Gulliver Preparatory: International Baccalaureate Private Education

Gulliver Preparatory School is one of the most prestigious private institutions around the Pinecrest area. The school caters to students from grades K-12, containing a Primary, Lower, Middle and Upper School. The Spanish program that is offered at Gulliver intensifies as students move up through the school, and begins with the basic building blocks for the language in Primary School. 

In the beginning of PK and JK, primary school students engage in science classes in a bilingual format where both non-native and native Spanish speakers can thrive and hear rich vocabulary. Students are encouraged to respond to their fellow students in Spanish during this class time. When students reach SK, Spanish class meets weekly and skills are taught in conjunction with the Spanish class, integrating the learning. 

In the Lower School (Grades 1-4), students continue the Spanish program. The program draws heavily upon Natural Approach and Total Physical Response (TPR) techniques. The main objective of this program is to help each child gain a favorable degree of listening, speaking, reading and writing skills in a relaxed and enjoyable environment. The program also has a cultural component. The cultural component includes oral presentations, songs, geography, interesting facts about Hispanic cultures and traditions, flags, typical dishes, music and musical instruments, famous Hispanic people, typical attire, currencies and other cultural activities.

In Middle School (Grades 5-8), students can begin the International Baccalaureate Middle Years program, where students have a wide variety of world language courses open to them. The classes include high-level programs in French, Spanish, Mandarin, and Japanese.

In Upper School (Grades 9-12), students can continue with the International Baccalaureate program, continuing with their language choice of French, Spanish, Mandarin or Japanese. 

Applications are required at Gulliver Preparatory, and there is a tuition cost between $23,610 per year for the Primary School, increasing to $41,420 for the Upper School. They do offer scholarships and financial aid.