COLEGIO BILINGUE CLERMONT, BOGOTA

Unique Features

Equestrian Program

One of the most distinctive features of Colegio Clermont is its equestrian extracurricular program — uncommon even among private schools in Bogotá. The program allows students to develop riding skills and build a relationship with horses across a structured 16-session spring term. This reflects both the school's campestre (countryside) setting and its commitment to holistic development beyond conventional academics and sports.

PAMI Anti-Bullying Leadership Program

The school runs the PAMI (Programa Anti-Matoneo e Intimidación) leadership program — a student-driven initiative focused on preventing bullying and building community leadership skills. This program is prominently featured on the admissions page, signaling that student wellbeing and social-emotional safety are core institutional priorities, not afterthoughts.

Campestre Campus Setting

Unlike many urban Bogotá schools, Clermont operates from a campestre-style campus in the Arrayanes area — a greener, more spacious environment that supports outdoor learning, sports, and the equestrian program. This campus relocation (from its original urban address) was a deliberate choice aligned with the school's vision of a rich, experiential learning environment.

Breadth of Extracurriculars

The school offers an unusually broad extracurricular menu for a school of its size (~400 students), including:

• Sports: Equestrian, Tennis, Football, Basketball, Volleyball, Cheerleading, Track & Field
• Arts: Dance, Music, Body Expression/Theatre, Fine Arts/Visual Arts
• STEM/Technology: Robotics, Programming/Coding
• Languages: French Immersion (Alliance Française)
• Academic/Leadership: Research & Entrepreneurship, PAMI Leadership

This range reflects the school's commitment to the whole child — academic, athletic, artistic, and civic.

Alliance Française Partnership

The school's partnership with the Alliance Française for French language education is a notable feature that positions Clermont students as potential trilingual graduates (Spanish, English, French) — a rare asset in the Colombian private school landscape.

Small School, High Teacher Quality

With only ~400 students but ~50 teachers (95% postgraduate-qualified), Clermont offers an intimacy and personalization of attention that larger schools cannot match. The 8:1 student-teacher ratio is exceptionally low and enables the active, inquiry-based pedagogy at the school's core.

Philosophy & Pedagogy

Colegio Bilingüe Clermont was founded on a clear and distinctive educational philosophy: that learning should be an active, meaningful, and student-centered experience. Rather than relying on rote memorization or passive instruction, the school uses constructivist methodologies — primarily project-based learning (PBL) and problem-based learning (PrBL) — that invite students to construct knowledge through exploration, collaboration, and creative problem-solving.

Core Pedagogical Principles

The school's educational approach explicitly nurtures:

• Curiosity — students are encouraged to question and investigate rather than accept information passively.
• Critical thinking — analysis, evaluation, and reasoned argumentation are practiced across subjects.
• Teamwork — cooperative learning structures are embedded in daily class activities.
• Empathy and assertive communication — the social-emotional dimension of learning is considered as important as academic achievement.
• Creativity — innovation and original thought are actively cultivated through arts, STEM, and entrepreneurship programs.

Values Framework

The school's core values — Ethics, Respect (for diversity), Social Commitment, Teamwork, Empathetic Communication, Critical Thinking, and Creativity — are not merely listed on a wall but are integrated into curricular and extracurricular life. The anti-bullying PAMI leadership program, for instance, is a direct expression of the school's commitment to building respectful and empathetic communities.

Vision Toward 2030

Clermont's vision statement articulates an ambition to be recognized by 2030 as an "innovative and transformative educational community forming ethical, creative global leaders committed to innovation, sustainability, entrepreneurship, and world citizenship." This future-oriented framing signals the school's intent to remain at the frontier of progressive education in Colombia.

Mission in Practice

The mission calls for the formation of "global citizens, leaders, competent and capable of transforming reality." In practice, this is implemented through bilingual instruction, Cambridge-aligned academics, STEAM projects, French immersion via the Alliance Française, equestrian sports, and community leadership initiatives. Clermont's approach is thus both academically rigorous and humanistically grounded — a balance that has defined the school for over four decades.

History & Milestones

Founding (1982)

Colegio Bilingüe Clermont was established in September 1982 by a group of parents and educators who shared a distinctive humanistic and bilingual educational vision that was relatively rare in Colombia at the time. The founders believed that a rigorous academic environment could be combined with deep personal values formation, active learning methods, and bilingual Spanish-English immersion.

First Graduates (1991)

After nine years of development, the school reached a major milestone in 1991 when its first graduating class completed their studies — a testament to the institution's consistency and commitment to seeing its founding cohort through to completion.

Relocation to the Campestre Campus

Approximately a decade after founding, the school relocated from its original urban address on Carrera 73 to the current campestre (countryside-style) campus at Transversal 80 #213A-17, Vía Arrayanes, Bogotá. This expansion provided significantly more space for sports fields, laboratories, and extracurricular facilities befitting the school's holistic mission.

Official Recognition (2012)

The school received official Colombian government ratification of its educational standing through Resolution No. 110160 of May 23, 2012, issued by the Ministerio de Educación Nacional.

Cambridge Partnership

At some point in its development, Clermont became an associated Cambridge International school, enabling students to sit IGCSE and other Cambridge examinations — a significant quality endorsement and a differentiator in the Bogotá bilingual school market.

Today

With approximately 400 students, around 50 teachers (95% of whom hold postgraduate qualifications), and a 23rd place ICFES ranking among Colombian schools, Clermont continues its original mission while expanding into STEAM, robotics, entrepreneurship, and global citizenship programs. The school's Calendar B (August–June) schedule positions it within the internationally oriented segment of Colombian education.

Academic Culture

Bilingual Framework

The academic program at Colegio Clermont is built on a Spanish-English bilingual foundation, with instruction delivered in approximately equal proportions across both languages. This is not merely an English-enrichment program but a genuine dual-language curriculum in which core subjects are taught in English alongside Spanish-medium instruction.

Cambridge International

The school is an associated Cambridge International center, which means students prepare for and sit IGCSE examinations — internationally recognized qualifications that provide a pathway to universities in Colombia and abroad. The Cambridge framework also brings structured syllabuses, external marking, and quality benchmarks that complement the Colombian national curriculum.

ICFES Performance

For Colombian university entrance, students prepare for the ICFES Saber 11 examination. The school advertises a 23rd place ICFES national ranking, indicating strong academic performance relative to the thousands of Colombian schools that administer this exam.

Teacher Quality

Approximately 95% of Clermont's teachers hold postgraduate qualifications — an unusually high figure for a Colombian school of this size (~400 students, ~50 staff). This commitment to faculty excellence underpins the school's academic reputation.

Class Size & Personalization

With an average class size of approximately 20 students and a student-teacher ratio of 8:1, Clermont offers a distinctly personalized learning environment. This small class structure enables the constructivist, discussion-based, and project-oriented pedagogy that defines the school's approach.

French Immersion

Beyond English, the school partners with the Alliance Française to offer French language immersion as an extracurricular and enrichment program, preparing students for trilingual competence — a significant asset for globally mobile students.

STEAM and Technology Integration

The curriculum integrates robotics, programming, and STEAM projects, reflecting the school's program focus on technology and innovation. A dedicated Research & Entrepreneurship club extends these skills beyond the classroom into student-led innovation projects.

Admissions Culture

A Three-Step Process

Colegio Clermont's admissions process is structured around three main steps that reflect the school's values-centered approach:

1. Campus Visit (Visita de Conocimiento): Families schedule a tour to experience the school's campestre environment, meet faculty, and understand the school's philosophy and methods firsthand.

2. Immersion Day (Día de Experiencia): For applicants from Nursery through Grade 3, children attend a trial day at the school where they interact with peers and teachers and complete "pruebas sencillas en distintas materias" (simple assessments in various subjects). This is less about competitive selection and more about understanding the child's readiness and fit with the school's active-learning environment.

3. Formal Enrollment: Upon successful completion of the immersion day, families proceed to formal enrollment.

Philosophy of Admissions

The admissions process at Clermont is notably low-pressure and welcoming compared to highly selective international schools. The emphasis on an immersion day — a trial experience — over a formal examination reflects the school's belief that children learn best when they are comfortable and engaged. This approach is consistent with the constructivist philosophy that underpins the entire curriculum.

Transparency and Information

The school maintains active admissions contact channels — phone (+57 310 854 4360, +57 312 405 9410, +601 555 3838), and email ([email protected]) — and welcomes families to inquire directly. However, the school does not publicly publish fee schedules, acceptance rates, or detailed entrance criteria, which is common among Colombian private schools.

Profile of the Incoming Student

Clermont primarily serves Colombian families seeking high-quality bilingual education (Calendar B schedule), with a smaller proportion of expatriate or internationally mobile families. There is no stated English prerequisite for admission, though the bilingual nature of the program means students benefit from at least some exposure to English upon entry.

No Published Selectivity Data

The school does not publish acceptance rates or enrollment capacity by grade. Given its size of approximately 400 students across Pre-K through Grade 11, individual class sizes are small (~20 students), and some grade levels may have limited availability — families are advised to contact the school directly to inquire about current openings.