Arrupe College, El Salvador


Arrupe College, El Salvador, was founded by a Jesuit in 1997 in a high-density, low-income area near the El Salvador capital city, San Salvador. It was built and remains largely supported by charitable contributions. It includes infant through baccalaureate and vocational, and has ranked at the top on national exams.

History

The school is situated in Soyapango. In 1997 Juan Ricardo Salazar-Simpson founded the school on his own initiative. He hoped that the Jesuits would take over the school, but he died two years after its founding and José Panadés, a businessman and friend, took over for him. The school was adopted by the Salazar-Simpson family who sponsored the "Padre Arrupe Foundation".
In 2000 the Spanish baccalaureate was introduced. In 2001 the third cycle was added to compensate for the students' educational deficiency. The school has since expanded to all educational levels including two technical cycles similar to the Spanish FP, and enrolls more than 1500 children between 3 and 18 years.

Recognition

In 2015 Arrupe College placed first nationally in the government Learning and Skills Test for Graduates of Middle Education 2015.