PanExpats
Sign Up

Three in four private schools won't raise 2027 tuition

If you are moving to Panama with children, or re-enrolling them for next year, the consumer agency has done some of the homework for you. Acodeco, Panama's consumer protection authority, surveyed private schools on what they will charge for the 2027 school year and posted the results on its website at the end of September. Of 183 schools with comparable data at primary level, 137 (75%) will keep their annual tuition the same or lower it. The other 46 are raising it.

Acodeco sent its survey to 277 private schools and received data from 200. The figures are what the schools themselves reported, and the agency stresses that the list says nothing about teaching quality.

What the numbers show

  • Annual tuition for primary school ranges from B/.450 (Colegio Bilingüe Teresa de Jesús, Panamá Este) to B/.7,225 (El Colegio de Panamá, Panama City).
  • The enrollment fee (matrícula) ranges from B/.70 to B/.2,223.33. Acodeco counts lab fees, family-group fees, parents' association fees and other one-off charges as part of it.
  • 50 of the 183 schools are raising the enrollment fee. The largest rise is B/.207.50 (65.4%) at Academia Bilingüe Santa Mónica in Coclé.
  • Among the 46 schools raising annual tuition, the average increase is B/.158.80 (10.9%). The largest increase in dollars is B/.755 (14.9%) at Oxford International School in Panama City, to B/.5,825. The largest in percentage terms is 54.7% (B/.421) at Academia Adventista Bilingüe Volcán in Chiriquí.
  • 42 schools also charge a one-off admission fee, from B/.15 to B/.6,000 per student. Acodeco leaves it out of its comparisons.

Your real yearly cost is the enrollment fee plus the annual tuition, before uniforms, books, transport and activities.

Where expats tend to live

In Boquete, Academia Internacional Boquete keeps primary tuition at B/.2,100, while Colegio Bilingüe El Buen Pastor Boquete rises B/.87.50 (10%) to B/.962.50. In David, The Oxford School David stays at B/.3,122.17 and The King's School David rises B/.120 (10%) to B/.1,320. In Los Santos, Colegio Integral de Azuero goes up B/.200 (17.6%) to B/.1,333.33, while The Oxford School and Cadi Bilingual Academy hold their fees. In the Panamá Este, Panamá Norte and Panamá Oeste school regions, more than 80% of surveyed schools keep both fees unchanged. Bocas del Toro is the exception, with only about a third holding steady. All figures are averages across the six primary grades.

Why some schools are raising fees

Acodeco director Ramón Abadi told TVN on 5 October that about 30% of schools will raise prices, and that parents still have time to save, negotiate or change schools. Luis Lasso, a board member of the national union of private schools, told TVN on 6 October that schools have lost students to the public system since the pandemic. He cited Ministry of Education (Meduca) figures of about 30,000 students moving in 2021, 20,000 in 2022 and 15,000 to 20,000 in 2023, and said the number of private schools has fallen from about 750 before the pandemic to 535 now. He put full-time teacher salaries at about US$1,500 a month to start, before social security, rent, power and maintenance.

Check your school's number

At least one school disputes its line. The Oxford School Edison Park said on 6 October that its 2027 fees will stay exactly the same as in 2026. Acodeco replied that it publishes what schools send it, and said the school later acknowledged the error was on its side (La Estrella). Use the Acodeco list as a starting point, then confirm with the school in writing.

What it means for expats

Ask for the 2027 service contract before you pay a deposit. Get every charge in writing: enrollment, annual tuition, admission fee or donation, labs, parents' association, books, uniforms and bus. Under Executive Decree 601 of 2015, schools must call parents and the regional private-education coordinator at least six months before their enrollment period to discuss fee changes, so a school that announces a rise at the last minute owes you an explanation. Acodeco also advises families to read payment dates, discounts and extra charges in the contract before signing. If you are comparing international schools, note that some in the survey follow an international calendar and that not every private school took part. The full list, by province and level, is on acodeco.gob.pa.

Sources

  • Acodeco, Dirección Nacional de Libre Competencia - Costos comparativos de algunos colegios particulares, a nivel nacional, para el año lectivo 2027 (19 pp.; survey of 277 schools, data from 200, 183 comparable; ranges, increases, Annexes 1 to 5; Decree 601 citation) - PDF created 28 Sep 2026 (Panama) - https://www.acodeco.gob.pa/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/AnalisisComparativoColegiosParticulares_2027.pdf
  • TVN - Acodeco survey summary (ranges, 133/183 enrollment, 132/46/5 annual, 42 admission fees) - 29 Sep 2026 - https://www.tvn-2.com/nacionales/colegios-privados-matriculas-anualidades-2027-acodeco-precio-panama_1_2263345.html
  • La Estrella - Acodeco survey; Panama Centro increases (Oxford International School, Instituto Atenea, Colegio Real de Panamá) - 30 Sep 2026 - https://www.laestrella.com.pa/economia/colegios-privados-cuanto-costara-la-matricula-y-anualidad-en-2027-JE26116069
  • TVN - Acodeco director Ramón Abadi: about 30% of schools will raise prices; parents have time to prepare; Unadepa reaction - 5 Oct 2026 (20:31 Panama) - https://www.tvn-2.com/nacionales/padres-familia-reaccionan-aumento-costo_1_2264503.html
  • TVN - Luis Lasso (Unión Nacional de Centros Educativos Particulares): student migration to public schools, 750 to 535 schools, US$1,500 teacher salaries, Decree 601 notice - 6 Oct 2026 (07:41 Panama) - https://www.tvn-2.com/nacionales/colegios-particulares-estudiantes-aumento-matricula-mayores-gastos-informe-acodeco_1_2264562.html
  • La Estrella - The Oxford School Edison Park denies 2027 increases; Acodeco replies the school acknowledged its own error - 6 Oct 2026 (upd. 14:16 Panama) - https://www.laestrella.com.pa/economia/the-oxford-school-edison-park-desmiente-aumentos-en-sus-tarifas-para-2027-acodeco-se-defiende-MA26262907
  • Nexo - Acodeco data analysis (46 raises, average B/.158.80 among raising schools; regional medians) - 3 Oct 2026 - https://nexo.la/colegios-particulares-anualidad-2027/