The American Missionary Association's (AMA) work in Puerto Rico included education, church work, and the establishment of Ryder Memorial Hospital. The Blanche Kellogg Institute in the Santurce district of San Juan opened as a primary school for girls in 1907. It became a high school in 1916, after enough public primary schools had opened on the island. When the Institute faced severe financial difficulties during World War II, the AMA decided to close it and divert funds to other projects.