Education and Scholarships In Apopa, El Salvador

There are two Lutheran Schools in El Salvador. They are owned by the El Salvador Lutheran Synod, and they are private schools. These schools are kindergarten through 9th grade and considered Basic Education. The school year is from the middle of January to the middle of November. All the required curriculum is taught in addition to English as a second language, computer skills, Christian values, and the arts (singing, dancing, playing instruments, recorder, keyboard, and guitar).

One school is located in San Salvador and the other is in the city of Apopa with a population of 180,000. For the past 4 years the Sierra Pacific Synod and Sierra Pacific WELCA have acknowledged and supported the Colegio Lutheran School in Apopa by offering scholarships to the children whose families need financial help.

The El Salvador Accompaniment Team is focused on building a strong foundation in Basic Education, believing that education can reduce poverty, improve health, and prepare individuals for the workforce. Currently, only 82% of the children graduate from Basic Education 1-9 grades and only 32 percent continue with any education.

So we started, in 2023 with sponsoring 6 children, in 2024 we had 18 children, then 2025 it was 32, and this year 2026 we have 46 children attending with scholarships. The total number attending school is 86. Parents have said, “Without your help, we would not be able to send our child to this school.” Point of interest: the average adult earns $480 a month in salary. Also, Basic Education is free in public schools and the average class size is 40 to 50.

Apopa Colegio School offers small class sizes, with each child receiving individualized attention tailored to their needs. The cost to support a student for an entire year is $450, and we invite members of the Sierra Pacific Synod to sponsor a child.

Sponsors can choose to support a boy or girl and may request a specific age. You will have opportunities to connect through Zoom, and many have found these conversations to be deeply meaningful for both sponsor and student. If you do not speak Spanish, an interpreter can be provided to support your conversations.

You can also exchange emails and build an ongoing relationship. Some families choose to sponsor a child on behalf of their own child or grandchild, creating a beautiful connection across communities.

At my church, Good Shepherd Lutheran Church in Concord, we have a Holding Hands bilingual Montessori School. The school is sponsoring two children, and the class Zooms regularly to the school in El Salvador. The Executive Director/Teacher and her child are going on mission this year to meet the children and Principal/teacher. The Montessori Director/Teacher wants her child to be immerse in the Spanish culture.

Is it safe to travel to El Salvador? The answer is yes!!! It is now considered one of the safest places to travel. And yes, our hope is that you too would want to sponsor a child and then go on mission and meet the children, visit the school and meet the teachers, meet the people of El Salvador and see the beautiful country.

But above this, our goal is to provide the children with a good education and an opportunity for a happy, healthy, prosperous life.

For more information, contact Sue Hertless at suehertless@gmail.com

Here are two students receiving their 2025 diplomas from Pastor Christian Chavarria at graduation!