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Education
Education
Education in its broadest, general sense is the means through which the aims and habits of a group of people lives on from one generation to the next. Generally, it occurs through any experience that has a formative effect on the way one thinks, feels, or acts...

in Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico , officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico , is an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of both the United States Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands.Puerto Rico comprises an...

is overseen by the Department of Education of Puerto Rico under the Government of Puerto Rico

Government of Puerto Rico

The Government of Puerto Rico is a republican form of government subject to U.S. jurisdiction and sovereignty. Its current powers are all delegated by the United States Congress and lack full protection under the United States Constitution...

, which provides primary and secondary school education.

Instruction in Puerto Rico is compulsory between the ages of 5 and 18, which comprises the elementary and high school grades. Student

Student

A student is a learner, or someone who attends an educational institution. In some nations, the English term is reserved for those who attend university, while a schoolchild under the age of eighteen is called a pupil in English...

s in Puerto Rico may attend either public or private

Private school

Private schools, also known as independent schools or nonstate schools, are not administered by local, state or national governments; thus, they retain the right to select their students and are funded in whole or in part by charging their students' tuition, rather than relying on mandatory...

schools. As of 2003, there were 1521 public schools and 562 private schools in the island.

The literacy rate of the Puerto Rican population was 94.1% in 2002; when divided by gender, this is distributed as 93.9% for males and 94.4% for females. According to the 2000 Census, 60.0% of the population attained a high school degree or higher level of education, and 18.3% has a bachelor's degree or higher.

Education system

The Constitution of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico grants the right to an education to every citizen on the island. To this end, public schools in Puerto Rico provide free and non-sectarian education at the elementary and secondary levels.

The public school system is funded by the state and is operated Puerto Rico Department of Education

Puerto Rico Department of Education

The Puerto Rico Department of Education is the department of Puerto Rico's government which manages state-operated schools in the United States commonwealth. The department is the equivalent of a state department of education and only one of two composed of a single school district...

(Departamento de Educación del Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico) http://www.de.gobierno.pr. The department employs over 45 thousand teachers of which 32,000 have full-time tenureships and are organized under the independent union Teachers' Federation of Puerto Rico

Teachers' Federation of Puerto Rico

The Teachers' Federation of Puerto Rico is a union of teachers in Puerto Rico. Its primary base is among employees of the Departamento de Educación Pública de Puerto Rico....

. The remaining teachers are either temporary or contracted on a yearly basis.

Unlike most schools in the United States

Education in the United States

Education in the United States is mainly provided by the public sector, with control and funding coming from three levels: federal, state, and local. Child education is compulsory.Public education is universally available...

, public school instruction in Puerto Rico is conducted entirely in Spanish. English is taught as a second language and is a compulsory subject at all levels. In the early years following the 1898 American occupation of the island, the opposite was true: public schooling was entirely conducted in English and Spanish was treated as a special subject (the practice ended in 1915).

Public schools in Puerto Rico are subject to the federal No Child Left Behind Act

No Child Left Behind Act

The No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 is a United States Act of Congress concerning the education of children in public schools.NCLB was originally proposed by the administration of George W. Bush immediately after he took office...

List of high schools in Puerto Rico

Problems

The Department of Education in 2005 had a deficit of (US$783 million).
In a 2002 scandal, Victor Fajardo, a former Secretary of the Department of Education was found guilty of stealing federal funds for financing political campaigns.
Dropout Rate is as high as 40%.

Private schools

Private schools in Puerto Rico are operated by non-governmental institutions. Accredited elementary and secondary private schools in Puerto Rico must meet minimum public education requirements for academic work (P.R. Laws Ann. Tit. 18, § 57).

Homeschooling

Homeschooling or homeschool is the education of children at home, typically by parents but sometimes by tutors, rather than in other formal settings of public or private school...

, an alternative form of education, is legal in Puerto Rico but is neither regulated nor legislated.

The issue of legislation has caused a serious rift within the homeschooling community. While some of these parents want the government to establish a public policy on homeschooling, others oppose all forms of legislation. They also allege that the lack of regulation has led them to confront difficulties when interacting with the government, as evidenced in the case of a homeschooled student who was denied federal Social Security benefits.

From the Applicable Law portion of the decision:

Student benefits are payable if the student meets the Federal standards for full-time attendance (FTA) (RS 00205.300C.); the law of the State in which the home school is located recognizes home school as an educational institution (El); the home school the student attends meets the requirements of State law in which the home school is located; and the student meets all the other requirements for benefits.

Education is compulsory in Puerto Rico between the ages of six and seventeen years. 3L.P.R.A. §391 (a).Attendance in public elementary and secondary schools is compulsory for students except for those students attending "schools established under non-governmental auspices." - Puerto Rico Constitution, Article II §5; 18 L.P.R.A. §2.

After careful consideration of all the evidence, the undersigned Administrative Law Judge concludes the claimant did not attend a sanctioned home school program approved by the Puerto Rican legislature within the meaning of the Social Security Act from December 1, 2003 to August 1, 2004.

Colleges and universities

The largest public university in Puerto Rico is the multi-campus University of Puerto Rico

University of Puerto Rico

The University of Puerto Rico is the state university system of Puerto Rico. The system consists of 11 campuses and has approximately 64,511 students and 5,300 faculty members...

. The largest private university systems on the island are the Sistema Universitario Ana G. Mendez which operates the Universidad del Turabo

Turabo University

University of Turabo is a private, non-profit, and secular university system in Puerto Rico.-Accreditations:*Council on Higher Education of Puerto Rico *Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools*US Department of Education...

, Metropolitan University and Universidad del Este

Universidad del Este

Universidad del Este Eastern University in English— is a private non-profit institution of higher education and a component of the Ana G...

; the multi-campus Interamerican University

Interamerican University of Puerto Rico

The Inter American University of Puerto Rico —or Universidad Interamericana de Puerto Rico in Spanish, and often referred as "Inter"— is a private university system in Puerto Rico. It was founded in 1912 in San German, Puerto Rico. The University has campuses in Aguadilla, Arecibo, Barranquitas,...

; the Pontificial Catholic University; Caribbean University

Caribbean University

Caribbean University is a nonprofit private university system in Puerto Rico composed of four campuses. It was founded on February 28, 1969, as the Caribbean Junior College in the municipality of Bayamon. In 1978, it was renamed to Caribbean University College after being accredited by the Council...

; Carlos Albizu University

Carlos Albizu University

Carlos Albizu University is a private non-profit university offering undergraduate and graduate studies in psychology, business, and education. It has two campuses: one in San Juan, Puerto Rico , and the other in Doral, Florida, near Miami...

; and the Universidad del Sagrado Corazón

University of the Sacred Heart

Universidad del Sagrado Corazón —or Sacred Heart University in English, or simply Sagrado. Universidad del Sagrado Corazón in Puerto Rico is a higher education institution based in Santurce, Puerto Rico and one of the oldest, largest and most prestigious institutions in Puerto Rico.Its...

.

Puerto Rico has over 50 institutions of higher learning.

University	Public	Campus Location(s)
American University of Puerto Rico American University of Puerto Rico The American University of Puerto Rico is a private university in Puerto Rico with campuses in Bayamon and Manati. The university was founded in 1963 as the American Business College, and offers undergraduate studies in arts, business administration, education, and sciences, and graduate studies...	No	Bayamón, Manatí Manatí Manatí may refer to:Manatí, Puerto RicoManatí, Atlántico in Atlantico, ColombiaManatí, Cuba, a municipality in Las Tunas, CubaManatí is also the Spanish word for manatee.See also: Special:Allpages/Manatí...
Atlantic College of Puerto Rico Atlantic College of Puerto Rico , is the first and only university established in Guaynabo, Puerto Rico. It was founded in 1983 by Dr. Teresa de Dios Unanue and Colonel Ramón M. Barquín....	No	Guaynabo
Caribbean University Caribbean University Caribbean University is a nonprofit private university system in Puerto Rico composed of four campuses. It was founded on February 28, 1969, as the Caribbean Junior College in the municipality of Bayamon. In 1978, it was renamed to Caribbean University College after being accredited by the Council...	No	Bayamón, Carolina Carolina, Puerto Rico Carolina is a city located in the northern part of Puerto Rico, bordering the Atlantic Ocean; it lies north of Gurabo and Juncos; east of Trujillo Alto and San Juan; and west of Canóvanas and Loíza. Carolina is spread over 12 wards plus Carolina Pueblo... , Ponce Ponce, Puerto Rico Ponce is both a city and a municipality in the southern part of Puerto Rico. The city is the seat of the municipal government.The city of Ponce, the fourth most populated in Puerto Rico, and the most populated outside of the San Juan metropolitan area, is named for Juan Ponce de León y Loayza, the... , Vega Baja
Carlos Albizu University Carlos Albizu University Carlos Albizu University is a private non-profit university offering undergraduate and graduate studies in psychology, business, and education. It has two campuses: one in San Juan, Puerto Rico , and the other in Doral, Florida, near Miami...	No	San Juan San Juan, Puerto Rico San Juan , officially Municipio de la Ciudad Capital San Juan Bautista , is the capital and most populous municipality in Puerto Rico, an unincorporated territory of the United States. As of the 2010 census, it had a population of 395,326 making it the 46th-largest city under the jurisdiction of...
Centro de Estudios Avanzados de Puerto Rico y el Caribe Center for Advanced Studies on Puerto Rico and the Caribbean The Center for Advanced Studies on Puerto Rico and the Caribbean is a private research institute in Old San Juan, San Juan, Puerto Rico that offers graduate studies in arts and philosophy. It was incorporated on February 28, 1968 by Pablo Casals, Luis Muñoz Marín, Roberto Busó Carrasquillo, and...	Yes	San Juan San Juan, Puerto Rico San Juan , officially Municipio de la Ciudad Capital San Juan Bautista , is the capital and most populous municipality in Puerto Rico, an unincorporated territory of the United States. As of the 2010 census, it had a population of 395,326 making it the 46th-largest city under the jurisdiction of...
Colegio Universitario de San Juan	Yes	San Juan San Juan, Puerto Rico San Juan , officially Municipio de la Ciudad Capital San Juan Bautista , is the capital and most populous municipality in Puerto Rico, an unincorporated territory of the United States. As of the 2010 census, it had a population of 395,326 making it the 46th-largest city under the jurisdiction of...
Conservatorio de Música de Puerto Rico Conservatory of Music of Puerto Rico The Conservatory of Music of Puerto Rico is a public institution of higher learning located in the historic Miramar a town in San Juan, Puerto Rico...	Yes	San Juan San Juan, Puerto Rico San Juan , officially Municipio de la Ciudad Capital San Juan Bautista , is the capital and most populous municipality in Puerto Rico, an unincorporated territory of the United States. As of the 2010 census, it had a population of 395,326 making it the 46th-largest city under the jurisdiction of...
Escuela de Artes Plásticas de Puerto Rico School of Plastic Arts of Puerto Rico The School of Plastic Arts of Puerto Rico is a state university and a school of art in Old San Juan, San Juan, Puerto Rico. The school was originally founded in 1966 as part of the Institute of Puerto Rican Culture...	Yes	San Juan San Juan, Puerto Rico San Juan , officially Municipio de la Ciudad Capital San Juan Bautista , is the capital and most populous municipality in Puerto Rico, an unincorporated territory of the United States. As of the 2010 census, it had a population of 395,326 making it the 46th-largest city under the jurisdiction of...
Facultad de Derecho Eugenio Maria de Hostos Eugenio María de Hostos School of Law The Facultad de Derecho Eugenio Maria de Hostos is a law school located in Mayagüez, Puerto Rico. The School was founded by Fernando Bayrón, Juan Mari Brás and Carlos Rivera Lugo in 1995...	No	Mayagüez
National University College	No	Arecibo Arecibo Arecibo may refer to:Arecibo, Puerto Rico, a municipality located by the Atlantic OceanArecibo Observatory, a very sensitive radio telescope located approximately south-southwest from the city of Arecibo... , Bayamón, Ponce Ponce, Puerto Rico Ponce is both a city and a municipality in the southern part of Puerto Rico. The city is the seat of the municipal government.The city of Ponce, the fourth most populated in Puerto Rico, and the most populated outside of the San Juan metropolitan area, is named for Juan Ponce de León y Loayza, the... , Rio Grande Río Grande, Puerto Rico Río Grande is a municipality of Puerto Rico located in the Northern Coastal Valley, North of Las Piedras, Naguabo and Ceiba; east of Loíza and Canóvanas and west of Luquillo. Río Grande is spread over eight wards and Río Grande Pueblo...
Polytechnic University of Puerto Rico Polytechnic University of Puerto Rico The Polytechnic University of Puerto Rico —commonly referred as Poly or La Poly in Spanish— is a private non-profit university located in San Juan, Puerto Rico...	No	San Juan San Juan, Puerto Rico San Juan , officially Municipio de la Ciudad Capital San Juan Bautista , is the capital and most populous municipality in Puerto Rico, an unincorporated territory of the United States. As of the 2010 census, it had a population of 395,326 making it the 46th-largest city under the jurisdiction of...
Ponce School of Medicine Ponce School of Medicine Ponce School of Medicine is a private medical school located in the city of Ponce in Puerto Rico, U.S. The school is accredited by the Liaison Committee on Medical Education , and classified as a United States Medical School...	No	Ponce Ponce, Puerto Rico Ponce is both a city and a municipality in the southern part of Puerto Rico. The city is the seat of the municipal government.The city of Ponce, the fourth most populated in Puerto Rico, and the most populated outside of the San Juan metropolitan area, is named for Juan Ponce de León y Loayza, the...
Pontífica Universidad Católica de Puerto Rico	No	Arecibo Arecibo Arecibo may refer to:Arecibo, Puerto Rico, a municipality located by the Atlantic OceanArecibo Observatory, a very sensitive radio telescope located approximately south-southwest from the city of Arecibo... , Coamo, Mayaguez, Ponce Ponce, Puerto Rico Ponce is both a city and a municipality in the southern part of Puerto Rico. The city is the seat of the municipal government.The city of Ponce, the fourth most populated in Puerto Rico, and the most populated outside of the San Juan metropolitan area, is named for Juan Ponce de León y Loayza, the...
San Juan Bautista School of Medicine San Juan Bautista School of Medicine The San Juan Bautista School of Medicine is a private U.S. medical school, located within the San Juan Bautista Medical Center in Caguas, Puerto Rico. It formally opened its doors in 1978....	No	Caguas
Seminario Evangélico de Puerto Rico	No	Rio Piedras Río Piedras, Puerto Rico Río Piedras is a district of San Juan, Puerto Rico. Founded in 1714, it has been the home of the University of Puerto Rico's main campus since 1903, earning the town the popular name of Ciudad Universitaria...
Universidad Adventista de las Antillas	No	Mayagüez Mayagüez, Puerto Rico Mayagüez is the eighth-largest municipality of Puerto Rico. Originally founded as "Nuestra Señora de la Candelaria" it is also known as "La Sultana del Oeste" , "Ciudad de las Aguas Puras" , or "Ciudad del Mangó"...
Universidad Central de Bayamón Bayamon Central University The Bayamón Central University —or Universidad Central de Bayamón in Spanish— is a private, catholic, and non-profit university in Bayamon, Puerto Rico...	No	Bayamón
Universidad Central del Caribe Central University of the Caribbean The Universidad Central del Caribe is a private non-profit university in Bayamon, Puerto Rico offering graduate studies and professional certifications in health sciences. It was founded in 1976 in the municipality of Cayey, but since 1990 all its facilities have been integrated into one campus at...	No	Bayamón
Universidad de Puerto Rico	Yes	Aguadilla, Arecibo Arecibo Arecibo may refer to:Arecibo, Puerto Rico, a municipality located by the Atlantic OceanArecibo Observatory, a very sensitive radio telescope located approximately south-southwest from the city of Arecibo... , Bayamón, Carolina, Cayey, Humacao, Mayagüez, Ponce University of Puerto Rico at Ponce The University of Puerto Rico at Ponce is a state university located in the municipality of Ponce, Puerto Rico. UPRP is the only campus of the University of Puerto Rico System in the southern region of the island... , San Juan San Juan, Puerto Rico San Juan , officially Municipio de la Ciudad Capital San Juan Bautista , is the capital and most populous municipality in Puerto Rico, an unincorporated territory of the United States. As of the 2010 census, it had a population of 395,326 making it the 46th-largest city under the jurisdiction of... , Utuado
Universidad del Este Universidad del Este Universidad del Este Eastern University in English— is a private non-profit institution of higher education and a component of the Ana G...	No	Cabo Rojo Cabo Rojo, Puerto Rico Cabo Rojo is a municipality situated on the southwest coast of Puerto Rico and forms part of the San Germán–Cabo Rojo metropolitan area as well as the larger Mayagüez–San Germán–Cabo Rojo Combined Statistical Area.... , Carolina Carolina, Puerto Rico Carolina is a city located in the northern part of Puerto Rico, bordering the Atlantic Ocean; it lies north of Gurabo and Juncos; east of Trujillo Alto and San Juan; and west of Canóvanas and Loíza. Carolina is spread over 12 wards plus Carolina Pueblo... , Manatí Manatí Manatí may refer to:Manatí, Puerto RicoManatí, Atlántico in Atlantico, ColombiaManatí, Cuba, a municipality in Las Tunas, CubaManatí is also the Spanish word for manatee.See also: Special:Allpages/Manatí... , Santa Isabel Santa Isabel Santa Isabel is the Spanish and Portuguese name of one of two Roman Catholic saints, Saint Isabel of France and Saint Isabel of Aragon. Various places have been named for either of such persons. These include: Argentina:... , Utuado, Yauco
Universidad del Sagrado Corazón	No	San Juan San Juan, Puerto Rico San Juan , officially Municipio de la Ciudad Capital San Juan Bautista , is the capital and most populous municipality in Puerto Rico, an unincorporated territory of the United States. As of the 2010 census, it had a population of 395,326 making it the 46th-largest city under the jurisdiction of...
Universidad del Turabo Turabo University University of Turabo is a private, non-profit, and secular university system in Puerto Rico.-Accreditations:Council on Higher Education of Puerto Rico Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools*US Department of Education...	No	Gurabo Gurabo Gurabo is a suburban section in northeast Santiago de los Caballeros, Dominican Republic. It contains a population estimated at 42,000. Gurabo is best known for its Tobacco Plantations and Amber Mines...
Universidad Interamericana de Puerto Rico Interamerican University of Puerto Rico The Inter American University of Puerto Rico —or Universidad Interamericana de Puerto Rico in Spanish, and often referred as "Inter"— is a private university system in Puerto Rico. It was founded in 1912 in San German, Puerto Rico. The University has campuses in Aguadilla, Arecibo, Barranquitas,...	No	Aguadilla, Arecibo Arecibo Arecibo may refer to:Arecibo, Puerto Rico, a municipality located by the Atlantic OceanArecibo Observatory, a very sensitive radio telescope located approximately south-southwest from the city of Arecibo... , Barranquitas, Bayamón, Fajardo, Guayama, Ponce Ponce, Puerto Rico Ponce is both a city and a municipality in the southern part of Puerto Rico. The city is the seat of the municipal government.The city of Ponce, the fourth most populated in Puerto Rico, and the most populated outside of the San Juan metropolitan area, is named for Juan Ponce de León y Loayza, the... , San Germán, San Juan San Juan, Puerto Rico San Juan , officially Municipio de la Ciudad Capital San Juan Bautista , is the capital and most populous municipality in Puerto Rico, an unincorporated territory of the United States. As of the 2010 census, it had a population of 395,326 making it the 46th-largest city under the jurisdiction of...
Universidad Metropolitana	No	Aguadilla, Bayamón, Jayuya, San Juan San Juan, Puerto Rico San Juan , officially Municipio de la Ciudad Capital San Juan Bautista , is the capital and most populous municipality in Puerto Rico, an unincorporated territory of the United States. As of the 2010 census, it had a population of 395,326 making it the 46th-largest city under the jurisdiction of...
University of Phoenix University of Phoenix The University of Phoenix is a for-profit institution of higher learning. It is a wholly owned subsidiary of Apollo Group Inc. which is publicly traded , an S&P 500 corporation based in Phoenix, Arizona...	No	Guaynabo

Community colleges & technical institutes

Instituto de Banca y Comercio
Instituto de Banca y Comercio
Instituto de Banca y Comercio is a technical institution located in San Juan, Puerto Rico. This institute offers a wide variety of career choices with the advantage of finishing studies in a short period Instituto de Banca y Comercio has a number of campuses and learning sites located through...
Ponce Paramedical College

Notable Puerto Rico educators

Lolita Tizol
Lolita Tizol
Lolita Tizol was a Puerto Rican educator.Tizol was born in Ponce, Puerto Rico on June 19, 1890. She spent her live educating children at a time when most people in Ponce, as most of Puerto Rico, did not know how to read and write, and when teachers were paid only $50USD per month, even in the large...
Alfredo M. Aguayo
Alfredo M. Aguayo
Alfredo M. Aguayo was a Puerto Rican educator and writer. He studied and lived in Cuba, and was a professor at the University of Havana. His teachings and his written works molded several generations of Cubans.-Early years:...
Mariano Villaronga-Toro
Mariano Villaronga-Toro
Mariano Villaronga-Toro was a Puerto Rican educator and Commissioner of Public Instruction in Puerto Rico from 1946 to 1957. Under his leadership as Commissioner of Public Instruction, three major institutions that still stand today were put in place: the Department Press, the public radio and...
Maria Teresa Babin
Elias Lopez Soba
Eugenio María de Hostos
Eugenio María de Hostos
Eugenio María de Hostos known as "El Ciudadano de América" , was a Puerto Rican educator, philosopher, intellectual, lawyer, sociologist and independence advocate....