How has educating your children in the Foreign Service been thus far, are the schools decent, and do you have to pay for their education abroad?

This is a pretty complex question to answer just because there are so many variables that go into education, even domestically, so it can be particularly amplified abroad. Just think about your own city, if it is a decent size you can probably name a few schools even within a single district that have great or terrible reputations. The same can be said in the Foreign Service, but on the whole I would say the quality is quite good.

First, specific to paying for education, children ages 5 through 18 will have their education paid for while they are abroad, and if a host country has limited education options, expenses for boarding school will be covered. Pre-school/daycare is not covered as this isn’t a free entitlement in the U.S. like our public school system is, so depending on where you are posted, this could be a considerable expense to consider, but still likely cheaper than the U.S. As an example, for my eldest daughter, her tuition at the American International School of Nouakchott would be about $16,500 per year if I had to fund it myself. Our youngest daughter is in a French language preschool and we pay $1500 for the full year, a steal by U.S. standards.

In Africa, including Mauritania, there aren’t a lot of countries with massive embassies, so they will often have decent elementary populations at the schools, but high schools might have 5-6 kids in a graduating class, and families will either bid posts with more traditional high school experiences or choose the boarding school route. School populations can also have pretty wild fluctuations as families come and go.

Specific to our experience, we have generally liked the school experience in Mauritania. Last year my eldest daughter was in a combined 2nd/3rd grade classroom (would be in 2nd grade in the U.S.) with about 15 other kids, loved her teacher, and did very well on her standardized tests that compare her to peers in the U.S. Over the summer, a large exodus of kids happened in the embassy and now her class remains combined and there are only 9 kids in her class, but she seems to be really enjoying it and the content is appropriate. In many countries (including Mauritania) there will be at least one international school that receives State Department funding support, will have accreditation in the U.S, and will often be the preferred option for most families. You aren’t required to go to these schools and can pretty much choose anywhere you want and the State Department will pay up to the country education cap. Many families choose this route if they want their kids educated in a French or Spanish system.

It’s also important to point out that State Department supported schools aren’t exclusive to just American diplomatic kids. Anyone can go to these schools if they meet admission requirements and can pay the tuition. At my daughters’ school, I would say less than half of the student population is from the U.S., and between the faculty and students, over 30 nations are represented. Some of her best friends during our time here have been from Switzerland, Nigeria, the UK, and Mauritania. This to me is a real draw of educating your child abroad. Smaller class sizes and interacting with kids and teachers from all over the world, while still have a quality, U.S. standard education.

Schools and education quality is often one of the main factors for people bidding on future assignments, and I know it plays a huge role for me as I look to the future. The general practice and wisdom shared in the Foreign Service is that just about any post is fine for elementary aged children, but as you get to middle school and especially high school aged children, the post starts to matter far more. Generally, larger embassies in big cities will have more options and an educational experience of better quality than the U.S. but still feel like a traditional high school experience in terms of class sizes (and all the things that go with it like sports, prom, etc). Often you’ll be able to choose from several accredited English language schools.

So yes, overall I would say the quality of education has been better than decent, we (including my daughter) have enjoyed the experience with the education system so far, and no, it costs us nothing (except for preschool/daycare). I guess we will see how things stack up to a traditional experience when my oldest is back in Texas for the next school year and we can identify any shortcomings or things she may have missed, but she was learning division in 2nd grade here, has tested well, and overall I think the smaller class sizes give the kids a very tailored education experience. Unless you would be worried about the way your kids adapt to new environments in general, I wouldn’t be too worried about educating them overseas. It gives them a unique world view and will make for compelling college entrance essays. -Nick