Our history

Our story began in November 2023, when Juan Pablo Valderrama Pino, a philosopher and humanities teacher with extensive experience in private schools and universities, set out to design effective learning strategies to turn educational challenges into growth opportunities. This journey began with the creation of an Educational Institute offering private tutoring both in-person and at students' homes.

The challenge of personalizing education and addressing individual student needs led Juan Pablo to notice a common issue in many schools: few students have a clear understanding of what they need to do and grasp. This observation sparked questions such as: How can we help students and parents fully understand the learning process at school? Do students go to school just to complete tasks, or to learn? How can we create a learning environment where students aren’t stressed by numerous activities but are truly assessed on their learning?

After a year of operating as an institute for personalized tutoring, Juan Pablo decided to take a step forward. In November 2024, he registered a new school with the Cartagena Chamber of Commerce under the name Valderrama International School.

We started with a preschool of 10 classrooms and are working towards building a campus that will include Elementary, Middle, and High School, offering a Dual Diploma for our seniors.