Schools in Mexico City: American diplomas, IB and the road back to a US college

Mexico City has a handful of long-running American-style schools and a deep bench of bilingual and international ones. Your real choices come down to diploma, location and commute.

The short version

• The best-known American school is The American School Foundation (ASF), founded in 1888, which offers American, Mexican and International Baccalaureate diplomas [1][2].
• Other members of the Association of American Schools in Mexico (ASOMEX) in the city are Westhill Institute and The Peterson Schools [2].
• Mexican schools, public and private, follow the SEP (Secretaría de Educación Pública) program. Moving between US and Mexican schools can mean a revalidation of studies through SEP [3].
• Private school fees run into the hundreds of thousands of pesos a year at the top end. Get current figures straight from each school.
• Your kids keep their US college options. US citizens can file the FAFSA from abroad; they need a Social Security number [4].

The main American and international options

The Association of American Schools in Mexico lists three member schools in Mexico City itself [2]:

ASF calls itself the oldest continuously operating accredited American school outside the US [1]. It's a nonprofit with a large financial aid program; the school says about 405 students receive aid [1]. Westhill has been authorized by the IB since 2012 and added the Middle Years and Primary Years programs later [5].

Beyond the American schools, Mexico City has well-established French, German, British-style, Japanese and other national schools, plus dozens of bilingual Mexican private schools. Many of them run IB programs. If your family is staying a long time, or one parent is Mexican, a bilingual school with a full SEP track can be a smart middle path.

Where you live shapes where you study

Mexico City traffic is no joke. A 10 km (6 mile) drive can take an hour at rush hour, and school runs are a big part of it. Families tend to cluster near their school: Lomas de Chapultepec, Bosques de las Lomas, Santa Fe and Interlomas on the west side; San Ángel, Pedregal and Coyoacán in the south. Roma and Condesa are fun to live in, but check the commute before you sign a lease. Many schools run bus routes, so ask which neighborhoods they cover.

Fees: what to expect

We don't publish fee tables we can't confirm. ASF, for example, posts its 2026–27 tuition schedule on its Tuition and Fees page; it charges tuition monthly from August through May, with registration fees paid in December and March [6]. Other schools give fees on request after you start an application.

The ballpark: top-tier American and IB schools in Mexico City cost several hundred thousand pesos a year, which can land in the same range as a US private day school. Ask each school about:

• Application and testing fees, paid when you apply
• One-time entrance or capital fees, which can be large and are often non-refundable
• Annual registration (inscripción) on top of monthly tuition (colegiatura)
• Extras: buses, lunches, uniforms, devices, trips and activities
• Sibling discounts and financial aid

Employer relocation packages often cover tuition. If yours doesn't, ask HR anyway; it's one of the most common things to negotiate.

How admissions work

Competitive schools fill early, especially in the grades where most families enter. A typical process:

1. Contact admissions about a year ahead if you can, and ask for the deadlines for the grade your child will enter.
2. Book a tour, in person or virtual.
3. Submit the application with report cards from the last two or three years, teacher recommendations, a passport copy and the child's migration document once you have it.
4. Sit entrance assessments in English, math and sometimes Spanish. Spanish usually isn't required for American schools at entry, but kids may get extra Spanish support.
5. Interview with the family.
6. Wait for a place. Mid-year moves happen; ask to be put on the waitlist rather than giving up.

Bring official transcripts in English. For a later SEP revalidation, keep originals of your kids' report cards and birth certificates. Mexico's embassy says these documents generally don't need an apostille for revalidation, and a plain Spanish translation is enough [3].

Mexican schools and SEP

Mexico's education system, run by SEP, covers preschool, primary (six grades), secondary (three grades, roughly US grades 7 to 9) and upper secondary (preparatoria, roughly grades 10 to 12). The SEP school year starts in late summer and runs into the following summer, so it's usually longer than the typical US calendar.

Public schools are free and teach in Spanish. They're a real option for younger kids in families who want full immersion, but for most American families, it's private schools all the way.

If your child moves from a US school into a Mexican school, or wants a Mexican diploma later, you may need revalidación de estudios [3]:

• Primary and secondary: handled by SEP's school control office in each state (for CDMX, the city's education authority).
• Upper secondary: handled by SEP's general directorate for high school education.
• University: handled by SEP's DGAIR, and needed before a foreign degree can be registered for a professional license in Mexico.

International schools with SEP incorporation handle much of this paperwork for you. Ask whether a school's diploma is SEP-recognized, US-accredited, or both.

Applying to US colleges from Mexico City

Your teen is in good company. American schools in Mexico City send graduates to US colleges every year, and their college counselors know the drill. A few things to plan for:

Financial aid

US citizens living abroad can apply for federal student aid with the FAFSA. The core requirements are a valid Social Security number, US citizenship or eligible status, and consent to share federal tax information [4]. Since you still file a US tax return from Mexico, that last piece works the same as back home. If your child doesn't have an SSN, sort it out well before senior year.

In-state tuition

Here's the sticker shock. State residency for tuition purposes is set by each state and each public university. Living in Mexico for years can mean your kid pays out-of-state rates, even at your old state school. Check the residency rules of the schools on your list early. Some families keep ties to a state; whether that works depends on the state's rules, not on where you vote.

Testing and timing

• SAT and ACT are offered at international test centers; book seats early, since popular centers fill up.
• Grades and transcripts: IB predicted grades and US-style GPAs are both familiar to US admissions offices.
• Visits: plan college tours around the Mexican calendar, including Semana Santa (Holy Week) and the summer break.

Selective Service

Young men who are US citizens must register with Selective Service at 18, even when living abroad. Skipping it can cause trouble later with some federal jobs and programs. Our guide below has the details.

What's different from school back home

• Uniforms are standard at most private schools.
• Spanish is everywhere, even at American schools. Expect Spanish classes and Mexican history, especially on a SEP track.
• Holidays follow the Mexican calendar, plus some US ones like Thanksgiving at American schools.
• School security is visible: gates, guards and pickup procedures.
• Parents connect through school WhatsApp groups. For the wider American crowd, our community group for Americans in Mexico is a good place to hear how other families picked.

Sources

1. The American School Foundation (ASF), Mexico City
2. Association of American Schools in Mexico (ASOMEX): member schools
3. Embassy of Mexico in Canada: Recognition of foreign studies in Mexico
4. Federal Student Aid: Eligibility for federal student aid (PDF)
5. International Baccalaureate: Westhill Institute
6. ASF: Tuition and fees

Keep reading

• Neighborhoods for Americans in Mexico City
• Renting in Mexico City
• Student loans while living abroad
• Jury duty, Selective Service and other obligations from abroad