Want to move to Mexico, but Worried About Schools?

Reader Question: Hi, my wife and I currently live in Central California, which seems to get worse every year in terms of taxes, crime, and even gangs. There was never any graffiti or violent crime in my town growing up, and now it seems to be constantly on the rise.

​We have visited Mexico several times and enjoyed the culture and basically everything about it. I work online and can basically move anywhere. I am looking to relocate to San Miguel de Allende, or possibly Playa Del Carmen (haven't decided yet!).

My wife and I have a 10 year old son and another baby on the way, I guess our main concern is about schools. Right now our oldest is in a public school but online-only because of COVID, so we can continue doing this after we move, but we want to eventually make a "clean break" and put our kids in a good private school. Can you give us any advice on taking the plunge? It seems that this is the only thing that's really stopping us. We are so ready to get out of California for good! Any advice would be appreciated!


~Michael and Jeanie

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Answer: We were in the same boat when we moved from Northern California in 2016. Tons of crime and gangs, and we were SO DONE!

We visited Mexico several times before we "took the plunge". It ended up being a great decision for us. We put all our kids in a bilingual private school and they are thriving now. Even our oldest, who had so many issues in his U.S. school, is now getting good grades and is testing well in all his courses, he's also made tons of friends. It took about 2 years for him to be comfortable here, we did pay for a tutor the first two years to help him along at first, but now he speaks Spanish and English equally well and he is on track to graduate with all the "normal" kids in his class. It was the best decision we ever made for our kids. My advice is just to do it, give it a try. 

~Be free! Expatriate!
Manny