This paper employs variations in crime rates attributed to an unprecedented countrywide truce between gangs in El Salvador in 2012, and evaluates the short-term impact of homicides and extortions on educative choices of Salvadoran households. Results reveal that reductions in homicide rates due to the truce were associated with a migration within the educative system, from public to private institutions among boys 15-22 years old. Such fluctuations in homicide rates were also associated with a lower school attendance for girls 7- 14 years old, especially due to a lower public school enrollment. No significant association between fluctuations in extortion rates and educative choices could be observed.