Saint Kitts and Nevis - Preprimary & Primary Education

Schooling is in English and is free to all who qualify, from preprimary through sixth forms (grades 13 and 14). The government also underwrites textbooks and examination fees. The school year consists of 3 terms of 13 weeks each and runs from early September to mid-July. In addition to the two-month recess between school years, there is a three-week vacation at Christmas and a two-week vacation at Easter. The school day for primary and secondary education is from 8:30 a.m. to noon and from 1:15 to 3:30 p.m. Teaching periods vary from 30 to 35 minutes at the primary level; 30 to 45 minutes at the secondary level; to one hour at the collegiate level.

Primary education for those aged 5 to 12 includes a one-year kindergarten and a six-year primary cycle. In 7 of the 29 government primary schools, a four-year senior stage of post primary education is offered to those who do not find a place in junior schools. There are 19 primary schools on St. Kitts and 9 on Nevis.

The number of primary-level pupils on St. Kitts for the year 2000 was 5,631. For every teacher there were approximately 20 students. On Nevis the student/teacher ratio was slightly less at approximately 19 to 1 with a total of 1,291 students. The combined number of teachers on both islands at the primary level in 2000 was 354; the total number of students was 6,922.