Peterson Schools

The Peterson Schools (Spanish: Colegios Peterson) is a private, international, co-educational, non-profit establishment located in Mexico City, Mexico.^[1][2] It has offered the International Baccalaureate Organization Diploma Program since 2004 to students in the last two years of high school.^[3][4]

The Peterson Schools have four campuses in Mexico City: Cuajimalpa, Lomas, Paseo and Pedregal. Thus serving families both in the West and South parts of the city.

History[]

Leni and Marvin Peterson founded the Peterson Schools in 1965 but their love for education began years before. Dr.  Peterson obtained a PhD in Education from Stanford University and Leni got her Bachelor’s Degree in Education from the University of Colorado as well as her Montessori Certification.

While in the United States, they were informed about a school in Mexico City that was on sale and they decided to begin their own educational project. They decided to pack their personal belongings and educational materials and drove all the way from California to Mexico City. A week after their arrival, Leni opened the first classroom in the Lomas Campus, being this the beginning of the Peterson Schools. Classes began on the second floor of the Montes Himalaya building, with only eight enrolled students.

Later on, Leni obtained a certificate as a Montessori Guide which helped her successfully implement this educational method at the preschool level, being now the oldest Montessori English preschool in Mexico. In 1967, the Petersons established the first training program for Montessori guides in Mexico.

In 1993, as a way to ensure its continuity, the School was constituted as a non-profit organization. It also received accreditation in the US through an independent school association (ISAS), being the first such school thus recognized in Mexico as part of this prestigious group of private schools.

Locations[]

The Lomas Campus in Lomas de Chapultepec, Miguel Hidalgo, is the oldest Montessori English preschool in Mexico and was founded in 1965.

The Cuajimalpa Campus in Lomas de Vista Hermosa, Cuajimalpa serves preschool through high school and was founded in 1990.^[5]

The Paseo Campus in Jardines del Pedregal, Álvaro Obregón teaches preschool and pre-first, and was opened in 2019.^[6]

The Pedregal Campus in Jardines del Pedregal, Álvaro Obregón, offers elementary school and was founded in 1976.

Cuajimalpa

Pedregal

Lomas

Tlalpan

Campuses in Mexico City

Profile[]

The average yearly enrollment at Peterson Schools in its four locations is 1,883 students. The student body is predominantly Mexican, at 60.65% of the student population, 25.86% are U.S. and Canadian students and 5.15% are from other countries (Brazil, China, Corea, Argentina, etc.). The faculty is recruited internationally and locally. The average faculty staff is 420 members.

Governance[]

Peterson Schools is a non-profit organization that fully complies with the requirements of being a Donataria as required by the Secretaria de Hacienda.  It is administered by a 15-member Board of Trustees, with a very active committee structure that involves many key volunteers from the community.

Academics[]

Peterson Schools education goes from Preschool to 12th grade.

Profile[]

The average

Preschool[]

The preschool education is Montessori style. Guiding children in a Montessori environment involves grouping children of different ages in the same classroom. Each child works with material according to his/her age and unique characteristics, carefully supervised by a . The child learns at his / her own pace under an individual learning plan. Each activity that a child performs leads him / her towards the next stage and, as a result, the child builds his / her learning process. Essentially, children in the Montessori classroom learn in four different areas: everyday life, sensorial development, mathematics and language. Montessori learning is based on four fundamental pillars - seeking a sense or order in the world, coordination, concentration on a task and finally repetition of a successful task.

All academic classes in preschool are completely in English. Our Preschool is incorporated with the Ministry of Public Education (SEP) and accredited by the Southern Association of Independent Schools (SAIS) as well as by COGNIA (formerly AdvanCED or SACS).

Elementary[]

Our Elementary is incorporated with the Ministry of Public Education (SEP) and accredited by the Southern Association of Independent Schools (SAIS). Classes are completely bilingual; fifty percent of the modules are taught in English and fifty percent in Spanish.

Our program is led by the IPC (International Primary Curriculum). It is a comprehensive, thematic, creative curriculum with a clear process of learning and with specific learning goals for international mindedness. One of the main core ideals is personal learning based on the pillars of cooperation, communication, thoughtfulness, respect, resilience and morality.

We also follow the Common Core Standards, an educational initiative that details what students should know in English Language Art and Mathematics at the end of a school grade.

Middle School[]

Our Middle School (MS) is incorporated with the Ministry of Public Education (SEP) and accredited by the Southern Association of Independent Schools (SAIS). The curriculum for MS has been designed to give students the opportunity to learn and master critical thinking skills. This allows them to feel comfortable communicating with and learning about other cultures.

Excellence is a priority at the Peterson Schools. We make sure our evaluation system is up to international standards via the (MAP) exams provided by the Northwest Evaluation Association (NWEA).

High School[]

Our High School (HS) is incorporated within the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM). It is accredited by the Southern Association of Independent Schools (SAIS), it offers the International General Certificate of Secondary Education (IGCSE) from the University of Cambridge and the International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma Programme.

See also[]

• American immigration to Mexico

References[]

External links[]

• School Website

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