Having worked at several different educational institutions in Costa Rica, I have had the chance to learn how the Costa Rican education system operates pretty intimately. I would like to share what I have gathered so far, while also giving you the opportunity to ponder how my description compares with what you know about the US education system. I will be using several terms in Spanish throughout this post (with English translations) to be as accurate as possible in my descriptions.
First, the Costa Rican school year begins in early February and ends in early December. Their vacaciones de verano (summer break), happens between December and February. The school year here can be divided in several different ways, depending on the age level and school type, but from what I have gathered, there are two main ways that the school year can be broken down. One calendar type splits the school year into two semestres, or semesters.
