American School of Rio de Janeiro
Escola Americana do Rio de Janeiro (EARJ, the American School of Rio de Janeiro) is a non-profit twin-campus international school located in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The school was founded in 1937 as a private, independent, coeducational, non-denominational day school. EARJ offers an educational program from Nursery through Grade 12 for students of all nationalities. In 2019-20, enrolment was 1,200 students across the Gávea and Barra campuses with 160 members of teaching faculty. Curriculum and Programs. The curriculum is that of a U.S. college-preparatory independent day school for students  from pre-school through Grade 12. Instruction is in English with Portuguese offered as an additional first or foreign language. Other available foreign languages include French and Spanish. Health, physical education, and computer classes are also run. Music, art, band, choir, drama, publications, athletics, and Model UN (Model United Nations) are among the extracurricular activities offered. There is no religious instruction. There are chapters of the National Honor Society, the Spanish Honor Society, French Honor Society and Mu Alpha Theta on campus. The school offers the American, Brazilian and International Baccalaureate Diplomas. Over 98% of the school’s graduates enroll  in a college or university, with 75% of them going on to a higher learning institution in the U.S., 20% going on to a higher learning institution in Europe, Canada, Latin America and Asia and 5% enroll in universities in Brazil. The school is accredited by AdvancED and is the only school in the State of Rio de Janeiro to be designated by license as an international school, recognized by the Brazilian Ministry of Education and the Secretary of Education for the State of Rio de Janeiro. The School is affiliated with the International Baccalaureate Organization. EARJ sports teams compete  against other schools in the Association of American Schools in Brazil (AASB) in soccer, basketball, volleyball, softball, futsal and cheerleading. Campuses and Facilities. The Gávea campus opened in 1971 and features eight towers that house the school’s Lower School and Upper School divisions. The towers together contain 78 classrooms, eight science laboratories, two libraries with a collection totaling more than 30,000 titles. In addition the Gávea campus has three gymnasiums, three music rooms, a cafeteria, an infirmary, snack bar, student store, security room, and a 350-seat auditorium. Athletic facilities include a lower school playground, indoor and outdoor courts , and playing field. The Barra campus opened in 2013 and provides purpose built learning, artistic and sporting facilities.