What share of teenagers in São José are in school?

Among young people aged 15 to 17 in São José, 85.0% were attending school or college at the 2022 census, the 118th lowest of 320 major Brazilian cities (Brazil: 85.2%).

What share of pupils pass the school year in São José?

95.7% of pupils in the 6th to 9th grades of public schools in São José passed the 2025 school year (Brazil: 95.7%); 9th-graders averaged 261.0 in mathematics and 268.6 in Portuguese on the Saeb tests (Brazil: 256.2 and 258.1).

Education in São José, Brazil: official figures

At the 2022 census 98.2% of children aged 6 to 14 in São José were attending school, the 109th lowest of 320 major Brazilian cities and the 1184th lowest of Brazil's 5,570 municipalities (Brazil: 98.3%; Santa Catarina state: 98.6%).

Children aged 6-14 attending school

98.2%

2022

Ideb, public schools, 1st-5th grade

6.5

2025

Ideb, public schools, 6th-9th grade

5.3

2025

How many young children in São José attend pre-school or crèche?

91.0% of children aged 4 and 5 in São José attended pre-school or school in 2022 (the 92nd highest of 320 major Brazilian cities; Brazil: 86.7%), and 48.8% of children under 4 attended a crèche or school (the 47th highest of 320 major Brazilian cities; Brazil: 33.9%).

Source: Instituto Brasileiro de Geografia e Estatística (IBGE) · saved copy

What is the Ideb score of São José?

Public primary schools in São José scored 6.5 on the Ideb, the Ministry of Education's 0-10 index of pass rates and test results, for the early years (1st to 5th grade) in 2025, the 86th highest of 320 major Brazilian cities (Brazil's public schools: 6.1). The score was 6.1 in 2023 and 6.4 in 2019.

Source: Instituto Nacional de Estudos e Pesquisas Educacionais Anísio Teixeira (Inep), Ministry of Education · saved copy

How do 5th-graders in São José do in the Saeb tests?

In 2025, 98.3% of pupils in the 1st to 5th grades of São José's public schools passed the school year (Brazil: 98.0%), and 5th-graders averaged 235.9 in mathematics and 225.4 in Portuguese on the national Saeb tests (Brazil: 227.4 and 215.1).

Source: Instituto Nacional de Estudos e Pesquisas Educacionais Anísio Teixeira (Inep), Ministry of Education · saved copy

How do public schools in São José score for 6th to 9th grade?

For the later years of primary school (6th to 9th grade), São José's public schools scored 5.3 on the 2025 Ideb, the 96th highest of 320 major Brazilian cities (Brazil's public schools: 5.0), against 5.1 in 2023.

Source: Instituto Nacional de Estudos e Pesquisas Educacionais Anísio Teixeira (Inep), Ministry of Education · saved copy

Are city or state schools better in São José?

In the 6th to 9th grades, schools run by the city of São José scored 5.5 on the 2025 Ideb and schools run by Santa Catarina state in the city scored 5.0.

Source: Instituto Nacional de Estudos e Pesquisas Educacionais Anísio Teixeira (Inep), Ministry of Education · saved copy

How São José compares with other cities in Brazil

Children aged 6-14 attending school (%) (2022)

São José ranks 212 of 320, highest first.

Rank	City	Children aged 6-14 attending school (%)
209	Santo André	98.2%
210	Marabá	98.2%
211	Marituba	98.2%
212	São José	98.2%
213	Petrópolis	98.2%
214	Cambé	98.2%
215	Angra dos Reis	98.2%

Source: Instituto Brasileiro de Geografia e Estatística (IBGE) · saved copy

Children aged 4-5 attending pre-school or school (%) (2022)

São José ranks 92 of 320, highest first.

Rank	City	Children aged 4-5 attending pre-school or school (%)
89	Ribeirão Pires	91.1%
90	São Paulo	91.0%
91	Bauru	91.0%
92	São José	91.0%
93	Diadema	91.0%
94	Maracanaú	91.0%
95	Americana	91.0%

Source: Instituto Brasileiro de Geografia e Estatística (IBGE) · saved copy

Young people aged 15-17 attending school (%) (2022)

São José ranks 203 of 320, highest first.

Rank	City	Young people aged 15-17 attending school (%)
200	Poá	85.0%
201	Várzea Paulista	85.0%
202	Ponta Grossa	85.0%
203	São José	85.0%
204	Lauro de Freitas	85.0%
205	São Mateus	85.0%
206	Araguari	84.9%

Source: Instituto Brasileiro de Geografia e Estatística (IBGE) · saved copy

Ideb, public schools, 1st-5th grade (2025)

São José ranks 86 of 320, highest first.

Rank	City	Ideb, public schools, 1st-5th grade
83	Crato	6.6
84	Coronel Fabriciano	6.6
85	Muriaé	6.6
86	São José	6.5
87	Governador Valadares	6.5
88	Embu das Artes	6.5
89	Jacareí	6.5

Source: Instituto Nacional de Estudos e Pesquisas Educacionais Anísio Teixeira (Inep), Ministry of Education · saved copy

Ideb, public schools, 6th-9th grade (2025)

São José ranks 96 of 320, highest first.

Rank	City	Ideb, public schools, 6th-9th grade
93	Vitória	5.3
94	Barueri	5.3
95	Taubaté	5.3
96	São José	5.3
97	Volta Redonda	5.3
98	Luziânia	5.3
99	Itapecerica da Serra	5.3

Source: Instituto Nacional de Estudos e Pesquisas Educacionais Anísio Teixeira (Inep), Ministry of Education · saved copy

More on São José: overview · economy and jobs · health · poverty and living standards · government budget · all cities in Brazil

Sources

Instituto Nacional de Estudos e Pesquisas Educacionais Anísio Teixeira (Inep), Ministry of Education: Ideb 2025, primary school late years (6th-9th grade): pass rates, Saeb scores and Ideb 2005-2025 by municipality and school network (spreadsheet from the zip download), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 0a54ddd30107…)
Instituto Nacional de Estudos e Pesquisas Educacionais Anísio Teixeira (Inep), Ministry of Education: Ideb 2025, primary school early years (1st-5th grade): pass rates, Saeb scores and Ideb 2005-2025 by municipality and school network (spreadsheet from the zip download), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 e132cd0ab831…)
Instituto Brasileiro de Geografia e Estatística (IBGE): Censo Demográfico 2022: gross school attendance rate by age group (0-3, 4-5, 6-14 and 15-17), Brazil, states and municipalities (SIDRA table 10056), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 4966e323affd…)

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