The secretary of education of Puerto Rico is responsible for the development and management of all educational matters in the government of Puerto Rico and heads the Department of Education.
| Secretary of Education of Puerto Rico | |
|---|---|
Official Logo of the Department | |
Incumbent since January 2, 2025Eliezer Ramos Parés | |
| Department of Education | |
| Nominator | Governor |
| Appointer | Governor with advice and consent from the Senate |
| Term length | 4 years |
| Formation | Established by Article IV of the Constitution of Puerto Rico |
| Succession | Fourth |
| Salary | $80,000 USD |
| Website | www.de.gobierno.pr |
There have been three types of secretaries in the history of Puerto Rico. The first were the education commissioners established in 1899 after Puerto Rico was succeeded to the United States from Spain. The second were the secretaries of public instruction after the predecessor of the Department of Education —the Department of Public Instruction— was formally established by law. Today Puerto Rico has secretaries of education after the Department of Public Instruction was reorganized and renamed as the Department of Education.
List of former and current secretaries
Education commissioners
| # | Portrait | Name | Term start | Term end | Political party | Appointed by |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Martin G. Brumbaugh | 1900 | 1902 | Republican | William McKinley | |
| 2 | Samuel McCune Lindsay | 1902 | 1904 | Republican | Theodore Roosevelt | |
| 3 | Ronald R. Falkner | 1904 | 1907 | Republican | Theodore Roosevelt | |
| 4 | Edwin G. Dexter | 1907 | 1912 | Republican | William Howard Taft | |
| 5 | Edward M. Bainter | 1912 | 1915 | Democratic | Woodrow Wilson | |
| 6 | Paul G. Miller | 1915 | 1921 | Democratic | Woodrow Wilson | |
| 7 | Juan B. Huyke | 1921 | 1929 | Republican | Warren G. Harding | |
| 8 | José Padín | 1930 | 1936 | Republican | Herbert Hoover | |
| 9 | H. A. Martin | 1937 | 1937 | Democratic | Franklin D. Roosevelt | |
| 10 | José M. Gallardo | 1937 | 1945 | Democratic | Franklin D. Roosevelt | |
| 11 | Mariano Villaronga Toro | 1946 | 1947 | Democratic | Harry S. Truman | |
| 12 | Francisco Collazo | 1947 | 1948 | Democratic | Harry S. Truman |
Secretaries of public instruction
| # | Portrait | Name | Term start | Term end | Political party | Appointed by | Affiliation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mariano Villaronga Toro | 1949 | 1957 | PPD | Luis Muñoz Marín | Democratic | |
| 2 | Efraín Sánchez Hidalgo | 1957 | 1960 | PPD | Luis Muñoz Marín | Democratic | |
| 3 | Cándido Oliveras | 1960 | 1964 | PPD | Luis Muñoz Marín | Democratic | |
| 4 | Ángel Quintero Alfaro | 1965 | 1968 | PPD | Roberto Sanchez Vilella | Democratic | |
| 5 | Ramón Mellado Parsons | 1969 | 1971 | PNP | Luis A. Ferre | Republican | |
| 6 | Tania Viera | 1972 | 1972 | PNP | Luis A. Ferre | Republican | |
| 7 | Celeste Benítez | 1973 | 1973 | PPD | Rafael Hernandez Colon | Democratic | |
| 8 | Ramón A. Cruz Aponte | 1973 | 1976 | PPD | Rafael Hernandez Colon | Democratic | |
| 9 | Herman Sulsona | 1977 | 1977 | PNP | Carlos Romero Barcelo | Democratic | |
| 10 | Carlos A. Chardón | 1977 | 1980 | PNP | Carlos Romero Barcelo | Democratic | |
| 11 | María Socorro Lacott | 1980 | 1984 | PNP | Carlos Romero Barcelo | Democratic | |
| 12 | Awilda Aponte Roque | 1985 | 1988 | PPD | Rafael Hernandez Colon | Democratic | |
| 13 | Rafael Cartagena | 1989 | 1989 | PPD | Rafael Hernandez Colon | Democratic |
Secretaries of education
| # | Portrait | Name | Term start | Term end | Political party |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | José Lema Moya | 1989 | 1991 | PPD | |
| 2 | Celeste Benítez Rivera | 1991 | 1992 | PPD | |
| 3 | Annabelle Padilla Rodríguez | 1993 | 1993 | PNP | |
| 4 | José Arsenio Torres | 1993 | 1994 | PNP | |
| 5 | Víctor Fajardo | 1994 | 2000 | PNP | |
| 6 | César Rey Hernández | 2001 | 2004 | PPD | |
| 7 | Rafael Aragunde Torres | 2005 | 2008 | PPD | |
| 8 | Carlos A. Chardón | 2009 | 2009 | PNP | |
| 9 | Odette Piñeiro Caballero | 2009 | 2010 | PNP | |
| 10 | Jesús Rivera Sánchez | 2010 | 2011 | PNP | |
| 11 | Edward Moreno | 2011 | 2012 | PNP | |
| 12 | Rafael Román Meléndez | 2013 | 2017 | PPD | |
| 13 | Julia Keleher | 2017 | 2019 | PNP | |
| 14 | Eligio Hernandez Perez | 2019 | 2020 | PNP | |
| 15 | Elba Aponte Santos | 2021 | 2021 | PNP | |
| 16 | Magaly Rivera Rivera | 2021 | 2021 | PNP | |
| 17 | Eliezer Ramos Parés | 2021 | 2023 | PNP | |
| 18 | Yanira Raíces Vega | 2023 | 2025 | PNP | |
| 19 | Eliezer Ramos Parés | 2025 | current | PNP |
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