In short
Act 85 of 2018, the Education Reform Act, created the Free School Selection Programme, known as school vouchers: parents or guardians may apply for a voucher letting a public system student choose the private school of their preference. Two things are worth knowing before getting hopeful. The first is that allocation is by lottery: the Department explains that when the number of eligible applications exceeds the vouchers available, the system draws at random among everyone who met the requirements. The second is that the voucher is not a place — families must arrange admission directly with the private school and the student must meet that institution’s requirements.
What is it?
The Free School Selection Programme is established by Act 85 of 2018, as amended, to broaden academic options for public system students. The Department describes it as a way of fostering equal opportunity and academic excellence, giving families the chance to choose the education best suited to their children regardless of their economic or geographic situation. Besides moving to a private school, the programme contemplates educational advancement for talented students able to take creditable university courses, and the option for special education students to access private schools where necessary to meet reasonable accommodations and support their academic achievement.
Who can do it?
The Department states that students who have completed at least two years in a public school and were enrolled in the public system during the semester immediately preceding the application may apply. The programme is aimed at students from first to eleventh grade. One family may apply for more than one student, with no obligation that they attend the same school. The Department also mentions low-income students under federal norms, without detailing on that page how that consideration is applied, so this guide describes it neither as a priority nor as a requirement.
Requirements
- Having completed at least two years in a public school, and having done the last semester in the public system.Verified against the official source
- Being in a grade between first and eleventh.Verified against the official source
- Applying within the window the Department opens each year on its platform.Verified against the official source
- Arranging admission directly with the private school of your preference and meeting that institution’s requirements.Verified against the official source
Documents you need
Cost
Step by step
Step 1: Check the two years and the last semester
The requirement has two parts and the second escapes many people: having completed two years of public school, and above all having done the last semester in the public system. A student who already moved to private schooling last semester does not qualify.
Step 2: Find out when the platform opens
It is a short, annual window. For the cycle published on the Department’s page, the window for parents and guardians ran from 1 to 31 May 2026. That window belongs to that year: do not assume the same dates for the next one, confirm them at de.pr.gov before the spring.
Step 3: Apply in the Free School Selection section
The application is made through the Department of Education’s website, in the Free School Selection section. Each student receives a unique number in the system on completing their application, and the draw is made on the basis of that assigned numbering. One family may apply for more than one student and they do not have to attend the same school.
Step 4: Understand that it is a lottery
The Department says it plainly: allocation is made through a lottery process, and it calls it the official, administrative and equitable mechanism to guarantee impartiality and equal treatment. Its own example: if 3,000 applications meet the requirements but there are only 300 vouchers, the system randomly draws 300 beneficiaries among the 3,000 eligible. Meeting everything is not winning.
Step 5: Talk to the school in parallel
The Department evaluates whether the student meets the requirements and notifies the result by email to the parent or guardian. But admission is yours to arrange: families must handle it directly with the private school of their preference, and the student must meet that institution’s requirements. A voucher without a place is no use, so those two conversations run in parallel.
Where to do it
Online, on the Department of Education’s website, in the Free School Selection section, within the window the Department opens each year. The result is notified by email to the parent or guardian.
How long it takes
What to do if something goes wrong
If the window has closed, there is no shortcut: it is annual and short, and the date published for the cycle we read was 1 to 31 May 2026. Confirm the next cycle’s dates at de.pr.gov and do not assume they are the same. If your child spent last semester in a private school, they do not meet the requirement even if they were in the public system before. If your child is in special education, the programme contemplates access to private schools where necessary to meet reasonable accommodations, but that does not replace the services the Department owes them: if an IEP service is not being delivered, there is a separate mechanism and it has its own guide here. This guide does not state the voucher’s value, how many exist, how long it lasts, whether it renews, or what happens if the school costs more, because the Department does not publish that on that page; ask before committing to an enrolment. And do not go looking for forms OLSE-03 and OLSE-04: the schools deliver those. PRFácil does not process applications, does not arrange admissions and does not represent families before the Department.
Common mistakes
- Believing that meeting the requirements guarantees the voucher, when allocation is by lottery.
- Moving the student to private schooling before applying and losing the last-semester-in-public requirement.
- Waiting for the Department to secure the place: admission is arranged directly with the school.
- Letting the window pass, which is annual and one month long.
- Hunting for forms OLSE-03 and OLSE-04, which the schools deliver.
- Treating a previous cycle’s dates as current.
Frequently asked questions
If I qualify, do I get the voucher?
Not necessarily. The Department states that allocation is made through a lottery process: when the number of eligible applications exceeds the vouchers available, a random draw is made among all applicants who met the requirements.
Who secures the place at the school?
The family. The Department states that families must arrange admission directly with the private school of their preference, and that the student must meet that institution’s requirements.
Can I apply for more than one child?
Yes. The Department states that one family may apply for more than one student, with no obligation that they attend the same school.
Official sources
These are the government pages this guide is based on.
- Departamento de Educación de Puerto Rico
Educación
de.pr.gov
- Department of Education — enrolment
Departamento de Educación
de.pr.gov
Last verified
August 14, 2026
MiPRFácil is an independent informational website and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or operated by the Government of Puerto Rico or any government agency.
MiPRFácil does not submit applications on your behalf.
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