Antilles ES History
Opened: 1955
OPEN
Prior to 1950, the Antilles School System was small and operated as a regular dependent’s school by the different military branches and was called The Antilles Dependent School. During the 1952-53 school year they became known as the Antilles Consolidated Schools (ACS) which included schools at the Naval Station in Miramar, San Juan; the Fort Buchanan Schools; Camp Losey in Cayey; and Roosevelt Roads in Ceiba. Antilles Elementary School was established in November 1955 as part of the Antilles Consolidated Schools System. The school was originally referred to as the U.S. Naval Station Elementary School and was located in Miramar, San Juan. The 1955 Consolidated Schools yearbook showed eleven classes in grades one through six. The elementary school students had a chorus that performed at school events.
Originally, the organization and operation of the school system was under the direct command of the Tenth Naval District. Then, Antilles Elementary School was part of DoDEA Americas Mid-Atlantic District and had an enrollment of approximately 700 students (as of 4/25/2018) from Pre-K to 5th grade. Antilles Elementary School is located in Fort Buchanan, a unique community located in the very heart of the San Juan metropolitan area. Fort Buchanan serves a population of over 104,000 military and civilian personnel, veterans, retirees and their family members. Its economic impact on the island is estimated at over 160 million annually. Its 746 acres (with a real estate value of some approximately $560 million), house an ever-growing joint community that includes Active and Reserve Component units as well as other Department of Defense and federal organizations. Today, Fort Buchanan is the only Department of Defense installation in the Caribbean Basin area. At present, Antilles Elementary School is part of DoDEA Americas Mid-Atlantic District.
Antilles Elementary School is a beautiful and modern architectural structure. The building was built to facilitate 21st century learning, and contains the latest features in flexibility, adaptability, sustainability, and energy conservation. It is the beginning of a transformation process in the type of education AES faculty and staff are committed to provide in order to help generate students who are competitive in there global world.
The current facility is a two-floor structure with pre-kindergarten, kindergarten, first, and second grades on the first floor, and third, fourth, and fifth grades on the second floor. Each hallway has a distinctive color above its entrance and are called “Streets”. The Streets are composed of “Neighborhoods” that contain “Hubs” and “Learning Studios”, which are learning environments that cater to 21st century education, which differs greatly from the traditional school classroom. It provides educators and students with the opportunity to experiment with the flexibility in space, moveable furniture, and technology.
English as a Second Language (ESL), Special Education (SP ED), and related services personnel are housed in the “Neighborhoods” according to the grade level they provide services for. Gifted Resource, Health Provider, Psychologist, Counselors, and Speech Assessor are located on the first floor. Each specialist (Art, Intercultural Ed, Music, Physical Education) has their separate dedicated areas. Also located on the first floor are the Principal, Assistant Principal, and related staff members including secretaries in the main office. The Information Center is equipped with modern technology to include a TV Production Studio. The new facility has a state-of-the-art kitchen and provides breakfast and lunch to students and employees.
The school mascot is the parrot, and the school colors are blue and yellow. The school has a special award program for students called SOAR (Safety, Ownership, Acceptance, and Respect). Students participate in several sports including cross country, volleyball, and soccer. Special events for the school are Puerto Rican Heritage Day, the STEMposium, and Career Day.
Mr. Daffin was the principal for the 2023-24 school year followed by Mr. Roberto Bonseñor the next year. The assistant principal both years was Dr. Veronica Rivera. Mr. Bonseñor continued as principal for 2025-26 school year and the new assistant principal was Ms. Jaime Bybee. The enrollment for grades Pre-K through five has been between 450 and 500 students.
Information from yearbooks and school webpage