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Our Institution

Since 1969: our history, our identity and our vision for the future.

A message from the Principal

Welcome to Escuela Argentina!

Portrait of Patricia Sanguinetti, Principal of Escuela Argentina.

It is an honour to welcome you to Escuela Argentina.

Since 1969, our school has worked to strengthen the ties with our language, our culture and our roots through an educational program grounded in academic excellence. Centred on the language, literature and history of Argentina, our program seeks not only for our students to know and value their cultural heritage, but also to develop the tools they need to understand the world around them.

Our teachers work collaboratively to meet the particular needs of our program and of each student. They support them as they develop their critical thinking, their communication skills and their global outlook, preparing them to move with confidence through a diverse, inclusive and ever-changing world.

Every Saturday we celebrate Escuela Argentina as a meeting place. A place where generations, stories, cultures and diverse experiences come together. A place where families build new bonds and our students discover that their roots can accompany and enrich them as they prepare to be part of an increasingly global world.

A space where students learn to live between two cultures, to recognise and value their own identity in the context in which they grow up. A space where they can feel part of both realities and discover that belonging to more than one culture is a gift.

We renew our deep commitment to our cultural heritage, our traditions and customs, while looking to the future and continuing to seek new ways to support our students in their academic and personal growth.

I invite you to explore our website to learn more about our history, our values, our mission and our academic goals, and to discover everything we have built together over more than five decades. I invite you to get to know us and to discover what it means to be part of Escuela Argentina.

Patricia Sanguinetti · Principal

Mission

Education, language and identity

To educate in Spanish through Language, Literature, Social Sciences and History, forming bilingual and bicultural students.

Vision

Argentine culture with academic excellence

To foster Argentine culture with academic excellence, sustaining an independent and sustainable institution for future generations.

Our history

Ten children in the Oval Room

On September 20, 1969, ten students sat with their notebooks on their knees in the Oval Room of the Argentine Embassy in Washington, DC. That is how our story began.

Founded by the Comisión Esperanza de Damas Argentinas (CEDA), the School was a pioneer in offering a part-time educational program with Argentine content, complementary to the education students received in their country of residence.

That first gathering marked the beginning of an educational project that has kept growing and changing for more than five decades.

Our legacy

A legacy of generations

Ángela “Angelita” Torchia-Estrada, smiling, at her 85th birthday celebration with the School community.

Throughout our history, many people made the School’s growth and continuity possible.

Among them, we especially want to honour Ángela “Angelita” Torchia-Estrada, a pivotal figure from the earliest years, who for more than 45 years devoted her work and commitment to the administration and growth of the institution.

Our recognition also extends to the members of the boards of directors, administrators, teachers, families, collaborators and friends who, over these decades, contributed their effort, vocation and dedication.

Escuela Argentina is a collective creation, sustained and enriched by generations. To everyone who has been and is part of this journey: our recognition and gratitude.

Timeline

Our journey

  1. Facade of the Argentine Embassy in Washington, DC, where the School held its first classes in 1969. Four of the women of the Comisión Esperanza de Damas Argentinas, founders of the School. 1969

    Escuela Argentina de Washington is born

    The School begins its activities in the Oval Room of the Argentine Embassy in Washington, DC, with ten students.

  2. Students of the School on stage during the 1972 Pledge to the Flag. The Pledge to the Flag ceremony at the Argentine Embassy, 1972. 1972

    Official recognition

    The Ministry of Education of the Argentine Republic grants national validity to studies completed at the School through Resolution No. 530/72.

  3. The School’s students gathered on an auditorium stage in 1973. 1973

    A growing community

    Just four years after its founding, the School reaches 223 students.

  4. 2002

    A new institutional chapter

    The School begins a new chapter as an independent institution and is incorporated as Escuela Argentina Inc., with its own Board of Directors.

  5. 2010

    ACEA is born

    The Asociación Cooperadora de la Escuela Argentina (ACEA) is created, made up of volunteer mothers and fathers who help organise activities and initiatives for the school community.

  6. 2015

    A new regulatory framework

    Resolution No. 2530/15 updates the regulations governing Argentine schools abroad.

  7. Families, teachers and alumni gathered in a large columned hall at the School’s 50th anniversary celebration in 2019. 2019

    50 years

    The School celebrates its 50th anniversary, a new milestone in its educational journey in Washington, DC.

  8. 2020–2021

    Adapting and reuniting

    During the pandemic, the School keeps its classes going online. In 2021, students and teachers return to the classroom.

  9. 2024–2026

    A growing School

    With more than 400 students and two campuses, the School presents its 2024–2029 Strategic Plan and moves forward with new projects to support its growth.

Our Values

Our Principles

Collaboration

We encourage dialogue and communication with our students and their families, to support their academic needs and build their path through the School together.

Strategic Plan 2024–2029

Our pillars

Escuela Argentina continues working toward the goals set out in its 2024–2029 Strategic Plan, which guides the development and growth of our institution.

Through its four pillars — excellence in teaching, student empowerment, community integration and sustainability — we keep driving projects and initiatives with our eyes on the future of our School.

  • Excellence in teaching

    Excellent education delivered with modern teaching techniques by trained professionals.

  • Student empowerment

    Preparing bilingual, bicultural students for success in university and professional life.

  • Community integration

    Bringing students’ families in as active participants in the school community.

  • Sustainability

    Planning and projecting resources to fulfil the institution’s mission.