Online School & Homeschool in Puerto Rico

Live online Cambridge IGCSE, A-Level, Pearson Edexcel, IB Diploma, and American AP for homeschooling, relocated-mainland, professional and Puerto Rican families across San Juan, Dorado, Ponce, Mayagüez and the eastern islands. Puerto Rico has the freest home-education framework in our entire coverage — no registration, no notification, no state curriculum — which leaves exactly one gap, and it is the one we fill.

From USD 423/month, in the currency you already use. Small live classes 4-6 students, Cambridge / IB / American AP through to A-Level — full-time or alongside your school.

Where our Puerto Rico families are

Smartious Puerto Rico families concentrate across San Juan (the capital, the island's school tier and its largest homeschooling community), Dorado and the north coast (the principal mainland-relocation corridor), Ponce and the south (a medical and manufacturing city where schooling continuity has been tested), Mayagüez and the west (one of the Caribbean's strongest engineering faculties, two hours from the metro tier), and Fajardo, Vieques and Culebra (island municipios where the school run involves a ferry). One exceptionally free framework, one evidencing gap, and a timezone that works.

Homeschool laws and regulation in Puerto Rico

Puerto Rico has the freest home-education framework in our entire eighty-seven-country coverage. That is genuinely good news, and it produces one specific consequence that families tend to meet late rather than early. Here is both halves.

What the law does not require

There is no Puerto Rico law expressly regulating home education, and none establishing criteria for how a home school must operate. Families are not required to seek approval or recognition from any government agency, nor to notify anyone of their educational programme. There is no official registry of homeschoolers. There is no mandatory state curriculum and no routine government supervision. Parents are not required to hold teacher certification or a degree in education. After sixteen, the law no longer requires a specific number of school days. By any comparison in our coverage — Ecuador's ministerial acuerdos, Chile's exámenes libres, Israel's annual permits — that is a remarkably light framework.

The mechanism that makes it work

Education is compulsory from age five under 3 LPRA sec. 391 and is reported in practice as running to around eighteen. The way home education fits alongside that is elegant: under L.P.R.A. 18 sec. 2322 — a statute that uses the English word "homeschooling" — the parent is the non-governmental entity under whose auspices the school operates, and is also the school director. A home-educating family is therefore running a non-governmental school, which is why they are exempt from compulsory public school attendance rather than from education itself. Article II, Section 5 of the Constitution of Puerto Rico is cited as protecting the right, alongside the First Amendment's religious liberty protection and the Fourteenth Amendment's Due Process Clause, under which parents hold a fundamental right to direct the care, custody and control of their children.

What "adequate" means, and what withdrawal requires

Puerto Rico law does not define what an adequate education means, and it is understood as one that adequately prepares the child for adult life and its responsibilities, taking into account their individual characteristics. That is a genuinely deferential standard. The only formality most families encounter is withdrawal: if a child was already enrolled at a public or private school, it is strongly recommended to give the principal a written letter stating that the child will be educated at home — public schools use a withdrawal form with a home-education code — and to request copies of the academic record, transcript, test results and immunisation certification. Families at private schools should check their service contract for payment terms. No Puerto Rico case law on home education is reported.

The consequence families meet later

Here is the part worth reading twice. Most home educators in Puerto Rico operate as non-government schools and use their own transcripts to evidence grades and completed work, rather than an official diploma. That is lawful, widely done, and we would not criticise it for a moment. It is also, unavoidably, self-attested: the person who taught the course also awarded the grade and signed the transcript. At a selective university admissions office, that record is weighed alongside applications carrying school-issued transcripts and standardised external results. Cambridge IGCSE and A-Level, Pearson Edexcel, the IB Diploma and Advanced Placement are set and marked by an independent examination board with no connection to the family. That independence is the specific thing we supply, and it is why our role in Puerto Rico is verification rather than permission.

What we are and are not

Smartious is not a Puerto Rico Department of Education licensed school and does not issue a Puerto Rico diploma. We are also not a US-accredited school and do not issue an American high school diploma — a family whose particular pathway requires one specifically is better served by a US-accredited online provider, and we would say so. What we teach are externally examined Cambridge, Pearson Edexcel, IB and AP qualifications, live and in small groups. Two organisations worth knowing that are not competitors: T'CHERs, the Caribbean Center of Home Education Resources, offers free island-wide orientation on legal aspects, curricula and support groups, and HSLDA publishes Puerto Rico material in Spanish. We would point any family beginning home education to both.

Practicalities: currency, clock and continuity

Three things that make Puerto Rico straightforward to serve. The island uses the US dollar, so our fees carry no exchange-rate exposure. The clock sits at AST, UTC-4 with no daylight saving, seven hours behind our teaching base — Puerto Rican mornings and very early afternoons both fall in our normal teaching day, at the same time every week of the year. And continuity: hurricane seasons and, in the south-west, the 2020 earthquake sequence have interrupted school years here more than once. Every one of our classes is live and every one is recorded, so a week that cannot be attended is not a week lost. We mention that plainly because for some families on this island it is a practical requirement rather than a convenience.

Why Puerto Rico families choose Smartious

Externally examined grades behind a self-issued transcript

Home educators here lawfully issue their own transcripts. Cambridge, Edexcel, IB and AP are marked by an independent board — verification a family cannot supply for itself.

Full-time is genuinely straightforward

No registration, no notification, no state curriculum. Puerto Rico makes a complete international programme simpler than anywhere else we teach.

A-Levels alongside the AP you already know

AP is thoroughly established here. A-Levels add the UK through UCAS, plus Spain, Canada and 160+ countries, on the same record.

The islands and the west reached

Vieques and Culebra are ferry-dependent and the west is two hours from the metro tier. Live delivery reaches all of it identically.

No exchange-rate exposure

USD fees in a USD territory — one of the few markets in our coverage where currency is simply not a question.

Recorded, because school years here have been interrupted

Every class live and every class recorded, so a disrupted week is recoverable rather than lost.

Fees and admission

From USD 423/month for Primary, payable termly; varies by curriculum and level. One-to-one tuition: USD 15/hour.

Frequently asked questions

Is homeschooling legal in Puerto Rico?

Yes, and unusually freely. There is no law expressly regulating it, no registration or notification requirement, no official registry, no mandatory state curriculum, no routine supervision and no teacher-certification requirement. Under L.P.R.A. 18 sec. 2322 the parent is the non-governmental entity under whose auspices the school operates and is also its director, which is why home educators are exempt from compulsory public school attendance. Article II, Section 5 of the Constitution of Puerto Rico is cited as protecting the right.

Do we have to notify or register with anyone?

No. There is no registry and no notification requirement. The one formality is withdrawal if your child was already enrolled at a school — a written letter to the principal is strongly recommended, and you should request the academic record and immunisation certification.

If it is that free, what do we need you for?

Verification rather than permission. Most home educators here lawfully issue their own transcripts, which are self-attested. Cambridge, Edexcel, IB and AP are set and marked by an independent board, so a selective admissions office sees a grade nobody in the family awarded.

Can our child do a full programme with you?

Yes. Puerto Rico is the freest framework in our coverage for that — nothing needs registering, approving or matching to a state curriculum. We also teach supplementary alongside an existing school or home programme.

Do you issue a Puerto Rico or a US diploma?

Neither. We are not a Puerto Rico Department of Education licensed school and not a US-accredited school. We teach externally examined Cambridge, Edexcel, IB and AP qualifications. A family that specifically needs an accredited American diploma is better served by a US-accredited online provider, and we would say so.

Should we take AP or A-Levels?

Many families here take both. AP is well established on the island and well read by mainland universities; A-Levels are read natively by UK admissions through UCAS and open Spain, Canada and 160+ countries. If the destination is undecided, holding both is the flexible position.

What about school years disrupted by weather or earthquakes?

Every class is live and every class is recorded, so a week that cannot be attended is recoverable. Pacing is adjusted per student rather than assumed. We mention it plainly because for families here it is a practical requirement.

Which parts of Puerto Rico does Smartious cover?

San Juan, Dorado and the north coast, Ponce and the south, Mayagüez and the west, and Fajardo with Vieques and Culebra have dedicated pages. Live online delivery works identically anywhere on the island.

Guides for families in this country

What parents say

Rated 4.9 out of 5 on Google from 130+ reviews. Read our Google reviews

“I am truly impressed by the level of professionalism at Smartious Homeschool and Tuition. The tutors are not only knowledgeable but also very patient and supportive. They create a comfortable learning environment where children feel free to ask questions. My child now enjoys studying and looks forward to every session.” — Google reviewer, Google review