Our History

Del Mar Academy was the vision of a group of friends who saw a need for a school that would positively impact Nosara and be a center for change.  Education can elevate a child, a family and eventually an entire community. The magic of Nosara draws people from all over the world, and for those with school age children, living here was a challenge without a school with internationally high standards. The demand was there, and ideas became plans in 2006.

Before long, we found our beautiful 11 acre property at the end of a quiet road.  With large “cenízaros” trees and surrounded by pastures, this was the perfect spot for a school. It had ample space for our campus to grow while maintaining vast green areas, seclusion from high transit, yet positioned in the center of our community with access to various neighborhoods.

In January, 2007, we held our first information session for the Nosara community and approximately 15 families were in attendance.  With a big leap of faith, the accreditation process with the Costa Rican Ministry of Education commenced and construction began. One interesting fact: during the first few weeks of our project, backhoes and dump trucks brought in 450 truckloads of dirt to raise the property level to a solid base on which to build. 

Before long, teachers were hired, books were ordered and Del Mar Academy went from a vision to a reality. We opened our doors in September, 2007 with 6 classrooms and only 19 students, who were local expats and Nosara residents, and completed our first year with 37 students.

The rapid growth of the academy was unexpected, but a testament to what the founders already knew: Nosara is a great place to live and raise a family. With the sudden influx of new families and the continued expansion of new grades our offerings eventually grew from toddler through high school. The physical campus needed to grow too, and quickly! New buildings were constructed to meet our growing needs. A milestone goal was realized in 2016 when DMA became an IB Accredited school. Our first IB graduate received her diploma in June of 2018. Another major goal of the founders was achieved in September of  2018 when DMA officially became a nonprofit foundation.

Our vision of a world renowned school and our continuing growth has surpassed our expectations.  Del Mar Academy has proven to be a life-changing project. Unlike many other coastal towns in Costa Rica, our community has become family oriented, with families representing over 25 countries across the globe sharing our dream of raising their families in Nosara.