History

Founded in 1956 by a group of missionary parents, EABH—the only American school in the state of Minas Gerais—was created with a clear purpose: to offer an educational program in the American tradition, in English, for their own children and students of all nationalities. Since the beginning, the school has operated as a private, independent, nonprofit association owned by parents.

One of EABH’s early objectives was to facilitate student transfers between schools in the United States, Brazil, and other countries. In its first years, classes were held in a Brazilian school using Calvert correspondence courses supervised by mothers. As the community grew, a formal elementary program was established under the guidance of qualified teachers, and the school moved to a house in the Funcionários neighborhood.

Over time, correspondence courses were replaced by a curriculum based on American textbooks. By 1964, enrollment in Grades 1 through 8 had reached 39 students. In 1966, EABH became an official member of the Association of American Schools in South America. Two years later, the school launched its high school program, opened a kindergarten, and expanded its staff to include Portuguese teachers and a Brazilian secretary. The introduction of professional administration soon followed, and by 1969, enrollment had grown to 99 students.

In the early 1970s, EABH moved to its permanent campus in Buritis. In 1975, the school was accredited by AdvancED, formally recognizing EABH as an American school and authorizing it to award the American Diploma. In 1993, EABH also became an authorized Brazilian school, enabling graduates to receive the Brazilian Diploma.

From its origins as a correspondence program serving Grades 1 through 11, EABH has evolved into a comprehensive international school offering education from Pre-K through Grade 12. In 2008, EABH joined a world-class educational standard by receiving authorization from the International Baccalaureate (IB) Organization for the Primary Years Programme (PYP). Soon after, the school was authorized to offer the Middle Years Programme (MYP), becoming the first institution in Minas Gerais to achieve IB World School status with a continuous IB program.