About C.A.P.S.

You too will have much to smile about if you consider the wonderful educational possibilities available to your child at the Curacao-American Preparatory School

Our Programs

While there is no substitute for a personal visit to the school, it is our hope that this brochure gives an adequate reflection of who we are, of what we believe in, and of the warm and inviting yet lively and industrious climate CAPS offers the children of the island.

Our facilities may be small, yet are designed to build, support and maximize a most effective academic foundation in a student’s Kindergarten through 8^th grade career prior to entering our rigorous college preparatory VIRTUAL high school program. We offer a wide variety of opportunities to celebrate diversity both inside and outside the classroom. The inclusion of a school-wide values curriculum highlights our commitment to producing well-educated and ethically-minded global citizens.

At CAPS we are aware that large schools with large enrollments can be in danger of becoming depersonalized. We also strongly believe in multi-age grouping and to that extent our classrooms are combination classes. Our commitment to small class sizes and personalized instruction, together with an emphasis on values education, sets us apart from most other schools on the island.

Kindergarten: The philosophy of our Kindergarten program rests on the fundamental idea that children have a natural curiosity and love for knowledge. The teachers’ task is to cultivate these inborn desires as well as to address observed developmental delays in the hope of creating a solid foundation for future academic success.

Elementary: Grades 1-5 offer a traditional American-based curriculum in the core academic subjects. Student performance is evaluated against US based standards. Opportunities for self-discovery and independent exploration, integrated with content across the curriculum are promoted. A balanced experience with basic skills, challenging academic content, critical thinking exercises, the arts and foreign language introduction is a desired outcome for both group and individual efforts.

Middle School: The school community recognizes the unique characteristics of the adolescent and is committed to increasing the development of academic and decision-making skills, to creating opportunities for exploration, and to cultivating individual strengths and talents in a highly supportive environment. Respect for self and others along with social and personal responsibility are stressed

Virtual High School: The school’s academic program is college preparatory, designed to prepare students for entry into colleges and universities in the United States, Curacao, and Europe. The American Diploma, equal in value to those issued by accredited high schools in the United States must be earned by all CAPS graduates after earning 24 units of credit. The format is on-line instruction at school with additional support by our own teachers on campus. An honor’s level, Advanced Placement (AP) Diploma is available for academically talented students after passing rigorous exams in a variety of subjects.

School Structure

Founded: 1994

Accreditation through SACSCASI (Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Council on Accreditation and School Improvement)

The Curacao-American Preparatory School is a private, co-educational, non-sectarian, not-for-profit day school for children ages 3 through 18 years. The school is divided into four divisions:

Kindergarten - 3, 4, and 5 year olds Elementary school – grades 1 – 5

Middle school – grades 6 – 8

Virtual school - grades 9-12

Multinational – Multilingual

Language of Instruction: English

Additional languages: Spanish and Dutch

Testimonials

“Honestly, I like the Virtual program better than being in a traditional class, because there are fewer distractions and you can go ahead instead of sticking to the pace of the rest of the class. You can continue to work at home, completing the work faster.” (14 yr. old female)

I personally experienced an unexpected series of improvements in my daughter’s attitude, confidence, and time invested in studies since the first day of joining the virtual educational program at CAPS. It is more learning than teaching. Able guidance and supervision are all that are needed for a student to pick up and progress at her own pace. (Parent 11^th grader)