Education

Puerto Rico follows the same Federal Education Guidelines as in the States. The primary language used in Public Schools is Spanish, and English is taught as a second language. There are public schools with bilingual education programs. Also, some Private Schools have English curricula for non-Spanish speaking students.

The Department of Defense Education Activity (DoDEA) Puerto Rico Community Schools in Fort Buchanan and Ramey Coast Guard base, use English in all their programs and are part of DoDEA Mid-Atlantic District.

The DoDEA Mid-Atlantic Puerto Rico consists of four schools located on two military installations on the island. DoDEA PR has an enrollment of approximately 1,750 students. There are three (3) schools in Fort Buchanan; an elementary school for students in grades PreK - 5th grade; a middle school for students in grades 6th - 8th; and a high school for students 9th -12th. Ramey Coast Guard Base (Northwest Coast of the island) houses a school for students in grades PreK - 12th.

DoDEA-PR provides a full breakfast and lunch program in addition to transportation services for students; provides several after-school sports teams and clubs to round its student's education and interests; and also provides services for our identified accelerated students, students with disabilities, and those students that are identified as English language learners.

Online Student Pre-Registration System: Antilles Elementary School (AES): Registration Information

DoDEA now offers on-line registration through DORS (DoDEA On-line Registration System); and also provides a parent guide on how to use DORS, which you can find online as: DoDEA On-line Registration System

Entrance Requirements by Age:

• Sure Start and Pre-Kindergarten Programs, a child must be 4 years of age by September 1.
• Kindergarten Programs, a child must be 5 years of age by September 1.
• First Grade, a child must be 6 years of age by September 1.

School Bus:

• Transportation is provided to and from centrally located bus stops in the area of a student's primary residence.
• School bus services is provided to students residing beyond the defined walking distance.

Walking Distance for Students: Kindergarten through grade 6th, not to exceed 1 mile and Grades 7th through 12th, not to exceed 1.5 miles.

• Elapsed travel time from the farthest point in a route should not exceed one hour.
• The school commuting area is a specific geographic area designated to determine eligibility for transportation of students. This area is identified in the installation's Housing Referral Office.
• Parents deciding to live beyond the designated commuting area are responsible for transporting their children to an existing school bus stop.
• A community or urbanization within the commuting area lacking safe access may be excluded from the commuting area.
• The transportation division is responsible for discipline and safety of students on the bus and for assessing the safety of routes, loading zones, and bus stops.
• Transportation services will be based upon a thorough analysis and periodic review of student demand. The transportation division is charged with the responsibility for developing routes and schedules to optimize equipment use and seating capacity, as well as reduce total mileage and driving time. Students shall be transported at the lowest practical cost.

For more information or assistance on direct enrollment, contact the DODEA-PR Registrar at 787 707-4621.

Grading

In grades PreK - 3rd grade, DODEA-PR utilizes Work Sampling performance assessments to evaluate student’s progress in all designated areas. A progress report is sent to parents, which provides a summary of grade appropriate standards based on teacher observation and a portfolio of student work.

Academic Grades: In grades 3rd - 6th, DODEA-PR utilizes the O (outstanding) - U (unsatisfactory) scale for conduct grades, work/social skills, and designated special areas.

Academic progress and achievement in grades 4th - 12th are graded according to the following scale:

• Advance placement courses are weighted by regulation.
• Academic grades are based on student achievement, not citizenship.
• A grade of F cannot be weighted more than any other grade and cannot be scored lower than 50.
• Student's performance reporting is accomplished through the electronic grading system.

The following point system will be used for the purpose of establishing a student's grade point average (GPA) and averaging grades:

• A = 4 points
• B = 3 points
• C = 2 points
• D = 1 point
• F = 0 points

Puerto Rico Community is a part of the Department of Defense Education Activity Americas (DoDEA) and falls under the Mid-Atlantic District. Puerto Rico Community consists of four schools located on two military installations on the island. Fort Buchanan has 3 schools. Fort Buchanan has an early childhood school for students in grades PreK - 5th; a middle school for students in grades 6th - 8th; and a high school for students 9th - 12th. Ramey Coast Guard base has one unit facility with PreK - 12th. Visit the DoDEA Mid-Atlantic District: Puerto Rico Community for more information on both the Antilles School facilities and the Ramey Unit School.

There are over 100 private schools in the Metropolitan Area. Programs such as Pre-K, Kinder, Elementary through HS are offered in both English and Spanish. Most textbooks are in English and the follow same curricula as in the USA. Tuition fees vary depending on grade level. Most private schools begin their program year in early August, and end in the middle of May. There are also professional and technical schools among them. Most of them offer special education as well.

A copy of the DoDEA Policy Memorandum on Home Schooling is located on the DoDEA website. 

The DoDEA Administrative Instruction 1375.01 for Home-School Students was updated (change 1), on October 15, 2018; and allow eligible dependent students who are educated in a homeschool setting to use or receive auxiliary services of the DoDEA schools in which they are eligible to enroll. This extends the opportunity to dependent students who are educated in a homeschool setting but are eligible to enroll in a DoDEA Americas school.