School Profile

Principal: Luisa de Ospina
Academic Vice-Principal: Jorge Mejía
Pre-School Director: Beatriz de Durán
Primary School Director: María Mercedes Casas
Middle School Director: Magdalena de Mejia
High School Director: Raúl Alvarado

Characteristics
Founded in 1982, Colegio Los Nogales, a bilingual Colombian private, Catholic, non-profit, coeducational, day school provides students, pre- kindergarten through twelfth grade, with the fundamental skills, values, and processes essential for lifelong learning. Its primary goal is to help prepare students to become Colombia’s future leaders. Last year the school was awarded accreditation by the Council of International Schools, CIS, and the New England Association of Schools and Colleges, NEASC.

Student Body
Currently there are 927 students enrolled in the school: 415 in secondary, 294 in elementary and 218 in pre-school. The school celebrated the graduation of its first senior class in June 1992, and proudly graduated its fifteenth class in June 2007. Students are mostly Colombians who come from families that value a rigorous bilingual education for their children.

Curriculum
The elementary and middle school curriculum is taught in English and Spanish. English, Math, Science, and some Social Studies courses are taught in English, while other Social Studies and Spanish courses are taught in Spanish.

The high school curriculum meets rigorous requirements: four years each of mathematics, English, Spanish, social studies, physical education, religion, art; three years of French; two semesters of each natural science (physics, biology and chemistry). Electives are offered where students specialize in one or more areas, and choose from music (orchestra, marching band, and choir) drama, dance, and fine arts (photography, sculpture, and oil painting). Most math and science classes are taught in English, while some social studies, Latin American and Spanish literature classes are taught in Spanish. The school offers Advanced Placement (AP) courses in calculus, physics, English literature and composition, world history and studio art. All graduates attend institutions of higher learning, either in Colombia or abroad.

Faculty and Class Size
All 121 faculty members hold university degrees in education and/or their field of specialty. The teaching staff is mainly Colombian. This year the school has nine native English-speaking teachers, the majority of whom the school has recruited from North American universities. The average class size is 24 in elementary and middle school, and 18 in high school. The faculty/student ratio is 1:9.

Community Service Program
Every junior and senior student participates in the school’s community service program and must spend 50 hours per semester coordinating extra-curricular activities. Furthermore, the school advises the overall administration of five low-income public schools in Bogotá.

Grading
Colegio Los Nogales uses an unweighted marking system. Grading is rigorous. Letter grades are required for all courses: an AH (90-99) indicates excellent achievement, an H (80-89) indicates above average achievement, an S (70-79) indicates satisfactory achievement, an A (60-69) indicates a passing grade, while an I (59 and less) indicates insufficient understanding or performance, and need for remediation.

Sports
Colegio Los Nogales has excellent sports facilities, which include basketball and volleyball courts, a hockey rink, two soccer fields and several outdoor playing fields. Students participate in both intramural and varsity athletics.

College Summary
Nogales´ graduates from 1992 through 2007 have attended the following universities:
In Colombia
CESA 8
Politécnico Gran Colombiano 1
Universidad de la Sabana 9
Universidad de la Salle 2
Universidad de Los Andes 332
Universidad del Bosque 2
Universidad del Rosario 8
Universidad Externado de Colombia 7
Universidad Javeriana 41
Universidad Jorge Tadeo Lozano 4
Universidad Nacional de Colombia 17
Universidad Sergio Arboleda 2

Abroad
Barnard College 1
Boston University 3
Brown University 4
Cornell University 1
Culinary Institute of America 1
Earlham College 1
George Washington University 2
Haverford College 1
Instituit Francais de la Mode, France 1
La Sorbonne, París 1
Massachusetts Institute of Technology 1
McGill University, Canada 2
Miami University 2
New York University 2
North Carolina State University 1
Notre Dame University 2
Princeton Universitry 1
San Francisco State University 1
Texas University 2
Trent University, Canada 2
Tulane University 1
Universidad del Cine, Argentina 1
Universidad Tecnologica de Mexico 1
University of British Columbia- Canadá 1
University of California, Berkeley 1
Wakeforest University 1
Wichita State University 1

Testing information
All seniors take the ICFES, which is the Colombian national examination required for all seniors. From its inception the school has ranked among the top 20 schools in the nation. During the academic year 2001 – 2002 the school earned the top rank in all of Colombia. In 2004-2005 Colegio Los Nogales ranked fourth. In 2005 – 2007 it has ranked first among all Colombian schools. Many of our students take the SAT. The Average SAT(new) composite score through June 2007 was 1,611. The current graduating class obtained the following average scores on the new SAT: 519 critical reading, 590 math, 502 writing.