One year has passed since Hurricane Maria struck the United States territory of Puerto Rico. But even before the storm hit, education officials had begun closing schools on Puerto Rico to save money. Last year, the territory’s government sought legal protection from creditors because it owed billions of dollars in debts that could not be paid. In the weeks and months after Hurricane Maria, the number of students on the island dropped as conditions worsened. Thousands of Puerto Rican families fled to the U.S. mainland. Many students ended up attending schools in Florida or other states along the East Coast. At the time, education officials reported that about half of Puerto Rico’s schools had lower than normal student attendance rates. Only about 60 percent of classroom seats were filled. The government ended up closing nearly 300 schools. Education officials said the move was necessary to meet budget targets.