June 23, 2018
El Salvador is a country divided in 14 departments and each department is further divided in multiple municipalities. San Salvador is the most important city and the capital of the country, it has the largest population and significantly more resources than other departments, this includes resources for school infrastructure and class material.
Using a dataset of student enrolment from public schools in El Salvador between 2009-2013 it's possible to compare the dropout percentage in the capital vs the other departments. The theory is that the lack of resources, teachers and harsh conditions would lead to a higher percent of dropouts.
This analysis only compares the 14 departments between them but it could be expanded to compare urban vs rural areas which have significantly less resources than most cities.
Each department includes the dropout rate per municipality per year between 2009 and 2013. The dropout count is the difference between the number of students enrolled at the end of the year vs the beginning of the year
The public school data was obtained from 'Datos El Salvador' which is part of Open Knowledge International El Salvador. The dataset can be downloaded from this site Matrícula, Repetidores, Sobreedad y Desertores por municipio según nivel y sexo del 2009 al 2013