Across the Dominican Republic, secondary school completion stands at just 61%, highlighting a significant drop-off in education as children enter their teenage years ¹. National learning assessments show that nearly 78% of late-primary and adolescent students lack minimum reading proficiency, pointing to structural gaps in classroom quality and resources nationwide ². With high rates of youth drop-outs driven by economic pressures, municipal public high schools are critical in keeping teenagers enrolled, safe, and prepared for future employment ³.
In the region of Cibao, central-district public schools serve thousands of teenagers, but severe physical overcrowding limits educational quality ⁴. At one school—where 80% of the 554 enrolled students live in poverty—classrooms are packed with up to 40 students each, well above the legal limit of 25. Overcrowded, hot conditions trigger health issues like severe asthma among students, while extreme financial hardship tempts teenagers to drop out and work. The school works hard to keep kids enrolled through counseling and essential support, but space is so tight that it is forced to turn away 80 hopeful new students every single year.
This summer, HXP Builders will construct a brand-new, two-classroom school block extension directly on campus. Adding these two dedicated classrooms will immediately eliminate severe room overcrowding, lower room temperatures to create a healthier learning environment, and allow up to 50 additional students to enroll—giving 80 turned-away teenagers a spot in school and providing students ages 11–16 with a focused space to complete their secondary education.