"Founded in 1961 by Elisabeth Masson, The English School — officially known as the Colegio de Inglaterra — has more than six decades of experience educating students in the heart of Bogotá, Colombia."
Established with a clear and enduring purpose, the school was created to offer a bilingual education to Colombian families while also welcoming the children of English-speaking foreign residents from the United Kingdom, the United States, and beyond. That founding vision continues to shape the school's identity today, making it a natural choice for both local families and the many expat and internationally mobile professionals who call Bogotá home. The school is privately owned and managed by the Fundación Educativa de Inglaterra (FEI), an educational foundation that provides the institutional foundation for its academic programs and long-term mission. This governance structure reflects a commitment to educational continuity and quality that has allowed The English School to grow steadily in reputation over the decades. Academically, The English School offers the full continuum of International Baccalaureate programs, spanning the IB Primary Years Programme (PYP), the IB Middle Years Programme (MYP), and the IB Diploma Programme (DP). This means that families joining the school can reasonably expect their children to follow a coherent, internationally recognized framework from the earliest years of primary education all the way through to university preparation. The IB's inquiry-based, internationally minded philosophy aligns well with the school's multicultural community and its long tradition of bridging Colombian and international educational values. In addition to the IB pathway, the school also prepares students for the Colombian Prueba Saber, ensuring that graduates meet national educational requirements alongside their international qualifications — an important practical consideration for families with ties to Colombia. One of the school's most distinctive features is its genuinely multilingual environment. Instruction takes place in three languages — English, Spanish, and French — giving students meaningful exposure to multiple languages as a core part of their daily educational experience rather than as an add-on. For expat families arriving from English-speaking countries, the English-medium environment will feel accessible and familiar, while the strong Spanish program ensures children integrate meaningfully into Colombian life. The addition of French adds a further layer of global preparation that sets The English School apart from many international schools in the region. The school's student body reflects its founding spirit: a community that brings together Colombian students and the children of international families, creating a diverse and cosmopolitan environment that enriches classroom learning and social life alike. This blend of local and global perspectives is one of the school's genuine strengths, and it is something that expat families often find reassuring — the sense that their children will be part of a community that genuinely understands the experience of moving between cultures and countries. For relocating families considering Bogotá, The English School offers a well-established, academically rigorous, and trilingual environment backed by over sixty years of history in the city.