Schools in Mexico | Allianz Care (2024)

FAQs

Is the school system in Mexico good? ›

Understanding the fundamentals

While the standard of education in rural public schools in Mexico can be quite low, urban public schools are generally a little better. Private and international schools, however, usually offer a higher standard of education that is better suited to the needs of expat families.

Mexico's education has many challenges such as lack of a clearly-defined educational model, the role of the Unions, level of social engagement and parent involvement.

Students in Mexico can leave school at 15, right after junior high, so many junior highs have vocational classes in addition to academic curricula. In the US, there isn't an emphasis on vocational programs in junior high. My daughter's school in the tourist town of Playa del Carmen offered classes in hospitality.

Public schools in Mexico are secular as religious instruction is banned in public education, and school days in Mexico are shorter than in many other countries. The school year usually runs from September to the following June.

The start time and duration of the typical school day in Mexico may vary, depending on the grade level of the student. For example, preschool usually starts at 9:00 a.m. and lasts until 1:00 p.m.; however, elementary and high school can start around 8:00 a.m. and go until 2:00 p.m.

The country ranks at the bottom of the OECD PISA study² and ranked only 46th among 50 countries in the 2018 Ranking of National Higher Education Systems by the Universitas 21 network of research universities.

In 2013, Mexico's federal government introduced the Educational Reform of Mexico (Reforma Educativa en México, 2013) to improve the quality and equity of its education system by focusing on several key areas: 1) strengthening equity and inclusion among students; 2) improving and empowering schools; 3) improving ...

Mexico boasts an impressive and efficient healthcare system consisting of public and private schemes. The majority of Mexican hospitals are excellent and are staffed by highly trained and often English-speaking doctors.

Given that the scale of grading ranges from 0 to 100, it is common that the grade indicates the percentage of correct answers in a given exam. Grades are most often absolute and not class-specific. Thus, it may be that the top student of the class gets a low grade of 70, while the passing threshold is still 60.

What is Mexico's education rate? ›

On average, in Mexico, students score 81 points below on math than the OECD average (494 points). This is equivalent to a loss of two years of schooling. In the most recent 2015 PISA exam, this gap widened even further to the equivalent of three years loss in schooling.

Mexican children who finish preschool then find themselves in an ineffective primary and secondary education system. As the Guardian reported in 2017, Mexico's education system is ranked the last in educational performance among OECD countries.

Mexicans can expect to go through 15.4 years of education between the ages of 5 and 39, much less than the OECD average of 18 years and the lowest level in the OECD.

Tuition at public universities and technological universities and institutes is free to Mexican citizens; however, there may be fees which can be as high as $US 150 per semester.

Often living in poverty, Mexican children are vulnerable to violence both in the home and at school. According to UNICEF, over 50 percent of children (ages 1-14) have experienced physical punishment and/or psychological aggression by caregivers (Los derechos de la infancia y de la adolescencia en México, 2018).

Mexico High School 2024 Rankings

Mexico High School is ranked #7,217 in the National Rankings.

As in Mexico, the education is divided in "primaria" (6 years), "secundaria" (3 years) and "preparatoria" or "bachillerato" (3 years), the twelfth grade is usually called "tercero de preparatoria" (third grade of preparatory) or "Quinto y Sexto Semestre" (Fifth and Sixth Semester).