SCCS School Profile
Director General: Dr. Eric Olsen, eolsen@sccs.edu.bo
High School Principal: Dr. Silke Marina Schöler, sscholer@sccs.edu.bo
Middle School Principal: Mr. Hudson Thurston, hthurston@sccs.edu.bo
College Placement Counselor: Mr. Adam Kendis, akendis@sccs.edu.bo
Founded in 1959 by Gulf Oil and a group of Bolivian families, Santa Cruz Cooperative School was originally established to serve the children of the Gulf Oil Company personnel. In 1970, SCCS became the cooperative it is today. It is located in Santa Cruz, the most populated as well as the fastest growing city in Bolivia with approximately 1.750.000 habitants. SCCS is a private, coeducational day school that offers a rigorous college preparatory program leading to American and Bolivian high school diplomas. The SCCS curriculum is aligned to the Common Core and NGSS Standards. The language of instruction is English, other than in foreign language courses, and is offered to students from PK – 12th. 78 percent of students at SCCS are Bolivian, 10 percent are U.S. citizens, and the remaining 12 percent are from other nations around the world. 11 percent of the SCCS student population has double citizenship with 690 students in total. SCCS is housed on an 8-acre campus with facilities that include: 43 classrooms, a library media center, four science laboratories, four computer laboratories, two conference rooms, a sports complex, three outdoor playing fields and a full-service cafeteria.
At SCCS we cultivate lifelong learners who are critical and creative thinkers, principled leaders and compassionate global citizens. The Jaguar community supports, inspires and challenges every mind and heart to reach their full potential.
Expectations for student learning include: proficient and fluent communication in English and Spanish, the use of critical and higher-order thinking skills within the process of decision making and problem solving, efficiency in the use of technology and resources, responsibility in the area of citizenship and active participation in community service, understanding of the importance of intellectual, emotional and physical welfare, respectful attitudes and behavior towards all members of the school community and, the development of positive work ethics, organizational and study skills. The SCCS core values are respect, kindness, integrity, responsibility, resilience and collaboration.
- SCCS students strive to be inquirers, critical thinkers and problem solvers who cultivate curiosity, develop research skills, evaluate information critically, construct meaningful knowledge and apply it in the real world.
- Collaborators and leaders with strong cultural, global and environmental awareness who develop strong interpersonal and team-related skills, work autonomously and with others, learn from each other and contribute to the learning of others.
- Effective communicators who express themselves confidently in more than one language and who understand and are able to communicate ideas in writing, verbally and digitally under the consideration of perspectives of other individuals and groups.
- Creative and innovative learners who identify opportunities of scientific, economic and social growth and who independently and cooperatively explore and generate new ideas and strategies to become ambassadors of change.
SCCS offers a variety of elective subjects and extracurricular activities: Athletics (Volleyball, Soccer, Track & Field, Cheerleading, Basketball, Fitness), Concert Band, Wind Ensemble, Knowledge Bowl, Student Council, National Honor and National Junior Honor Society, Operation Smile, Teaching Aid Program, Environmental Awareness Program, Nutrition, Mindfulness, “Techo” Community Service Project, “Hope for Life” Project, “Hands Helping Hands” Orphanage Program, Art Club, Graphic Design & Yearbook, Programming, Accounting, Business & Finances, French, Drama, Human Rights Studies, Career Planning and the academic online study program.
To obtain the Bolivian High School Diploma students must complete the following courses from 9th to 12th grade: Mathematics, English, Spanish Language and Literature, Biology, Physics, Chemistry, Psychology, Philosophy, History, Social Sciences, Civics, Geography, Physical Education, Music, Art, and Ethics/Morality.
Grading is based on a 100 percent scale. Courses and grades are generally not weighted. Students are awarded an extra 5% if they obtain 70% or higher in an AP course. A minimum of 60 % must be attained to receive credit in a course for the American Diploma. Students are ranked according to the GPA. The Bolivian Ministry of Education requires that students receive ongoing remediation throughout the academic year. Only if the remediated annual average is greater than 51%, will credits be awarded for the class. This does not apply to the American Diploma.
In the 2022-2023 school year, 43 seniors participated in SAT test administrations on campus. The average scores for Evidence-Based Reading and Writing for the Class of 2023 was 548 and for Math 531, with 84% meeting the ERW and 64% the Math benchmarks.
The AP program includes SCCS’s most rigorous curriculum offerings. Of our students in grades 10-12, 50% were enrolled in at least one of the following AP courses during the 2022-2023 school year:
● AP English Language & Composition
● AP English Literature & Composition
● AP Spanish Literature & Culture
● AP Statistics
● AP Psychology
● AP World History
● AP Studio Arts 2D
● AP Online Courses
● AP Biology
● AP Calculus AB
In 2021, SCCS students took 125 AP exams: 50% of scores were 4 or above, and 26% were a 5. Students recorded nine 5s and twenty-five 4s. 51 % of AP test-takers scored 3 or higher. 18 students were named AP scholars: 7 AP scholars, 1 AP scholars with honor and 10 AP scholars with distinction. Four seniors are AP International Diploma recipients.
College Acceptances and Attendance
100% of SCCS graduates attend four-year colleges or universities around the world. The matriculation graph illustrates the breakdown by countries for the 2021 graduating class. 82% of 2021 graduates applied to US institutions. 72% were awarded merit and/or athletic scholarships with a total of 12,792,220. – U$ in scholarship offers for four years of study. In addition, the list below shows the institutions where the 2021 SCCS graduates were accepted or are currently attending:
International
Coventry University (England)
Edge Hill University (England)
Hartpury University (England)
Kingston University (England)
Nottingham Trent University (England)
Royal Agricultural University (England)
United States
University of Arkansas (AR)
Arizona State University (AZ)
University of Arizona (AZ)
Claremont McKenna College (CA)
Concordia University – Irvine (CA)
Fresno State University (CA)
Loyola Marymount University (CA)
Occidental College (CA)
Pepperdine University (CA)
San Diego State University (CA)
Stanford University (CA)
University of California – Berkeley (CA)
University of California – Davis (CA)
University of California – Irvine (CA)
University of California – Los Angeles (CA)
University of California – San Diego (CA)
University of California – Santa Barbara (CA)
University of Southern California (CA)
University of San Diego (CA)
University of San Francisco (CA)
University of the Pacific (CA)
University of New Haven (CT)
American University (DC)
George Washington University (DC)
Florida Atlantic University (FL)
Florida International University (FL)
Lynn University (FL)
Santa Fe College (FL)
University of Florida (FL)
University of Miami (FL)
University of North Florida (FL)
University of South Florida (FL)
University of Tampa (FL)
Emory University – Emory College (GA)
Emory University – Oxford College (GA)
Georgia Gwinnett College (GA)
Georgia Institute of Technology (GA)
Savannah Coll. of Art & Design (GA)
Grinnell College (IA)
Iowa State University (IA)
University of Edinburgh (England)
University of Reading (England)
Worcester University (England)
Writtle University College (England)
American University of Paris (France)
John Cabot University (Italy)
University of San Andrews (Scotland)
Boise State University (ID)
DePaul University (IL)
Loyola University – Chicago (IL)
Univ. of Illinois Urbana Champaign (IL)
Ball State University (IN)
Indiana University Bloomington (IN)
Purdue University (IN)
University of Notre Dame (IN)
Wabash College (IN)
Iowa State University (IO)
Kansas State University (KS)
Loyola University New Orleans (LA)
Northwestern State University (LA)
University of Louisville (LA)
Bentley University (MA)
Berklee College of Music Boston (MA)
Boston College (MA)
Northeastern University (MA)
Suffolk University (MA)
Univ. of Massachusetts Amherst (MA)
Western New England University (MA)
University of Maryland (MD)
Lawrence Technological University (MI)
University of Michigan Ann Arbor (MI)
Carleton College (MN)
Mississippi State University (MS)
Webster University (MS)
University of Missouri – Columbia (MO)
Appalachian State University (NC)
Duke University (NC)
Univ. of North Carolina Charlotte (NC)
Rutgers University (NJ)
Adelphi University (NY)
Clarkson University (NY)
Colgate University (NY)
Columbia University (NY)
Fordham University (NY)
Hamilton College (NY)
Pace University (NY)
Parsons The New School (NY)
IE Univ. – Instituto Empresarial (Spain)
University of Navarra (Spain)
Ecole Hôtelière Lausanne (Switzerland)
Bolivia
Private University of Santa Cruz (UPSA)
Santa Cruz International University
(SCIU / Broward College)
Rochester Institute of Technology (NY)
Skidmore College (NY)
Syracuse University (NY)
Vassar College (NY)
Case Western Reserve University (OH)
Denison University (OH)
Kenyan College (OH)
University of Oregon (OR)
Drexel University (PA)
Penn State University – Univ. Park (PA)
University of Pennsylvania (PA)
Swarthmore College (PA)
Brown University (RI)
Bryant University (RI)
Clemson University (SC)
University of South Carolina (SC)
Austin Peay State University (TN)
Baylor University (TX)
Sam Houston State University (TX)
Southern Methodist University (TX)
Southwestern University (TX)
St. Mary’s University (TX)
Texas A & M Univ. College Station (TX)
Texas Christian University (TX)
Texas Tech University (TX)
University of Houston (TX)
University of North Texas (TX)
University of Texas at Austin (TX)
University of Utah (UT)
College of William & Mary (VA)
Old Dominion University (VA)
University of Richmond (VA)
University of Virginia (VA)
University of Richmond (VA)
Virginia Commonwealth University (VA)
Virginia Polytechnic Institute (VA)
Gonzaga University (WA)
University of Washington Seattle (WA)
Washington State University (WA)
University of West Virginia (WV)
