PUCMM study identifies educational lag clusters in Dominican Republic

A study by the Pontificia Universidad Católica Madre y Maestra (PUCMM) titled ‘Mapas Educativos: geolocalizando las brechas del sistema educativo dominicano’ has identified specific geographic clusters of educational lag in the Dominican Republic.

The research indicates that low academic performance is not randomly distributed but concentrated in certain regions, specifically San Juan de la Maguana, Monte Plata, and Azua. The study identified 115 high schools that have consistently shown low performance for three consecutive years (2023–2025), affecting approximately 4,100 students annually.

Lead researcher Dr. Kiero Guerra noted that because the problem is concentrated in specific locations rather than being dispersed, educational interventions can be targeted more effectively toward these specific centers. The analysis involved data from 10,792 public, private, and semi-official educational centers across urban and rural areas between 2016 and 2025.

The findings also highlighted disparities between sectors. In 2025, 22.7% of public schools failed to reach an intermediate level, a significantly higher rate compared to the 7.5% recorded in private institutions.