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June 19, 2018

See the Schools Puerto Rico Plans to Close and

Where Displaced Students Will Go
Hurricane Maria severely disrupted Puerto Rico’s public schools when it hit Sept. 20,
2017. Now, the island’s education system is poised to undergo a controversial transition.

In response to the storm as well as falling enrollment and the government’s long-term financial woes, the
Puerto Rico Department of Education plans to close nearly 25 percent of its public schools before the 2018-
19 school year begins. Under the plan, 263 schools will close and 847 schools will remain open.

On the map below, zoom in to see the distances between the closing schools and those scheduled to receive
students. Hover over each school to view its name, region, municipality, and grade levels.

P.R. School Closures

Receiving Schools

RECEIVING SCHOOLS

Closing Schools

CLOSING SCHOOLS

Lines

© © OpenStreetMap contributors, © MapTiler, © CARTO

Map by Education Week   

Note: Grade level PKEE is pre-kindergarten special education, EE is special education (elementary school), EI is special education (middle school) and ES is

special education (high school).

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 Driving Distances Between Puerto Rico's
Closing and Receiving Schools
In Puerto Rico 270 schools are being tapped to take in students from 263 schools that are slated to close before
the 2018-19 school year.  The average driving distance between the closing and receiving schools is 2.33  miles.
Most of the driving distances between students' old and new schools would be less than ve miles, but these new
routes to school could still be a big change for some children and parents. Hover over the bars to see the number
of school pairs for each distance range.

90

80

70
Number of School Pairs

60

50

40

30

20

10

0
Less than 1 mile Between 1 and 2 Between 2 and 3 Between 3 and 5 Between 5 and 10 Over 10 miles
miles miles miles miles

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our communications and products. By continuing to browse edweek.org, you are agreeing to our use of cookies. Find out more in our ×
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 The Elementary Grades Would Be Most
Affected by Puerto Rico's School Closures
A relatively large number of Puerto Rico's schools slated to close include at least one K-5 grade. 

240
220

200

180
160
Number of Schools

140

120
100

80
60
40
20

0
en

en

10

11

12
rt

rt
ga

a
rg
er

e
nd

nd
ki

Ki
e-
Pr

Grade Level

Government leaders say consolidating schools is a necessary step to reorganize and improve the U.S.
territory's schools, but critics—including the leaders of the island’s teachers’ union—say the closures will
drive away families and teachers, as well as upend communities. Younger students could be hit particularly
hard: Among the schools scheduled for closure, at least 85 percent include a K-5 grade. These closures are
subject to a legal battle currently taking place in the island’s courts.

Puerto Rico Secretary of Education Julia Keleher said many schools educate far fewer students than they
have room for—nearly 500 schools had a utilization rate of less than 60 percent, she pointed out.
Consolidating schools will help Puerto Rico “guarantee access to books and teachers and resources in a
positive, inviting learning environment,” Keleher said. Enrollment on the island has been dropping for some
time; last summer, the island shut down roughly 180 public schools.

Click here to read more of our coverage of Puerto Rico’s schools after Hurricane Maria, from the
physical impact to students’ mental and emotional health.

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Sources: Puerto Rico Department of Education. (Google Distance API Matrix was used to calculate driving
our communications and products. By continuing to browse edweek.org, you are agreeing to our use of cookies. Find out more in our
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 Reporter: Andrew Ujifusa
Analysis and Visualization: Maya Riser-Kositsky, Francisco Vara-Orta, Vanessa Solis, Gina Tomko

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