Education in Puerto Rico
| Budget | $3.5 billion US$ |
|---|---|
| Primary languages | Spanish, English |
| System type | state, private |
| Male | 93.9% |
| Female | 94.4 |
| Total | unknown |
| Primary | unknown |
| Secondary | unknown |
| Post secondary | unknown |
| Secondary diploma | 60% |
| Post-secondary diploma | 18.3% |
Education in Puerto Rico is overseen by the Department of Education of Puerto Rico and the Puerto Rico Education Council. The Department oversees all elementary and secondary public education while the Council oversees all academic standards and issues licenses to educational institutions wishing to operate or establish themselves in Puerto Rico.
Instruction in Puerto Rico is compulsory between the ages of 5 and 18, which comprises the elementary and high school grades. Students in Puerto Rico may attend either public or private schools. As of 2013, the island had 1,460 public schools, 764 private schools, 606,515 K-12 students, 64,335 vocational students, and 250,011 university students.
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.
The first school in Puerto Rico was the Escuela de Gramática (English: Grammar School). The school was established by Bishop Alonso Manso in 1513, in the area where the Cathedral of San Juan was to be constructed. The school was free of charge and the courses taught were Latin language, literature, history, science, art, philosophy and theology.
The educational system in Puerto Rico consists of seven categories. These categories are based on the educational levels covered:
Some Puerto Rican schools, most notably in rural areas, offer kinder to ninth grade (K–9) at the same institution and are referred to as Segunda Unidad (English: Second Unit). Other schools offer seventh grade to twelfth grade (7–12) at the same institution and are referred to as Nivel Secundario (English: Secondary Level).
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