High School education

High School education is divided between academic and technical schools. Academic instruction is centered on science and humanities, while technical schools prepare students in areas such as: accounting, microelectronics, electromechanics, industrial electronics, precision mechanics, computer programming and network set up and administration, among other.

High school education, with 5-year level, is divided in two cycles, and upon completion of each cycle, students are required to pass tests on all subjects studied during those years. The most notorious of these tests are the Bachelor�s Tests, which are required to get the high school diploma needed for admission to Universities.

Schools are allowed to change the curriculum to satisfy the needs of a changing society, but are also monitored to ensure excellence and quality. As a result of this organizational axiom, Costa Rica has developed a diverse and sophisticated educational framework that adequately fulfills the needs of the private sector through enhancing the abilities and knowledge of the students.

Amid the private schools, there are world-class institutions with a cultural emphasis on the United States, the United Kingdom, France, Germany and Israel, which further complements the range of cultural diversity of the school system.

As a result of the advances in elementary schooling, Costa Rican high school graduates are educated; enjoy a working knowledge of English, an increasing ability to use computers and a proven aptitude for developing new skills and tasks.

With an average growth of 7.74% for the last 7 seven years, high school education is focused in achieving new competitive skills. For example, the teaching of English language and Computer Science was declared mandatory in all of the nation's public schools (1994-1998). That implied the training of 500 teachers and a huge expense from the government.

In the Technical Colleges, in the Third Cycle of the General Basic Education, the study plan, besides the academic subjects, includes two exploratory workshops per level, that allow students to discover their skills, attitudes, aptitudes and interests and facilitate the process of selection of a specialty.