About Us
Amazon Valley Academy (AVA) is the only English language international school in Pará. It is located near the mouth of the Amazon River outside the city of Belem. Founded in 1958 as a boarding school for the children of missionaries, it operated on land purchased by Wycliffe and the Unevangelized Field Missions of Great Britain and North America (UFM) until 2011.
In 1999 the school became an open enrollment international school operated by the Network of International Christian Schools (NICS). NICS is a world-wide school system of 19 international Christian schools in 14 countries.
The campus was reduced in size in 2011 from a tropical 18 acre fenced compound to a 5 acre campus North of BR 316 behind Unama Universidade. The remainder of the old campus will become a high-end condominium complex designed to house expatriate families.
The new AVA classroom building, being built in the fall of 2011, will house the elementary classrooms, library, computer lab., and media center; and an adjacent gymnasium and snack bar is in the design stage.
The campus is just North of the Castanheira Shopping Mall, 3 km. NNE of the rapidly growing city of Belem and only one block North of BR316, the main highway leading out of the city. The campus is easily accessible by public transportation.
AVA has a long history of academic excellence and is Brazil’s most experienced international school. Over 90% of the graduating seniors enroll in colleges and universities around the world.
The school offers enrollment to students in pre-kindergarten through grade 12. Students of all races, nationalities, and religions are welcome.
AVA operates as an American school, and has for many years been accredited by Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS) in the United States, and in 2007 was accredited by the Association of Christian Schools International (ACSI). Accreditation from the Brazilian government, State of Para', is pending before the Educational Council.