Republic of the Marshall Islands

Republic of the Marshall Islands (RMI) has a population of 42,418 people as of the 2021 Census. The country is made up of 29 atolls and five main islands, as well as 1,220 small islands. Collectively, these land masses are divided across two island chains within a territory that is 98.13 percent water. Majuro is the RMI’s capital and largest city, in which roughly half the nation’s population lives. Outside of Majuro and other towns, 5,957 people (or 12.7% of the total population) live on rural, ancestral properties that are collectively shared with management passed down generationally through mothers to their children. (Imon Bwij).

The Republic of the Marshall Islands Public School System consists of 86 schools. In 2019 there were roughly 14,260 primary and secondary school students. Of those, 4,373 students went to school on the outer islands as opposed to urban centers. Most of these rural schools experience small enrollments, shortages of certified teachers, and transportation challenges related to travel between islands and atolls where students are asked to attend classes. Pacific East CC is working in partnership with RMI to find solutions to the high leverage problem of serving students enrolled in these remote rural communities.

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The High Leverage Problem

RMI Rural schools face unsustainable staffing levels due to declining enrollment, with more than three-fourths serving small, dispersed communities.

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