Puerto Rico (US): Pupil-teacher ratio, primary

Key figures

Over five years it is up 12.33% from 12.05 in 2011 (2.35% a year on average, compounded). Since 1975 it is down 43.6% from 24 in 1975 (1.39% a year on average, compounded). The World Bank has no value for 31 of the years in between; the chart leaves those gaps open rather than joining across them.

What the numbers say

In 2016, Puerto Rico (US)'s pupil-teacher ratio, primary fell 0.36 on 2015 (from 13.9 to 13.54).

Across the 8 yearly changes before that (1976 to 2015), the average change was +0.28 and a typical year strayed about 0.89 from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.7 standard deviations below that average, so it was an ordinary year: it sits within the range of normal year-to-year movement.

On record, the biggest yearly rise was 2.02 in 2012 and the biggest yearly fall was 1.18 in 2013. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.

From 2009 to 2016 the straight-line trend is upward, about 0.33 a year. A straight line explains 65% of the movement over 8 observed years.

Worked out from the yearly values above. How the checks work: standard deviation, z-scores and straight-line trends.

How it compares

In 2016, Puerto Rico (US) had the 10th highest value of the 14 economies reporting that year. Higher is not always better: for some indicators the lowest value is the one to aim for. See the full ranking.

Closest to Puerto Rico (US) in the 2016 ranking

• United Arab Emirates — 6th of 14: 24.52
• St. Kitts and Nevis — 7th of 14: 13.87
• Slovenia — 8th of 14: 13.8
• Croatia — 10th of 14: 13.51
• Dominica — 11th of 14: 13.08
• Israel — 12th of 14: 12.07

What this measures

Primary school pupil-teacher ratio is the average number of pupils per teacher in primary school.

Limitations: The comparability of pupil-teacher ratios across countries is affected by the definition of teachers and by differences in class size by grade and in the number of hours taught, as well as the different practices countries employ such as part-time teachers, school shifts, and multi-grade classes. Moreover, the underlying enrollment levels are subject to a variety of reporting errors.

Regional and income-group figures are computed by the World Bank as a weighted average.

All 11 values

Pupil-teacher ratio, primary in nearby economies

• Antigua and Barbuda — 12.41 (2018)
• Bahamas, The — 19.45 (2018)
• Barbados — 13.99 (2018)
• Belize — 19.78 (2018)
• Brazil — 20.22 (2017)
• British Virgin Islands — 11.62 (2017)
• Cayman Islands — 15.75 (2018)
• Chile — 17.79 (2017)
• Colombia — 23.3 (2018)
• Costa Rica — 12.2 (2018)
• Cuba — 9.16 (2018)

More education data for Puerto Rico (US)

• Primary school starting age (years) — 6 (2025)
• Primary education, duration (years) — 6 (2025)
• Compulsory education, duration (years) — 13 (2025)
• Lower secondary school starting age (years) — 12 (2025)
• Secondary education, duration (years) — 6 (2025)
• Secondary education, general pupils — 229,383 (2016)
• Secondary education, vocational pupils — 6,618 (2016)
• Secondary education, general pupils (% female) — 49.69% (2016)
• Government expenditure on education, total (% of GDP) — 4.27% (2024)

Reading data like this

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Questions people ask

What is Puerto Rico (US)'s pupil-teacher ratio, primary?

13.54 in 2016, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 1975?

It is down 43.6% from 24 in 1975 (1.39% a year on average, compounded). The highest value was 24 in 1976 and the lowest 11.66 in 2010.

How does Puerto Rico (US) rank?

10th highest of 14 economies with data for 2016.

Is the latest change in pupil-teacher ratio, primary unusual for Puerto Rico (US)?

In 2016, Puerto Rico (US)'s pupil-teacher ratio, primary fell 0.36 on 2015 (from 13.9 to 13.54). Across the 8 yearly changes before that (1976 to 2015), the average change was +0.28 and a typical year strayed about 0.89 from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.7 standard deviations below that average, so it was an ordinary year: it sits within the range of normal year-to-year movement.

Source

World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator SE.PRM.ENRL.TC.ZS, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: Stat Bulk Data Download Service, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), uri: https://uis.unesco.org/bdds, publisher: UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS) Figures are fetched from the World Bank API and refreshed monthly; see the series on data.worldbank.org. The full definition and method are in the World Bank's metadata glossary. Comparisons use the same World Bank release.

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