PRESS RELEASE

OFFICE OF THE ACTING EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

Statistical Yearbook of the Education System 2015-2016 has been published

Study reflects decrease in the prevalence of bullying at school among girls

The Puerto Rico Statistics Institute (Institute) published the statistical profile of Puerto Rico's education system for the academic year 2015-2016. The report includes data and information on all levels of education (pre-primary, primary, secondary, post-secondary, and university), both for the public and private sectors.

For the segment that groups the pre-primary, primary and secondary levels, the study highlights that in the public system the number of schools decreased from 1,386 to 1,332; students decreased from 410,950 to 379,818; teachers increased from 31.186 to 31,993 and the student-to-teacher ratio decreased from 13.2 to 11.9. 51.1% of the students were male, and the number of students in special education decreased from 129,086 to 123,376. While for the private system the number of schools decreased from 853 to 795 and the number of students decreased from 144,034 to 142,235; the number of teachers decreased from 11,645 to 11,536. 50.7% of the students were male, the number of students in special education increased from 15,828 to 16,462, and the student-to-teacher ratio increased from 12.2 to 12.3.

The new Measurement and Evaluation for Academic Transformation tests, better known as the META, began to be implemented in the public sector in the academic year 2015-2016; these revealed that 45% and 51% of all students in the public sector were proficient in English and Spanish subjects, respectively, while in mathematics only 33% were proficient. Regarding the results of the Academic Achievement Tests, known as Learn Aid and taken by students from the private sector, they revealed that between 62% and 67% of students in all grades, in the private system, were proficient in the subjects of Spanish, English, non-verbal reasoning and mathematics.

Regarding the average scores obtained in the University Assessment and Admission Tests, tests known as the College Board, the results showed that, in the public and private sectors, the subject with the highest score was English, with 443 and 552, respectively. It should be noted that, for all subjects, including verbal and mathematical reasoning, students in the private sector scored higher compared to the public sector.

This statistical profile also revealed that the results of the Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System, related to bullying, demonstrate a decrease in the prevalence of Bullying towards girls in public schools from 13.4% (2013) to 10.5% (2015).

“Achieving a statistical profile of the entire educational system in Puerto Rico, including data from both the public and private systems, requires multiple sources of information with methodologies and publication dates that vary widely from each other. It is for these reasons, among others, that this type of product is usually referred to two or three years prior to the current year. But despite this, this Statistical Yearbook is the only product in Puerto Rico that presents a standardized reference framework that contrasts with previous years and provides projections for the future, as far as education statistics are concerned,” explained Dr. Orville M. Disdier, Acting Executive Director of the Institute and lead author of the report.

The Puerto Rico Statistics Institute is an autonomous governmental entity responsible for coordinating the Government's statistical production service to ensure that the data collection and statistics systems, on which public policies are based, are complete, reliable, and have quick and universal access.

For more information or to access the statistical profile of Puerto Rico's education system for the academic year 2015-2016, you can visit the website: Publications or through the social networks of Facebook (@estadisticas .pr), Twitter (@EstadisticasPR) and LinkedIn (Institute of Statistics of Puerto Rico).

##

Press Contact:

Idia Martínez

787-603-3200 imartinez@upfrontpr.net

‍

Institute of Statistics publishes the latest report on violent deaths: 733 fatalities in 2023

Data from the Puerto Rico Violent Death Reporting System reveals 483 homicides and 241 suicides in Puerto Rico

The Puerto Rico Institute of Statistics (Institute), through the Puerto Rico Violent Death Reporting System (PRVDRS), has presented the findings of its latest report for the year 2023. The data reveals that 674 violent death incidents were recorded in Puerto Rico, resulting in 733 fatalities.

Of the total victims reported, 483 were homicides (65.9%), 241 were suicides (32.9%), six were legal interventions (0.8%), and three were deaths of undetermined intent (0.4%), totaling 733 victims. The crude violent death rate stood at 22.9 per 100,000 inhabitants. Men accounted for nearly nine out of every 10 victims (87.4%).

Key findings from the 2023 Report:

• Homicide profile: Violence primarily affected individuals between the ages of 15 and 39. Additionally, 38.5% of homicides (186 cases) occurred in settings of collective violence linked to drug trafficking.

• Gender-based and family violence: 34 fatalities related to family violence were documented. Of the 24 cases related to intimate partner violence, 91.7% (22 victims) were women. In nearly 8 out of 10 of these femicides (77.3%), a firearm was used.

• Mental health: The suicide rate was 7.5 per 100,000 inhabitants (13.1 for men; 2.5 for women), with asphyxiation being the primary method.

• Firearm use: 90.7% of homicides in Puerto Rico were committed with firearms, compared to a global average of 55.8%.

In light of these figures, researchers at the Institute emphasized that the collection and publication of this data should serve as a catalyst for changing strategies in Puerto Rico. "Over nearly 10 years, invaluable data has been collected. This allows us to understand the magnitude of this problem from a public health perspective, identifying the contexts of violence in Puerto Rico to develop evidence-based prevention strategies for both government agencies and community organizations," stated Dr. Diego Zavala, epidemiologist and co-investigator of the PRVDRS.

For his part, Mario O. Font Martin, the PRVDRS coordinator, emphasized that "violence is a phenomenon that cannot be addressed exclusively by law enforcement agencies; it requires a comprehensive and multisectoral approach."

Marking the tenth anniversary of the PRVDRS's affiliation with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the executive director of the Institute, Dr. Orville M. Disdier, highlighted the importance of the project's trajectory: "Scientific evidence shows us that violence is a modifiable behavior if we understand its causes and take appropriate preventive actions. This report is one of the primary scientific tools for promoting changes in strategy."

The 2023 Puerto Rico Violent Death Report is available on the Institute's website in the official section for the Puerto Rico Violent Death Reporting System: Puerto Rico Violent Death Reporting System - 2023 Annual Report.

Coronavirus COVID-19 Global Cases Map & Statistics by Johns Hopkins Center for Systems Science and Engineering

(Map and statistics on global cases of Coronavirus COVID-19)

Note: This link, its data and its content is a tool for informational purposes and such content has not been evaluated by the Puerto Rico Statistics Institute; the content does not necessarily represent the opinion or approval of the Board of Directors, the Executive Director, the employees or any affiliate or partner of the Puerto Rico Statistics Institute. The information has been produced by an entity external to the Institute.

Access this map and its contents through the following link: https://gisanddata.maps.arcgis.com/apps/opsdashboard/index.html#/bda7594740fd40299423467b48e9ecf6

Learn more about the Center for Systems Science and Engineering (CSSE) at JHU at: https://systems.jhu.edu/

‍