Gimnasio La Montaña

The History of Gimnasio La Montaña

The Founding Vision (1988)

Gimnasio La Montaña opened its doors on September 6, 1988, founded by María Mercedes de Brigard Merchán and Leopoldo García, an educator couple guided by their shared vocation for quality, values-based education. The first campus was a modest Colombian colonial-style house, and the inaugural cohort numbered just 65 preschool and primary children.

The school's name — La Montaña (The Mountain) — evokes aspiration, challenge, and the natural environment, values that would come to define the institution's character. From the beginning, the founders envisioned a school that would not merely transmit knowledge but form complete human beings capable of engaging critically and ethically with the world.

Growth and Expansion

Over the following decades, GLM expanded steadily in both enrollment and academic scope. The school relocated from its original colonial house to a larger, purpose-built campus in northern Bogotá — Carrera 51 No. 214-55 — where it now operates with approximately 713 students across preschool, primary, and secondary levels.

The founding family has maintained active leadership involvement over the generations. María Mercedes de Brigard Merchán currently serves as Rectora (Principal), while Lucila de Brigard Merchán serves as Vice-Principal for Preschool and Primary, and Leopoldo García Arévalo (bearing the name of the co-founder) serves as Vice-Principal for Secondary — suggesting a family-led governance model that has preserved the founding educational vision.

Three-Plus Decades of Results

The school now reports that it has educated multiple generations of Colombian families — a remarkable achievement for an institution not yet 40 years old. Its most cited achievement is a 100% university acceptance rate for graduates, placing it among the top-performing private schools in Bogotá.

GLM is a member of the Alianza Educativa, a Colombian educational alliance recognized by the national Congress for its contribution to quality education. In 2026, the alliance received the Simón Bolívar Democratic Order (Comendador level) from the Colombian Congress — a prestigious national recognition.

Legacy and Continuity

GLM's history reflects a school that has grown without losing its founding identity. The same Christian and civic values, the same emphasis on critical thinking and bilingualism, and the same family-oriented governance structure remain central to the institution more than 35 years after its founding.

Educational Philosophy at Gimnasio La Montaña

Gimnasio La Montaña (GLM) has built its academic identity around a distinctive blend of Christian and civic values and rigorous academic methodology. At the heart of this approach is the Understanding by Design (UbD) curricular model — a backward-design framework that begins with desired learning outcomes and works backward to craft meaningful assessments and instructional strategies.

Holistic and Critical Thinking Focus

The school explicitly rejects rote learning in favor of deep conceptual understanding. The academic proposal on the official website emphasizes pensamiento global e innovación (global thinking and innovation), encouraging students to reflect on how they learn, not just what they learn. This metacognitive emphasis is woven into daily instruction and projects throughout all grade levels.

The school's philosophy also draws from conceptual pedagogy, which prioritizes understanding abstract ideas and transferring knowledge across contexts. This is layered with UbD to create a curriculum where assessments are authentic and meaningful rather than purely test-driven.

Christian and Civic Values

GLM describes itself as offering formación Católica — Catholic formation — but in a way that is respectful and pluralistic. The mission statement speaks of promoting "the critical, rigorous, and plural construction of knowledge," making it clear that faith-based education here is not dogmatic but rather an ethical framework for engagement with the world. Students are prepared to "understand reality and commit to the responsible development of both local and global environments."

This means values education is not a standalone subject but permeates the academic, social, and extracurricular life of the school. Civic responsibility and ethical leadership are expected outcomes of a GLM education.

Bilingual and Multicultural Outlook

The bilingual program — offering full instruction in both Spanish and English — is considered a cornerstone of GLM's educational philosophy. The school believes that balanced bilingualism, acquired naturally and organically from early childhood, better prepares students for participation in a globalized world. French is available as a third language, further reinforcing the school's commitment to language education as a gateway to cultural understanding.

Outcome: 100% University Acceptance

The clearest evidence that the philosophy works is the school's published claim that 100% of its graduates gain admission to universities, both domestically and internationally. This reflects a school culture in which academic rigor and personal formation are seen not as competing priorities but as mutually reinforcing pillars of a complete education.

Academic Culture at Gimnasio La Montaña

Curriculum Framework

GLM's academic program is built on the Understanding by Design (UbD) framework, supplemented by principles of conceptual pedagogy. This combination creates a curriculum that prioritizes depth over breadth, asking students not only to acquire knowledge but to understand big ideas and transfer them to new contexts.

The school describes its curriculum as fostering pensamiento global e innovación — global thinking and innovation — from the early years through the secondary level (Bachillerato). Students are expected to engage with complex, real-world problems and to develop the cognitive tools to analyze them critically and ethically.

Bilingual Program

The academic program is delivered in both Spanish and English, with the school describing this as a balanced, natural bilingual acquisition process. English instruction begins in early childhood and is reinforced throughout all grade levels. A third language — French — is also offered, giving graduates a multilingual foundation that is increasingly valued in university admissions and professional life.

The school's bilingual philosophy is not simply about language acquisition; it is about developing students who can engage with knowledge across linguistic and cultural frameworks, broadening their intellectual and empathetic horizons.

Assessment Philosophy

Rather than a purely grade-driven assessment culture, GLM employs a qualitative evaluation model that prioritizes meaningful feedback over numerical scoring. This approach is designed to encourage genuine learning rather than grade optimization, consistent with the school's broader philosophy of forming reflective, self-aware learners.

Casas System and Student Leadership

A distinctive feature of GLM's academic culture is the Casas (Houses) system, which organizes students into house groups that serve as the foundation of school identity and community. Within this framework, students take active leadership roles in:

• Student Council (Consejo)
• TEDx student events
• Literary and cultural circles (e.g., Meridiano 74)
• Academic committees and clubs

This structure deliberately cultivates leadership, independence, and a sense of civic responsibility — qualities the school sees as inseparable from academic achievement.

University Outcomes

The most concrete measure of GLM's academic culture is its 100% university acceptance rate — all graduates secure places at universities, both in Colombia and internationally. While specific destination universities are not publicly listed, this outcome reflects a school that prepares students comprehensively for tertiary education.

Community Life at Gimnasio La Montaña

A Family-Founded, Family-Led Institution

One of the most distinctive aspects of GLM's community is that it remains closely tied to its founding family. María Mercedes de Brigard Merchán, one of the original co-founders, currently serves as Rectora (Principal). Her sister Lucila de Brigard Merchán is Vice-Principal for Preschool and Primary, and Leopoldo García Arévalo — sharing the name of the male co-founder — leads the Secondary division as Vice-Principal.

This continuity of leadership creates an unusual consistency of vision and culture, rare in private school settings. The founding educational philosophy of 1988 — Christian values, bilingualism, critical thinking, and personal formation — continues to shape day-to-day life at the school.

Multi-Generational Families

GLM explicitly notes on its website that it has educated more than three generations of families. In a city like Bogotá where school choice is highly personal and social, this multi-generational attendance is a strong indicator of community trust and satisfaction. Many families who began at GLM in the 1990s now send their own children or grandchildren.

Student Life and the Casas System

The Casas (Houses) system provides the structural backbone of student community life. Students belong to a Casa from their early years, building longitudinal relationships across age groups and grade levels. This vertical house structure encourages older students to mentor younger ones, reinforcing a culture of care and responsibility.

Within the Casas, students run clubs, committees, and cultural events — including TEDx talks, literary journals, and student governance bodies. This high degree of student autonomy and leadership is a deliberate community-building strategy.

Faith Community

GLM offers Catholic formation described as "respectful and open," suggesting it welcomes students of diverse faith backgrounds while maintaining its Catholic identity as a community anchor. Religious education and values formation are integrated into the broader curriculum rather than treated as separate from academic life.

Learning Support Community: KOA Center

The Centro de Apoyo al Aprendizaje (KOA) provides inclusive support for students with diverse learning needs, ensuring that the school community is accessible and supportive for all learners. This commitment to inclusion is consistent with the school's stated values of respect for individuality and responsibility toward the community.

Recognition and External Community

GLM's participation in the Alianza Educativa — a network of Colombian schools recognized by the national Congress for educational quality — situates the school within a broader civic educational community, extending its influence beyond the immediate school family.

Admissions Culture at Gimnasio La Montaña

Philosophy of Admissions

GLM's official admissions page states: "For 36 years, we have been careful, and respectful of individuality." This framing positions admissions not as a competitive screening exercise but as a process of mutual discovery — finding students and families whose values and aspirations align with the school's educational mission.

This language suggests a school that is selective in a values-driven rather than purely academic sense, though the absence of published acceptance rates and entrance exam details makes it difficult to quantify selectivity.

Who the School Seeks

Given the school's foundational emphasis on Christian values, bilingual education, critical thinking, and civic responsibility, prospective families should demonstrate alignment with these priorities. The school is primarily oriented toward local Colombian families who seek a high-quality private bilingual education rooted in Catholic values — though the bilingual (English-Spanish) program also makes it accessible and relevant to international families.

Bilingual Readiness

Since instruction is delivered in both Spanish and English from the early years, families enrolling in primary or secondary levels should be aware that a degree of English readiness is likely expected or supported through the school's language programs. The school offers structured bilingual acquisition rather than English immersion, suggesting it can support students at varying English levels.

Learning Support Integration

The KOA (Centro de Apoyo al Aprendizaje) center signals that GLM does not limit admissions exclusively to neurotypical learners. The school's commitment to acceso inclusivo y respetuoso (inclusive and respectful access) suggests it evaluates students holistically and provides support structures for diverse learning profiles.

What to Expect

While specific admissions procedures (entrance exams, interview formats, application fees) are not publicly documented, the following can be inferred from the school's profile:

• Values alignment with the school's Catholic and civic ethos is likely assessed
• Academic records from previous schools will be reviewed
• Bilingual capacity or readiness will be evaluated
• Parental engagement is likely expected, given the school's family-oriented culture

Prospective families are encouraged to contact the admissions office directly at [email protected] or by calling (+601) 676-1861 to begin the process.