Bicentenary schools lead public establishments on college entrance exam (PDT) scores in half the country’s regions
The announcement was made during a visit by the Education Minister to the San Pedro de Puente Alto Bicentenary School, which placed third on the ranking of Chile’s municipal schools.
This morning, Education Minister Raúl Figueroa announced bicentenary school results for the 2022 Transition Exam for College Admissions (PDT). The announcement was made during a visit to the San Pedro de Puente Alto Bicentenary School, which placed third on the ranking of Chile’s municipal schools.
Notably, in eight of the 16 regions, bicentenary schools are the public education establishments with the best average PDT performance. When only considering establishments where more than 20 students took the exam, bicentenary schools lead in 12 of the 16 regions.
“Bicentenary schools were created ten years ago, and the San Pedro de Puente Alto School was one of the first to join the network. Over this time, we have built a public policy that puts students at the center. It shows that with commitment and high expectations, it is possible to provide a quality public education that gives students access to better opportunities,” remarked Minister Raúl Figueroa.
2022 Transition Exam Results
The minister added, “We now have 320 bicentenary schools in the same spirit. The most recent Transition Exam results show that bicentenary schools have the best scores among public education establishments in eight of Chile’s 16 regions. Similarly, the top three public schools in every region include a bicentenary school. Thanks to a virtuous blend of commitment, leadership and high expectations, this ongoing effort has shown results. The entire community, the students, parents, teachers, teachers aides, directors and education service providers work toward the same goal: enabling each of their students to fully develop all their skills and access better opportunities.”
San Pedro de Puente Alto Bicentenary School
Antonia Guerrero, a student at San Pedro School who earned the nation’s best score (850 points) in Reading Comprehension, thanked her teachers and classmates for the support she had received during her schooling. “At school, they helped us be more human, think more critically and be more respectful. That is why we need to find more teachers who love learning and love teaching,” she said. Her message to future classes was: “Keep dreaming. You can achieve the impossible. Just try hard.”
San Pedro de Puente Alto Bicentenary School earned an average score of 633 points on the reading comprehension and mathematics exams, the highest of all bicentenary schools in the Metropolitan Region and number three in the country.
Notably, 12 of the 25 municipal schools with the highest average scores nationally are bicentenary schools. For the 2022 College Admissions process, 40,642 students from 320 schools took the PDT exam.
The first 60 bicentenary schools were created during President Piñera’s first term. Between 2018 and 2021, 260 schools have been added, surpassing the government program’s goal for expanding the number of schools with this quality education seal.
San Pedro Bicentenary School was one of the first schools to earn the Bicentenary Seal (2010-2014). After ten years in the program, it is currently renewing its commitment to the pillars of the program. This renewal will enable the first 60 schools to earn the quality education seal to continue promoting and encouraging initiatives to maintain and enhance the quality of education their students receive.