Due Date |
| 100% Annual Tuition | July 23, 2025 |
Two Payments-Tuition Payment Plan: Annual tuition is divided into two installments:
| Two-Pay Tuition | Due Date |
| 70% Tuition | July 23, 2025 |
| 30% Tuition | December 3, 2025 |
Ten-Pay Tuition Payment Plan: Annual tuition is divided into ten installments.
| 10-Pay Tuition | Due Date |
| 1 | July 23, 2025 |
| 2 | August 22, 2025 |
| 3 | September 23, 2025 |
| 4 | October 23, 2025 |
| 5 | November 24, 2025 |
| 6 | December 10, 2025 |
| 7 | January 23, 2026 |
| 8 | February 23, 2026 |
| 9 | March 23, 2026 |
| 10 | April 23, 2026 |
Students who enter CDS for the first time in the second semester pay 5/9ths (55%) of the year’s tuition and the payment is due upon enrollment. The minimum charge on tuition we can make for students staying for a short period of time is a quarter of the annual tuition.
Sibling Discount: The sibling discount applies from the third child onward, providing a 5% discount for the third child and a 6% discount for the remaining siblings (fourth, fifth, etc.). The higher percentage is allocated to the student in the lowest grade or with the lowest fee.
Refunds: No tuition, matriculation, entrance fee, or family fee refunds are made either to the parent/guardian or student for any reason whatsoever (tuition refund can be considered only for prolonged student illness of thirty (30) days or more, certified by an attending physician) including dismissal, suspension, removal, withdrawal, or any other reason.
Billing and Payment
- School fees are quoted in US dollars.
- We receive payments in American dollars (USD) and Costa Rican colones (CRC). Payments made in colones use for the conversion of the official Banco Central sell-rate as stated in the electronic invoice.
- We accept credit or debit card payments with Visa and MasterCard.
- CDS does not accept US dollar checks drawn on banks domiciled outside the USA, with the exception of dollar checks drawn on banks in Costa Rica.
- Payments in the school business office can only be made by check or credit card. Payments in cash (or by check) can be made by depositing the amount due in one of the Country Day School bank accounts in any branch of the following banks: Banco de Costa Rica, BAC San José, and Davivienda.
Please notice that due to Nord Anglia’s internal policies, CDS cannot accept payments coming from Crimea, Cuba, Iran, North Korea, Sudan, or Syria. CDS (NAE) will immediately reject any funds coming from the aforementioned countries; thus, our payment obligations with the school will remain outstanding.
Surcharges: A surcharge of 1.5% per month is levied against past due accounts. A 10% surcharge is levied on past due matriculation fee, entrance fee, and family fee invoices. A charge of $45.00 is due to the school for each check rejected by the bank.
Other Fees
School supplies: Consumable workbooks, on-loan classroom textbooks, and some school supplies are included in school fees. There are no lab, locker, or computer fees (students in grades 6-12 are required to supply their own laptop). No additional charges are levied for honors courses nor for band and strings classes (except for instrument rentals). Transportation for class field trips within the inner city is paid for by the school. Each student in grades 1-12 is given one copy of the school yearbook, while students in the Early Childhood House receive one yearbook per family.
Additional fees: Additional fees are charged for regular school-to-home transportation (for bus services, please contact the Transportation Coordinator), food service, instrument rentals, class trips and field trips, sports trips, and some after school activities. Students are required to purchase the official P.E. and CDS school uniforms. Additional charges may be levied for consumable materials in courses like advanced art and for personal reference texts when required by the school. Students must pay for the cost of special examinations required by CDS, such as Advanced Placement and Pre-Sat tests.
Special education services: There may be additional fees for specific special education services (or programs) not offered by the school yet which are required or recommended. These could include but are not limited to, special classes in areas such as English Language Development (ELD), speech/language skills, learning disabilities, educational testing, counseling, remediation, or special services for students who are learning impaired or who have identified special needs. The school may require some families to provide an adult Aide or Learning Coach as a condition of their child’s enrollment.
Cafeteria service: Cafeteria service at CDS is an optional service that is paid separately from other school fees. Students wanting to use this service should open an account in the cafeteria directly.
For further questions in regards to your child’s account or regarding our payment options, please contact our Business Office.
