Education System

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St. Maarten has a varied system, with a number of schools from nursery to higher education, nursery (2 - 4 years old); kindergarten schools (4 - 6 years old); primary (5 - 12 years old); secondary schools (12 - 18 years old). At the secondary levels schools are divided in academic and vocational schools.

There is flexibility with these schools and students can transfer in based on their grades. There are tertiary vocational schools and higher professional education schools. At the tertiary education students learn various professions such as secretaries, executive assistants, nurse’s assistants, clerks, carpentry, electrical work, mechanic, welding plumbing, boating, etc.

All schools use either Dutch or English as the medium of instruction and most schools are subsidized by the government, both public and private. Private schools have a religious foundation such as the Catholic, Methodist, Seventh Day Adventist, etc. Notwithstanding their religious background, these schools are subsidized by the government. There are also non-subsidized private schools which operate independently and are mainly based on the American system with American history. Their language of instruction is English.

The higher education on St. Maarten includes the Teacher Education program and the Business program. The University of St. Martin has collaborated/partnered with various other universities in the Netherlands and Curaçao to ensure that programs provided have an accredited partner.

It is safe to state that anyone who moves to St. Maarten will be able to find a school for their children that will meet their need, as there is a variety to choose from and of good quality.