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This article examines the relationship between school infrastructure and academic performance in Ecuador. The objective of this research is to identify which types of infrastructure are associated with better student outcomes in elementary schools. The study employs data from the 2019 UNESCO standardized test, ERCE-2019, for Ecuadorian primary schools. The findings indicate a significant positive correlation between various types of school infrastructure and student achievement. Such infrastructure includes art and music installations, on-site nursing facilities, and basic service connections, especially in rural areas. Significant correlations between educational outcomes and large-scale infrastructure investments are either not observed or are inconsistently evidenced. These results challenge the heavy focus on prominent educational infrastructure projects in Ecuador, suggesting an opportunity to reorient educational spending to enhance outcomes cost-effectively. These research findings may apply not only to Ecuador but potentially to the broader Latin American context.
Andrade et al. (Tue,) studied this question.