Great student-teacher ratios

Laura High School tenth graders Dashina Mojetin (left) and Samantha Antibas take the Marshall Islands Standard Achievement Test in this file photo from 2015. Photo: Hilary Hosia.
Laura High School tenth graders Dashina Mojetin (left) and Samantha Antibas take the Marshall Islands Standard Achievement Test in this file photo from 2015. Photo: Hilary Hosia.

Ten percent of public schools on the outer islands have 20 or fewer students, according the Public School System’s enrollment report for the current school year. Eight of 81 schools are in the 20 or fewer student category.

Overall public school enrollment for all 81 public schools is 8,819. There are a few more boys compared to girls, 4,479 to 4,340. With 635 teachers employed in elementary grades, this works out to an average student-teacher ratio of 14-1 — although, for example, the school at Wodmej, Wotje has only one teacher and has a student-teacher ratio of 41-1.

Ebeye and Majuro middle and elementary schools generally have more students per teacher than outer island schools. Ebeye Middle School, for example, is double the national average at 28-1, while Ebeye Elementary is 22 students for every teacher. In Majuro, Long Island Elementary has the highest student-teacher ratio at 31-1, while Rita Elementary comes in at 21-1. The best student-teacher ratio is 4-1 at Melan, Likiep, Ollet, Maloelap and Nallo, Mili.

There are six public high schools and 11 private high schools in RMI. A total of 3,389 students are in public and private high schools this year, with public schools accounting for 76 percent of all students, with 2,577. Marshall Islands High School is by far the largest, with 1,061 students enrolled — and quite a few more girls than boys, at 568 to 493. Jaluit High School is the next largest public school with 555 enrolled. These are followed by Kwajalein Atoll High (309), Laura High (308), Northern Islands High (276) and Life Skills Academy (68). Overall, girls are in the majority in public high schools, 1,333 to 1,244.

Private high schools are educating 302 students at Kwajalein and 510 in Majuro for a total of 812. Ebeye Calvary is the largest school on Ebeye with 103 students (boys 60, girls 43) and Ebeye SDA High is the smallest with 42 (boys 10, girls 32). In Majuro, Marshalls Christian High is the largest private school with 163 students (95 boys, 68 girls) while Majuro Baptist High is the smallest with 48 students (22 boys, 26 girls). The average student teacher ratio in public high schools is 15-1, while in private high schools it is 12-1.

Read more about this in the May 18, 2018 edition of the Marshall Islands Journal.