Mexico City is the vast, high altitude capital of Mexico and one of Latin America's largest cities, a city with a deep and long established field of bilingual and international schools serving its large diplomatic and business community. For a relocating family the first task is matching curriculum, commute and district in a city where the best known schools fill their popular year groups early, so the school decision is best treated as the anchor for everything else.
The school landscape in Mexico City
International provision in Mexico City is broad and well established, so most families weigh several strong options rather than settling for whatever is nearest. American School Foundation offers a long established United States curriculum school with the IB Diploma. The Edron Academy offers a British curriculum school offering the IB Diploma. Colegio Peterson offers a bilingual school with international programmes across several campuses. Alongside these sit French, German, Japanese and other international schools, a large field of bilingual Mexican private schools, and the free Mexican state system, which teaches in Spanish. Because the city is enormous and traffic is heavy, the neighbourhood you choose and its distance from school often matter more than any single ranking.
How to move to Mexico City with children, step by step
Relocating with school aged children rewards early planning. These five steps mirror how the GlobalSchoolGuide relocation desk sequences a family move such as American School Foundation, The Edron Academy, Colegio Peterson, so nothing critical slips through the gaps between the offer, the housing search and the first day of term.
- Set your relocation timeline. Fix your move date against the start of the school year in Mexico City and work backwards, allowing several months for shortlisting and applications.
- Shortlist and apply to schools. Match two or three schools in Mexico City to your child's age, curriculum and budget, then apply early because the leading schools have limited capacity.
- Confirm fees and admissions. Request the current fee schedule and admissions requirements directly from each school, since published figures are reset every academic year.
- Choose a neighbourhood near school. Pick housing within a reasonable commute of your shortlisted school, since Mexico City is spread out and school location shapes daily life.
- Settle the practical set up. Arrange visas, banking, health cover and the physical move, and time everything to the school calendar so your child starts with the year group.
Fees and budgeting
Fee paying international schooling in Mexico City sits in the mid range for an international city, and lower than many comparable capitals, with fees varying widely between bilingual and fully international schools, reflecting small class sizes and specialist teaching. Fees vary by school, year group and campus, and some schools add registration or enrolment charges on top of tuition, so treat any single figure with caution. Because schools reset their schedules each academic year, request the current fee list directly from each school. Mexican state schools carry no tuition and teach in Spanish, and are mainly used by longer staying families comfortable with a Spanish medium education.
Free Mexico City family relocation checklist
Work through our step by step checklist covering the admissions timeline, documents, housing and the first month settling in. Browse the full library on our guides hub, or start with the Mexico City city guide for school listings.
Neighbourhoods and housing
International families frequently settle in Polanco, Lomas de Chapultepec, Santa Fe and Coyoacan, districts that combine housing, security and access to the international schools, and that keep the notorious commute within bounds. Because Mexico City is large and traffic can be heavy, choosing a home within a sensible commute of your chosen school matters more here than the address itself. Families whose school sits elsewhere often pick the district nearest their campus for a shorter daily run.
Language and settling in
Spanish is the language of the city and of daily life outside the international schools. International schools teach in English or run bilingual programmes, and children usually acquire Spanish quickly once they arrive. Settling in is smoother when you build the family routine around the school day from the outset, so that friendships, activities and the commute all fall into place together.
Curriculum continuity
Curriculum continuity is usually the decision that matters most. A child part way through an American, British or IB pathway will find the smoothest transition by staying in the same system, which points towards one of the established schools in Mexico City. The closer a child is to a leaving examination, the more weight you should give to keeping the same curriculum. Our IB curriculum hub is a useful reference if you are weighing an International Baccalaureate route.
Fees by stage
To ground your budgeting, compare typical fee bands by school stage rather than relying on a single headline number. Our international school fees hub sets out how tuition, registration and enrolment charges build across the years, and how bands differ between bilingual and fully international schools. Always confirm the current figures with each school directly.
Visas, healthcare and admin
Practically, confirm your visa and residency status early, since your category shapes both your access to services and your children's school registration in Mexico City. Arrange health cover for the settling in period before your status and registration are complete, and set up local banking soon after arrival, since school fees, deposits and daily life all run more smoothly once a domestic account is open. Sequencing status, housing and the school offer carefully makes the first month far less stressful than handling everything at once.
The admissions timeline
The leading schools in Mexico City accept applications ahead of the school year, and because capacity is limited, individual year groups can fill well before any published deadline. Applying early is the single most effective way to protect your first choice. Where a year group is already full, ask to join the waiting list and keep a realistic second option open in parallel. Keeping copies of school reports, immunisation records and identity documents ready will speed up every application.
Your first weeks: what to prioritise
In your first weeks in Mexico City, confirm the school place and start date in writing, then settle the essentials that everything else depends on: residency status, a local bank account, health cover and a domestic mobile and internet plan. With those handled, the wider routines of family life fall into place quickly. Many families also register early for after school activities and any language support on offer, both of which help children build friendships and settle into the rhythm of the school year. Keeping a simple shared checklist of registrations, deadlines and documents is the most useful habit in a first term.
Frequently asked questions
Does Mexico City have English speaking schools?
Yes. Mexico City has a deep field of English medium and bilingual international schools, including American School Foundation, The Edron Academy and Colegio Peterson, alongside French, German and other options.
Are international schools in Mexico City expensive?
Fee paying international schooling in Mexico City sits in the mid range for an international city, and lower than many comparable capitals, with fees varying widely between bilingual and fully international schools. Mexican state schools carry no tuition and teach in Spanish, and are mainly used by longer staying families comfortable with a Spanish medium education. Fees vary by school and year group and are reset annually, so request the current schedule directly from each school.
Where do international families tend to live?
Polanco, Lomas de Chapultepec, Santa Fe and Coyoacan are the districts international families most often choose, balancing housing and security against the commute.
Can expat children attend local state schools?
Yes. State schooling is free and teaches in Spanish. It is mainly chosen by longer staying families comfortable with a Spanish medium education, while most expat families on shorter postings keep an international or bilingual curriculum.
When should we apply?
Apply well ahead of the school year and earlier for competitive year groups, because the leading schools in Mexico City have limited capacity and popular years fill first.
Plan your move
Use these free tools and guides to turn this overview into a shortlist and a working plan for your family's move to Mexico City.