Costa Rica - 10th Grade Learning Excursion

Trip Date Window:  

Trip Payments: Payments for the Costa Rica trip can be made via the Austin High Web Store. Click on the Academy for Global Studies Tile and use the drop-down menu to select the correct installment option. You can also pay via check or cash. Check/cash payments must be submitted in an envelope marked with student name, grade, trip name, amount included. These should be submitted to Maria Quick in the Second Floor Academy Office between 8:30 and 11:00 a.m.

The payment schedule for Costa Rica 2026 is as follows:

• Deposit: $200 due on Sep. 10th

• Installment 1: $525 due on Sep. 30th

• Installment 2: $525 due on Oct. 30th

• Installment 3: $525 due on Nov. 30th

• Installment 4: $525 due on Dec. 30th

Please reach out to Renae Jackson (renae.jackson@austinisd.org) with questions about signing up for the Costa Rica learning excursion.

Trip Overview: 

Sophomore students focus on global consequences, using waste management as a case study of a global issue in the fall, and self-selecting global issues that have a local impact on Austin for our spring project on voice and power.  Our 10th grade trip to Costa Rica encourages students to investigate the world firsthand, to recognize new perspectives as they visit local fincas (small, family-owned farms/business projects), communicate in languages other than English, and take action as they work alongside members of the Bribri indigenous trip to address community needs. 

Passport Information

To enter Costa Rica, it’s not enough simply to have a valid passport. Your passport has to be good for at least 60 days past the dates of travel. If your passport expires in less than 60 days, you will not be allowed in the country.

**PASSPORTS ARE REQUIRED FOR TRAVEL TO COSTA RICA! PASSPORT APPLICATIONS ARE CURRENTLY BEING PROCESSED WITHIN 8-11 WEEKS OF SUBMITTING.  ALL STUDENTS SHOULD BEGIN THIS PROCESS AS SOON AS POSSIBLE TO ENSURE ON TIME DELIVERY.  FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE VISIT: http://travel.state.gov/passport/passport_1738.html. 

For trip enrollment and Austin High travel scholarship information, please contact Miranda Grabowski (miranda.grabowski@austinisd.org), Renae Jackson (renae.jackson@austinisd.org), or Tanya Mast (tanya.mast@austinisd.org)