PUERTO RICO

Education

 

The Puerto Rican education system is heavily based on the United States system. Mandatory education begins at the 1st grade, usually around the age of six, and continues until the student turns seventeen. At this point the student may stop school at any time, though most choose to continue becuase it is free and increases their odds of landing a stable career. Preschool is not required and most do not take it because of the high cost. On the other hand, Kindergarten is free to the public but is still not mandatory. However most parents enroll their kids in Kindergarten in order to give them a head start on basic concepts of phonics, Social Studies, and Math. At the Elementary School level, each class is taught by single educator. Students are introduced to single subject teachers once they enter Middle School.

 

In 2002, the literacy rate was roughly 94% with there being only a 1% difference between males and females. Despite this, only 60% of students obtained a High School Diploma, and 18% of them obtained at least a Bachelor's Degree. This is likely due to availability and cost of institutions of higher education. While most colleges offer a wide variety of Bachelor programs, only a select few have Master's programs and even less have Doctorate's.

 

Based on student population, the largest university is the University of Puerto Rico, Rio Piedras. The campus is located in San Juan and was the first university built in Puerto Rico in 1903.