The American School Foundation is the senior name in Mexico City's American sector, listed on our Mexico City city hub alongside the other international options serving expatriate and Mexican families. Founded in 1888, it is the oldest continuously operating accredited American school outside the United States and one of the first international schools anywhere. It runs as an independent, not for profit day school on a single campus in the west of the city, with a student body drawn from more than forty countries.
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At a glance
Curriculum and academics
ASF delivers a bilingual American style college preparatory education from early childhood through grade 12. English is the main language of instruction, with a bilingual programme in the lower school and Spanish taught throughout, so children build genuine fluency in both languages rather than English alone. That bilingual character, kept up over more than a century, is one of the things that sets the school apart from a purely English medium international school.
The school is an IB World School and offers the full International Baccalaureate continuum, the Primary Years Programme, the Middle Years Programme and the Diploma Programme. High school students earn the American high school diploma, and senior students can take the IB Diploma alongside it. Studies are recognised by the Mexican Secretariat of Public Education, and upper school work can be validated for entry to Mexican universities, which matters for families who may stay in the country. Families weighing the systems can read our American curriculum guide and our IB Diploma guide to see how each is assessed and read by universities.
Budgeting for an ASF place?
Use the fee calculator to model the full annual cost of a Mexico City place before you commit, beyond the headline tuition.
American School Foundation fees
The American School Foundation sits in the premium band for Mexico City. Our Mexico City school guides place the established international schools at the top of the market, with tuition rising stage by stage from early childhood to the high school years, and the IB Diploma years typically carrying the highest fees. ASF publishes a current fee schedule, so confirm tuition and the associated charges directly before you budget, and read our international school fees in Mexico City guide for how the city's bands compare and our best IB schools in Mexico City guide for where it sits among the IB options.
Tuition is only part of the bill. Budget for a one off enrolment or registration charge, a place confirmation deposit, optional bus transport, lunches, trips and activities, and in the senior years the IB examination entry fees that are charged separately. Ask how fees are staged across the year and use our fee tools to model the full annual cost rather than the headline tuition alone.
Admissions
ASF admits for an August start at the opening of the academic year and reviews applications through the year subject to space. Entry draws on prior school records, references and an age appropriate assessment, with attention at the move into the upper school and again at the start of the IB Diploma. As the established American school in the city its popular grades can fill, so confirming the position in your child's exact grade matters.
Families relocating to Mexico City for work, often with diplomatic missions or multinational employers in the city, frequently shortlist ASF for the continuity of an American programme, the bilingual English and Spanish path and the international Diploma at the end. Apply early, confirm availability in your child's grade, and gather the school records and references the admissions team will request.
Location and who goes there
ASF occupies a campus in the Las Americas area of the Alvaro Obregon borough in the west of Mexico City, where it has been based since 1946. The single campus brings the lower, middle and upper schools together on one site with the sports, library and arts facilities a school of its size needs, and it runs bus routes to bring families in from across the metropolitan area.
The community is genuinely international, drawn from more than forty countries, and blends expatriate families posted to Mexico City with internationally minded Mexican families who want a bilingual American and IB education. For the wider picture of where families settle across the city and how the American schools compare with the British, IB, German and bilingual options, see the Mexico City city hub and our Mexico City school guides.
Reviews
We do not yet hold verified parent reviews for the American School Foundation. GlobalSchoolGuide is independent and no school pays to be listed, so we publish reviews only once we can confirm they come from real families. If your child attends or has attended ASF, we would value your first hand account. Share your experience through the school reviews hub and help the next relocating family decide with better information.
Frequently asked questions
How much are American School Foundation fees?
ASF sits in the premium band for Mexico City, with tuition rising stage by stage from early childhood to the high school years. The school publishes a current fee schedule, so confirm tuition, the enrolment charge and extras directly before budgeting, and use our fee tools to model the full annual cost.
What curriculum does the American School Foundation follow?
ASF teaches a bilingual American style programme in English and Spanish from early childhood. It is an IB World School offering the Primary Years, Middle Years and Diploma programmes, and high school students earn the American high school diploma, with the option of the IB Diploma in the senior years.
Is the American School Foundation a good school?
ASF was founded in 1888 and is the oldest continuously operating accredited American school outside the United States, an IB World School accredited through Cognia and recognised by the Mexican authorities, with students from more than forty countries. Whether it suits depends on your child, and we do not publish a rating without verified reviews.
Where is the American School Foundation located?
ASF occupies a campus in the Las Americas area of the Alvaro Obregon borough in western Mexico City, where it has been based since 1946. The single campus houses the lower, middle and upper schools.
When do American School Foundation applications open?
The school admits for an August start at the opening of the academic year and reviews applications through the year subject to space. Entry uses prior school records and an assessment, so families should apply early and confirm availability in their child's grade.
