The Instituto Nueva Escuela (INE) is marking its 18th anniversary by celebrating the growth of Puerto Rico’s public Montessori movement, which has expanded from one public school to 57 school communities serving about 13,000 children and young people through more than 400 Montessori environments in 31 towns. Founder Ana María García Blanco, who directed the first public Montessori school at the Juan Ponce de León school in the Juan Domingo sector of Guaynabo 36 years ago, said that transformation eliminated dropout, boosted family participation and drew academic attention inside and outside Puerto Rico.
Executive director Jennyffer Otero Arroyo highlighted the model’s expansion into early childhood and high schools: there are now 40 Montessori environments for infants and toddlers (0-3 years), and 93% of high school graduates are admitted to university and postsecondary programs. Of the public Montessori schools, 51% are in urban communities and 49% in rural areas, serving families where 8 in 10 live below the poverty level.
The INE has trained more than 1,000 Spanish-language Montessori guides, assistants and educational leaders, runs 14 Family Houses supporting 350 families with family engagement and socioemotional support, and has developed more than 30 learning projects with school communities and allied organizations, covering nature, marine sciences, art and culture. García Blanco added that 96% of families say they would not switch their children out of the school and recommend it to others.