Brief History

Paete had an established educational institution even before the 1900s during the latter part of the Spanish regime. A school under the administration of a Spanish priest accommodated both boys and girls. Discipline was foremost in the learning process, and corporal punishment was prevalent.

In the early 1900s, an American army officer, a captain, started teaching sessions among the young boys and girls and some gentlemen and ladies of the town. From his efforts and beginnings, and by the love of Paeteños to gain knowledge, private houses were rented to accommodate the pupils before the year 1910.

Following years showed increase in pupil population and it prompted the Municipal Council of Paete and civic-spirited Paeteños to rent other private houses where the higher grade pupils could be accommodated.

Due to continuous increase of school children from year to year, then town’s leader Felipe Calabig, with the concurrence of the municipal council, sought the permission of Don Alejandro Roces Sr. to have his camalig be used as school building. It was a blessing for the school children. The same administration of Felipe Calabig again approached and requested the Roces family to donate the entire camalig. Don Roces consented to the request. Civic-minded Paeteños detached the materials of the camalig from the roof to the floor down to the posts and erected it at Bagumbayan (in the school’s present site).

Paete Elementary School found its name on October 16, 1925, on the inauguration of the school building whose materials were donated by Don Alejandro Roces Sr. from their camalig. The school building was a two-story structure with 24 rooms. It housed both the primary and intermediate classes until the outbreak of the Pacific War.

During the Japanese Occupation (1942-1945), Paete Elementary School became the headquarters of the Japanese High Command assigned in this area in Laguna until the time when the American forces returned. The Japanese Army, on their desperate escape on March 31, 1945, burned the building down to ashes.

Upon liberation and through the released War Damage Claim, Paete Elementary School was reconstructed and was inaugurated in October 1950.

Brief Profile

Paete Elementary School (PES) is located in the northern part of the town near the foot of the Sierra Mountain. It can be found at the corners of A. Roces and Adao Sts. in Barangay Bagumbayan. It covers an area of 11,132 sq.m.

At present, PES has a school children population of 1895 from grades one to six. It has 49 teaching personnel (2 Master Teacher II, 3 Master Teacher I, 21 Teacher III, 16 Teacher II and 8 Teacher I), one District NFE Coordinator, one Guidance Coordinator, one utility worker, and an Elementary School Principal II in the person of Mrs. Carmen A. Afuang.

The school facilities include a library, computer laboratory and science laboratory located at the Don Mariano Marcos Bldg. It has 45 academic classrooms, 1 Home Economics building, 1 Industrial Arts building, 1 clinic, canteen and offices.

Quick Lookup Profile

GRADE LEVEL	Enrolment			Teachers			No. of Classrooms
	M	F	T	M	F	T
I	170	156	326	0	8	8	9
II	166	131	297	0	8	8	8
III	167	148	315	1	6	7	7
IV	177	148	325	0	7	7	7
V	136	172	308	2	8	10	9
VI	166	158	324	1	8	9	9
Total	982	913	1895	4	45	49	49